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In 1922, the Women's Auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States chose to celebrate its tenth anniversary by collecting and dedicating a special offering. The superintendent of women's work, Hallie Winsborough, had recently returned from a tour of overseas mission stations, which included a visit to Miss Dowd's School for Girls in Kochi, Japan. After learning of the school's needs, Winsborough challenged every member to contribute one penny for each year of her life as a "birthday gift" to the Japanese mission.

In 2002, we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of this tradition, known as the Birthday Offering. More than 25 million dollars have been given by Presbyterian Women to be used in mission throughout the world. Each year's recipients are selected by the Creative Ministries Offering Committee, composed of nine members, six from the Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women, including the financial secretary, and three from the General Assembly Council. Grant proposals are received by the PW associate for mission interpretation from a variety of sources: churches wishing to develop new social justice or health programs, overseas churches and community organizations. Each project to be funded must meet the criteria established by PW and must be accompanied by a written endorsement of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) synod or presbytery. If an applicant is outside the United States, a written endorsement by the indigenous church must be provided. The Creative Ministries Offering Committee meets for four days of prayer, discussion and deliberation, and the projects are selected by consensus. Recipients are announced annually in the January/February issue of Horizons magazine.

Horizons celebrates the 80th Birthday Offering by announcing the 2002 recipients:

Nez Perce Children's Home and Advocacy CenterLapwai, Idaho
Nez Perce and other Indian children from families at-risk of child abuse or neglect need temporary care when their parents are ordered to obtain treatment for alcohol or substance abuse, or for medical reasons. The Nez Perce Children's Home and Advocacy Center will provide 12--20 children a year with a temporary nurturing environment that meets their physical, psychological and educational needs. While someone else cares for their children, the parents are free to seek healing and improve their parenting skills. Today there are 3,590 enrolled Nez Perce members with approximately 1,503 members residing on the reservation, 158 members living in adjacent communities and the remainder scattered throughout the country. The joint Session of all six Indian Presbyterian Churches endorsed this grant application for the Birthday Offering.

The Healing House, Jamestown, New York
The Healing House is a new program of Healing Hearts, Inc., ministering to women suffering from childhood sexual abuse. The Birthday Offering will help provide and furnish a house, which will be called the Healing House, creating an environment where a positive sense of community and self-worth can be established, both of which are essential in the recovery of these women. On behalf of the women it serves, the program seeks to achieve measurable movement from dependence to independence and improvement in both coping and self-management skills.

Healing Hearts, Inc. began with a support group of five survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Since its inception, more than 30 women have been assisted through specialized support groups, peer-education, trauma and life skill classes, and a Saturday morning Breakfast for Thrivers. Individual advocacy requests continue to increase, as do organizational requests to replicate the Healing Hearts model in other areas. First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown, New York has provided significant leadership and support in this project.

Mini-Libraries, Nanjing, China
The rapidly growing Church in China has 50,000 churches, but only 2,000 pastors. Congregations are primarily led by volunteer lay leaders and in some areas of China as many as 90 percent of these lay leaders are women. The Birthday Offering will help to provide theological mini-libraries for lay leaders, giving them much needed resources in their own language. Lay leaders are the backbone of this church, but they need more training and more resources. Chinese seminaries are often ill-equipped with library books since most were lost or burned during the cultural revolution. The China Christian Council attempts to provide training for 60,000 lay leaders through programs at the local, regional and national levels. Mini-libraries that lay leaders can keep and use in their homes will be a great support in their leadership.

School Age Ministry Summer Care Initiative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The School Age Ministry program (SAM), a project of the Northwest Interfaith Movement, is a groundbreaking nonsectarian initiative to help congregations establish quality, affordable after-school programs in at-risk neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Begun in l996, SAM serves the largest network of congregation-based school-age programs in the country.

The recent third anniversary of welfare-to-work legislation finds Philadelphia in greater need than ever for after-school and summer care for school-age children, as parents who were formerly at home become involved in training or employment. Ninety-eight percent of SAM's work occurs in areas of Philadelphia that have been underserved according to University of Pennsylvania projections. Three quarters of these areas have racial ethnic compositions which are predominantly minority.

The Birthday Offering will allow this program to develop quality summer-care opportunities for school-age children in disadvantaged Philadelphia neighborhoods. With this grant 24 programs will be created for children ages 6--12, with a capacity for 576 children. SAM is committed to helping 56 congregations change unsupervised summer hours into opportunities for growth and positive experiences.

Family Ministry Transitional Center, Macon, Georgia
Loaves and Fishes Ministries, a Presbyterian-founded and ecumenically-run agency, has been providing services to the homeless community in Macon, Georgia, since 1967. Four Macon Presbyterian Churches (Northminster, Saint Andrews, Washington Avenue and Flint River), along with seven other churches and members of the community, will introduce a new thrust to specifically serve homeless families.

Presbyterians began the Macon Inner City Ministry over 20 years ago to provide food, clothing and limited financial resources to help poor and disadvantaged persons in Macon, Georgia. Ten years ago, they united with the Episcopal ministry to become the Loaves and Fishes Ministry and their focus changed to providing housing for homeless men and women. They have grown to one home for women and four for men, and continue to provide food and clothing to the needy. However, there was no place for homeless families.

The Birthday Offering will allow Loaves and Fishes Ministry to purchase two duplexes, refurbish them, hire an additional caseworker and create a safe Christian Family Transitional Center for four families. This would expand their current successful men's and women's programs and establish a three-month to two-year program designed to provide shelter for homeless families and bridge the gap between homelessness and independent living.

Free Items

Birthday Offering Brochure (minimum 25), PWR-02-500

Offering Envelopes (minimum 25), PWR-02-501

Bulletin Cover (minimum 25), 8 1/2" x 11", PWR-02-502 or 8 1/2" x 14", PWR-02-503

Poster (one per church), PWR-02-504

Interpretive Materials (one per church; includes Birthday Offering interpretation, worship service, creative ideas, poster interpretation, reflections and update on past Birthday Offering recipients), PWR-02-505

Cost Items

Placemats, $3/pkg. of 25, PWR-02-506

Book: Messages of Reconciliation and Hope: 75 Years of Birthday Offerings 1922--1997 by Catherine Stewart Vaughn, $16, PWR-00-507

Order from Presbyterian Distribution Services (PDS), 800/524-2612; www.pcusa.org


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