The children practiced long and hard to sing their song on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. When the big day came, they clambered to the front of the sanctuary, listened to the first few plinks on the piano and watched for the nod to begin from their Sunday school teacher.
“Stewardship is about the joyous discipline of giving thanks,” says Robert Hay Jr. of the Presbyterian Foundation. Comparing joyous discipline with a “runner’s high” where the mind body and spirit start clicking after months or even years of disciplined training, Hay says the discipline of stewardship can bring true joy in giving.
The Rev. Dr. James Reese, now approaching the 70th anniversary of his ordination in the Presbyterian Church, believes learning about stewardship is a cross-cultural exercise. He asserts approaches to charitable giving, especially in the context of the church, are formed by a community ethos — and he has the data to back it up.
A Florida woman who was a lifelong Presbyterian, a savvy investor, and a pioneer for women in the Chicago banking industry, has left a bequest of more than $1 million to the Presbyterian Foundation. The money is being used to establish a fund for scholarships for students attending colleges and universities affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Stewardship season was in full swing at Healdsburg (California) Community Church last fall when tragedy struck. Raging wildfires in Sonoma County wiped out vast residential areas within 20 miles of the church. Every church member — even those whose own homes were safe — knew people affected by the fires.
Every March, goats hold a place of honor at Sherrill’s Ford Presbyterian Church. Inspired by the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, the North Carolina congregation highlights how goats improve people’s lives in the developing world. Then members are invited to give toward the congregation’s collective purchase of goats through the catalog.
Giving generously is something the Rev. Kerry Slinkard makes a point of practicing as well as preaching. “It’s a response to God’s blessing,” he says, “an acknowledgment of our responsibility to those around us.”
St. Andrews University and Scotia Village retirement community announced today that the Estate of John D. Currie, Jr., over the past two years, has distributed gifts totaling more than $2.7 million to the two Presbyterian based organizations located in Scotland County, North Carolina.
Presbyterian theologian Chip Hardwick says #GivingTuesday is a good opportunity for Presbyterians to model “helpfulness for our neighbor,” a value that was prominent in the thought church reformer John Calvin.
