PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN of First Presbyterian Church Birmingham Michigan

MISSION MEMO, OCTOBER 2008

The Thank Offering

The Thank Offering is a PW offering collected each fall that gives FPC women a chance to give to those in need, worldwide. The offering fund projects can cover a broad and Christian spectrum of women’s concerns. At least 40 percent of this offering supports health ministries throughout the world. The remaining 60 percent funds new creative ideas for mission.

Go to your PW national website and be awed by the wisdom and breath of our gifts.

For example: The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota provides legal services and law-related education to meet the steadily increasing needs of Minnesota’s growing immigrant and refugee  population. The program  will support legal services, education, advocacy and outreach to the growing numbers of southwestern Minnesota immigrants.

New Dublin Presbyterian Women, Beulah House “Gifted Care” Program, in  Virginia,  provides nursing care for people who are terminally ill and lack the resources to receive other care.

One which touches my heart as it is the outgrowth of dreams of two Indian doctors, U.S. trained, who believed they could provide training and incentive for people of their village to learn about good health practices and sanitary care.  As a result, there is a marked decrease in leprosy and  tuberculosis, and a willingness of the people to practice family planning now that they realize their children will not die from what we call ordinary childhood diseases.  This is the Comprehensive Rural Health Project of Jamkhed, Maharashtra, India, to which PW gave $20,000.

Thank Offering gift envelopes are available in at your circle meetings.  And read the Presbyterian Women Thank Offering news on the PCUSA website.  These gifts are awesome gifts from empowered women of our church.

This is our call—even in these very troubled and uncertain times.  Can we give with gratitude and the certainty of God’s care and love for all of us?