Mission Yearbook: West Virginia church finds joy in Presbyterian Giving Catalog

At Piedmont Presbyterian Church in West Virginia, generosity comes in all sizes — sometimes even cow-sized.

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For Lori Evans, a ruling elder at the church who is currently in the process of becoming a commissioned pastor, nothing brings more joy than seeing the congregation come together to make a big difference through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. “That Giving Catalog is wonderful,” Evans said. “For us, it’s a wonderful resource, it’s a wonderful tool.”

Evans has been part of Piedmont Presbyterian Church for nearly 40 years — she was married there and raised her daughter there. A lifelong churchgoer and daughter of a minister, she stepped in to serve as pulpit supply after the church’s previous pastor resigned. Now in her fourth year under contract, she’s working toward becoming a commissioned pastor through courses at Union Presbyterian Seminary.

During the week, Evans works in a local pathology lab — a vocation she loves. But her ministry work, she said, “is my joy.”

Each Sunday, about 30 worshipers gather at the church in the small mountain town of Piedmont. Most are older adults, many widowed, though there are a few young children, too. “The more we listen to the Holy Spirit,” Evans said, “the better things work.”

The Presbyterian Giving Catalog — available in print and online — has long been a favorite tool for congregations like Piedmont. The latest edition has been reorganized around four cause areas: Provide Clean Water, End Hunger, Sustain Communities and Support Education. With 44 giving opportunities, it’s designed to fit every mission interest and every budget.

“The Giving Catalog is easy. You can tailor it to what your funds are,” Evans said, noting that she finds it to be a great tool for mission committees to make a difference in the wider world.

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Each year, Piedmont Presbyterian Church in West Virginia puts the Presbyterian Giving Catalog to good use (contributed photo).

Cathy Boyce, Debbie Scheermesser and Evans form Piedmont’s Mission Committee. The women look forward to studying the Giving Catalog each year, searching for projects that will have the “biggest bang for the buck.” Their gifts come out of the church’s general fund, and they especially love to focus on projects that help children and provide clean water.

Over the years, they’ve purchased chickens, rabbits and more through the Giving Catalog. “We bought a cow!” Evans said proudly, adding that she feels it has been their most significant gift so far. “Someone’s gift helped us spend the $450 to buy a whole cow” to provide stable income and nourishment to a community.

Piedmont Presbyterian Church feels connected to the Giving Catalog’s invitation to “give with a purpose.” In addition to using the catalog to give globally, the congregation also continues to give locally — with a purpose. The church supports the Burlington Children’s Home and the Union Rescue Mission, and it participates in a community food pantry run by the local ministerial association.

When a major flood hit nearby Western Maryland, the church gave support to the local fire company to help replace lost equipment. “Because we are small, I think it’s easier for us to give money or send money,” Evans said. “Now that our congregation is aging, it’s how we can help.” And the Giving Catalog is a natural aid, helping their gifts reach around the globe.

Evans encourages church members to see every act of giving — large or small— as a step of faith. “Do what you can joyfully,” she said. “Encourage people to step out in faith and find their own gift. If it’s $25 for rabbits, that’s great. If it’s sending a card to someone who’s sick, that’s great. Step out in faith!”

Evans notes that a share of a cow ($50), school supplies ($30), and a share of a garden well ($50) allows them to help with causes the Spirit has placed on their hearts and participate in ways God is at work in the world.

“I’m a big old sinner who loves Jesus,” she said with a smile. “Little things enable us to spread that love — and that’s what we want to do.”

You too can help give a dairy cow! Would you join Piedmont Presbyterian Church in sharing little gifts to spread Christ’s love? Share the good news and tangible resources through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. Click here to get started.     

Jana Blazek for Stewardship and Funds Development (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

T. Clark Simmons, Senior Church Consultant, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions
Alejandra Sherman, Administrative Assistant, President’s Office, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Loving God, may we seek your face when our eyes are drawn to lesser things. May we seek your kingdom first and hold fast to the vision Jesus proclaimed, even in the face of the kind of outrage Jesus encountered. For we seek always to follow your ways, for the sake of your reign, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Presbyterian Giving Catalog allows even small churches to make a big impact

What difference does a church of 50 members make? A big one, it turns out.

At a recent meeting, the session of Villisca Presbyterian Church in Iowa found themselves asking a familiar question: Why do small churches feel like they’re too small to make a difference?

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The Rev. Sandy Wainwright Rossander

“We’ve always had the attitude of ‘whatever we have, we can share,’” said the Rev. Sandy Wainwright Rossander, pastor of Villisca Presbyterian Church. “A small gift is just as significant as a large one.”

Rossander, who once served as moderator of the Presbytery of Missouri River Valley, has seen firsthand how many congregations underestimate their ability to make an impact. But for her and the Villisca church, located in a town of just 1,500 people, smallness has never been a limitation.

“Even in our smallness, we can still make a difference in the mission of the church,” she said. That conviction has become central to the church’s identity.

For more than 10 years, churches, mid councils and individuals have been turning to the Presbyterian Giving Catalog — available in English both in print and online — as a tangible way to provide real and positive impact around the world.

But this congregation in Villisca, Iowa, had generosity in their hearts before the catalog was in their hands.

More than 20 years ago, Villisca Presbyterian Church created the Blessing Box — an invitation for members to share blessings during worship announcements. Each time someone shared, they added a dollar to the box. Some Sundays brought only a dollar or two. Other times — like when a member turned 80 — the box gained $80. When a need arose in the community, the congregation gave the contents of the Blessing Box to help: a new parent, a teacher new to town, a neighbor in need. To date, they’ve shared more than $3,000 in blessings.

The spirit of giving extends to the children, too. Sunday school students have been collecting nickels and dimes for years, pooling their coins for meaningful gifts. When the Presbyterian Giving Catalog was introduced, those small gifts took on even greater purpose.

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For decades, generous giving has been a mainstay at Villisca Presbyterian Church (contributed photo).

“For just $10, the kids could give farming tools,” Rossander remembered. “It was exciting for them to see what they could do for someone else with just their coins.”

The idea that many small gifts can make a big difference soon inspired the entire congregation. Now, the church occasionally takes a coins-only offering during worship so everyone can join in the fun of choosing items from the Giving Catalog. One favorite is the Family of Chickens — a reminder of how a single gift can multiply into food, income, and opportunity through eggs, feathers and fertilizer.

The 2025-2026 Presbyterian Giving Catalog has been reorganized around a new purpose-based model, reflecting action taken by the 226th General Assembly (2024).

“The new Giving Catalog highlights four cause areas: Provide Clean Water, End Hunger, Sustain Communities and Support Education,” said the Rev. Wilson Kennedy, associate director for Stewardship and Funds Development for the PC(USA). “The tagline, ‘Give with a Purpose,’ boldly featured on the cover, is an invitation for each of us — and all of us — to help transform lives, together.”

The catalog, also available in Spanish and Korean, features 44 giving opportunities designed to fit every mission interest and every budget.

For Villisca Presbyterian Church, the Blessing Box helped members and friends bless their neighborhood. The Presbyterian Giving Catalog invites them to bless the world — together with Presbyterians near and far.

“Some of the most inspiring stories we hear come from small congregations,” said Teresa Mader, manager of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. “When a handful of people pool their gifts — whether it’s a few dollars, a handful of coins or a special offering — those gifts join thousands of others to create real, lasting change. The size of the church doesn’t determine the size of the impact.”

“We don’t ever run out of ideas!” Rossander laughed. The Giving Catalog, she said, makes it easy for everyone — every church, every individual — to find a way to participate in mission. 

Join Villisca Presbyterian in sharing blessings near and far. Discover how you, too, can share the good news and tangible resources through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. Click here to get started.     

Jana Blazek for Stewardship and Funds Development (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Ronnika Muhammad , Payroll Specialist, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Julie Mullins, Acquisitions Editor, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 

Let us pray:

God of those who struggle, we lift to you all families that battle for survival and long to thrive. Teach us to take risks for our neighbors, whereby we find you in our midst. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Michigan church chooses a cause close to its heart from the Presbyterian Giving Catalog

Westminster Presbyterian Church’s pitch: ‘Give a gift, kiss a cow’

December 21, 2022

Brandi Higgins, director of Children and Youth Ministries and the bell choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Michigan, prepares to deliver on a promise to kiss a cow. (Photo courtesy of Westminster Presbyterian Church)

While most organizations work tirelessly to break down silos, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Michigan, decided instead to build a few of their own.

All to the glory of God for the benefit of Presbyterian Mission, of course.

Because Bay County is a top agricultural producer for the state, the church naturally gravitated toward the Presbyterian Giving Catalog when it came time to designate a mission project during their Children’s Sabbath last year.

Now in its ninth year, the increasingly popular Presbyterian Giving Catalog — which is available both in print and online, in English, Spanish and Korean — is filled with a wide variety of gifts that provide real and positive impact around the world, including agricultural tools and training, livestock, aid kits, access to clean water and helping to end hunger.

After selecting the farm bundle as their Giving Catalog project, the congregation then devised a clever way to raise the necessary funds.

“We had three different silos set at the front of our sanctuary,” explained Brandi Higgins, Westminster’s director of Children and Youth Ministries and director of Bell Choirs. “Each silo had a different name on it — one for our pastor, Jamie Milton, one for our parish associate, Linda Williams, and one for me as the children and youth director. We allowed people to place their donations into whosever silo they wanted to see kiss a cow; and whoever had the most donations at the very end had to kiss a cow. We ran the donation time for about a month, and at the end we had an anonymous donor sneak in and equal out all the amounts. This made it so that all three of us had to kiss the cow.”

Enthusiastic support of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog led to three Westminster staffers — Brandi Higgins, the Rev. Linda Williams and the Rev. Jamie Milton — all kissing this calf. (Photo courtesy of Westminster Presbyterian Church)

But since no one wanted to kiss a cow in the middle of winter, Higgins planned the church’s excursion for the day after Easter.

“We reached out to a local farm that had a petting zoo to see if they had a calf that they wouldn’t mind if we kissed,” Higgins recalled. “They did, and the rest is really history. It was really a fun opportunity that many members of our congregation got behind to support.”

But for those PC(USA) congregations for whom visiting a farm, taking a mission trip or kissing a cow would be an impossibility, they need only let their fingers and their collective imagination do the walking, straight through the pages of the new Presbyterian Giving Catalog in order to reach out and touch people’s lives.

“No matter the language a Presbyterian speaks, we know that we share common commitments to Matthew 25 ministry, like those supported through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog,” said William McConnell, interim director of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “Opportunities abound on every page for congregations and individuals to choose a cause that’s close to their heart and that will make a significant, lasting impact in the lives of people and communities around the world.”

The new Giving Catalog builds on the momentum created by the previous editions. Since it debuted in 2013, nearly 68,000 gifts have been given by congregations and individuals. The gifts are organized in broad categories — aid kits, livestock, agriculture, water and people — for ease of use when selecting a project or cause. Its pages contain everything from farming tools for a family in the developing world to a deep rock well, suitable for those parts of the world where clean water is found only by digging hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface.

Each section also features a heartfelt prayer written by thankful supporters of the Giving Catalog.

In 2021, the most popular items by far were the family of chickens and the sewing machine, giving the kissable cow some friendly competition.

“It’s hard to believe that many, many more congregations do not engage with the Giving Catalog,” said Jane MacDonald, a ruling elder, former trustee and the current treasurer at First Presbyterian Church of Newton, New Jersey, which has supported the Giving Catalog annually since it debuted. “Giving a gift through the Catalog is a meaningful way that people can make a difference in the lives of others.”

 Emily Enders Odom, Associate Director of Mission Communications, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Tim McCallister, Coordinator, Mission Program Grants & Schools & Colleges Equipping Communities of Color, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Doris McCray, Director, Employer Services, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

God, may Christ’s body and blood be the seed that bears fruitful growth. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Doubling the giving by working together

Churches team up to buy gifts from the Presbyterian Giving Catalog

June 8, 2021

Denise Noell and Mickey Fenn of The Way Station Community, which meets in a California
art gallery, present the Family Farm Fund idea from the Presbyterian Giving Catalog during worship. Eddy Navarro

Jenn Chow, a hospice nurse, ruling elder and member of the worship team at Living Hope Church in Port Hueneme, California, and her husband, Sean, associate for training and leadership cohorts for the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities, know their way around new church plants and their leaders. And they really like them.

“I especially have a soft spot for the people who lead new worshiping communities, but who are not yet ordained as ministers, because that’s just a whole different area of pressure,” said Jenn Chow. “So, whenever our church reaches out to new congregations in the community, it fills not only a deep need that Living Hope has to shepherd another congregation along the way, but also to feel like we’re a part of something bigger than just us. It’s not unusual for our church to try to team up with others just to get the job done.”

Which is precisely what happened when Chow and Mickey Fenn, pastor and executive director of The Way Station Community — a new worshiping community that meets on Sunday afternoons in an art gallery in Camarillo, California — got together before Christmas last year to plan a joint mission project around the Presbyterian Giving Catalog.

Fenn, who is working toward ordination as a teaching elder, was a management professional in the medical and dental field for 30 years. A native Californian who had lived for 22 years in Colorado, where she was an elder and deacon at First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Fenn has known the Chows for years as friends and ministry colleagues in the Presbytery of Santa Barbara.

“Jenn and Sean are part of my family,” she said. “In fact, Sean and I were the ones who brainstormed the concept of what is now The Way Station Community, which is all about finding rest and connection, encountering Jesus and finding community.”

Fenn said that although The Way Station Community has done all kinds of local projects, she realized that they had not yet done anything globally. That’s when the Presbyterian Giving Catalog came in the mail. “I started looking through it, thinking that if we partnered with somebody else, we could double what we could do alone,” she said.

Now in its seventh year, the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, which is available both in print and online, is filled with a variety of gifts that provide positive impact around the world, including aid for refugees, access to clean water and help to end hunger.

“I loved the idea of a family farm, the animals, the tools and the instructions,” Fenn recalled. “After I took the idea to our vision committee, who loved it, I went to Jenn, and said, ‘Hey, do you think you would want to partner with us on this family farm? Here’s what it is, what it costs and this is what we’re trying to raise.’ She immediately said ‘yes.’”

Chow said the beauty of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog — especially when churches are working on a project together — is that not only is there satisfaction when a joint fundraising goal is set and met, but there is also a deep sense of gratification in the opportunity to make a specific impact on a group of people.

“What I really liked about the projects in the catalog that we were raising money for was that there was going to be actual education,” she said. “It wasn’t just, ‘Here, have some chickens and some cows, but we’re also going to help train you into how to best do what you need to do.’ I’ve always personally liked the idea of being able to try to give people the means to support themselves.”

In the end, both communities decided to raise enough money together to purchase a family farm and a beehive.

“The kids liked the bees,” Chow said. “Even though they’re kind of afraid of them, they thought it was really cool that someone could make their own honey.”

The two communities ultimately raised enough for the family farm and two beehives.

Emily Enders Odom, Mission Interpretation Project Manager, Mission Engagement and Support, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Samantha Lund, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Erika Lundbom-Krift, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Lord of love, when we doubt that we can change things for the better, help us to remember the longer effects that a generous act provides. Grant us the strength to meet the service opportunities that we encounter with faithfulness and energy, in order to fill this imperfect world with joy. Amen.

Presbyterian Giving Catalog - Restore a farm, and a life, this World Hunger Day

Cultivating crops and hope Motí is a farmer in Palestine, where, today, he cultivates thriving plots of vegetables. But just a few years ago, Motí’s farm — and his livelihood — was in ruins, destroyed during conflict in the area. Motí and his family were hungry. Motí was heartbroken over the state of his barren land. A Presbyterian-supported program helped dozens of farmers, including Motí, revive their land and begin growing vital crops again. New irrigation systems, training and healthy seedlings have helped restore life to the land, and vitality to communities and individuals like Motí, who marvels at the green fields that now surround him. Read Motí's Story

Farming Tools $10 Growing and harvesting a fruitful crop is possible only with the proper tools, such as shovels and machetes. This necessary equipment can help bring a fruitful yield from the land. View Item

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Links of Love inspires connections and giving

The goal is for a 1,000-foot-long paper chain to be displayed at General Assembly

April 13, 2020

Members of Nashville’s Southminster Presbyterian Church submitted their Links of Love paper chain to the Giving Catalog. (Contributed photo)

The Presbyterian Giving Catalog recently launched Links of Love as part of a special Giving Challenge. The Links of Love activity is aimed toward recognizing the power and impact of individual gifts when joined with others by creating a paper chain that visually represents Presbyterian generosity.

For each gift to the catalog, congregations are encouraged to add a link and construct a paper chain no matter how long or short; each contribution makes a big impact. Individual paper chains will be collected, combined and displayed at the 224th General Assembly (2020) in Baltimore. The goal is to exceed a 1,000-foot paper chain.

“We want to create a dynamic, colorful visual that brings to life a truth I see every day, that the generosity and faithfulness of Presbyterians grows each day, and inspires hope in people around the world,” said Bryce Wiebe, director of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. “Each person who makes a gift receives a paper link to fill out and grow the congregation’s paper chain. We encourage congregations to hang their paper chains in highly visible locations to inspire the generosity of others and generate interest and excitement over how much is being accomplished as a group.”

Each congregation is encouraged to use their own creativity to make the Links of Love activity fit their needs, but the Giving Catalog does provide resources and ideas to help kick-start the creative process. The paper chain links and everything a congregation needs to get started can be ordered from the PC(USA) Store and are available for free.

In order to meet the deadline for General Assembly (June 20-27), the Presbyterian Giving Catalog is requesting that all paper chains be submitted by May 15 to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
c/o Presbyterian Giving Catalog
100 Witherspoon St.
Louisville, KY 40202

Leading up to General Assembly, congregations are encouraged to highlight members with their “why I gave” story, showing them holding their link and/or posting a picture of the congregation holding the paper chain. Also, congregations may share their stories on social media using the hashtag #smallgiftsbigimpact and tagging @givingcatalog.

Southminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, was the first congregation to submit its paper chain for connecting at General Assembly.

“We liked having the visual representation of our giving and seeing it grow,” said Pat McDonald, a member of the Outreach Committee at Southminster.  They participated in the Links of Love activity through their Alternative Giving Market.

Visit the Links of Love web page for more information.

Scott O’Neill, Communications Strategist/Project Manager, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ricky Blade, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Gary Blakely, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

God of grace may these Links of Love inspire giving and hope. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.