As churches begin to reopen following shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, Per Member Asking (PMA) contributions to the EPC are rebounding. As of May 31, the Office of the General Assembly has received $2,163,300 since the July 1, 2019, start of the EPC’s fiscal year. PMA in May was less then 6 percent less than the EPC’s monthly operating budget, and year-to-date contributions are only 3.4 percent ($76,749) below the $2,240,049 budgeted projection to support the EPC’s Collaborative Ministries, Connectional Support, and Custodial Operations.

PMA support continues to be higher than last year despite the economic effects of shelter-in-place orders throughout the country. The amount received in the first eleven months of the EPC’s fiscal year is $9,336 more than the $2,153,964 received from July 1 through May 31, 2019.

“I am extremely grateful for the continued commitment to Per Member Asking of our churches,” said Jeff Jeremiah, Stated Clerk. “We all hope and pray that conditions continue to improve, and our churches don’t suffer any long-term economic effects. We have continued to restrict our spending at the Office of the General Assembly as much as possible, so our expenditures year-to-date are about 12 percent below budget.”

Of the $2,163,300 received, $432,660 (20 percent) was contributed to EPC World Outreach.

In addition to PMA contributions, $5,546,483 in designated gifts have been received since July 1, 2019. This total was $630,355 (12.8 percent) higher than the $4,916,128 in designated gifts received in the same period in the previous fiscal year. Designated gifts include support for World Outreach global workers and projects, and contributions to EPC Special Projects such as Emergency Relief, church planting and revitalization initiatives, and the EPC’s holiday offerings.

Of the total, $4,800,143 was designated for World Outreach workers and projects, and $746,340 was designated for EPC projects. These amounts only reflect gifts received and distributed by the Office of the General Assembly, and do not reflect donations given directly to WO global workers or other projects.