Special Offerings Archives

Michigan church chooses a cause close to its heart from the Presbyterian Giving Catalog

Posted September 15th, 2022

While most organizations work tirelessly to break down silos, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Michigan, decided instead to build a few of their own. All to the glory of God for the benefit of Presbyterian Mission, of course.

Shining the light of Christ on the streets of Indianapolis

Posted September 13th, 2022

Anthony was dealt a bad hand in life. Looking intently into the eyes of the Rev. Charles Harrison, pastor of Barnes United Methodist Church in Indianapolis and president of the board of the Indy TenPoint Coalition, the young man visiting from Chicago made his tearful confession.

No place like home

Posted September 6th, 2022

No one spread a mat for Selai. Born and raised in Vunidogoloa [voo-nē-dō-gō-lōah], the first Fijian community that was forced to relocate due to the impact of climate change, Selai [Suh-lī] felt unwelcome in her new home.

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.

Minute for Mission: A Season of Peace

Posted August 16th, 2022

The words of Isaiah 55 convey a profound message to us during A Season of Peace: For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace.

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.

‘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.