The Ask

A letter from Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson serving in Peru

November 2015

Many of you who know Rusty know he is an entrepreneur.  He loves business, especially start-ups and new ideas, dreams that become reality through effort and perseverance.

Some 27 years ago he started an international shipping business that, within a few months, was growing so fast that it was in danger of closing down!  It was like a steam engine racing at full speed needing more coal to keep it ‘hot.’  The problem he had was that he was running out of coal (money)…he had a cash flow problem.

During this time Rusty attended a small-business meeting where the speaker told a story about a wealthy merchant who sold all of his possessions and converted his wealth into gold coins.  The merchant then boarded a ship bound for the New World. The merchant loved business, especially start-ups, new ideas in a new world…opportunity.  Well, he never made it, because one night the ship was engulfed in a fierce storm and sank. As the ship was sinking the wealthy merchant put all of his gold in sacks, tied the sacks around his waist, jumped over board, and he, along with all of his gold, went to the bottom of the sea.  Then the speaker asked the audience this question: “Think about the merchant. Did the merchant have the gold or did the gold have the merchant?”

For Rusty, at that point in his life, this was a very profound and timely question that he took personally.  And within a few days God brought into his life some Christian businessmen who would guide him through numerous faith-based decisions related to business difficulties and self-employment challenges.  How does one build a solid business and faithfully be a responsible steward, especially in tithing to the church, community, and charitable organizations? Does the business own the owner or does the owner own the business?

Where is that balance?

Money—be it gold, silver, paper, bitcoin, or value of barter—is required for human sustenance.  It is the source of perceived power because what money affords a person, a business, or a corporation…is choice.  As one accumulates wealth, one should have more options, more opportunities, more available resources to choose from. And the lack of money produces personal limitations and struggles.  Throughout our lives, the topic of money is in our daily conversations—to determine what we buy at the supermarket, where we travel, what neighborhood we live in, and often even the church that we attend.  The topic of money is, and always will be, a conversation we will have in our house. Jesus knew this and that is why he mentioned money so many times in the Gospels. The word money occurs 137 times in the Bible.  The Biblical call to good stewardship is clear. And yet often many churches don’t counsel their members how to live out the call to stewardship.  Yes, it can be a difficult conversation, but the call is clear.

Many of the toughest points in our life in Peru have revolved around money.  We host teams from the U.S. as they work with churches in Peru. We have made our home here in a very different culture. But at the same time we face many of the same financial questions each of you have in your homes, and maybe some unique questions that you don’t.

For example:

-How much money from each U.S. team should go to support the joint work here in Peru?

We always urge the teams to not pay 100 percent of the project but to share the costs with Peruvian partners. It has to do with pride and ownership in the project.

-What expectations are there for the Peruvian partners to contribute?

Always expect something!  The giving should be reciprocal.

-What if the U.S. teams want to give more than the budget or if they decide unexpectedly to give during the time they are here?

If you give to a perceived need that is not a felt need, here in Peru it generally causes all kinds of problems like jealousy or frustration from those who ‘play by the rules,’ or who may feel that the money could have been better spent on other needs. Decisions about money should always be made together with partners.

-What should the accounting look like for this work?

We always encourage the partners to be transparent and offer a ‘rendición’ or a report on how the money was spent.  If it is with receipts that is even better.

-With the new international banking laws as we oversee transfers of funds from the U.S. to Peru, how can we be more transparent and compliant with the IRS and the ever-changing international banking regulations?

-Of those who ask for financial help, many of whom have critical needs, how do we decide whom to help, always with respect to cultural awareness and transparency?

We are not alone in asking hard questions. The PC(USA) mission agency is facing a financial challenge: a substantial shortfall in funding. The reality is that if this shortfall is not addressed by increased financial support, the sad task of recalling mission co-workers from their countries of service will continue in 2016. This shortfall is not the result of divisions or theological differences. Presbyterians are a generous people, but there are fewer and fewer of them each year, so the number of gifts is decreasing.  Endowments that helped to sustain the sending and support of mission personnel have been spent down, and expected funds development has not reached the projected goal.

In 2013, Presbyterian World Mission asked that we mission co-workers increase our efforts to tell about our work and to ask for financial support for our positions. Despite generous gifts from churches and friends, our ministry has not been fully funded for this year. We also know of several others who are in the same boat. On behalf of all of us, we ask that you tell our mission co-worker stories—the stories of how God is at work around the world through our global partnerships—to all who will listen. We ask that you consider supporting a mission co-worker. And if you are already supporting one, ask others to join you in this mutual effort. Don’t be shy…successful people are not shy!  Successful missions are bold missions. And the PC(USA) mission programs are the most forward-thinking, progressive, bold mission programs in the world.

This letter is our money conversation with you, our PC(USA) family.  We are asking a denomination of 10,000+ churches filled with gifted people to financially re-energize our mission agency’s global missional calling.  Our missional steam engine is racing at full speed, but lacks the coal to keep its engine ‘hot.’  The Presbyterian Mission Agency has a cash flow problem.  Our commitment is to rethink, retool and respond as God guides us with our global partners to accomplish God’s mission. And we mission co-workers are thankful for your individual and congregation’s intentional, financial commitment.

con abrazos de rusty y sara
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 54