Following the devastation of World War II, many parts of the world faced a desperate need for relief and reconstruction. In 1949, Church World Service, a department of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., helped launch a coordinated ecumenical drive called One Great Hour of Sharing to raise relief funds in the United States. Both Northern and Southern Presbyterians participated in that first One Great Hour campaign, tying national efforts to their own denominational relief programs.

Presbyterians helped sustain One Great Hour of Sharing during its early years. In late 1951, the new stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Eugene Carson Blake, embarked on a world tour to observe relief needs and report on his findings for the 1952 campaign. Accompanied by David Proffitt, president of the National Council of Presbyterian Men, Blake traveled to Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia. Their subsequent reports drew much attention to One Great Hour of Sharing, both in local congregations and in the secular and religious press.

This year we celebrate Heritage Sunday on May 15 by focusing on Presbyterian involvement in One Great Hour of Sharing. Presbyterian Heritage Sunday has been set aside by the General Assembly of the PC(USA) as an annual day to celebrate, reflect upon, and learn more about the long and rich history of Presbyterianism in America. It falls on the Sunday closest to May 21, the date of the opening of the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in 1789. The Presbyterian Historical Society supports Heritage Sunday by using our collections to prepare resources for study and worship. This includes a downloadable bulletin cover, children’s puzzles, and an on-line exhibit that will be available on the society’s Web site.