Mission Initiative’ posts giving figures for campaign
The Layman Online, July 18, 2003
More than a year into the $40-million Mission Initiative Campaign, the Presbyterian Church has finally posted on its Web site a disclosure of how much money has been raised and pledged and how it is designated.
The disclosure came on July 17, the day after The Layman Online reported, once again, that the denomination had not issued quarterly reports about the campaign as its Mission Initiative Web site promised.
In an e-mail letter today to the editor, Malcolm Logan, associate development developer for Mission Initiative – a.k.a., “Helping Hands and Hearts” – informed The Layman Online that the financial data had been placed on the PCUSA Web site.
The disclosure report, because of restricted gifts, shows that individual cash donors, who have already given money to the campaign, have far more enthusiasm for supporting foreign missions than they do for new church development. Conversely, presbyteries – which have pledged the bulk of the money but paid little of their pledges – overwhelmingly prefer new church development.
The Mission Initiative plan was a 50-50 split, with $20 million for global mission and $20 million for new church development, with emphasis on projects for blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other racial/ethnic groups. Ninety-five percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) list their racial/ethnicity as white, according to the denomination’s Research Services.
According to a report of “Receipts & Disbursements” as of June 30, 2003, the total of cash contributions is $524,837.22, with 84 percent ($415,508.82) designated. Only 6 percent ($26,484.93) of the designated cash receipts is earmarked for new church development, with 94 percent being donated for global mission.
The June 30 report says the total of pledges and cash receipts to the campaign is $6,005,037.22. Of that total, 65.6 percent ($3,941,993.75) is restricted. That $6-million figure includes the unpaid pledges by presbyteries, which would benefit from new church development.
Of the $3.9 million in designated money, most from presbytery pledges, only 10 percent would go for global missions and 90 percent for new church development.