Event offers Presbyterians and others a time to give
by Pat Cole | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE—While Black Friday elevates the urgency of shopping over the Advent of the arrival of Jesus, #GivingTuesday offers a time to support the timeless values he taught.
#GivingTuesday, observed each year the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is billed as a day when people everywhere “can give more, give smarter and give great” through gifts to charitable and religious causes. The Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA), in partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation, is featuring several opportunities for Presbyterians to advance Christ’s mission on #GivingTuesday by making gifts at the Foundation’s #GivingTuesday website.
PMA ministries featured on the website include Presbyterian World Mission, Compassion, Peace, and Justice, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, and the Christmas Joy Offering. Presbyterians also can give to their congregations and other Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related causes at the website.
Now in its fifth year, #GivingTuesday was created by the 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center in New York City, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. More than 40,000 organizations in 71 countries participate in #Giving Tuesday. It is an effort that 16th century reformer John Calvin would applaud, according Presbyterian theologian Charles A. Wiley III. In a blog post, Wiley, coordinator of the PMA’s Office of Theology and Worship, wrote:
“The goal of #GivingTuesday is ‘a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration’ that takes place during the height of the commercialization of the Christmas season. Without a doubt, Calvin would have believed that overwhelming commercialization was not the way to celebrate the coming of the Savior. It seems entirely appropriate to harness the tools that we have to encourage ourselves and others to be generous for the good of all. Calvin would approve.”
To get involved:
- Share the #GivingTuesday logo on your Facebook page
- Post an “#UnSelfie” – a photo of yourself, featuring causes you support or reasons you give
- Tweet using the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #GivePCUSA
- Encourage friends and colleagues to make a gift to promote #GivingTuesday
- Go to the Presbyterian Foundation’s #GivingTuesday website to make your gift on November 29. All gifts received by the PMA on that day will count toward the PMA’s #GivingTuesday emphasis.
Tricia Wainscott contributed to this report.
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