Christmas Joy Offering • Update from our Mission & PEace Committee

On the first Thursday of each month (or close to it), the eNews feature article highlights the mission focus for the month. In December we’re lifting up the Christmas Joy Offering.

Have you ever searched for the perfect gift? Our scriptural theme notes, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:14), reminding us that the only perfect gift ever given is the one we receive in Jesus Christ.

The Christmas Joy Offering is one of four special offerings received by the Presbyterian Church (USA) during the year. This special offering is shared among two PCUSA programs and a local ministry supported by Derry Church. The two PCUSA programs support our past, present, and future church workers and their families through the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and our Presbyterian-related schools and colleges who are equipping communities of color to prepare future leaders.

Through the Board of Pensions, current and retired church workers and their families can receive critical financial assistance to support them during unforeseen circumstances. This support could involve supplements to their income, housing assistance, or for an emergency medical situation. 

The PCUSA has long supported programs of higher education. Thus, the Christmas Joy Offering will also be used to support three PCUSA-related institutions: the Menaul School in Albuquerque, NM; the Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville, TX; and Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL. Funds can provide students with much-needed assistance while they pursue their professional goals, perhaps as future church leaders.

Derry Church will share a portion of our 2022 Christmas Joy Offering receipts with Christian Churches United. Steve Schwartz, Director of Development, has provided us with this update:

Christian Churches United rallies the community to love our neighbors facing homelessness, poverty and incarceration. Through their HELP Ministries program they provide rental assistance, utility assistance and other tangible aid to people who are in danger of becoming homeless to prevent homelessness, or to people who are currently homeless to help them get off the street into long-term housing. 

Susquehanna Harbor Safe Haven is a long-term residential program specifically designed to help chronically homeless men—those on the street for a year or more with a mental health diagnosis—obtain and maintain long-term housing. Their Street Outreach Team operates two winter overnight shelters, one for men and one for women, and develops relationships with guests in these shelters and others on the street with the goal of helping them overcome challenges and obtain long-term housing. 

All of these programs are funded by a network of local churches in partnership with concerned neighbors, businesses, and other funding partners. All donations provide help and hope to our neighbors facing significant challenges in their lives.

Gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering are being received now through the end of the year. Please give generously to this special offering. Thank you, Derry, for your support!