What if generosity wasn’t something you practiced alone but something you shared with friends? That’s the vision behind a giving circle — a group of people who come together around a shared passion for God’s Word and decide to give collectively.
When believers join together, something powerful happens. A gift that might feel small on its own becomes multiplied when it’s combined with others. People no longer experience joy in isolation; their celebration is shared as friends rejoice together in what God is doing around the world. And along the way, relationships deepen as people encourage and sharpen one another in their faith.
Giving circles aren’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Some meet in homes, others in churches or coffee shops. Some focus on one project, while others rotate where they give. The common thread is community — finding like-minded believers and stepping into something bigger together.
One group of friends discovered just how transformational a giving circle can be. Their story shows that giving circles aren’t just about money; they’re about multiplying impact, strengthening friendships and creating a legacy that will ripple throughout eternity.
Friendships Rooted in God’s Word
Andrea Elbadramany, one of the circle’s founding members, was reminded that friendships often form around shared passions. “Most of the time, people do things they love with their friends. … When you are in love with God’s Word, it’s easy to gravitate towards people who share those same values.”
For Andrea and her friends, that shared love for Scripture naturally pulled them together. Her husband, Sami, summed it up simply: “The gospel starts with God’s Word. Discipleship starts with God’s Word.”
This foundation of friendship and faith became the spark that launched their giving circle.
Discovering the Need
The group didn’t set out to create a giving circle. In fact, it all started when their friends Mike and Shaina invited the group to dinner to hear about Bible translation.
Rich Blumenfeld, another member of the giving circle, recalled, “We just naively assumed that everybody’s got a Bible, and we didn’t know that there was this big of a need for it.”
That night, the group learned that millions of people around the world are still waiting for Scripture in a language and format they can clearly understand. The need was overwhelming — but together, they realized they could do something about it.
Giving Circles: Stronger Together
When they began giving as a group, something remarkable happened. Their impact grew — and so did their friendships.
Christina Blumenfeld shared, “We just felt like this was something we would want to do together. … It’s made our friendship even more meaningful.”
Sami explained why giving together made sense: “What really moved us to give as part of a community instead of on our own was the ability to say that I can play a really small part — or we can see a bigger impact if we get together with a group of friends and fellow believers who are also passionate about God’s Word and really make a bigger dent in the direction of getting a book of the Bible or an entire Bible in a language for a people group that don’t have it.”
That multiplied impact quickly became visible. Scott Cochran, another member of the giving circle, described how their pooled generosity supported a cluster project in Nigeria:
“This year we finally got to see completed New Testaments in all four of the language groups from our cluster. That’s something we definitely couldn’t have done on our own.”
The circle wasn’t just giving; they were witnessing lives being transformed through God’s Word.
A Ripple Effect of Generosity
The group also discovered that their generosity inspired others. Their gatherings became contagious.
Sami explained, “We have a vibrant community of believers who love God and love each other. … When other people see that, they want it. We’ve had lots of people come join our giving circle we didn’t even tell about Wycliffe. They just said, ‘Hey, why is everybody at your house?’ and ‘Why wasn’t I there?’ and ‘Oh, wow, I didn’t even know Bible translation was a thing.’ They wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves.”
Generosity rippled outward from this giving circle, touching not only those receiving Scripture across the world but also people in the circle’s local community.
Christina reflected on how the group encourages one another: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV).
Moving Into New Frontiers
After celebrating the completion of New Testaments in Nigeria, the circle looked for their next giving opportunity. This time, God opened their eyes to something new: sign languages.
Ashley Cochran shared their excitement: “[Deaf communities] need the Bible just as much as we do, and just as much as the other speaking groups do. We are super excited to help come alongside them in this next project.”
Now their circle is helping fuel Bible translation in 43 sign languages, opening the door for millions of people in Deaf communities to encounter God’s Word in a language that touches their hearts.
Explore Bible translation projects you and your friends could support together.
Visit wycliffe.org/projects.→
Witnessing God at Work
Over time, the group has recognized that their giving is part of something much bigger than themselves.
Rich, who loves numbers, pointed to the rapid growth in Bible translation: “All of a sudden, the last couple years, [the number of translations started has] been parabolic. It’s obvious God is on the move. … Be part of a ministry where you can actually see God’s hand working. That’s exciting!”
Scott added, “It’s giving us so much encouragement hearing all the things God is doing throughout the world in getting His Word out to people and the impact that’s having.”
What started with a single dinner invitation has become a testimony of how God multiplies generosity.
A Lasting Legacy
For Andrea, the true legacy of their giving is eternal: “The legacy I would hope this giving would leave is, first and foremost, whoever gets ahold of God’s Word that they would be able to read and understand that God loves them and that He wants to be in a relationship with them and to spend eternity with them. To be able to support something that has been so life-changing for us, to give that access to other people and do it together with people who are just as passionate as you, is so fun.”
Find Your Circle
This giving circle has seen firsthand how generosity creates ripple effects that last forever. By coming together to give, they’ve experienced deeper friendships, multiplied impact and amplified the joy of seeing God’s Word transform lives.
And the best part? Anyone can do this.
