Per Capitia
WHAT DOES PER CAPITA DO?
HERE’S ONE EXAMPLE
Some of our per capital dollars support Presbyterian World Mission. They work in partnership with churches around the world, including the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and the Nairobi Presbytery.
There is an extensive PC(USA) Kenya Mission Network that helps promote knowledge of and commitment to caring for orphans and vulnerable children, to support the training of pastors, to support Women’s Guild work with marginalized persons, and to promote work of Presbyterian Church of East Africa in outreach and mission areas.
Nancy Collins is the Mission co-worker in Kenya and other countries in East Central Africa. As Regional Liaison Nancy serves as facilitator of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) support or partner programs, relationships and activities, and as implementer of regional strategies. She gives leadership support to
PC(USA) mission personnel through communications, information sharing, mentoring/guiding
encouraging and reflection. In addition, she serves as a resource for connection and information between our partners in the region and PC(USA) entities in conjunction with Presbyterian World Mission.
Nancy was appointed to mission service in January 1998 to serve as a mission coworker in Cairo, Egypt, where she divided her time between two social justice ministries. She worked in the International Relations Department of the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), and she facilitated Egypt’s Joining Hands Against Hunger group, the Together for Family Development Network.
She has now taken on the challenge to make use of her organizational skills and knowledge of
the PC(USA) to help PC(USA) congregations to connect to the work of churches in Malawi,
Kenya, Zambia and Rwanda. According to Nancy, “The work I am doing fills my heart with
joy and thanksgiving. God has put me in a place and position where all my creativity and
organizational skills and understanding of development can be used to link human and
financial resources and developmental programs with Church partners and citizens of
some of the world’s most challenged countries. Through these linkages our partners are
empowered and lives of theological students, church leaders, subsistence farmers,
poverty stricken women, just to name a few, are being transformed. I praise God that in
this way God’s kingdom here on earth is being built. I am grateful also for all I learn from
African Christians here who joyfully worship a loving God in the face of poverty, disease
and death. It’s a real conversion experience for me.”
Congregations support mission co-workers with per capita dollars, as well as with direct aid. This year, we have included funds in our budget to support the medical clinic in Kibwese, Kenya.
