PJSN Ministries: Expenses and income don't equal this year

A line of peace might appear 
if we restructured the sentence our lives are making, 
revoked its reaffirmation of profit and power, 
questioned our needs, allowed
long pauses. . . .
-- from "Making Peace," by Denise Levertov

2009 Financial Report

I'm not often asked what Mennonite Church USA spends on peace and justice ministries. But if you asked, here's my answer about Peace and Justice Support Network and our staff:

Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Mission Network pays most of the salaries, benefits, and travel for the denominational minister for peace and justice and associate for peace and justice. Mennonite Mission Network provides services we're not billed for: design work and editing of publications, public relations and communications, fund raising support and accounting services. Mennonite Mission Network staff helped complete the planning for "And You Welcomed Me," the immigration consultation held in September 2009 in Texas and co-sponsored by PJSN.

Our most significant expense is providing a portion of the support for staff. We've paid for a five-hour/week administrative assistant for denominational minister of peace and justice, Susan Mark Landis. We provide some support for salaries, benefits and travel related to PJSN. We've helped with the costs of home office expenses for our dispersed staff. These costs total $22,000-25,000.

The Leadership Team meets face to face twice each year. We usually hold one meeting in a location where we can learn about a justice and peace issue. The other is held near a Mennonite college or a cluster of Mennonite churches so that we can connect with our constituency and learn about your concerns and share in the joy of the work you do. These meetings cost $10,000-12,000 a year. We are planning our spring 2011 meeting for Kansas; we haven't decided on a location for our fall meeting. Your invitation is welcome!

We communicate with you by publishing DoveTales, a letter to congregations after each of our semi-annual meetings and PeaceSigns. The first two have been print publications, and the last is an ezine. All writers are volunteers. Our only costs are printing and distribution. We also publish materials for Peace Sunday; this year we hired a writer and distributed the materials through our website. We also published Leo Hartshorn's, "The Economic Crisis and the Divine Economy." Print publications cost $7,000-9,000.

This year we shared the peace at our booth at the Mennonite Church USA conference in Columbus, by highlighting peace and justice workshops through a special handout, and through a two-session Bible study. We recognized long-term peacemakers with the Peace Pitcher and a young peacemaker with the Peace Drum. At our booth, we provided space for PeaceGames, conversation and drumming. "The Economic Crisis and the Divine Economy" was introduced. Activities related to racism and praying for peace were also available. In 2011, we'll need to pay deposits for our booth and a room for the Bible study for the Pittsburgh conference in 2012. We will start making decisions about what will happen at the booth. Costs for our presence at the biennial conferences are $3,000-4,000 per conference.

Our last significant expenses are Spread the Peace grants. Each year we make several start-up grants totaling at least $3,000 available to Mennonite congregations and area conferences.

If you've been keeping a running total, you probably know that the costs that need to be paid through your contributions range from $45,000-53,000. Based on my four years as treasurer, I know that the total is always closer to the larger number.

So how are contributions doing in 2009? At the end of November, we've received $24,200 and are down about $5,700 from last year. I estimate we need to receive about $30,000 by January 2010 to cover our costs for this year. Projecting contributions is always part art/part experience, but I think it's more likely we'll receive about $23,000. That would mean we could have a deficit of about $7,000 for the year.

This is a deficit we'll need to make up next year. We'd like to do more to support and encourage your work for justice and peace. The deep desire among the leadership of Mennonite Church USA for a more coordinated approach to the work of the larger Mennonite church, including peace and justice work, is one reason for recent structural changes.

Each year is an opportunity to question our needs-to pause a moment to reflect on what we've done these last several years-to ask what work God is calling all of us to now.

Your financial support is vital to our work-God's work in this world. Your contributions enable it. Your donations encourage us. Your financial gifts help us to be a prophetic voice in the world.

We pray that, as you consider your year end giving, you will make a contribution to the peace and justice ministries of Mennonite Church USA.

To do this, make your check payable to Mennonite Mission Network, writing Peace & Justice on the memo line. Send it to PO Box 370, Elkhart, IN 46515-0370. Or you can donate on-line. Many thanks!