What does $5.79 buy?

The 2008 GA per capita rate is $5.79, an amount less than the cost of two gallons of gasoline!

Per capita dollars help the church be the church and are related to the functions of the Stated Clerk through actions of the General Assembly.

Here is what per capita funds at the General Assembly level:

• General Assembly meetings — planning for General Assemblies and other related gatherings through the GA Meeting Service
• Permanent and special GA committees and commissions — staffing, training and meeting costs for the:

Committee on the Office of the General Assembly
GA Committee on Representation
GA Nominating Committee
GA Committee on Ecumenical Relations
GA Permanent Judicial Commission
Advisory Committee on the Constitution
Advisory Committee on Litigation
Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations
Stated Clerk Nomination Committee
Committees to review the six GA agencies

• Vocational matters —  providing support in identifying and developing leadership for the PC(USA) and the whole body of Christ through the Office of Vocation, a shared ministry of the Office of the General Assembly and the General Assembly Council
• Church Leadership Connection — a Web-based matching and referral system for all Presbyterian church leaders
• Immigration issues — communicates with presbyteries, synods, PC(USA) entities and ecumenical agencies on immigration issues and policies; offers advice and counsel to presbyteries and pastors whose members have immigration issues or questions
• Presbyterian Historical Society — collects, preserves and shares information relevant to American Presbyterianism and encourages appreciation of the church's heritage
• Constitutional services — maintains judicial and legislative services required by the PC(USA) Constitution; helps to interpret the Constitution
• Moderator of the General Assembly — coordinates the schedule and ministry of the GA Moderator and Vice-Moderator
• Communications — coordinates development and implementation of the electronic system used by GA commissioners and everyone else to access GA business; maintains the OGA Web site; coordinates communication pieces from the Stated Clerk, GA Moderator, and other areas of OGA to the PC(USA) and beyond
• PC(USA) statistics — preparation of annual statistics that include the number of congregations, number of church members, summary of finances and more
• Standard ordination exams — preparation, administration and grading of ordination exams
• GA publications — publication and distribution of the Book of Order and The Book of Confessions, the GA Minutes, and other GA-related reports, studies, and publications
• Leadership development — includes such items as the annual polity conference, national elders conference, moderators’ conference, conference for committees on ministry/committee on preparation for ministry/seminaries and much more
• Middle governing body relations — connecting with presbyteries and synods to coordinate the church’s work
• PC(USA)’s participation in the ecumenical world — coordinates the ecumenical responsibilities of the OGA and the Stated Clerk; extends the church’s mission efforts and our work for peace and justice far beyond what we can do by ourselves and promotes Christian unity includes the National Council of Churches of Christ, World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches
• Office of the General Assembly — one of six agencies of the PC(USA) and under the direction of the Stated Clerk, OGA provides for the overall coordination of work of the GA between meetings and assists the Stated Clerk in carrying out the duties assigned to the Clerk by the GA
• A portion of the activities of the General Assembly Council (GAC) executive director’s office — includes GAC meetings, advisory and advocacy committees, task forces, legal services and communication