As of October 31, Per Member Asking (PMA) contributions received by the Office of the General Assembly during the first four months of fiscal year 2021 (FY21) total $780,906. The amount received is $2,242 less than the $783,148 received during the same period in fiscal year 2020. The EPC’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.

While PMA is slightly below last year’s pace, year-to-date contributions are 20.3 percent ($132,090) above the YTD $648,816 “Bare Bones Plus” budget approved by the 40th General Assembly to support the EPC’s Collaborative Ministries, Connectional Support, and Custodial Operations.

“We reduced the budget by 17 percent in light of what we expected to be difficult economic conditions for our churches,” said Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah. “Yet our congregations continue to show how much they value the connectionalism so central to who we are. I am so grateful for their generosity. And because of the continued strong support, the National Leadership Team is beginning to discuss increasing some strategic line items in the budget as the Assembly authorized them to do should giving exceed expectations.”

The 12-month rolling average for monthly PMA contributions is now $199,278—approximately 1 percent less than the rolling average as of October 31, 2020. PMA support in October 2020 was $219,640.

Of the $780,906 received, $156,181 (20 percent) was contributed to EPC World Outreach.

In addition to PMA contributions, $1,788,430 in designated gifts were received through October 31. This total was $85,640 (4.5 percent) lower than the $1,874,070 in designated gifts received in the same period in fiscal year 2020. Jeremiah noted that if more than $276,000 donated to the Emergency Relief Fund following 2019’s Hurricane Dorian is not considered, giving to designated funds is up more than $187,000 (11.7 percent).

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 Thanksgiving and Christmas offerings.

Of the total, $1,768,514 was designated for World Outreach workers and projects, and $19,916 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.