 PCUSA mission workers will have to raise own funds By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, October 19, 2005 Marian McClure, director of the Worldwide Mission Division of the Presbyterian Church (USA), has informed mission workers that future missionaries will have to raise their own support because of the agency's financial problems. And, she added, they'll have to raise it by getting their supporters to route their contributions through Joining Hearts and Hands, the denomination's $40-million fundraising campaign that was authorized by the 213th General assembly in 2001. That was the same General Assembly that voted to cut 30 foreign missionary assignments – 10 percent of the total – from the Worldwide Mission Division budget. In four years, according to its second-quarter financial statement at the end of June, the fund campaign has raised $1.2 million in cash, including $581,608 that is designated for world missions – the equivalent of about one year's salary for 10 missionaries, or three missionaries for three years. When the General Assembly approved the campaign, the advocates said it should not be viewed as a means of replacing mission assignments that were taken out of the budget, but of enlarging the denomination's missionary staff. In a letter to mission workers dated Oct. 12, McClure said, "The financial crunch has affected WMD by limiting the funds from the core Mission Budget, both unrestricted and restricted, that we can utilize in the budget years 2007/08." Because of the lack of funds, she added, the Worldwide Ministries Division leadership team "has decided to route all new funding for new positions via MIJHH [Mission Initiative/Joining Hearts and Hands]. This simply means that new mission personnel entering the system (whether coworkers or Long Term Volunteers) will raise their supplementary funds in cooperation with MIJHH staff if they and their positions qualify under the administrative agreement we have with the campaign. In that case, their supporters will send funds in such a way that the MIJHH campaign will credit their gifts. We are developing processes for candidates to work in conjunction with the coordinator for Funds Development in WMD, Wes Wilkinson, who is our liaison with the MIJHH campaign." McClure also called on mission workers who receive directed mission giving from local congregations "to give them an encouraging communication … this form of giving helps the GAC [General Assembly Council] meet its budget commitments and so helps us face the financial strains." McClure's call on mission workers to raise funds through Joining Hearts & Hands could bolster the fundraising campaign, which has produced far more in pledges than it has deposited in the bank. The June financial statement – September's had not been posted as of today – reported cash receipts and outstanding pledges of $16,052,735. But only 7.4 percent – $1.2 million – is in cash. The bulk of the pledges have been made by presbyteries for new church development. When established, the fundraising campaign set goals of $20 million for new church development and $20 million for worldwide missions. The money raised by presbyteries, if and when they fulfill their pledges, goes entirely for their projects with no fundraising costs. Thus, the fundraising costs for the campaign, which is no longer subsidized by the General Assembly Council, would come primarily from the money raised through contributions for mission workers. Through June, the fundraising campaign had accumulated expenses of $2.4 million – double its cash receipts. The following is the text of McClure's letter, which was sent to The Layman Online by a mission worker. A number of McClure's colleagues also signed the letter.
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