By a vote of 25-23-1, the Mission Coordination Committee today (July 3) recommended that the Assembly disapprove wholesale changes to the four special offerings of the PC(USA).
The committee retained the Christmas Joy Offering, the One Great Hour of Sharing and the Pentecost Offering, while merging the Peacemaking Offering, normally received on World Communion Sunday, with an offering for global mission.
The distribution of receipts from the new merged offering would be:
- 50% General Assembly Mission Council, Presbyterian Peacemaking
- 25% GAMC for global witness and outreach beyond the United States
- 20% to be used by congregations
- 5% by presbyteries for peacemaking and/or outreach to the world
The committee also endorsed the setting of a shared goal to be owned by the whole church to increase total Special Offering receipts to $20 million by the year 2020, i.e. “20 by 20.”
In other actions, the committee approved the five additional recommendations from the Special Offerings Advisory Task Force and then answered other recommendations regarding the Peacemaking Offering and the One Great Hour of Sharing with this action. The committee voted to recommend disapproval with comment an overture to establish a special offering designated for Native American ministry, as well as one that would recognize Bloomfield College of New Jersey as a racial ethnic college.
The committee’s final action—the planned approval of the 2013-14 mission budget—will come at the close of Friday evening’s plenary session.