Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
—Galatians 6:2
Dear friends in Christ,
In the 1970s when the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was faced with bringing mission personnel home from international service, the Synod of the Trinity said, “Don’t do that without first letting us know.”
I’m sending you this note to let you know that Presbyterian World Mission is standing at the same crossroads once again. Due to shortfalls in contributions in 2014, we are facing the prospect of having to recall up to 45 mission workers over the next two years.
Despite this sobering news, the messages of support we’ve received from across the church and from our partners around the world have been an inspiration to all of us who are working very hard to meet this challenge.
We need your help to ensure the future of Presbyterian World Mission presence around the globe. Please take a moment to read and sign a letter from 22 former moderators, asking for fervent prayer and sacrificial giving. In the shared belief that our mission workers are critically needed to serve the church of Jesus Christ around the world, I urge you:
- Pray to sustain our mission workers and global partners through this difficult time.
- Make a gift to World Mission, over and above what you’ve already planned for this year.
- Read and sign the moderators’ letter.
- Share the letter with your network via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.
Our legacy of faithful and effective Presbyterian global mission service depends on you.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
Hunter Farrell
Director, World Mission
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Linda B. Valentine
Executive Director
Presbyterian Mission Agency
12 Comments. Leave new
The trust level in the PC(USA) is so low that members are not giving to the denomination. They will give designated funds to individual mission partners, but not the general funds.
Many leaders in the denomination are unwilling to face the truth of a dwindling membership, older membership, and the affect that unsound theology has on the denomination. Unfortunately, this means for World Missions the funds are not there.
If these mission endeavours are to continue, these missionaries may need to go outside the denomination to raise funds. That also means they will need to clarify their mission to those groups that might fund them. That is a good thing, because the PC(USA) has divided goals and definitions of what “missional” means. If God is for the goal, nothing will stand in the way of these missionaries continuing their work for The Lord.
We left the denomination after its decision removing the requirements of chastity and fidelity for pastors, elders and deacons.
I would think that this would be a perfect reason to use some of the bequests that faithful Presbyterian have left to the ancestor denomination for use in evangelizing the nations.
That said, elimination of the PC(USA) lobbying offices and the realignment of those funds for use with the World Missions office would do more to follow the Great Commission than anything those offices have lobbied for.
Like watching a slow motion train wreck. Sad. ‘Clarifying its mission’ as stated in your post, is an issue now. In the past, we didn’t question PCUSA’s ‘mission,’ integrity, accountability, etc. Those days are gone.
They treated us lowly per capita units like dirt all these years; what do you expect. I can send a $20 donation to an obscure radio Christian minister and receive monthly newsletters, prayers, etc. The PCUSA sent my family, myself and others zero, nada, zilch for 40 years (almost purposely keeping us ‘in the dark.’ It’s not only bad marketing, its bad stewardship and bad witnessing/ministering to the needs of its own flock.
If you take the legal fees paid to lawyers in response to the malfeasance with the 1001 fiasco and the Youth Triennium misdeeds, combined with the administrative costs Louisville incurs to outside “consultants”. Plenty of money for missions, missionaries and assorted work.
Starve the beast, and the beast will die.
Their Goal is to keep their JOBs at 100 Witherspoon and live comfortably in their nice home when many missionaries suffer in the field work. This is only their goal.
Their goal is also to continue sending missionaries who have the same liberal view points like them to where the National Churches are conservative in their Reformed Theological Understanding in order to create confusion.
Blessings upon you and yors. You make the right decision
One day The Lord will weed out the bad apples from the good ones.
For the last 178 years, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has engaged in international mission: planting churches, building hospitals, starting schools. We have all traveled to six continents, prayed with and served alongside our mission co-workers, women and men who answer God’s call for themselves and for their families to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and work faithfully with our global ecumenical partners for reconciliation and peace. It would be a tremendous loss for us as a church and for our partners to lose these mission co-workers. ( from letter of 22 Moderators)
FACT : PCUSA is no longer planted any churches any where in this world. Look at the job description of Mission Co-workers, is there any evangelist or church planter on WM ´s list? The truth of the matter , WM siad that the natinal Church could do these works . The age of sending the evangelist to palnt churches in the other countries has gone. LOL
It is also very interesting to look at many of PCUSA doctrinal teaching- JESUS THE Christ is no Longer the ONLY SAVIOR and LORD. He is one of the ways to reach Heaven. How in the world , New and Modern PCUSA going to go and teach its partner Church who were taught that the Scripture is the infallable Word of God and that God sent Jesus Christ to die for the sins of human beings and that no one shall be saved except confessing from his/her mouth and beleiving in his/her heart that Jesus is Perfect Man and God.
Peter, where can I get specific $ amount on the items you listed
Thanks