Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Where Your Heart Is…

A Weekly Offerings Stewardship Blog

Minute for Mission: Children at Risk

Illinois church helps prepare at-risk boys for success in school The next time you see a group of young African American boys happily playing in a park, keep that mental picture in your mind. Then consider the statistics suggesting that one of every three boys on that playground will spend time in prison. That’s a… Read more »

Plan Now to Share in Their Lives

 

We were glad to share not only God’s good news with you but also our very lives because we cared for you so much. — 1 Thessalonians 2:8Plan Now to Share in Their Lives6 out of 10 youth will walk away from their faith sometime in their 20sSix out of ten. The Pentecost Offering is devoted to ministries that support our young people during their first third of life, the time from childhood through young adulthood, helping them build lifelong connections to their faith, churches, and communities.The first third of life is a time when spirituality, emotional health, cognitive development, and relationships take shape, influencing ideas and actions well into the future. This is a time when the church, and you, can nurture and guide our youth by sharing with them God’s good news and our very lives to lead them on a path towards a bright and faith-led future.Get involved. Speak with your congregation about the ministries supported by the Offering.Your own church and local youth programs Developing and supporting programs for children at risk, youth, and young adults in your own church and communityYoung Adult Volunteers (YAV) Providing opportunities for young adults to serve in communities around the world and grow as leaders through transformative Christian serviceMinistries with Youth Helping to guide our youth by uniting them in Christ and lifting them up as leaders and messengers of God’s wordAdvocacy and education for at-risk youth Supporting vital ministries to improve education and provide a safe haven for children across the globeInvest in their first third of lifePlease share gladly and give generously to the Pentecost Offering.Resources are available online and through Presbyterian Distribution Services. We’re here to help! Feel free to contact us if you have questions or need any assistance. 

Read more »

Minute for Mission: Young Adult Volunteer Program

A Year of Service that Changes Lives and Transforms our Church The racially motivated murder of nine people last year at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, sent shock waves of distress and heartache across our nation and around the world. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Young Adult Volunteer Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey was one… Read more »

Pigs for PYGs

Guest Post by Rev. Wendy Downing Many of our stories come from letters with gifts to the Special Offerings or Presbyterian Giving Catalog. Today’s kind note came from Fisk Presbyterian Church in Fisk, MO. The youth in our church take up a “noisy” offering the third Sunday of every month and ask people to give… Read more »

Minute for Mission: Focusing on the First Third of Life

Ministries supported by the Pentecost Offering reach people during this critical stage The Pentecost Offering is all about helping people begin life with a strong start. A solid foundation formed from childhood through young adulthood enables individuals to weather life’s storms and build on life’s opportunities. This age range is sometimes called the “first third… Read more »

Incredible Growth

Guest Post by Rev. Brad Braley The Pentecost Offering is unique in that 40% of receipts are retained by your congregation for local ministries with children, youth or young adults. Pastor Brad Braley wrote to tell us about how creating a thriving project has tripled their offering receipts! Image: Payless Gives In 2001 we saw… Read more »

The Giving Tree

Guest Post by Amanda Davis We know you love to hear the stories of how other congregations are promoting Special Offerings in their churches! Today, Amanda Davis from Central Presbyterian Church in Terre Haute, IN, shares their recent success: This new Christmas-giving opportunity for our church arose at our October Mission Committee meeting, when Renee… Read more »

Helping Hands in Bedford, NH

“Smart and generous people developed Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Board of Pensions Assistance Program, and the PC(USA) Special Offerings. They made a tremendous difference in our presbytery, congregation, and in the lives of our employees. We are truly thankful,” said Rev. John Sawyer, co-pastor of Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford, NH. Rev. Sawyer expressed to… Read more »

A community of gifts, a multitude of benefits

We all have a gift to give. The contributions we make each day are as unique as we are: we may give our talents to accomplish something, give our time to help someone, or give our resources to further a cause. While our individual gifts have great value, so much more is gained when we… Read more »

Minute for Mission: Confronting the Structures of Injustice

Self-Development of People July 16, 1979 is a day the Navajo Nation in New Mexico will never forget. An earthen dam gave way, releasing 1,000 tons of radioactive mill waste and 90 million gallons of acidic and radioactive liquids into the Rio Puerco. The waste traveled downstream across nine Navajo chapters and the community of… Read more »