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.
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
In 2016, Americans left $3.76 billion to non-profits in their estates. Churches can be beneficiaries of this generosity but it takes a good plan and a strong message to spur those gifts, says Karl Mattison, Vice President of Planned Giving Resources for the Presbyterian Foundation.
Non-profits are doing a better job than most churches of compelling people to support their work, says Adam Copeland, a noted stewardship expert. He believes churches need to work harder at telling the stories of their work and the ways the church impacts lives, and ensure church members make the spiritual connection to giving.
Conserving energy and caring for the environment are not new tasks for Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Since the mid 1990s, the congregation has been committed to finding ways to cut energy costs, while improving the environment in their own community.
Usually, when you hear about Presbyterian Pan American School on this blog, it is because they are recipients of the Christmas Joy Offering. So when members of the Student Council wanted to host a fundraiser, they decided to raise funds to give back to PC(USA) mission.
Retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor the Rev. Rex Wentzel wanted to stay active in the church after he left full time parish ministry. So, like many other retired clergy, he offered his service as a supply preacher for congregations when pastors were ill, on leave or on vacation. But Wentzel wasn’t in it for the money, rather he thought it was an ideal way to promote mission in the congregations he visited.
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.
As an adviser for the Unglued Church, a program in Pittsburgh Presbytery for help with church change, I encounter a lot of churches at the end of their rope. It’s a time in a church’s life when it’s important to emphasize the importance of thinking beyond survival, and how the congregation might imagine leaving a legacy for God’s ministry and mission.
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.
