Why we support Presbyterian World Mission
More than 94 million Christians around the world belong to churches that were founded or co-founded by PC(USA) missionaries during the past two centuries. Early efforts focused on evangelism and building churches, schools, and hospitals. Because of these efforts, self-sustaining churches and institutions have grown in over fifty countries.
We partner with the local leaders of these institutions, sending financial aid and prayer support. In some cases, we support mission-workers who’ve traveled from the US to help the local leaders in their work of:
- sharing the faith
- combating poverty and violence
- providing education and medical care
- promoting racial and gender equity, and
- promoting peace and reconciliation.
FPC Monterey Supports PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers
Shelvis & Nancy Smith-Mather, South Sudan
Shelvis and Nancy are clergy working with RECONCILE, (Resource Centre for Civil Leadership), an indigenous ecumenical Christian organization. It promotes “peace building” by providing training in trauma recovery, conflict transformation, and civic education.
RECONCILE’s activities are in areas of high inter-ethnic conflict, with the churches often being the typical point of entry into these communities. Shelvis serves as the principal of the RECONCILE Peace Institute, which offers three-month courses in community-based trauma healing as well as peace studies and conflict transformation.
Nancy is the Project Manager for the South Sudan education and peace building project, developing peace and advancing education. They have a son, Jordan, and daughters Addie, Nicole, and Alice. Due to the war in South Sudan the Smith-Mather family is currently living in Uganda. Shelvis and Nancy are working in a camp for Sudanese refuges.
Jed and Jenny Koball PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers
Jed and JennyKoball, Peru
Jed & Jenny Koball are missionaries in Peru. They met while Jenny coordinated the Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) who work with Joining Hands Network, an initiative of the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Jed was one of the volunteers who worked to feed the hungry, and to address the root cases of acute hunger. Together they educate church groups about the issues that are the mission of Joining Hands. Jed works toward identifying root causes of poverty, such as mining contamination, global warming and unfair trade agreements. He facilitates the relationship between Joing Hands Against Hunger and PC(USA) congregations, who help fund and work together to address these problems.
Jenny grew up in a poor Peruvian mountain community threatened by violence, yet her invalid father taught her to pray. She moved to Lima to study, and began working for YAV, where she helps provide volunteers with a cultural immersion experience and shepherds them as they build Christian communities together. May we all become more involved in responding to Jesus' call to feed the hungry and care for the sick.
Kinnaird Academy - Lahore, Pakistan
Set among one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Kinnaird Academy has been an academic institution since 1864, when it was established under Presbyterian leadership.
Despite going through many challenges and setbacks that have destabilized its buildings and property, as well as its quality of instruction, the school continues on with persistent care for its students, achieving high results in state-mandated testing.
Today, the needs of the Kinnaird Academy include the construction of more classrooms, training of qualified teachers, and general support to reach more students and provide more academic success.
Synod Mission Giving
In the Presbyterian form of governance, the synod is the level of administration between the local presbytery and the national general assembly. Our Synod of the Pacific serves the local churches and presbyteries through a savings and loan program, as well as serving the national denomination by providing financial support to a variety of mission projects.
Ministry of Hope, Malawi
The core mission of Ministry of Hope is to nurture the spiritual lives of children who face a harsh and difficult existence on their own. Ministry of Hope has developed a variety of programs for orphaned and vulnerable children, and the communities in which they live, with a goal of addressing their basic needs.
There’s a mobile medical clinic in communities that would otherwise have limited access to any form of medical care, as well as feeding centers for orphans in six villages in the central region of Malawi.
Ministry of Hope also cares for some of the smallest orphans in Malawi with two Crisis Nurseries. Additionally, Ministry of Hope runs a per-school for children under the age of five, and, since there is no free education after the 8th grade, provides scholarships to orphans to continue their education through high school.
Theological Scholarships for Women in Guatemala
Women of the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala are being called to support and advocate for other women whose voices go unheard. Lack of education heightens traditional barriers to female leadership. We support two funds to educate Guatemalan women:
- Scholarships for women studying theology, so that they may serve as teachers, pastors and leaders in their churches
- Basic literacy training for indigenous women in the remote mountains of northern Guatemala
Near East School of Theology, Lebanon
N.E.S.T. is a Protestant Seminary serving the evangelical churches of the Middle East. The primary purpose of the School is to train women and men for pastoral ministry in the churches and other evangelical organizations in the Middle East. N.E.S.T. also provides continuing education for pastors, church workers and laypeople.
Ark of the Rainbow, India
Ark of the Rainbow is a school for children of families located in the slums of Bangalore, India.
Dana Allen, who grew up in our church, and his wife, Christine, founded the school. Christine had visited India a number of years ago and, saddened by the lack of opportunity for women and children, was determined to make a difference. Having started with a preschool they have now expanded through grade five.
As a result of their efforts, the school recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. The original concept has been broadened and strengthened to include educating parents regarding the dangers of human trafficking, providing families with food boxes, and having a clinic on site for minor health situations.
Some of our members sponsor students at a nominal cost.
Christmas Joy Offering
This offering collected during Advent helps provide financial assistance to current and former church workers and their families and also enables deserving students to attend Presbyterian-related racial ethnic colleges and schools.
Theological Education Fund
Our eleven PC(USA) seminaries count on denomination-wide support to fulfill the ministries we Presbyterians require of them—educating transformational leaders who can preach, teach, pray, counsel, and serve in bearing witness to the Gospel.
Fair Trade Coffee and Chocolate
Once a month following our Sunday worship services, you can purchase Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate. Fair trade is a way of doing business that ultimately aims to keep small-scale farmers an active part of the world marketplace, and aims to empower consumers to make purchases that support their values. And it all tastes delicious!
Alternative Gift Market
For the past several years, we have offered an alternative to the commercial Christmas shopping season by hosting our Alternative Gift Fair. Traditionally held the first Sunday in November, beautiful items from around the world are purchased wholesale from SERRV, a non-profit which supports the artisans who make handmade, fair trade goods.
This offering collected during Lent enables the church to share God’s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, providing food to the hungry, and helping to empower the poor and oppressed.