{"id":433,"date":"2017-12-15T13:09:46","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T13:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=433"},"modified":"2017-12-13T23:26:02","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T23:26:02","slug":"christmas-joy-gifts-help-ensure-dignity-church-servant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2017\/12\/15\/christmas-joy-gifts-help-ensure-dignity-church-servant\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Joy Gifts Help Ensure Dignity for Church Servant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas Joy gifts help ensure dignity for a faithful church servant\u2019s final years<\/h2>\n

As an urban minister for more than 40 years, Bob Forsberg dedicated his willing hands, generous heart, and sharp mind to serving people society had cast aside.<\/p>\n

Last year however, at age 91, the mental capacity that had served this Presbyterian minister so well began to fade. His memory loss became so debilitating that Bob, after years focused on helping others, found himself in need of help.<\/p>\n

Bob\u2019s retirement income was enough to pay the bills at his retirement community in Oakland, California, but he had few other resources. Before\u00a0retirement, Bob had earned a modest salary at\u00a0Wider City Parish, serving among economically\u00a0disadvantaged people in New Haven, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Bob believed he should be paid no more than the\u00a0average worker in his impoverished neighborhood. He and his family qualified for public housing\u00a0and made their home there. Yet Bob was adept\u00a0at leveraging ministry funds from churches and\u00a0charitable foundations for initiatives ranging from\u00a0youth work to affordable housing. He advocated\u00a0for better schools in his community and for civil\u00a0rights, both locally and nationally.<\/p>\n

But Needs Now Stretch Beyond Capacity<\/h4>\n

In retirement, Bob relocated to the West Coast to be near his children. He eventually moved to a retirement community and functioned well in an independent living unit until last year. When dementia forced him to move into a memory care unit, the added service was more than Bob could\u00a0afford over the long term. His children were grieved\u00a0by the possibility of having to move their father to another facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked around at places nearby in the price range that we could afford, but it was very upsetting to see those conditions and to think about my dad being in those circumstances,\u201d says his daughter, Barbara Forsberg.<\/p>\n

Generosity of the Church Now Cares for Bob<\/h4>\n

Thanks to gifts made to the Christmas Joy Offering, Bob didn\u2019t have to move. Help from the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions has enabled him to receive high-quality care in familiar surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a family like ours and for a person like my dad, who has served his entire career in the Presbyterian\u00a0Church, it has really been a lifesaver,\u201d Barbara shares. \u201cI don\u2019t know if he would be doing so well if we had to move him to another place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barbara notes that it was generosity, a trait that Bob so faithfully incarnated, that came to Bob\u2019s aid in his time of need.<\/p>\n

Continuing the Circle of Care<\/h4>\n

That circle of caring is possible because of congregations that give to the Christmas Joy Offering. Half of the Offering will help past and present church workers and their families who are facing critical financial circumstances. The other\u00a0half goes to Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges to train future leaders.<\/p>\n

Please give generously.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Let Us Pray<\/h4>\n

Giving God, we know that by your grace, our generosity and service make a difference. We give thanks for committed church servants who have embodied these values through many years of faithful ministry. May they end this life\u2019s journey with dignity, contentment, and comfort. Amen.<\/p>\n

Join Us<\/h4>\n

For more information or resources related to the Christmas Offering, visit presbyterianmission.org\/christmasjoy<\/a>.
\nThis post is based on the\u00a0Rev. Bob Forsberg<\/em>\u00a0minute for mission script which can be found on our website <\/a>as a script<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please give generously to the Christmas Joy Offering:<\/p>\n