2013 Peacemaking Offering

               September, 2013

 
Dear Friends,

 The annual Peacemaking Offering of the PC(USA) is most often collected on World Communion Sunday, which will be celebrated this year on October 6. On behalf of the Mission Outreach and Justice Committee of Mission Presbytery, I want to encourage your congregation to receive this important offering, which supports the peacemaking efforts of the church at every governing body level. Gifts given to the Peacemaking Offering through a congregation are divided in the following manner - twenty-five percent retained by congregations for support of their own peacemaking ministry; 25 percent used to support presbytery and synod peacemaking efforts; and 50 percent forwarded to the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. 

 Mission Presbytery’s portion of the 2013 Peacemaking Offering has been designated for Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) micro loans for women in the West Bank.

 
Fair trade women's cooperatives have served as a vehicle for introducing many traditional Palestinian specialty products to the world market – couscous, za'atar and tahini among them. These products, typically made by hand, have given women an opportunity to earn income important to their families. Equally important, they have empowered women, through business enterprise, to gain experience and skill in management, problem-solving, and cooperative relationships. Economic success has led to greater self-confidence, greater civic participation, and greater influence for many women. Rural women with little formal training and limited access to any job market have joined in cooperatives to use the traditional skills valued by the natural and organic food movement. The micro-loan project is designed to enable small producers, and people with little or no resources, especially women, to take part in the production process and benefit from the fair trade returns.  Micro-loans are typically extended to women member of producing cooperatives in amounts that range between $500 to $1500 per individual participant. These funds are used to purchase supplies and begin producing according to fair trade guidelines. PFTA and its exporting member Canaan Fair Trade (www.canaanfairtrade.com) ensure the success of micro-loan recipients by providing specific production methods, quality specifications and proper training, then marketing the products produced.

 Your support for this project, as well as your prayers for peace and justice in the Middle East, are deeply appreciated.  For more information please contact Marilyn White, Peacemaking Advocate

512/450-2766, marwhite@igc.org
 

Peace,

 

Kathleen McCloskey, Chair,
Mission Outreach and Justice Committee
Mission Presbytery