April 2007

Area pastors catch vision of Joining Hearts & Hands:

Regional gathering precedes campaign’s national steering committee meeting

Steering committee leadership, from left to right, Tom Gillespie, Joanna Adams, and Dave Peterson. Photo by Becky Montgomery, Princeton Theological Seminary

PRINCETON –  Compelling personal testimonies by members of the Joining Hearts & Hands national steering committee witnessed here to the transforming power of the PC(USA)’s fundraising campaign to renew not only the church — but also their own hearts — for mission.

The special gathering, which set the stage for the steering committee’s April 11–12 meeting, brought over a dozen pastors, presbytery executives and stated clerks from New Jersey and Pennsylvania face to face with as many members of the Joining Hearts & Hands steering committee and staff.  All had received personal invitations to attend the event from the Rev. Dr. Tom Gillespie, president emeritus of Princeton Theological Seminary and honorary campaign chair of Joining Hearts & Hands.

“We consider Joining Hearts & Hands part of the reconstruction of our denomination from the inside out,” said the Rev. Dave Peterson, co-chair of the steering committee and pastor of the 4,500-member Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas, in his introductory remarks.  “It was the perfect match for a congregation like ours to rise above the denominational challenges that face us in these days.”

Kevin Yoho, Newark Presbytery, greets Dave Carpenter of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown (NJ) at the regional gathering. Photo by Emily Odom.

Peterson characterized Joining Hearts & Hands as being focused on the very things that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is known for, the establishment of new churches and the advancement of the gospel in the world.  Concurring with Peterson’s assessment, Gillespie posed the rhetorical question, “Even though we have controversy, we haven’t been released from the Great Commission, have we?”

“I accepted the call to serve Joining Hearts & Hands because I have a love for our Presbyterian Church,” Gillespie added.  “I want to be there at General Assembly in 2008 when they announce the successful completion of the campaign.”

Participants in the development activity also heard a challenge to unite with the campaign from the Rev. John Huffman, pastor of the over 3,000-member St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, Calif., and a steering committee member. “My commitment is to be faithful as an evangelical within the denomination, and one of the best ways to do that is to build new churches and send out missionaries, which is what Joining Hearts & Hands does,” Huffman said.  “When our previous co-chair, Bill Saul, asked me to join the steering committee, he said he wanted a pledge from our church.  We met the challenge with a commitment of $1.5 million, writing a check for $500,000 right after the General Assembly last year.”

The event’s final speaker, Chuck Ford, an elder from the St. Andrews church and a member of the steering committee, spoke of his own personal commitment to Joining Hearts & Hands.  “I’m pretty passionate about what I’m doing,” Ford said of his work in new church development.  “Individual Presbyterians is where the resources are, and where it all starts.  It’s been said that individuals have two pockets, one from which we do our normal giving on Sunday morning, and another into which many of us are capable of reaching to give to a bigger capital campaign like Joining Hearts & Hands.”

During a question and answer period, participants were briefed on ways in which their respective churches and presbyteries could make a commitment to Joining Hearts & Hands.  Campaign director, David York, explained that both unrestricted giving and designated pledges are available through the campaign, particularly in support of specific mission positions or activities that resonate with a church’s or presbytery’s own missional interests.

John Nurnberger of West Jersey Presbytery visits with Karen Schmidt, Deputy Executive Director for Communication and Funds Development, General Assembly Council. Photo by Emily Odom.

“The great thing about this program is that the churches and presbyteries can designate what they want to do,” Peterson said.  “If you want to go international, you can pick projects.  You can have a tie with that mission.  When there’s something that grabs our imagination or even our conscience, then we just have to learn how to ask for the money.  It’s for the Lord!”

The event concluded with a word of thanks to both the attendees and the leadership from General Assembly Council executive director, Linda Valentine.  “When you’re on the inside, as I am, the work going on in our denomination is inspiring,” she said.  “Because of Joining Hearts & Hands, I now realize more fully the critical need for funding new church development and new mission personnel.  I hope that you are likewise inspired to participate.”