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. It is collected in the spring and coincides with a “mission weekend” where the initiative is presented to the congregation. The 2009 Witness Offering took place on Sunday, May 17. This year, the Witness Offering proceeds will benefit the building of a dormitory and community center in Papoli, Uganda, a village where AIDS has left countless children orphaned.
Since 2005, PCPC has teamed with the people of Papoli to complete a pre-school and primary school, build houses, dig wells, establish scholarships, and develop a plan for the economic self-sufficiency of the village. The dormitory and community center will play a big part in this plan. To make a contribution towards this offering, please contact the church office.
Download the Witness Offering brochure for further information.
PEACEMAKING OFFERING
This special offering was collected on October 4, 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. In both 2007 and 2008, PCPC designated its portion of the Peacemaking Offering to support the work of teams of social workers and counselors going to Uganda. They will do the same this year, 2009
JOY OFFERING
PCPC will collect the Joy Offering on Sunday, December 20, 2009. The Joy Offering, one of the Presbyterian Church’s four special offerings collected each year, has traditionally been split between pension funds for mission workers and assistance to ethnic ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This year, in keeping with the tradition of supporting ethnic ministries, PCPC will donate 100 percent of its Joy Offering proceeds to Beth-El Farmworker Ministry. 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.”
