Hope, Faith and Peace - Presbyterian Foundation

P r e s b y t e r i a n
F o u n d a t i o n ’s
s u m m e r
2 0 1 4
Walking down the streets in Palestine, it’s not unusual to see graffiti on the walls. This particular graffiti artist depicts a
sentiment that is shared by many throughout this city.
Hope, Faith and Peace
It’s constantly in the news – violence and fear, occupation
and repression, peace talks that lead nowhere, frustration and
desperation. The ongoing quest for peace in Israel-Palestine seems
to remain just out of reach. Presbyterians have, for decades, longed
for, argued for, and worked for this elusive peace – safety, security
and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians. We’ve
drafted overtures, passed resolutions, sent letters and envoys and
teams to learn about and advocate for both sides.
At the 220th General Assembly in 2012, ongoing discussions about
the possibility of divesting shares of several companies that appear
INSIDE :
Empowering the Journey
No More Wrestling with
Stewardship Sermons
GA Divestment
Recommendation
PF on Social Media
continued on page 3
©2014 A publication of the Presbyterian Foundation
www.PresbyterianFoundation.org
continued from cover story
From Our President
You can watch the video on our website at www.
General Assemblies are
PresbyterianFoundation.org/positiveinvestment
times like no other in the
life of the PC(USA). Part
•O
ur conversations with both the Assembly committee
political convention, part
that
considered much of our business, and with the
family reunion: they can
Agency Review Committee which studied our work
be exciting, exhausting,
in depth and reported to this Assembly, were rich
uplifting, worshipful,
and productive. Our time together resulted in an
exasperating, and inspiring
action crafted by the committee which was adopted
– all at the same time.
overwhelmingly by the full assembly to (1) Endorse the
For me, Assemblies
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation’s work; (2) Urge
offer times to reconnect
congregations and individual Presbyterians to use the
with old friends, to build
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation for investments,
new relationships, and
financial advice, charitable gifts of liquid and illiquid
to share the work of the
assets, and growing generosity; and (3) Explore and
Presbyterian Foundation
cultivate the growing number of national and worldwide
with Presbyterians from throughout the denomination.
ecumenical and business relationships consistent with
the mission and witness of the PC(USA) to further
Decisions regarding marriage and divestment have
advance the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation’s &
dominated the headlines and grabbed most of the attention
New Covenant Trust Company’s (NCTC’s) work to serve
from the 2014 Assembly in Detroit. But these were not
the church in ministry and mission.
the only issues discussed, nor even necessarily the most
important. Here are some other Assembly highlights, that
• The Assembly’s discussion of fossil fuels – of their
relate specifically to the Foundation:
threat to our environment and how the church should
respond – was passionate and raised significant
• While the vote on divestment from three companies that
issues for our consideration. How can we best use
derive a portion of their profits from the occupation of
our investments to work for the good of all people?
Palestine was heated and narrow (310-303), support for the
Are we profiting from what some perceive to be the
Foundation’s Positive Investment program was widespread.
destruction of our planet and of all life therein? Is there
Commissioners and other participants responded warmly and
more that we can do to address this challenge with
enthusiastically to a new video we created to tell the story
urgency? The Assembly ultimately chose to refer the
of how investing for peace is having a positive impact in the
proposed divestment action to the PCUSA’s committee
lives of men, women and children in Bethlehem, Jericho,
on Mission Responsibility Through Investment. But the
Ramallah, and throughout the West Bank. Our investments
discussion has struck a chord with us at the Foundation,
in education, microfinance, and renewable energy are
and we too are wrestling with these questions and
helping to create jobs, minimize Palestinian dependence on
considering what positive steps we may be able to take
Israel and others, and bring stability to lives and livelihoods.
to address the issue.
The Presbyterian
Foundation was
established in 1799
to raise, steward, and distribute funds for mission. We
work with congregations, councils, agencies and other
entities to ensure that they have resources for mission
today, tomorrow, and 200 years from now.
2
I am grateful to this Assembly for its resounding
affirmation of the Foundation’s work, and for its vote to
confirm me to continue as President of this vital ministry.
It’s the most exciting work I’ve ever been part of (and I
used to be a whitewater rafting guide!). And it’s both my
honor and my pleasure to serve God and serve you in this
time and place.
In Christ,
Hope, Faith and Peace
to be profiting from the Occupation, commissioners
pushed for a new tactic: positive investment in
companies engaged in peaceful pursuits in the region.
This action led to the creation of a new program at the
Foundation called “Transformational Investing.” The
following excerpts from a Presbyterian Outlook online
story by Jack Haberer tell the story.
Working with colleagues at the Presbyterian Mission
Agency, several prominent congregational leaders,
and partners in the Middle East, the Presbyterian
Foundation has worked over a year and a half
to complete three investments. Partnering with
consulting firms and companies in Israel, the West
Bank and Great Britain, they eagerly embraced the
prospects of positive investment in the region. They
could foresee how visionary investing could become
key drivers of the Palestinian economy – education,
microfinance, renewable energy. They joined with the
Foundation and already are making news and having a
transformative effect on lives in the region.
Microfinance
Small loans can make a huge difference for
Palestinians trying to start or grow businesses. In
Palestine, the combination of high education (95%
literacy) and high unemployment (over 20%; even
higher among women) has led many Palestinians to
great ingenuity and energy in entrepreneurship.
Micro-loans of start-up capital, usually in the $1,000–
$20,000 range, are helping create new businesses
and grow the Palestinian economy. And, the average
payback rate of these loans is over 98%.
The Foundation has partnered with a Ramallahbased bank, which specializes in microfinance
lending, to create a $500,000 loan program with a
special emphasis on women business owners. Nine
women have already secured loans to open shops,
start agricultural initiatives, purchase taxis, start a
kindergarten, launch a photography studio and more.
The women have described these loans as lifechanging boosts that are calming their spirits about the
conflict in the region, while also lifting their hopes that
their futures for them and their families will be bright.
“On a recent visit to
Ramallah, I got to meet
one of the women who
has built a successful
business on one of
these microloans,”
said Tom Taylor, the
Foundation’s president
and CEO.
“Small busin
esses are he
lping us not be
relying on so
meone else,
except relianc
on God and se
e
lf. It helps no
t just a little,
it helps a lot.”
“Buthaina is a
seamstress by trade, and she opened up a dress shop
to rent and sell wedding gowns and party gowns that
she has designed. She borrowed $3,000 from our microlending partner and had such success in the first year
that she was able to open a hair and make-up salon next
door to serve her customers. She went on to open an
accessories shop across the hall, and then a dry-cleaning
business upstairs. She has four full-time employees
now and turned a nice profit last year.”
Education
Another project entails
a construction loan to
Dar al-Kalima University
College in Bethlehem.
This Christian college
serves both Christian
and Muslim students
with a focus on job
ry program is
preparedness and
A student of the culina
local hotel.
a
at
f
che
d
now the hea
employability. The loan
with his
ool
sch
the
ed
ors
end
He
will fund construction
g. It changed
azin
am
s
wa
comment, “It
of a new building to
my life, big time.”
house culinary and tourist
industry classrooms,
offices and other facilities. In addition, the project
will eventually include two restaurants, one with a
360-degree view of Bethlehem where tourists and
outside conference groups can visit and dine, and
another that will operate at the culinary training kitchen
for the college’s future prospective chef-graduates that
will serve the faculty, students and administration.
This project promises financial success given its
continued on page 6
3
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Empowering the Journey
Judy Whitford decided that it was time to get her estate in order. After the
passing of her husband three years ago, Whitford realized how his work in
‘putting things in order’ had helped her – something she has decided she
wants to do for her two children and six grandchildren.
“We can procrastinate and put off making decisions
so that when we die decisions are just made for us,”
explained Whitford.
“I’m in my mid-60’s and I’m hoping that I have made
these decisions a long time before my death – but I also
know how uncertain life can be.”
“I don’t have a lot of money – and if I live as long as my parents and my
grandmother, there might not be anything left,” she explained. That said,
she has decided to leave 10% of her estate, whatever that might be, to the
First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City. “I may end up deciding to increase
that – but for now that is where I felt I could begin,” Whitford said.
“My reason for doing this is basically my upbringing and learning that
tithing is the place to begin, not the end.”
During her husband’s long illness there was often not much left over,
with medical expenses claiming a large portion of the couple’s income.
But since his passing Whitford’s financial situation has shifted.
“I’m feeling very blessed with everything that I was given so I decided to
make some decisions now rather than waiting until I’m old,” she shared.
A teacher by background, Whitford loves to empower others – and hopes
to do so even after she’s gone with the ‘Whitford Empowerment Fund’
set up at the church.
Judy Whitford, shown here with
her grandchildren,
has made a decision to include her
church in her
estate. This bequest will enable
her church to use
the funds to “empower others”
and benefit
future generations.
Empowering people, for Whitford, has ripples that travel far beyond the
initial work. “If we do it here it can spread all over the world.”
“As I told my granddaughter the other day – we never know what we say
or do, who it is going to impact, how, and how widespread the impact might
be,” she continued.
“Even if my gift is little – even if it is a widow’s mite – it can have an impact because no gift is insignificant.”
By making the choice now to make this gift, Whitford is choosing to leave a legacy that will be ongoing.
“It has nothing to do with making myself feel better now – I just feel called to do it,” she explained. For her it is also
an example to her children and to her grandchildren.
“When someone dies who is close to you, right after you almost feel dead,” Whitford shared. “But I have been
blessed with a loving family, church, friends, and God’s grace that have allowed me to go through the dark and to
feel alive again. In that aliveness I see the importance of this sharing.”
In recent years the church has received a few bequests and this, Whitford thinks, is beginning to open the eyes
of others as to the possibilities of doing so themselves. One woman, having no family, left her entire estate to the
church. “The church was her family,” explained Whitford, whose time serving on the session has allowed her to
see what a significant impact that one woman’s gift has had.
4
For Whitford life has most definitely been a journey – of
teaching, of learning, and of empowering others to do
the same. She hopes it is that legacy that will live on
through her gift.
To learn more about bequests or creating a wills program
in your church, contact your Ministry Relations Officer or
check out the resources at Presbyterian Foundation.org.
Live Forward, Give Forward:
A Wills Program for Your Congregation
Start or enhance your wills program with resources from
the Foundation.
• Wills Kit – includes:
– guidebook,
– communication tips and planning guide,
– sample letters and lift note,
– 52 touch points to reach out to your members,
– ideas and inspirations, and
– vision worksheet.
• Reproducible bulletin insert
• Wills microsite, liveforwardgiveforward.org, for members to
provide additional information concerning wills and estate
planning. Add a link from your church homepage to this
valuable resource.
• Printed resources to use at a workshop or seminar: Guide
to a Christian Will, Personal Record Book, Estate Planning
Workbook. These are available at no charge.
A Ministry Relations Officer is available to assist members who
are considering a bequest or gift from their estate. Contact your
regional Ministry Relations Officer or call us at 800-858-6127,
option #3 and we’ll put you in touch.
Order materials at PresbyterianFoundation.org
5
www.PresbyterianFoundation.org
Hope, Faith and Peace
continued from cover story
connection to Palestine’s “natural resource” of
religious tourism. Increasing visitors to Bethlehem and
other places of Christian significance in Palestine is
driving the rise of new restaurants and hotels opening
throughout the region. Graduates of the Dar al-Kalima
College programs will fill many of the new positions
being created at such businesses.
The lower overall costs will be passed down to the endconsumer making consumer staples more affordable.
So, the Foundation recently finalized details of a
$300,000 amortizing term loan to build a solar energy
facility near Jericho managed by the Arab Development
Society, which will cut the amount of purchased
electricity by one-third. The project will involve the
installation of a grid-connected, photovoltaic power
facility to support manufacturing and agricultural
research and training activities near Jericho.
Renewable Energy
With more than three hundred days of full sun each
year, daylight serves as another of Palestinians’ greatest
natural resources. Like most other places in the world,
demand for electricity continues to grow, and in the
Palestinian territories, which rely on Israel for 90% of
their energy, brownouts are common and prolonged.
What better than to tap the solar energy that is so
readily available? Domestically generated solar power
can help reduce the cost of energy in manufacturing,
allowing for more job creation and lower overall costs.
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Your church can participate in the Transformational
Investing program. Visit our website at
PresbyterianFoundation.org/PositiveInvesting to check
out videos that explain more or contact Rob Bullock or
Greg Rousos at 800-858-6127, x5101.
r
stewardship
Ministry Relations Officers partner with you to increase funding for your ministry. Call us to discuss how we can serve you.
(Email is first.last@presbyterianfoundation.org.)
Olanda Carr
East Region
888-711-1318
Eric Chavis
Northwest Region
888-211-7030
W
i
sermons to
r ministry
support you
Presbyterian
ents of the
with complim
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for sharing
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preachers and
lfth Street
0
200 East Twe
Indiana 4713
Jeffersonville, 6127
(800) 858ation.org
byterianFound
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W
i
n
The Presbyterian Foundation is here to help – with
three collections of sermons about stewardship and
giving, delivered by some of the Presbyterian Church’s
finest preachers. The Growing Giving boxed set of
sermons will inspire you and give ideas for future
sermons of your own.
Volume 1: Growing Giving (2010) - sermons by
Mark Brewer, Cynthia Campbell, Christine Chakoian,
6
Ellie Johns-Kelley
Mid America Region
866-317-0751
Northeast Region
855-251-8212
G
d e e Pe r
G
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stewardship
o
istry
your min
ons to support
serm
Sherry Kenney
Lisa Longo
Central Region
866-710-5094
lfth Street
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200 East Twe
Indiana 4713
Jeffersonville, 6127
(800) 858ation.org
byterianFound
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No More Wrestling with Stewardship Sermons
When asked where they struggle the most in their
ministry, pastors again and again respond that they
have the hardest time coming up with fresh sermon
ideas. This is especially true for major holidays – like
Christmas and Easter – and most of all for stewardship.
Stephen Keizer
Southeast Region
855-514-3152
G
n
Southcentral Region
855-342-4130
lfth Street
0
200 East Twe
Indiana 4713
Jeffersonville, 6127
(800) 858ation.org
byterianFound
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Robert Hay
Reprinted by permission of the Presbyterian Outlook.
www.pres-outlook.org.
s it y
Genero
G
Our Mission is to Help You With Your Mission
Jin S. Kim, Mark Lomax, John Ortberg, Dave Peterson,
and David Swanson.
Upper Midwest
855-514-3077
Steven Wirth
Southwest Region
866-860-3383
GA Divestment Recommendation
Volume 3: Growing Deeper (2014) - sermons by
Dave Davis, Mindy Douglas, Christopher Edmonston,
Steve Eason, Peter James, Richard Kannwischer, Paul
Kirbas, Maggie Lauterer, and Alice Ridgill
The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) approved a measure recommending
that the Board of Pensions, the Foundation, and its
members divest from three corporations whose
products it believes contribute to the Israeli occupation
of Palestine. The companies—Caterpillar, HewlettPackard, and Motorola Solutions—are used by the
Israeli government in the occupied territories and are
not in compliance with the General Assembly’s policy
on socially responsible investing. The PC(U.S.A.) has a
decades-long history of socially responsible investing.
Order your copy today by emailing
serving@PresbyterianFoundation.org.
The General Assembly measure also says that this
action does not indicate an alignment with the overall
Volume 2: Growing Generosity (2012) sermons by Craig Barnes, Peter Barnes, Georges
Bitar, Scott Dudley, John Gable, Lewis Galloway, Diane
Givens Moffett, Rhashell Hunter, Michael Lindvall, Vic
Pentz, James Foster Reese, and George Wirth
Mary “Minner”
Serovy
global Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
It affirms the importance of economic measures and
cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians that
support and advance a negotiated two-state solution,
and encourages Presbyterians to travel to the Holy
Land to give broad support to the Christian, Jewish,
and Muslim communities throughout the Middle East.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees will consider the
recommendation at its November meeting.
If you have questions about the recommendation,
please contact us at 800-858-6127, ext. 5101.
7
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FDN 01-14-03
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