RICHMOND, July 1 - The Presbyterian Church (USA)'s campaign to raise $40 million for domestic and international missions has funded the hiring of its first three missionaries.

Officials of the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands (MIJHH) - a five-year campaign to raise money for overseas missions and new-church developments in the United States, especially racial-ethnic and new-immigrant congregations - announced the drive's "first fruits" during the General Assembly Thursday night.

Bill Saul, a co-chair of the campaign, said more than $8 million has been raised so far. "This is a campaign for the whole church," he said. "In 2007, we'll be asking every Presbyterian to participate."

In the meantime, he added, the campaign is cultivating major "lead" gifts.

Saul, of Long Beach, CA, and MIJHH Director Jan Opdyke, of Redlands, CA, have been traveling extensively in promoting the campaign. Saul said the drive's tag line -"a campaign to renew the church for mission" - is "being welcomed enthusiastically wherever we go."

Assembly commissioners viewed a campaign video about Presbyterian mission efforts in Guatemala, Malawi, Kenya and Mexico, as well as new-church development efforts in Laguna Niguel, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Charlotte, NC; and Sterling, VA.

The first three MIJHH hires:

Scott Smith as a consultant for community organizing and organizational development for the Emmanuel Hospital Association in northern India. The association, founded in 1970, treats more than 500,000 patients a year in some of India's most impoverished areas.

Smith has worked for the association before, training 97 people to work in community-based health projects. Emmanuel has asked the PC(USA) to send him back to continue his work as a trainer.