Presbyterian Giving Catalog brings Chicago third grader joys, not toys

All Elliot Helms needed to know about showing — and sharing — God’s love, he learned in Sunday school.

And by thumbing through the pages of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog.

The inquisitive third grader first learned about the Giving Catalog through his father, the Rev. Matt Helms, who serves as associate pastor of Faith Formation at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church.

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The elder Helms, who convenes a weekly “Children’s Chapel” where Sunday school students sing, pray and learn both about the Bible and the wider Church, finds the Giving Catalog to be an especially helpful object lesson.

“One of the things that we do in Children’s Chapel every week is collect an offering, which we then donate to organizations that our kids choose to support,” said Matt Helms. “For several years, we have used the Presbyterian Giving Catalog as a way to identify possible places where we can donate our money to help other people.”

For over 10 years, churches, mid councils and individuals have been turning to the Presbyterian Giving Catalog — which is available in English both in print and online — as a tangible way to provide real and positive impact around the world.

Including young Elliot.

After hearing about how these gifts would help others, he decided to donate an entire month’s worth of his allowance, telling his parents it was more important that other people get the things they need rather than him buying more toys.

“I was so proud, and I know other kids in our program made a similar choice as well,” said Matt Helms. “It’s really touching to see how inspired the kids get to help others. Whenever they hear about how not everyone has the same access to food or clean water that they do, their first thought is, ‘How can I help?’”

And the Giving Catalog is designed to answer that very question.

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New this year, the 2025–2026 edition — which started mailing the week of Oct. 20 — has been reorganized to align with an action taken by the 226th General Assembly (2024). A churchwide move to cause-based giving was intended to allow for greater creativity, flexibility and collaboration in raising funds for mission in a cause- rather than program-based model.

“The new Giving Catalog highlights four cause areas: Provide Clean Water, End Hunger, Sustain Communities, and Support Education,” said the Rev. Wilson Kennedy, associate director for Stewardship and Funds Development for the PC(USA). “The tagline, ‘Give with a Purpose,’ boldly featured on the Catalog’s cover, is intentionally invitational for each of us — and all of us — to come alongside the PC(USA) and our trusted partners around the globe to help transform lives, together.”

The 2025–2026 Giving Catalog, which will also be available in Spanish and Korean later this fall, offers a total of 44 items under the four cause areas to fit everyone’s missional interests and budget.

“The Giving Catalog will continue to support the causes and the people closest to God’s — and our own — hearts,” said Teresa Mader, manager for the Presbyterian Giving Catalog and Direct Response. “Although it is organized differently this year, the Catalog is as easy to use as ever, with a selection of gifts that are large, small and everywhere in between.”

And that proved just the right fit for Elliot and the children of Fourth Presbyterian.

“By using the Catalog, our goal is to help make kids mindful of the positive impact they can have on other people’s lives and understanding that part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to do our best to show love to our neighbors, whether they are here in Chicago with us or all the way around the world,” said Matt Helms. “Certainly, my son Elliot hopes that his story about donating his allowance will encourage others to go and do likewise!”