{"id":2066,"date":"2023-12-12T06:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T06:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2023-09-14T14:25:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T14:25:03","slug":"where-the-heart-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2023\/12\/12\/where-the-heart-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Where the Heart Is"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"\n

If home is where the heart is, then Sue Anne Fairman\u2019s heart is blessed to call several places home. For Sue Anne, a deacon and ruling elder, home is New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. It is also home to the New Wilmington Presbyterian Church, which supported her family during many years as international mission workers.<\/p>\n

But home, too, will always be Kenya, where the family lived and worked among the Maasai people. It was there that Sue Anne raised her two daughters and spent 14 of her nearly 25 years in mission service volunteering at Mother Teresa\u2019s Orphanage in Nairobi.<\/p>\n

\"\"She recalls, \u201cOur family\u2019s years in southwestern Kenya were the most difficult. I think this was the most formative time of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as we age, things change \u2014 and home may come to mean someplace else. For Sue Anne, that place is Shenango on the Green, a Presbyterian continuing care community.<\/p>\n

When initially faced with the financial realities of moving, she was feeling \u201cmore than a bit stressed.\u201d She said, \u201cI had lunch with my friend Dave (David Dawson, former executive presbyter of Shenango Presbytery), who said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you apply to the Board of Pensions<\/a> for income and housing assistance.\u2019 He explained that the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is there for retired pastors and mission workers facing financial need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sue Anne made the call, and good news was soon to follow.<\/p>\n

The support that she receives is made possible, in part, by the annual Christmas Joy Offering<\/a>, which distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program of the Board Of Pensions and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most of Sue Anne\u2019s years of service as a pastor\u2019s wife and missionary in Kenya were not covered by the Board of Pensions, because her ex-husband was the one who was called into ministry. This meant she wasn\u2019t afforded full benefits by the Board of Pensions. This meant she wasn\u2019t afforded full benefits by the Board of Pensions until 1998.<\/p>\n

But, with the Board\u2019s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the Assistance Program expanded access to existing programs and created new ones. Now pensioners, like Sue Anne, who served the church for many years without full benefits, may be eligible to receive support.<\/p>\n

Sue Anne shares, \u201cChurch workers who have served long and well deserve to be recognized for their efforts. There are many today who are struggling financially because of inflation and other challenges. Your gifts validate their life and their ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please support the Christmas Joy Offering. For as we always say \u2026 when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let us pray~<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Loving and welcoming God, we thank you for those who serve, in places nearby or across the globe. When they face need, be present with them. Bless our giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, supporting those who serve, that they may know your deep hospitality and love. We pray in Christ\u2019s name. <\/em>Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If home is where the heart is, then Sue Anne Fairman\u2019s heart is blessed to call several places home. For Sue Anne, a deacon and ruling elder, home is New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. It is also home to the New Wilmington Presbyterian Church, which supported her family during many years as international mission workers. But home,… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":333,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[2252,1755,11,13,1186,1743,3751,145,146,65,2276],"class_list":["post-2066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas-joy-offering","category-special-offerings","tag-board-game","tag-board-of-pensions-assistance-program","tag-christmas-joy","tag-christmas-joy-offering","tag-education","tag-matthew-25","tag-racial-equity","tag-racial-ethnic-and-womens-ministries","tag-racial-ethnic-leadership-development","tag-racial-ethnic-schools-and-colleges","tag-world-mission"],"yoast_head":"\nWhere the Heart Is - Where Your Heart Is...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2023\/12\/12\/where-the-heart-is\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where the Heart Is\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If home is where the heart is, then Sue Anne Fairman\u2019s heart is blessed to call several places home. 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