Contributions to Per Member Asking (PMA) and Percentage of Income (POI) received by the Office of the General Assembly in fiscal year 2023 (FY23) through November 30 total $916,324. November PMA/POI support was $144,206.
The year-to-date total is $27,386 (3.1 percent) more than the amount received in the same period in FY22 but $26,681 (2.8 percent) less than the $943,005 FY23 PMA/POI support projection to fund the EPC’s overall mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
“While we never like to fall behind our budget, I am thankful once again that our churches support the EPC so faithfully in this difficult economic climate,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “Support is above last year’s level, so I am optimistic that God will continue to bless our churches financially and our budget gap will close in the coming months.”
Of the $916,324 received, $183,265 (20 percent) was contributed to EPC World Outreach.
In addition to PMA/POI contributions, $432,492 in designated gifts were received through November 30. This total was $59,781 (12.1 percent) lower than the $492,272 in designated gifts received in the same period in FY22.
“As we have seen over the past few months, much of the difference in restricted giving can be attributed to three funds that received substantial donations last year: our Emergency Relief Fund following Hurricane Ida, the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund, and our World Outreach ministry in Lebanon,” Weaver said. “If we set those three funds aside, giving to EPC ministries and causes is more than $8,000 ahead of last year’s total.”
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, $372,179 was designated for World Outreach workers and projects, and $60,313 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.
Commissioners to the denomination’s 42nd General Assembly in June 2022 approved a transition from the Per Member Asking (PMA) funding formula to a Percentage of Income (POI) model. Under PMA, churches were asked to contribute $23 per member to the Office of the General Assembly. The POI model is a request for churches to support the national level of the EPC with 1 percent of undesignated receipts. The shift will phase in over the next three years, with full POI implementation expected at the start of FY26 in July 2025.