Special Offerings Archives

A light in the clearing

Posted September 7th, 2021

When the prophet Elijah, deep in the throes of an existential crisis, fled to Mount Horeb in search of God, he was met instead with the sound of sheer silence. Natalie Pisarcik knows just how he felt.

Vital Congregations are essential to disaster assistance

Posted September 3rd, 2021

Faith-based disaster assistance work starts at church.

Panel discussion looks at why some congregations have seen giving increase during the pandemic

Posted September 2nd, 2021

One result of the pandemic is that members of organizations — churches included — are reimagining their common life together as well as their giving practices.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance partners meeting basic needs in Haiti

Posted September 1st, 2021

Two-and-a-half weeks after a 7.2- magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) partners in the country are working to meet basic needs and looking to the future, supported by gifts from Presbyterians across the country.

Path of Peace Reflections get creative twist

Posted August 31st, 2021

The Season of Peace returns Sept. 5-Oct. 3 with an artistic twist, showcasing the talents and motivational words of David LaMotte, Michele Slone, David Barnhart and others.

Presbyterians ready to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Ida

Posted August 29th, 2021

As news comes in of the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is organizing a response that will help sustain life and restore hope in the coming days.

As natural disasters grow, Presbyterians respond

Posted August 26th, 2021

On Tuesday, The New York Times ran the headline “Two Americas: One Parched, One Soaked” over a map that showed a marked increase in rainfall over the eastern United States in the last 30 years, and decreasing precipitation over the West during the same period.

More than two centuries of giving back to the community

Posted August 24th, 2021

Next month, Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Dandridge, Tennessee, will celebrate its 236th year in ministry. While that’s a history to be proud of — Hopewell is one of the oldest churches in the Volunteer State — the church’s pastor, the Rev. Brad Napier, told Between Two Pulpits hosts Bryce Wiebe and Lauren Rogers on Monday that the congregation of 88 members also takes pride in its consistent history of giving, especially through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Special Offerings and even during the long pandemic, when the church actually saw increased giving and membership growth.

Minute for Mission: A Season of Peace begins

Posted August 23rd, 2021

Congregations of many denominations extend the peace of Christ with a blessing during their service. “The peace of Christ be with you (and also with you).” It is a blessing offered and a blessing returned in kind. Extending the peace of Christ is part of an active, engaged faith — a witness to what it means for us to be building the household of God.

‘Every day they have to fight’

Posted August 19th, 2021

David Guervil, who’s been consulting for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Haiti throughout political unrest, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake and the tropical storm that followed, told an online gathering Thursday that most Haitians survive “on a daily basis. Every day they have to fight. Every day they struggle for the next day.”