Special Offerings Archives

Giving a gift that makes a difference

Posted September 1st, 2022

When it comes to people’s proclivity to pile up possessions, Jane MacDonald couldn’t agree more strongly with Jesus. “We all have enough stuff!” she said emphatically.

The Season of Peace is a time of reflection

Posted August 31st, 2022

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ushers in the annual Season of Peace on Sunday, the start of a four-week time of reflection for congregations and others who want to deepen their pursuit of peace.

International Peacemaker to illuminate climate risks in the Pacific

Posted August 22nd, 2022

A resident of a small island nation that’s endangered by rising sea levels and global pollution will help members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to better understand the threats posed by climate change.

A year as a Young Adult Volunteer is ‘like being air-dropped in the middle of chaos’

Posted August 17th, 2022

For Monday’s Between Two Pulpits broadcast, Dr. William McConnell, interim director of Special Offerings, celebrated the start of the Young Adult Volunteer program year by talking to two YAV alums who were equal parts passionate and practical about their own YAV experiences.

The talent behind the trio of Triennium resources

Posted August 8th, 2022

After sharing last month the free downloadable resources created to inform possibilities for Triennium-related celebrations in the local context, Gina Yeager-Buckley jumped at the chance Monday to bring along some of the talented people who created the resources related to group study, recreation, and worship and prayer — and are on the verge of creating even more resources in the weeks to come.

‘A mixed bag of destruction’

Posted August 5th, 2022

Days and weeks after summer flooding ravaged various presbyteries this summer, the extent of the damage continues to be assessed. But the known effects have been significant, from displacing school children and pastors to damaging church basements and parishioners’ homes.

A fine yarn

Posted August 4th, 2022

When bestselling author Debbie Macomber famously observed, “I love the way knitting brings people together,” she might just as well have been writing about the Presbyterian Women (PW) of First Presbyterian Church, Batavia, New York.

‘When one thing goes out of whack in our communities, many things go out of whack’

Posted July 21st, 2022

Richard Clay, a certified social studies teacher and a longtime community activist and educational consultant in Detroit, has been blind since the age of 2. As one who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan, the fact that he stressed education — especially the education of the wider community about how to best support people with disabilities — came as little surprise during Wednesday’s “The Struggle Is Real” webinar on poverty and disabilities, put on by the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. More than 50 people participated.

Presbyterians and others urged to support asylum seekers

Posted July 20th, 2022

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance took part in an online teach-in Monday as part of an effort to get the United States to end policies that make it difficult for asylum seekers at the country’s southern border to find safe haven.

Centering residents’ voices to bring about resident-led change

Posted July 19th, 2022

First things first. During her appearance last week as the guest on “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” Margaret Mwale, Associate for Community Development and Constituent Relations for the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, offered up an SDOP definition for podcast hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong.