$500 Grants for Churches

February 13, 2026

Our Presbytery wants to help you help others! Presbytery Coordinating team is offering $500 grants to churches in PSK to be used for mission and ministry of your choice.

• Do you have a food pantry in your church? Ask for the $500 for the pantry.

• Is there a feeding program in your community that you care about? Ask for the $500 and give the money to the program in your community. It’s okay if your church doesn’t run the program.

• Is there something else in your community that your congregation is passionate about that you wish you could financially support? Ask for the money for that.

  
  

In 2025, the Presbytery of Southern Kansas, dismissed two church (Derby and Westwood) from our denomination at their request. When churches leave the PC(USA) and want to take the church property with them, they work out a settlement with the Presbytery for the property and the loss of per capita and ministry partnership (shared mission) giving. One way to think about this situation is like the unwinding of a long relationship, when two parties contributed to the assets, and both parties get a fair share. Both congregations chose to keep their buildings, held in trust with them by the Presbytery. Since the presbytery started those churches and supported them financially, spiritually, and as partners, each church paid $500,000 to the presbytery as part of the dismissal process. While we grieve their departure, we look forward to the future and what ministry will happen because of these new funds.

The Presbytery Coordinating Team (PCT) is studying the best ways to use these funds to further the mission and ministry of God in Southern Kansas. As an act of faith, the PCT made the decision to tithe the money received from these settlements. The tithe will be made from the net proceeds after $40,000 is taken to cover the short-term impact of the loss of per capita and shared ministry giving of each church. The tithe of $19,200 a year will begin in 2026 and go through 2030.

These funds can be used in ministry and mission in your congregation and community.

• You may not ask for $500 for institutional expenses; this can’t go to pay your church

• bills.

• Once the $19,200 is gone, it is gone.

• Any funds that are not used from the initial $19,200 will be given to the Kansas Food Bank. Applications are due by April 1, 2026. What’s not applied for by that date will be given to the Food Bank.

• There are not enough funds for every church in PSK to receive a grant, so you’ll need to

• apply soon!

Submit your request for $500 to the presbytery – Go to the presbytery website – pbysk.org – there is an application link on the front page. Questions: contact Catherine Neelly Burton, catherine@pbysk.org