January 9, 2004
by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - The chair of a task force asked to evaluate the four special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (USA) said on Jan. 9 that they "continue to be a bright spot."

The Rev. Karl Travis, pastor of Grosse Ile (MI) Presbyterian Church, heads up the nine-member group, to which last year's General Assembly assigned the review of the churchwide offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, for anti-hunger, disaster-relief and self-development programs; Peacemaking, which funds much of the PC(USA)'s peacemaking efforts at national and local levels; Christmas Joy, which supports racial-ethnic schools and colleges and the Board of Pensions' assistance programs for retired church workers; and Pentecost, which helps pay for programs for needy and at-risk children, teens and young adults.

"In 2002, Presbyterians contributed more than $17 million to the church's mission through the special offerings," Travis told the Presbyterian News Service. "Presbyterians should be thanked for their generosity."

Travis said the task force is particularly pleased that the newest of the four - the Pentecost Offering - "continues to find its niche." Although the other three offerings experienced a "slight" dropoff in receipts last year, for which Travis blamed the faltering national economy, the Pentecost Offering grew.

"Though it's too early to tell, there's a sense of real caution about adding a fifth offering," Travis said.

The task force, which is to report to the General Assembly Council (GAC) next month and to the 216th General Assembly in Richmond, VA, this summer, also has been considering two Assembly overtures to create a fifth special offering to underwrite the church's missionary force.

"We have examined the overtures from Coastal Carolina and San Gabriel presbyteries seriously, and have conducted broad-based research into a fifth offering," Travis said.

The final research results aren't in yet, but it looks as if the historic tendency to hold the number to four is likely to prevail, he said, but that doesn't mean the current pattern and beneficiaries of the offerings are locked in,.

"The General Assembly Council's current prioritizing process is so fluid that we have just focused on the special offerings themselves," he said, "but within the next decade, there may well be some changes, even though the special offerings are a real bright spot in our denomination."

One of the key questions about the proposal for a fifth offering for mission personnel, he said, is whether it would "detract from the Mission Initiative campaign." That is a five-year, $40 million effort to raise funds for overseas missionaries and new-church development, especially in racial-ethnic and immigrant communities.

"Everyone agrees that ongoing support for these causes is a good and essential notion," Travis said. "The question is how to garner that support."

The task force will meet once more, at the end of this month, to finalize its report to the GAC.

The bottom line? "These offerings continue to be much-loved and well supported," Travis said. "I know I sound like a cheerleader here, but there's a lot to cheer."

PCUSA News Service