Posted on 04/14/2006 11:41:36 PM PDT by PAR35
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has decided to parcel out over a seven-year period the $14.4 million remaining from a record-setting burst of generosity by Presbyterians despite some complaints by hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast states that the denomination has been slow to respond to their needs.
The decision to adopt a seven-year plan was made during a recent meeting of PDA's advisory board.
The denomination raised $23 million in response to hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. About 70 percent of the contributions were made within 90 days after the storms. Donors were not informed that the distribution of their gifts would be extended over a seven-year period.
Through February, the PDA said its expenditures were $4.5 million, with another $4 million designated for pastoral support and church rebuilding. The report did not say how much of the money for pastoral support and church rebuilding had been spent.
Several Presbyterians in the Gulf Coast region – particularly in Mississippi – have contacted The Layman Online to complain that their churches and people have been slow to receive assistance. According to some reports, individual congregations in the denomination have contributed more to the Mississippi needs than PDA.
Mississippians also complain about the denomination's red tape in meeting requirements for assistance from PDA. One church member said the PDA required that the congregation provide a list of its contributors before it would be eligible for assistance.
The complaints were made by Presbyterians who asked that their names not be used because they feared that their churches might not benefit from future PDA distributions.
(Excerpt) Read more at layman.org ...
Or if you are a church, just turn over confidential financial records on contributors, and get some funding now.
Anyone want to speculate what will happen to any unused money (or accrued interest) at the end of the 7 years?
How much interest will $14.4 million accumulate at current rates?
Compounding interest on $14.4 million over 7 years at 7 percent will earn $8.7 million. At least that's what I gathered after using this compound interest calculator.
The mainline protestant churches have a lot of unemployed leftist pastors hanging around. By stretching out the distribution of the Katrina money over 7 years, the PCUSA can keep more of these leftist ministers on the payroll for a longer period of time.
It would be informative to know what the Methodists and the Episcopalians are doing with their Katrina relief money.
Isn't it enough for the PCUSA to be pro Hezbollah in mist of all the other problems the Presb. churches face today.
I think the liberal leadership is trying to dissolve the Presb. church, people are leaving at the rate of 50.000 per year.
I left two years ago and will not return until my local church dissociates itself from the PCUSA.
Ah my beloved PCUSA - my wife and I are members here in Tennessee because it is sort of a mission field. This money will indeed be used to fuel the leftist causes expoused by the leadership; they are not going to send it South unless they know for certain it will be used to propogate their agenda. This has become a hate Joos / pro-homosexual / pro-abortion / anti-faith denomination at its highest organizational levels, showing little difference from the Democratic Party in its policy statements.
As such, it attracts quite a few busy bodies and intellectuals, but there are people at the local level who are trying to bring about change. Though the PCUSA does fund many relief efforts and continues to send out missionaries who are Spirit-filled, the post about the leadership holding the money despite a pressing need in the hurricane regions does not surprise me...
Not very much at current interest rates - probably not enought to cover allocated costs - but they have responded that the interest will be put back into the designatated fund.
You have probably identified the real reason. Of course the fund will have to be surcharged for its share of allocated costs. I wonder how many full time equivalents are 'supporting' this ministry at the headquarters and field level.
I think the group has other motives like depositing the money in interest bearing accounts or maybe just spending it for their own needs.
Presbyterians need to start asking the Presbyterian Disaster Agency some tough questions and demanding detailed audited financial statements. Here is the contact for pda--- pda@pcusa.org
I saw no links to the 2005 annual report that was to be available March 2006.
From the PDA website: http://www.pcusa.org/pda/2005summary.htm
Hurricane Response — The outpouring of support in financial gifts and gifts of labor by Presbyterian congregations, middle governing bodies, other institutions and individual members to United States hurricanes has been overwhelming.
$20,307,00 in financial gifts were given in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the largest single response ever to a disaster.
Five volunteers from one Ohio Presbyterian congregation helped Louisville PDA staff with hurricane-related telephone calls and data input.
14 volunteers set-up and managed the PDA Volunteer Villages to host volunteer workteams in Mississippi.
18 members of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team were put in the field to respond to hurricanes along with two PC(USA) mission specialists.
41 volunteers assisted with registering volunteer workteams for recovery and rebuilding activities in the Gulf Coast.
From September 2005 through December 2005, more than 2,000 volunteers contributed approximately 11,000 hours through the PDA Volunteer Villages, and an equal or greater number responded directly to affected presbyteries or Presbyterian congregations.
The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance 2005 Annual Report highlights major disaster responses by PDA. Also included is financial information on income and expenditures for the year. (Available March 2006).
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