Reader Response : Comment: Let's get this right. 30 million dollars was raised. Of that, 20 million is under the control of presbyteries or churches. I believe some research has shown that his money was not "new" money but money already held by presbyteries and churches who simply sent it into this fund for investment purpose while they remain in control of the funds. So now we have this fund raising 10 million dollars. The administrative costs were over 4 million dollars so there was about 6 million new dollars raised. I believe the incredible failure of this campaign points out one thing, the very high level of distrust in our denomination. I think trying to make it sound like anything other than what it is will not allow us to honestly face the truth and deal with it. Response from Linda Valentine, Executive Director of the General Assembly Council: ear Editor, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. Ferguson’s letter. Just over $30 million in pledges were raised as part of the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands campaign. There are many lessons to be learned from this campaign, including a growing tendency of many Presbyterians to fund mission at the most local level. We are proud that many presbyteries and congregations chose to use the Mission Initiative campaign as a means of securing pledges from their members for church growth and international mission personnel, and as a sign of their connectedness to the wider church. Just a brief note about administrative expenses: The goal of the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands wasn’t just about increasing the church’s financial resources, but rather about renewing the church for mission and learning new methods of funds development within congregations, presbyteries, and the General Assembly. For these reasons, the GAC invested $2.3 million into the campaign. As a result, only $2 million of the $30 million raised will go toward the administrative expenses of the campaign. While much of the funds raised will be used by presbyteries and congregations, each of those bodies has committed not only to raise the funds as part of the campaign, but also to use them within the purposes of the campaign. With a portion of the roughly $8 million to be administered by the GAC, we are pleased to have been able to send 34 new mission co-workers into Christ’s service around the world. For a full discussion of the campaign challenges, campaign successes, and lessons learned, please read the full report: http://www.pcusa.org/gac/business/sept08/P103.pdf. Blessings, Linda Bryant Valentine

Response By : Readers Feedback - October 8, 2008