On March 1st, we will receive our semi-annual Alabaster Offering. These funds will go to help our Mission fields buy property and build where needed: churches, schools, hospitals, and so forth. Alabaster giving has generated more than $100 million dollars for land purchase and construction at thousands of sites throughout the world.

History: The originator of the Nazarene Alabaster box, Mary Elizabeth Vennum, died in 2000 at age 91.

The offering promotion was based on the story of the woman pouring perfume on Jesus from a container carved from soft alabaster stone (Matthew 26: 6-10). Building on that Biblical story, Mrs. Vennum decided to ask Nazarene women to put off buying that new perfume for themselves or postpone getting a new dress and to give that money to world missions instead (in sort of the same way that the woman gave her bottle of perfume to Jesus). Mrs. Vennum promoted her offering idea with the slogan: "Give up a want to meet a need."  This offering has been collected for 70 years and raised millions of dollars.