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I appreciated the articles in the latest issue of Horizons magazine that told the stories of several organizations that have received grants from the Presbyterian Women’s Thank Offering (including Health Ministries) and Birthday Offering.  Obviously, over the years, many worthy ministries have received the offerings of Presbyterian Women and have engaged in a variety of creative projects that have benefited women and children throughout the world.

I appreciated reading about the history of the Birthday Offering and its originator, Hallie Winsborough.  Presbyterian Women has a rich historical heritage of involvement on the cutting edge of mission projects throughout the world.

I appreciated learning about the criteria used by the Birthday Offering and the Creative Ministries Offering Committees that are responsible for making the grant selections.

I appreciated reading how these committee meet for four days of prayer, discussion and deliberation, and how their selections are made by consensus.  

However, notwithstanding all the information and stories that were provided, there is one crucial piece of the puzzle that still remains missing.  

Ann Ferguson, Coordinator for the national organization of Presbyterian Women, states that the grant projects,  “must be consistent with the mission of the PC(USA) and the purpose of Presbyterian Women.”  (As an aside, I assume this is also pertains to the Thank Offering, including Health Ministries).  If my assumption is correct, then the Creative Ministries Offering Committee is still short some significant information. 

What is missing is a mission statement from every organization that seeks PW funding for their project.  Right now an organization is asked either to provide a mission statement for their organization, or a focus statement. In my opinion, both are necessary for an informed decision. Then, having obtained this information, the next step should be to provide it to all Presbyterian women through Horizons magazine.  

This missing piece of the puzzle is crucial. Voices of Orthodox Women has researched several of the recipients of the Birthday Offering from 1997 to the present.  We have discovered organizations and projects that do not fit within the standards of the mission of the PC(USA) or the purpose of Presbyterian Women. This is a serious flaw, because all Presbyterian women want to know that the mission money they contribute is being used for projects that neither deny nor contradict the Presbyterian Church’s biblical and constitutional standards.  

I appreciated the fact that the editors of Horizons magazine and the national coordinating team acknowledge their fiduciary responsibility to members of PW by providing the information in this issue of Horizons.  However, greater accountability is required. I would hope changes will be made as soon as possible and that it will be reflected in next year’s Birthday Offering and Thank Offering (including Health Ministries) information. 

Will this ensure that all moneys will be used in a way apropos of the church of Jesus Christ?  No, probably not.  But it will give specific information regarding faith based organizations, which in turn will disclose their particular position on a variety of issues relative to the policies and confessional standards of our denomination.  This would be a major step forward in seeking to reform the mission of PW, and would most likely increase the dollars available for worthy projects.