FEATURE

The following is a letter of thanks signed by the three general secretaries of the Worldwide Outreach of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, expressing their appreciation for the commitment and sacrifice of the churches to keep Worldwide Outreach on its course during the economic downturn. A PDF version is also available.

To the sessions, congregations and ministers of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church:

Dear friends in Christ:

Greetings in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ in whom are found all true riches in heaven and on earth. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of the Great Commission ministries of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

We have just received the Worldwide Outreach giving figures for June 2009, and we want to pass along the encouraging news to you right away. In our Lord’s wonderful mercy, the congregations of the OPC appear to have given themselves first to the Lord and then to His work (2 Cor. 8:5)—for they have responded generously to the serious concerns we raised several months ago about the effects of the economic downturn on the Worldwide Outreach ministries of home and foreign missions and Christian education.

As of this writing, giving to Worldwide Outreach by the congregations of the OPC has returned to a level that allows us responsibly to begin planning for a resumption in 2010 of the ministries that each of us has had to put on hold. We also note with thanksgiving to our Lord that, while we did receive a substantial gift from one of our congregations, it is still the regular and sustained giving of the congregations of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church that God is using to bless our Great Commission efforts and to allow us to move forward.

How we praise our great covenant God for this wonderful provision. And we thank all of you for your regular and sustained giving to Worldwide Outreach.

Sincerely in Christ,
Danny E. Olinger, general secretary, Committee on Christian Education
Mark T. Bube, general secretary, Committee on Foreign Missions
Ross W. Graham, general secretary, Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension