07153
March 16, 2007

Mission Initiative campaign reaches $27.7 million

Gillespie: ‘Church needs a success story’

by Bill Lancaster

LOUISVILLE — The Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands (MIJHH) campaign announced today (March 15) they have raised a total of $27.7 million toward the goal of $40 million.

     Of that, $2.1 million has been raised since September, 2006. Half the total funds from the five-year campaign is earmarked for new church development and congregational transformation, particularly racial ethnic and immigrant congregations. The other half will be used to fund new overseas mission personnel.

     Tom Gillespie, retired president of Princeton Theological Seminary and honorary chair of the campaign, told the General Assembly Council, “The dollars are just numbers, but these numbers get translated into ministry and mission.”

     He said three new mission workers have been deployed since February using MIJHH funds:

• Bill Richter to border ministry in Reynosa, Mexico;
• Vicki Smith to a teaching ministry in Jamaica;
• Jacob Goad to Lima, Peru, to coordinate mission teams.

     Campaign director David York reported that other mission personnel are ready to go when funded, including Ingrid Reneau (Sudan), Brett and Shelly Faucett (AIDS work in SE Asia), and Denise England (nursing in Egypt).

     A number of presbyteries have conducted capital campaigns for designated new church developments.

     York told the Council that by the end of May, the total number of PC(USA) mission workers will be 239. In an interview, York said MIJHH is working with three presbyteries that could produce pledges of between $6 million and $7 million toward completing the campaign.

     The Council has loaned the campaign $720,000 to fund its operating expenses through conclusion of the campaign in June 2008. The loan will be repaid through a five percent administrative fee applied to gifts received after Dec. 8, 2006. No administrative fees were levied on gifts prior to that date.

     “I think our church needs a success story,” Gillespie told the Council. “I want to be able to go to our churches and say, ‘We did it.’” He appealed to Council members to see if their presbyteries or congregations might conduct a campaign.

     Gillespie told of a couple who had just lost a 16-year-old son when their congregation was about to conduct its annual stewardship campaign. Those planning to visit them about the campaign decided to just support them pastorally and not ask for a pledge.

     As they were leaving, the husband asked, “’Aren’t you going to ask for our pledge? My son was always asking me for money, for something he wanted, or for a hot date on Saturday night. He used to drive me crazy. I would give anything in the world if my son were here today to ask for money. Then I would know he was still alive.’”

     Gillespie said, “Never apologize for asking for money for the church. It is a sign that the church is still alive.”

The Rev. Bill Lancaster is associate for mission for Foothills Presbytery and a frequent contributor to the Presbyterian News Service.