The Jubilee Birthday celebration and offering were begun in 1925 to commemorate the Jubilee (50th anniversary) of sending out the first ARP foreign missionary. Our current Jubilee Birthday ladies are Shelia Osborne and Rebekah Carson. Offerings collected at Jubilee Birthday celebrations are sent to World Witness for Shelia Osborne and Rebekah Carson.
Watch this video from World Witness on the History of the Jubilee Birthday.
The Jubilee Birthday is celebrated once a year and may be planned any time during the year. Our women celebrate this in many different ways. Some plan it during their church-wide missions emphasis and have one of the ladies speak about their work. Some have a big birthday party with cake and all the trimmings and have maps and displays about the work of our missionaries. Some women celebrate it only through their WM meetings, but more often it is a congregation-wide celebration. The important thing to remember is that we want to honor these servants of the Lord by faithfully praying for them as well as faithfully raising the support they need as they uniquely represent the women of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. (Excerpt taken from History of the Jubilee Birthday Celebration)
HELPFUL HINTS FOR PRESENTING YOUR VERY OWN JUBILEE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION*:
- Set up and label 12 tables for each month of the year and invite each person to sit at their personal birthday month table.
- Focus on a particular country by preparing foods, wearing native dress, and highlighting particular points of culture.
- Involve your entire church by making the celebration part of a church-wide picnic.
- Present Jubilee Birthday as part of your church’s Missions conference or Missions Emphasis week.
- Host the Jubilee Celebration on, or close to, the birthday of one of the Jubilee ladies.
- Give an unusual aspect to the meal: one woman reported that they prepared a menu and gave unusual titles to both food items and eating utensils. The guests checked the items they desired and were then served their choices by the women.
Perhaps these ideas will help to spark your own that will work for your Women’s Ministries. Let the Outreach and Missions Chairman know about the ideas and events that are working for you so we can share them with others.
* Some of the information comes from the World Witness Website.