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May 2023

The season of Easter — which extends from Sunday, April 9, through Sunday, May 28 — is a joyful time for celebrating the presence of the risen Christ in the church. In fact, not only did the early Christians observe a 50-day period of celebration from Easter Sunday to the Day of Pentecost, but still another festival was celebrated on that 50th day, too, as Christians then and now rejoice in the gift of the Spirit. And so, in that same spirit of rejoicing, please join us on May 28 in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Pentecost Offering, about which you can read more below. Please also be sure to note and lift up the many other resources, events and opportunities detailed in this edition.

Special Offerings: Join us on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, in receiving the Pentecost Offering and celebrating 25 years of Presbyterian generosity in support of children at risk, ministries with children and youth, including the Youth Triennium, and the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. Let’s all join together to ensure that our younger siblings in Christ begin life with a solid foundation of faith. (The poster, bulletin inserts and minutes for mission are available in Korean and Spanish.)

Special Offerings is also providing you with the opportunity to customize your own bulletin insert for the 2023 Pentecost Offering, sharing with your members how you will use your 40% of the Offering to build a foundation of faith in children, youth and young adults in your community. Follow this link to provide Special Offerings staff with your congregation’s information, and someone from the team will follow up in one to two business days. (This option is not currently available in Korean or Spanish.) If you have any questions, please reach out to special.offerings@pcusa.org.

Presbyterian Giving Catalog: Give Hope, a new Presbyterian Giving Catalog bimonthly newsletter just for church leaders, is full of helpful resources for you! As a busy leader, we know you’re always looking for creative ways to engage your community and that’s exactly why we’ve started a new bimonthly newsletter just for church leaders! Give Hope will include upcoming special days, giving opportunities, resources and stories about the impact generous Presbyterians are making around the world — stories you’ll want to share with your community. Look for this new helpful resource in your email. (This resource is not currently available in Korean or Spanish.)

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner, we have a fun way to honor family this year. Does Mom really want those flowers in the house during allergy season? And how many more history books can Dad actually fit on the shelf? Because parents often have everything they need, we suggest mixing it up this year. Encourage your members to give gifts that celebrate their parents while also helping others. What better way to express gratitude for one’s parents than through generosity. Provide these helpful links today:

Giving Catalog Mother’s Day

Giving Catalog Father’s Day

(These resources are not currently available in Korean or Spanish.)

Viewpoint: The PC(USA) has partnered with the Viewpoint Project, producer of high-quality social and educational documentaries for public television, with the mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ while positively impacting our communities and the world. Our educational segment focuses on the denomination’s Matthew 25 commitment to creating healthy, just communities and a radically inclusive world through building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.

Watch for the arrival of a media kit that was recently mailed to all mid councils. It contains videos, information about the program, and tips on how your congregation(s) can prepare and use the resources. We want to make it as easy as possible for mid council leaders to prepare and equip our PC(USA) churches to engage with this opportunity. Click here to check out the videos, learn more about the program and get some tips on how to prepare your congregation(s).

NEW Matthew 25 resources:

Where Does Jesus Stand?: Exploring Five Spiritual Practices to End Poverty, May 23, 2 p.m. (ET)

Since you already know about the PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 vision and have been requesting additional resources, on May 23 we will be offering the first of three programs in our new 2023 online workshop series on the Matthew 25 main foci. The May 23 workshop will focus on eradicating systemic poverty. Gather with Presbyterians — across the country and around the world — to share and learn five spiritual practices (worship, learn, relate, act and share) as well as resources and activities that Presbyterians engage to end poverty. Walk away with practical tools and ideas for next steps! Facilitators will be national staff and mid council leaders who sit on a monthly PC(USA) Matthew 25 consulting team on eradicating systemic poverty. Advance registration is required by clicking here.

NEW! Adaptable PowerPoint templates are now available on Matthew 25! Click here (and then click on or scroll to “Matthew 25 PowerPoints”) to view templates for an overall Matthew 25 overview presentation, or options for theological insights into building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. (These resources are not currently available in Korean or Spanish.)

So … you are now a Matthew 25 church! Now what? What’s next? Click here for a list of helpful suggestions! (This resource is available online and as a downloadable/printable PDF in English, Korean and Spanish.)

Apply to host an International Peacemaker for September/October 2023: The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program will welcome up to 10 International Peacemakers in fall 2023. Itinerating around the U.S. from Sept. 15 to Oct. 9, International Peacemakers hail from all over the world, and speak about their work addressing human rights, migration, refugee assistance, nonviolence, interreligious dialogue and other justice issues. A past host says: “Jonathan’s visit was just what we needed to look outside our community at the needs of the greater world. Jonathan’s visit was a breath of fresh air for us and a joy to host.”

Your congregations or mid council could host one of these peacemakers. Don’t delay — apply now! Applications are due by June 1. Browse the International Peacemakers webpage for detailed information and to submit a hosting application.

Apply to join the Mosaic of Peace Conference in Israel/Palestine in 2024

You are invited to join the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program’s conference to the Holy Land in Israel/Palestine March 4–15, 2024. During this conference, you will engage with Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders; walk in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace and encounter contemporary Palestinians and Israelis; and connect with connect with global and local partners to take meaningful action for a just and lasting peace in the region. Applications are due by Oct. 20, 2023. Browse our webpage for detailed information and to submit an application. A previous conference participant remarked: “The Bible came home to me at some of the sites we visited like Tabgha and Philippi and the Church of the Nativity. I now have a balanced perspective of the events on the ground in the Holy Land.”

Interactive resource guides from the PC(USA) Store

The digital resource guides at the PC(USA) Store are perfect for researching the resources you need for yourself, your education and leadership teams, and your congregation. In addition to guides for Advent and Lent, we also have guides for Matthew 25 organizations, preachers and group study. Our newest guides include a gift guide and a guide that provides resources for Presbyterian leadership training and congregational education. We update these guides regularly, so be sure to bookmark this page so you always have access to the latest information! (These guides are not currently available in Korean or Spanish.)

Special Days and Emphasis Sundays
Listed below are the special days and emphasis Sundays through August. If a date below is not hyperlinked to available resources, please visit the Special Days and Emphasis Sundays site for ongoing updates.

May

Older Adult Week begins (May 7, 2023)

Fair Trade Day (May 13, 2023)

Mother’s Day (May 14, 2023)

Palestinian Nakba Remembrance Day (May 15, 2023)

Intercultural Church Sunday (May 21, 2023)

Presbyterian Heritage Sunday (May 21, 2023)

Africa Day (May 25, 2023)

1001 New Worshiping Communities (May 27, 2023)

Pentecost Offering (May 28, 2023)

June

National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 2, 2023)