Moment for Mission Archive

Good morning……I’m Elder Rick Reece……I am reporting to you this morning as Chair of the Benevolence Committee……You don’t hear much from us, actually, just once a year at our Annual Meeting (which, by the way, is coming up on January 25th). With the hope of keeping you more informed and involved in Benevolence, you will be hearing from us on a more regular basis……What does the benevolence committee do? Well, throughout the year we (by “we” I mean this community) receive requests from various organizations for financial donations to support their work throughout the world. The Benevolence Committee reviews and researches these requests, and we present our recommendations to Session for their approval twice a year……Our recommendations are split equally between Presbyterian Causes and Other Causes……Where does this money come from?……Every year a percentage of the Rutgers annual budget is allocated to Benevolence……and you will hear all those details at the Annual Meeting (and indeed the information is available to you at any time thoughout the year)……What I want to share with you this morning is simply “the good news” that we as a community are very blessed to be able to help support an impressive and diverse list of organizations. Now what I feel I should do at this point is read the entire list……but that would take to long, so what I am going to tell you is that over this past year we, this community, have given to over 40 organizations, and that does not include the funds from our special offerings throughout the year and all the wonderful work that the funds from these offerings support……Those offerings are: ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING, PEACMAKING OFFERING, PENTECOST OFFERING, and THE CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING……and in addition, through the joint efforts of the Christian Education, Benevolence and Peace & Social Justice Committees, we have given additional financial support to the Basic Mission Support of the PC (USA), which is an unrestricted fund, to an organization devoted to “Aids and Vulnerable Children in Africa” and to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance……I mention these projects because “these are projects that meet dire needs and/or that are important for the mission of the larger church.”

My friends, this all adds up to well over $100,000.00……So at a time when we are daily bombarded with bad news, rest assured that this community is doing its part to bring good news to so many in the world. Again I say to you WE ARE BLEST.

Let us pray……Holy spirit, thank you for this Community and for all the wonderful opportunities placed in our path. May we continue to embrace the power of “joyful giving.” AMEN