Special Offerings
Special Offerings
Four special offerings are collected each year to support the mission of Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). The special offerings are as follows:
GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
One Great Hour of Sharing is collected annually on or around Palm Sunday. 1/3 of the proceeds benefit Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, 1/3 benefits the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and 1/3 benefits the Self Development of People ministry.
WITNESS OFFERING
This special offering supports an initiative designated each year by the Witness and Service Committee. In accord with the direction of the Elders, this year’s Witness Offering will go to support two ministries, moving each to self-sufficiency. A small school in Haiti, built by a team from PCPC, is to establish a green house project and the school system established by PCPC in Papoli, Uganda is to establish a second dormitory.
Along with these initiatives our own church building will be renovated to accommodate growing work. Our Youth program is bursting at the seams and so their space on the second floor of the Eastminster building will be restructured to allow for ministry to continue to thrive. Our contemporary worship setting is in need of upgraded equipment and this will also be enabled through the offering, allowing PCPC to continue to reach out to those seeking an alternative expression of worship.
This special offering is collected on the first Sunday of October, World Communion Sunday. Fifty percent of the proceeds benefit peacemaking initiatives of the General Assembly of thePresbyterian Church (USA). Twenty-five percent of the proceeds benefit peacemaking initiatives of the Presbyterian of Tampa Bay, and 25 percent are retained by PCPC for a church-based peacemaking initiative.
BETH-EL JOY OFFERING
PCPC will collect the Beth-El Joy Offering on the Sunday before Christmas. The Beth-El Joy Offering has in the past been used to assist ethnic ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Since 2009, in keeping with the tradition of supporting ethnic ministries, PCPC decided to donate 100 percent of its Joy Offering proceeds to Beth-El Farmworker Ministry and to change the name to the Beth-El Joy Offering. Due to the current economic situation, the Presbytery of Tampa Bay had to reduce its support of Beth-El by 50 percent. Gifts to the Joy Offering will assist Beth-El in its mission to help “farm workers achieve self-sufficiency through its open opportunities to worship, its extensive educational programs, and the many services it provides to meet basic needs.”
