TODAY IN MISSION YEARBOOK
Minute for Mission: Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday, to the best of my memory, started as a modest endeavor, a way for not-for-profits, cultural and educational institutions and faith-based organizations to enter the digital space to test a new way of fundraising. It felt innovative and even kind of edgy. How could entities that often relied on very traditional ways of generating financial support tap into new generational experiences and reach new audiences? For example, when I was serving a local congregation, we sought to connect our outreach ministry – hunger alleviation, shelter for the unhoused, educational support – to donors who might never darken the doors of a church or support anything remotely religious.
As Giving Tuesday evolved, so did the culture. What once felt innovative and almost fun now felt ubiquitous. Email inboxes were filled earlier and earlier with requests from organizations – hospitals, orchestras, museums, service organizations, alma maters – all of which do very good things to make a difference in the world and all of which are seeking space and dollars to support their work.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at the national level has engaged in various Giving Tuesday strategies over the years, from modest to more extensive efforts. More recently, as, again, Giving Tuesday has grown so expansively, we’ve gauged our level of participation. Still, it’s important for us to participate, both to raise funds and equally to maintain our digital presence and profile.
This year, our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) efforts will support what we are calling the “Connectional Fund.” Gifts given to the Connectional Fund will be used to support the work of the Interim Unified Agency, the emerging mission and ministry structure created by the Unification Commission process.
Among the many ways people may support the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — including financial support — Giving Tuesday is a concrete way that the entire denominational family comes together. My colleague Kathy Lueckert, president of the Administrative Services Group, writes that “
Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to extend both the thanks and the giving part of Thanksgiving. It enables us to join with other Presbyterians in thanks and in giving to support so many ministries that keep the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) flourishing.”
Thank you for considering a Giving Tuesday gift and for all the ways you support the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Give now
John Wilkinson, Director of Ministry Engagement and Support, Administrative Services Group, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Let us join in prayer for:
Clare Balsan, Mission Associate I NYC, Presbyterian Mission United Nations, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Eliazar Jean Baptiste, Dishwasher, Stony Point Conference Center, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray:
To make my offering to you, God,
Is to bring back to memory
That you are the source of all gifts, and
The one from whom all blessings flow.
When we join our gifts with the gifts of others, we are reminded that we cannot go it alone.
We are in the company of the household of faith and the whole host of witnesses who went before.
Each gift I make is a “thank you” for the community of faith where I can share my griefs and burdens, my joys and excitement.
Each gift is a “thank you,” God, for the gift of life.
Each gift is an act of hope in God’s future for all Creation.
Each gift is a sign of our thanks and gratitude.
May it always be so.
Amen.
Prayer by the Rev. Rosemary Mitchell (Honorably Retired)