Minute for Mission: Giving Tuesday

November 29, 2022

Giving Tuesday allows us to celebrate what makes us proud to be Presbyterian.

What does Presbyterian pride look like to you? For me, it looks like:

• Disaster response teams swooping into action following the latest natural disaster
• Church buildings opening their doors to house after-school programs and community dinners
• Presbyterians participating actively in worship, whether in person or online.

What does Presbyterian pride sound like to you? For me, it sounds like:

• Presbyterian Youth and Young Adults participating in activities designed to help them discern ministry opportunities for their future
• General Assembly committees meeting in person and actively discussing questions that face the church
• Calls to Capitol Hill to voice our desire for hope and justice for all God’s children
• Prayers for peace spoken during a worship service at the U.S.-Mexico border.

What does Presbyterian pride feel like to you? For me, it feels like:

• Virtual and in person hugs with friends we only see every couple of years at General Assembly
• Plucking food from the earth as we work to feed the hungry in our communities
• Aching feet after marching in the streets to end cash bail.

I am proud to be Presbyterian. It was a decision I made as a child, and I’ve never looked back. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked at the Presbyterian Mission Agency where for several years I was reminded of what a faithful and generous denomination the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is, and possibly more so, I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the work God is accomplishing through the PC(USA) on Giving Tuesday.

On the heels of the commercial events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a third post-Thanksgiving tradition has emerged that redirects our priorities – Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday, which is being observed today in more than 150 countries, exists for one purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.

On Giving Tuesday, we will be provided the opportunity to express our gratitude to God for all God has done for us and the household of faith. Through our gifts, the PC(USA) can continue to be a healing presence to a world in need, being a church of action and reaching out to our siblings who are most marginalized. Gifts made on Giving Tuesday will support Shared Mission (unrestricted giving), Per Capita, and the Special Offerings, lifting up the work of the entire Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Today on Giving Tuesday, as we are inspired to respond to God’s generosity, I invite you to reflect on what makes you proud to be Presbyterian (and we’d love to hear about it!). Then, let us join with Presbyterians from near and far as we profess by our actions and with our gifts — that we are the Church, together!

Lauren Rogers, lifelong Presbyterian and member of First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Shanea Leonard, Associate, Gender, Racial & Intercultural Justice, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Heather Leoncini, Mission Specialist, Presbyterian Youth and Triennium, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

To make my offering to you, God,
Is to bring back to memory
That you are the source of all gifts, and
The one from whom all blessings flow.
When we join our gifts with the gifts of others, we are reminded that we cannot go it alone.
We are in the company of the household of faith and the whole host of witnesses who went before.
Each gift I make is a “thank you” for the community of faith where I can share my griefs and burdens, my joys and excitement.
Each gift is a “thank you,” God, for the gift of life.
Each gift is an act of hope in God’s future for all Creation. 
Each gift is a sign of our thanks and gratitude.
May it always be so.
Amen.

Prayer by the Rev. Rosemary Mitchell, (Honorably Retired)