"For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another." (Romans 12:3-5)

OUR MINISTRY TO GOD’S WORLD
As our mission statement so aptly observes, we are called to serve Jesus Christ.  One of our most important ways to serve our Lord is through ministries to his flock; all of humankind.  This
is significantly supported by each session’s commitment to mission outside the local church.  The monetary manifestations of that support are funneled through the Synod Mission Treasury Service.

Each presbytery receives reports and disburses funds to the ministries described in detail below.  The ministries of Presbyteries, the Synod, General Assembly, seminaries, disaster relief agencies, and many other institutions and programs are enabled by the money given so generously by our members; the body of Christ’s church.

I. MISSION TREASURY SERVICE PURPOSE & PROGRAMS

BASIC MISSION
Basic Mission is the foundation of PC(USA) funding.

A primary responsibility of each Presbyterian Session, Basic Mission is key to planning and implementing programs for the entire church.  Basic Mission provides food for the hungry, shelter for homeless, a voice for the unheard and places to worship for the unchurched.

Basic Mission provides or supports

• Missionary salaries and benefits
• Grants to ecumenical agencies
• Assistance for overseas church, hospital, school and other partners
• Funds for New Church Development
• Resources and services for congregations
• Church camps for children and adults
• Work of the presbyteries, synods and General Assembly

Basic Mission Support is funded in two ways: Shared and Directed.

1. Shared Mission Support
Generally, Sessions provide Shared Mission Support – Gifts and contributions made with no restrictions. 

Shared Mission gifts fund the adopted mission budgets of sessions, presbyteries, synod and the General Assembly.

Sessions will select certain active missional projects and specifically direct their contributions to them.

SPECIAL OFFERINGS
Four special offerings are taken each year:

One Great Hour of Sharing


Supports worldwide ministries of disaster response, refugee aid and community development.

Proceeds are distributed so 36% goes to the Presbyterian Hunger Program and 32% each to Self Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

The offering is typically received during the Lent through Easter seasons.

Pentecost


The Pentecost offering was conceived in 1998 as a way to serve children at risk.

Forty percent is retained by local congregations and are used for such ministries as supporting homeless shelters, after school facilities, Bibles for teens, etc.  The remaining sixty percent is used by the General Assembly Council to fund ministries with youth and young adults, young adult volunteers and child advocacy.

The offering is usually received on the day of Pentecost.

Peacemaking


Created to fund church-wide efforts to promote peace in our world.  Funds are used to support peacemaking initiatives, develop peace-education throughout the church and influence our society and governments to seek peace through their efforts.

One quarter of the offering is retained by each congregation for local programs; another quarter is reserved for Presbytery activities in our Synod.  The remaining half is used by the General Assembly for national and worldwide projects.

Peacemaking offering is received by most congregations on World Communion Sunday, celebrated the First Sunday in October.

Christmas Joy


Assists active and retired church workers.  This offering also funds Presbyterian-related ethnic education.

Proceeds are distributed equally to the Board of Pensions and General Assembly Council.

The offering is traditionally received on the Sunday before Christmas.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION FUND


A gift to the Theological Education Fund (TEF) directly supports our denomination's 10 degree-granting and 2 covenant-related seminaries.  Gifts are received any time with proceeds being distributed annually to the seminaries.  A gift to the TEF will help to prepare faith-filled pastoral leaders to advance the church of Jesus Christ... for generations to come...

PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE


Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to witness the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic events. PDA is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its core budget, including staff and administrative cost is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing.



The numbers are staggering. Today 37 million Americans live in a state of poverty, hunger and hardship and more than 850 million people worldwide are hungry. Everyday 24,000 people die from the effects of hunger. Your financial support enables the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) to witness to the healing love of Christ and to bring hope to communities and individuals struggling with hunger. Its core budget, including staff and administrative cost is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing.

EXTRA COMMITMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Extra Commitment Opportunities (ECOs) are mission projects supported with gifts over and above sessions' adopted budgets.  General Assembly has an extensive list of such projects from which to choose.

II.  Mission Treasury Service Process Summary

Plan Annually, each church session adopts their ministry and mission budget which includes the Mission Support Commitment (pledge) made to their respective presbytery, synod and General Assembly.

Pledge Pledge forms are sent to churches from, and are returned to, presbytery offices. If the church's budget includes General Assembly Directed or Extra Commitment Opportunity projects, a pledge form must also be submitted for GA's approval and planning.

Pay The payment schedule for fulfillment of the church's pledge is determined by the individual church. However, in order to fund mission projects dependent on pledged funds, it is most helpful for the church to pay in regular increments.

Churches are instructed to send mission contribution checks to their own presbyteries for processing and distribution. Contact your presbytery office for forms, mailing and check completion instructions. Only payments sent in this manner can be recorded in the presbytery database of church giving.

It is critical that all mission payments be processed by your presbytery. Doing so allows them to capture complete data on presbytery-wide mission giving before forwarding the funds to their intended recipients and thereby build a central source of giving history. If churches bypass the MTS system by sending checks directly to projects, synod or GA, the entire church structure is left with incomplete data with which to analyze and manage our unified mission effort.

Please be assured that every penny processed by the presbytery MTS system will be forwarded to its directed destination. The presbyteries do not assess any processing fee or percentage!

Payments are periodically sent from churches to their presbytery with one check made payable to the payee name designated by each presbytery. A remittance form is provided for the session to attach to the check. It is important that the form be completed in full. Each presbytery has its own unique form. Contact them for copies and completion instructions.

Confirm After your presbytery has processed your remittance, a receipt will be returned to you listing the detail of your contribution. Always review the receipt carefully for accuracy and contact the presbytery if there are errors or you failed to receive a receipt.

If you have any questions, contact your presbytery office and speak with the person responsible for administering the Mission Treasury Service.