August 2007

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
 
I find myself thinking about a different kind of letter to you, because this one, instead of talking about our work here, talks about people in the PC(USA) interested in this kind of work. It speaks to funding for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission work.

It begins with a memory, now grown faint but still strong enough to survive more than fifty years—of a time in my childhood when I received a birthday card from my grandmother Mabel Martinson with a note that said five dollars had been donated in my name to support a Presbyterian mission cause. In all probability, that five dollars came from selling eggs to folks on their way into or out of Wichita, Kansas. I wish I could say that I truly appreciated what my grandmother was doing. That came later.

Now I think back on that and I realize that my grandmother was part of a whole body of Presbyterians who believed in what we were doing as a church around the world, and who translated that belief into financial support. Five dollars was worth more then than it is now, and it took a lot of eggs to raise the five dollars, but even then it would not go very far by itself. My grandmother and a whole lot of other folks trusted the Presbyterian Church to take their donations and use them wisely in the service of Jesus Christ. Together they made up a solid base of support for Presbyterian mission causes.

I believe that I am in Peru today because there are still folks like my grandmother who believe in the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) enough to send their “egg” money to support it. Thank the Lord that we still have kind of faithful support for Christ’s mission through the PC(USA). The question is: What can we do to continue to build up the body of believers who are the base for global mission in the PC(USA)?

I wonder if we might find at least part of the answer in the mission trips that so many PC(USA) congregations are undertaking. For my grandmother, it would have been almost unthinkable to travel that far. (I seem to remember some running family joke about it taking a stick of dynamite just to get my grandfather out of Sedgwick County.)  Now, though, a lot of Presbyterians are traveling to participate in what God is doing in other countries. Not all are participating in ministries in which the PC (USA), as a denomination, is participating. I would hope, though, that all Presbyterians doing mission abroad will have a chance to become acquainted with at least one ministry in which they can get to know the wonderful things God is doing with and through our PC(USA) partners in that country. I would also hope that the experience abroad will translate into their becoming part of that body of folks who trust the PC(USA) to do wise things with their contributions.

I hope, too, that Mission Challenge ’07 will contribute to building up that body of believers. It gives those of us who are in the field a chance to share our gratitude with folks back home for the chance we have been given to participate in what Christ our Lord is doing in the countries where we work and around the world.

Maybe this letter is simply “preaching to the choir.” If you read it, you are probably already a part of the body of believers who are the base for PC (USA) global mission. Please join in the effort to build up that base. We are about to begin our home assignment back in the States, and we’ll be joining you all in that effort.

Shalom,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 47