{"id":435,"date":"2017-12-19T12:10:48","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T12:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=435"},"modified":"2017-12-19T17:07:52","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T17:07:52","slug":"christmas-joy-offering-helps-form-pcusas-future-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2017\/12\/19\/christmas-joy-offering-helps-form-pcusas-future-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Joy Offering Helps Form PCUSA’s Future Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Christmas Joy Offering helps form future leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<\/h2>\n

Their student days may have been a generation apart, but both Lemuel Garcia-Arroyo and his nephew Jasiel Hernandez found the Presbyterian Pan American School (Pan Am) to be an incubator for Christian leadership in their lives.<\/p>\n

Two Generations of Students<\/h4>\n

Lemuel, now Associate Director in the Racial Ethnic & Women\u2019s Ministries area of the\u00a0Presbyterian Mission, came to Pan Am from southern Mexico in 1981 as a high school sophomore. He enrolled in the Kingsville, Texas,\u00a0secondary school in part to escape the scrutiny that comes with being a pastor\u2019s son. He says the space Pan Am gave him helped his faith grow and encouraged him to claim his love for the church.<\/p>\n

Jasiel, a senior at Austin Presbyterian Theological\u00a0Seminary, made the trek from southern Mexico to Pan Am 27 years after Lemuel. He grew up\u00a0hearing stories about Pan Am from Lemuel and\u00a0his younger brother Joel.\u00a0 Joel is now an information\u00a0systems manager and lay pastor in Mexico City. Jasiel heard his uncles talk about opportunities to excel academically, create community, and grow\u00a0spiritually. Jasiel and Lemuel spoke highly of Pan\u00a0Am\u2019s academic preparation, chapel services, and\u00a0extracurricular activities, but both also emphasized the importance of participating in student-organized\u00a0Bible study and prayer groups.<\/p>\n

Spiritual Formation Through Student Life<\/h4>\n

\u201cWho would have thought teenagers would voluntarily go to chapel to pray after breakfast?\u201d\u00a0Lemuel asks. \u201cBut that\u2019s what we did. I wasn\u2019t\u00a0pressured to do it, but it helped solidify my identity\u00a0and my love for the church.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jasiel participated in a weekly dormitory Bible\u00a0study. \u201cIt was there I discovered I wanted to learn\u00a0more about God. I wanted to know more about people\u2019s faith and their understanding about how God works in their lives through different events and situations,\u201d Jasiel says. \u201cSo that Bible study really impacted my life. I wound up leading it my senior year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lemuel is grateful the Pan Am tradition continues and that it helped shape his nephew\u2019s calling. \u201cI am so proud and joyful that God would call him into ministry,\u201d Lemuel says.<\/p>\n

Jasiel is looking toward ordination in the PC(USA) and doctoral work in theology and Christian\u00a0education after he finishes seminary.<\/p>\n

Scholarships Made Possible by Christmas Joy Were the Key<\/h4>\n

Jasiel and Lemuel appreciate the scholarships\u00a0that made it possible for them to enjoy Pan Am\u2019s\u00a0spiritually nurturing and high-quality academic\u00a0programs. They draw a connection between\u00a0the student aid they received and gifts to the\u00a0Christmas Joy Offering.<\/p>\n

Your gift to the Christmas Joy Offering will make it possible for the Presbyterian Pan American School to prepare more leaders. Half of the Offering goes to Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools\u00a0and colleges, and the other half supports current\u00a0and past church workers and their families who\u00a0are in critical financial need. Your gift will make
\na difference in the lives of individuals and will\u00a0strengthen our church.<\/p>\n

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

Let Us Pray<\/h4>\n

Beckoning God, we give thanks that\u00a0you call people to serve you and\u00a0your church. We pray for young\u00a0people who seek your leading. May\u00a0we and they be faithful to the work\u00a0you call us to do. 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\u00a0Presbyterian Pan American School<\/em>\u00a0minute for mission script which can be found on our website <\/a>as a script<\/a>, or seen on Vimeo as a captioned video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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