THE CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING -- OUR GIFTS AT WORK

SUPPORTING OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE LEADERS

By supporting the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions (BOP), the Christmas Joy Offering honors the faithfulness of current and retired church workers and their families in need. Thanks in part to support from this Offering, church workers can receive critical financial assistance to support them through life’s challenging circumstances. These generous actions bear witness to our faithful response to God’s charge to love one another as Christ commanded.

• $1.1 million of gifts from 2021 are being used to provide critical financial support and grants for current and retired Presbyterian church workers in their time of need.
• Income supplements from the BOP helped nearly 278 individual recipients, assisting retired church workers and surviving spouses with the means to provide for themselves.
• Housing supplements from the BOP helped more than 227 individual recipients remain in their homes, afford assisted living, or long-term care.
• Emergency Assistance Grants from the BOP helped more than 246 individual recipients facing times of great financial need or uncertainty due to unforeseen circumstances.

PREPARING THE WAY FOR FUTURE LEADERS

The PC(USA), with its historical commitment to higher learning, has long promoted education and leadership development through the establishment and support of Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. Our future church leaders of color can receive much-needed assistance while they discover and pursue their professional goals at these schools and colleges. Your gifts allow these ministries to continue – sustaining a tradition Presbyterians have carried out for nearly 140 years.

• $1.1 million of gifts from 2020 are being used to provide education and leadership development skills at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.
• Many of the students attending Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color are the first in their families to enroll in higher education.

THE CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING SUPPORTS THESE INSTITUTIONS

     Stillman College - Tuscaloosa, AL

Stillman.edu

•  Stillman has been selected a College of Distinction for 2019-20 and 2020-21 and 2021-22 for Christian Education, Support of the Military and Veteran Students, Preparing Business Leaders, and Equity and Inclusion (college of distinction.com/school/stillman-college).

• Stillman’s student population is 87% first generation in college.

Presbyterian Pan American School - Kingsville, TX

ppas.org

•   100% of graduates are accepted into colleges and universities in their home countries or in the United States.

•     Welcomes a diverse international student body, with 26 countries represented in the last 25 years.

Menaul School- Albuquerque, NM

menaulschool.com

•   Most diverse private high school in the Albuquerque area. Students from 15-20 countries are represented each year and the majority of students self-report identifying with minority ethnicities.

•   Ranked best Christian High school and 5^th best private school in New Mexico by Niche (niche.com)

IF WE ALL DO A LITTLE, IT ADDS UP TO A LOT!

Submitted by: Elder Lelia Crawford

Source: PC(USA)