ADD SOME SALT!

by Guest blogger

by Susan Swaney Humphrey

Have you ever forgotten to add salt to steamed veggies? Have you ever tasted unsalted butter? Food can be bland and flavorless without that little dash of salt. Salt is in almost every recipe we make. Even the sweetest desserts will have a pinch of salt in them as it enhances their flavor. Salt is a necessary compound in the activation of flavor receptors and a necessary nutrient for life in general. Our bodies require salt to function properly.

Leviticus 2:13 says, “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.”

In the Bible, the “covenant of Salt” signifies a lasting and unbreakable agreement. It’s a metaphor rooted in ancient Near East customs where salt symbolized loyalty, purity, healing and preservation. This is what we are talking about when we ask you to add some SALT to your normal WELCA offering. We want to “heal” a current budget gap and “preserve” our organization. In practical terms, the covenant of salt is linked to the requirement to include salt in all offerings to God, highlighting the enduring and pure nature of the relationship between God and his people. That means our relationship with God and one another should be SALTY. I believe WELCA, as an organization, is absolutely SALT Worthy.

We Share…

Our Abundance through monetary gifts but also through in-kind offerings, quilting, food pantries, hospitality to others and so many other ways. We are blessed to bless others.

Our Love for God, for justice, for learning (Bible Study) and for all God’s people and creation in all its glorious diversity.

Our Thanks for all God has given us by being good stewards of our gifts and returning our blessings to others. Thankofferings are one way we demonstrate this. Giving an additional SALT gift to this special SALT Appeal would be another.

Yes, it is time to add some SALT to your Women of the ELCA daily diet of devotions, ministry and advocacy. If every time you pick up the salt shaker to season your food at home or when eating out, you put just a quarter in a jar, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a SALT gift will grow. Going cashless? Keep track of your salt use on your phone in Notes and at the end of each week/month write the check to Women of the ELCA  with SALT Appeal in the memo. Sprinkle some needed SALT on all your future offerings to ensure that this cherished and vital organization can continue to be healthy and growing. Be SALTY! Join me and other Salt Shakers in Sharing Abundance, Love & Thanks…we’re definitely Seasoned Sisters!

Susan Swaney Humphrey, a Woman of the ELCA advocate, currently serves as the president of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synodical Women’s Organization (SWO). She currently serves on the Fundraising Task Force. She served on the churchwide executive board (1999-2005) and is a retired art teacher, busy-beyond-belief Mimi, and a church nerd.