The minister was giving a sermon on “total giving.” When it came time to take up the offering, the plate came to a pew where there was a very small boy. He looked up at the usher and said, “Could you lower the plate?” Thinking that he wanted to see into the plate, the usher held it down a bit. “No,” said the boy, “a little lower, please.” The usher lowered it a bit more. “More; could you just put it on the floor?” the boy asked. The usher was aghast but finally put it on the floor. The boy stepped into it, stood there, and said, “This is what I give to the Lord.” — A Stewardship Scrapbook
The Presbyterian Foundation has partnered with the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) to support #GivingTuesday on Nov. 28 as a means of harnessing the collective power of partners across the world to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.
The Finance and Audit committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board heard reports from financial services and audit team members today that painted a positive picture of the agency’s finances for the first half of 2017.
Severe famine and ongoing fighting between ethnic groups have made survival difficult for millions of people in South Sudan. As a result of the deteriorating conditions, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has issued an appeal.
The letters with an individual check of $50 from Stewartsville Presbyterian Church, made out to every teaching elder in Newton Presbytery, came in the mail in May 2016, near the end of the church calendar year.
Yet six months later, the pastors who received the letters, and those who made the decision to give them, are still talking about them in ways that get at the heart of the gift of giving.
If Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s commercialization of Christmas has left you discouraged, you may be able to recover your holiday joy by supporting Presbyterian ministries on #GivingTuesday.
While Black Friday elevates the urgency of shopping over the Advent of the arrival of Jesus, #GivingTuesday offers a time to support the timeless values he taught.
Reversing several years of a downward trend in congregational giving, a report today from to the Audit and Finance committees of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board showed 2016 mid-year giving at $2,794,449, which is an increase of $1,000,699 over the budgeted $1,793,750, and $610,021 over last year’s mid-year mark.
Congregation’s literacy program helps students succeed in school
Literacy skills, character strengths and a community that believes in success. Those are the three fundamental components behind the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program, a summer literacy initiative with a focus on children who need but cannot afford summer learning opportunities.
Finding inspiration in a glass of milk
When my father was born in Qingdao, China, Grandmother had a hard time breast-feeding, and Dad was losing weight. So a message went to the missionaries to the south that the babies up north needed milk. Apparently all food that the American missionaries ate came from the U.S. because they did not know which food was safe and which was not. Food had to be ordered 18 months ahead of need because of shipping time. Obviously one does not anticipate the birth of a baby 18 months ahead.
