Ministries Tags: stewardship
Taking it to the street
Medical ministry brings healing and hope to the homeless of Pittsburgh.
by Sue Washburn
James Withers felt a calling to do something different with his medical skills. As an inner-city doctor, he longed to find a way to give direct medical attention to those who are often excluded from traditional care. So he created Operation Safety Net, a medical ministry that reaches people living on the street in Pittsburgh in ways that honor and respect them as people of God.
Withers prepared for the endeavor in a place that felt most natural, the library of Second United Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. He checked out the book 52 Ways to Help Homeless People and learned that ministry to men and women on the street doesn’t just help those being ministered to; it also transforms those doing the ministry.
Continue reading‘Where does my church offering go?’
Your money’s journey from plate to ministry
by Emily Enders Odom
Ever wondered where your church offering goes?
Your church’s operating budget is a snapshot of its mission and ministry. To paraphrase Luke 12:34, where your church’s treasure is, there its heart is also.
So if your church’s annual budget reflects its statement of faith, you may wonder who in the congregation undertakes the crucial responsibility of developing it. That duty falls to your congregation’s session—the pastor, associate pastor(s), and ruling elders—or the session’s designees on an appointed budget or finance committee.
As an active church member, you can review the budget that has been adopted by your session at your annual congregational meeting, where the session’s budget is presented. So if you are wondering where your financial pledge goes—and whether the money you give each week supports the mission not only of your congregation but of the presbytery, synod, and the General Assembly—simply study your church’s annual budget. If you’re still unsure, ask questions.
Continue readingLessons for life: teaching kids about money
By tailoring financial messages to the age of a child, parents can encourage generous giving and responsible saving.
by Becky D’Angelo-Veitch
I stood open-mouthed, looking at the envelope. There on the kitchen counter sat my parents’ pledge, ready for church the next morning. As a 13-year-old, I hadn’t really thought about those little envelopes tucked in my dad’s jacket pocket each Sunday. Although I knew my parents gave money to the church, I hadn’t bothered to wonder how much. Then I saw it, on that little line after the dollar sign: a figure that was larger than any sum I’d ever been given for a day at the mall. “You give that much to the church?” I said with all the righteous indignation of a teen denied the most recent fashion craze. Although I don’t remember exactly what my mother said in reply, I can remember the message: It’s not all about you.
In a different house in a different town in that same era, my future in-laws diligently saved exactly twice the cost of a new color TV. My husband, Robert, remembers this because his parents believed in making a charitable donation equal to the cost of each big purchase, including that TV.
These moments from our childhood have stayed with us. Robert and I are humbled, grateful, and challenged by the examples that our parents set for us. Now parents ourselves, we strive to set examples for our children and give them the tools to be both responsible savers and generous givers. It’s a fine line to walk every day, and, like so many others, we struggle with trying to always make the right choice.
Continue reading‘Lifestyles of generosity’
Stewardship—it’s not just for autumn anymore.
by Pat Cole
In thousands of congregations, the brilliant colors of fall signal the season for annual budgets, stewardship sermons, and pledge cards.
For many congregations, it’s the only time of year they give financial stewardship high visibility. In the best-case scenario, the members pledge enough to meet the church budget, and the congregation is on its way to another year of ministry. Except for budget reports, talk about money is mostly set aside until the next autumn.
However, a growing number of congregations regard financial giving as an important part of Christian discipleship that deserves year-round emphasis.
Continue readingMinistry Relations Program launched
August, 2012
The Presbyterian Foundation exists to raise, safeguard and distribute funds for mission. Because congregations are the center of mission and ministry in the church, the Foundation provides a variety of services to help pastors and sessions cultivate the funds needed to carry out their ministries.
Continue readingFinancial discipleship bibliography
An annotated list of books and websites that might be helpful to anyone interested in practical suggestions or further study in this area
Websites that might Be helpful
Additional up-to-date material in the area of planned giving:
Annual campaign theme and resources; information regarding national workshops and other stewardship resources from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center
Resources from the Kaleidoscope Stewardship Annual PCUSA event
For copy of Nouwen’s booklet titled The Spirituality of Fundraising
Online Stewardship newsletter and other resources
Books that might be helpful
Ask, Thank, …
Continue readingWhat do Presbyterians believe about stewardship?
The "S" Word
By Robert Bohl
Reprinted from the May 1997 issue of Presbyterians Today
One of the curious things about Presbyterians and stewardship is that those who have the least tend to give the most. Percentage-wise more people with incomes of less than $25,000 tithe (give 10 percent) than those with a greater income. The same is true of the way they give their time and talents to the church.
Perhaps it is because they have learned one of the great theological and Biblical truths that Malachi taught the Hebrew people about the …
Financial discipleship
Sunday, November 7
The Lord’s Day
Minute for Mission: Stewardship Commitment
Ed (Sun) Kiel was about six years old when he, his two older brothers, and their parents immigrated to Denver, Colorado, from Korea in the early 1970s. His father, the Rev. Nathaniel (Ung Nam) Kiel, was a Presbyterian pastor who sensed God’s calling to ministry for Korean immigrants in America. Ed remembers clearly that their parents had only $40 as they made their long trip to the United States. At church that first Sunday, Ed watched his mother place the precious $40 in an offering plate. Ed carried this …
Continue readingDelivery Information and Requirements
Please make sure that you read the purchase order for delivery location. Many of our purchase orders require delivery to multiple locations. The primary delivery locations for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are as follows:
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Lower Level Receiving
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
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