August, 2002

To the Commissioners of the 214th General Assembly (2002)
Columbus, Ohio

Dear Christian Friends:

It is difficult to tell you what an inspiring experience it was for the two of us to witness the enthusiasm and encouragement you provided with the launch of the Mission Initiative at the 214th General Assembly in Columbus. Your endorsement, your gifts, your supportive comments all seemed to illustrate the definite presence of Christ's irrepressible Spirit at this special time in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). You were great, and it is our hope that in your churches, presbyteries and synods you will continue to see yourselves as active sponsors of this initiative. In Columbus you started this endeavor with a significant amount of momentum and we would like your help in maintaining that momentum for the duration of the campaign.

We went to work immediately after the assembly building a foundation for this effort. The first order of business was the creation of a Steering Committee to guide and direct the initiative. This fifteen (+/-) member committee is currently being recruited and we expect to announce its composition in the next thirty days or so. The search for the Mission Initiative Coordinator is underway as well and an appointment should be made in the not too distant future.

We are extremely happy to announce that we expect the Mission Initiative Website to be activated by the end of the month. This is an important accomplishment because it gives us a means of providing you with direct access to the most current and accurate information available about the Mission Initiative. The website will carry up-to-date news on the progress of the initiative, background information on the initiative's dual mission focus, and a PowerPoint presentation that can be down-loaded by anyone interesting in interpreting the initiative to others. We are really excited about this last feature and hope that you will take advantage of its availability by telling others about this ambitious but crucial effort. The address for this Web site is www.pcusa.org/joiningheartsandhands, and it will be available on September 1, 2002.

At the assembly so many of you shared personal words of encouragement and expressed willingness to help that we left truly optimistic about the potential of this campaign. If you continue to share that enthusiasm with others the whole church will be aware and will get on-board with the objectives of this campaign. Church development and mission service have historically been strong Presbyterian priorities. This campaign will help ensure that continues to be the case well into the future.

We look forward to keeping in touch with you and sharing information about the progress of this effort, and by the way we welcome your comments and opinions. Please feel free to contact us if you have something to share. Peace!

Lucimarian Roberts, Co-Chair
Bill Saul, Co-Chair
Mission Initiative Steering Committee