A Presbyterian safety net in times of hardship

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LOUISVILLE — If tears are a gift of the Spirit, then the Rev. Dr. Judi McMillan has been blessed.

Even if some of those tears have been other than joyful.

What began for the PC(USA) pastor 20 years ago with tears of happiness when she relocated from Nebraska to Michigan to accept a call as an associate minister at a large, non-Presbyterian church in a suburban university setting didn’t end as auspiciously as it had started.

A few years into her ministry there, when it became clear to McMillan that her position unexpectedly wasn’t working out, she left the congregation.

“Although I had been in between calls before, this was a really hard time,” she recalled. “I had moved; I had just gone through a divorce, and my two grade-school-aged kids were with me. Pastors can leave churches that are not good fits, and when they do, sometimes a severance or their savings doesn’t stretch far enough. I found myself in the situation where I was the sole person providing for the kids with a mortgage.”

As McMillan worked to find a path toward fiscal stability and renewed self-esteem, she followed her presbytery executive’s recommendation and enrolled in interim ministry training.

“In the meantime, I was very detail-oriented,” she said. “Because I had budgeted out how long the severance would last, I knew the exact last day I would have enough money in the bank to pay the mortgage. Those were probably the four most stressful months I’ve ever had financially.”

After reinventing herself by working at a flower shop — learning such new skills as running a cash register, driving a delivery van and making floral arrangements — her life stress simply proved too much.

“I called a pastor friend from my clergywomen’s group, and when I told her I was struggling, we met for lunch near my house,” said McMillan. “It was one of those times when you feel safe enough with someone that you just cry. I remember crying and saying to her, ‘I’m doing everything I can.’”

After they had prayed together, her friend and clergy colleague, the Rev. Dr. Kate Thoresen, advised McMillan to again call the Rev. Al Timm, who was then general presbyter for the Presbytery of Detroit, and share her situation with him.

“Pastor Kate told me that the Christmas Joy Offering could help and that Al could get it worked out for me,” she recalled. “So, as a pastor, I knew about the Offering, but I didn’t know it was really for my situation.”

And what a blessing it was that Thoresen did know.

“Judi is one of the most creative and artistic people around,” said Thoresen, an honorably retired member of the Presbytery of Detroit. “And although she has also encountered some daunting challenges, thanks to the Christmas Joy Offering years ago, she is still using her many talents for the glory of God as a Presbyterian pastor. It’s inspiring to see how the community of faith is there when so many people need a bit of help.”

The “bit of help” that McMillan needed came through the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions. The trusted PC(USA) agency granted her immediate emergency assistance to see her through.

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“At a time when I was scared and unsure, the Christmas Joy Offering filled the gap of exactly one month — the last month I’d be without a call,” she said. “This was God’s doing. And while I do not wish anyone this kind of hardship, I was so very thankful for the work of Christmas Joy and for the concern of my colleague and the generosity of our denomination.”

The support that McMillan received was made possible, in part, by the PC(USA)’s annual Christmas Joy Offering, a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s, which distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.

It’s a program that Timm, who is also an honorably retired member of Detroit Presbytery, said that more Presbyterians should access.

“I think pastors need to know that the presbytery executive and the Committee on Ministry are there to find help and stand with them,” he said. “I can tell you that I had two times as a pastor when I needed wise counsel, and I reached out and found help. In my experience, there were so many times that the Board of Pensions came alongside pastors and their families.”

That’s just why Ruth Adams, director of the Assistance Program, is honored to serve.

“It is hard to admit you need help, especially financial help,” said Adams. “This challenge is compounded further for ministers, who desire to help their congregations even when their own need for support feels overwhelming. The Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions is designed to bring critical care to those who serve the Church in times like these. In the last few years, we have expanded access to the Emergency Assistance Program so that folks who need help can receive it. Rev. McMillan’s story is a powerful one and reminds us that we need only reach out and we will be given grace.”

After McMillan had emerged from the worst of her financial stress, she received a call almost immediately as interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, Michigan, where she found a financial adviser and began the long process of securing her and her family’s future.

“You might say all of this was ‘preparing the way,’” she said. “It’s almost like each call is preparing you for the next one.”

Following several positions in interim ministry — in which she genuinely thrived — McMillan eventually accepted a call as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista in Arkansas, where she has served since October 2021 and where the Presbytery of Arkansas has eagerly welcomed her many gifts.

“As a presbytery leader, I am extremely grateful for the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions,” said the Rev. Stewart Smith, general presbyter. “Because it is not often that pastors or church workers call me asking for emergency types of assistance, we don’t have a line item in our budget. But when the call comes, the need is often both urgent and large. I have found the Assistance Program to be very helpful in getting much-needed help quickly, and I’ve seen the Christmas Joy Offering make an incredible difference in people’s lives, like Judi’s.”

 McMillan, who has shared her testimony openly with her current congregation, said the Christmas Joy Offering was truly a surprise to her.

“I cried tears of joy and relief,” she said. “I am thankful for the generosity of those who take care of people in need, be they servants with titles or servants in Presbyterian schools, seminaries and churches.”

And as McMillan anticipates even more tears of joy as she looks forward to the gift of marriage to a longtime friend and colleague from the Presbytery of Detroit, she wants the Church to see how the gifts of generous Presbyterians have helped prepare the way for her.

“I think it’s important to give to the Christmas Joy Offering because it continues to affirm pastoral leadership and leadership of those serving the Church,” she said. “And since we can’t always predict when we might need financial assistance, knowing that there’s a safety net there is both lived grace and love. It’s how we love our neighbors. It’s also the Church saying to you, ‘We have your back!’”

Give to the Christmas Joy Offering to help the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions support our leaders: past, present and future.