wfn.org | Historical Society gets $750,000 gift

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #7370 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05-August-2002
02284

Historical Society gets $750,000 gift

by Alexa Smith

PHILADELPHIA - The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) has received a $750,000 gift to kick off a $10 million fund-raising drive. 

It's the largest gift from a single donor in PHS history.

John and Janet Haas, longtime supporters of the society, allocated the funds to an endowment their family established years ago.

Frederick Heuser, the PHS director, announced the gift at the opening of the society's 150th anniversary exhibit here on May 17.

"The Presbyterian Historical Society is a wonderful institution, with a deep history of service to our denomination," John Haas said. "Janet and I feel strongly that by supporting it we are helping to strengthen the foundation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This institution has worked conscientiously and diligently to accomplish its mission without a great deal of fanfare.

"The services the Presbyterian Historical Society provides to the Presbyterian Church (USA) are invaluable."

"John and Janet Haas have been faithful, longtime friends and supporters of this institution," Heuser said. "They have given of their time, talents and resources to strengthen the Presbyterian Historical Society and its ability to serve the church and the broader community. We are very grateful to them for providing this generous gift during our anniversary year, and for all of their support over many years."

The society is launching its sesquicentennial celebration with a drive to raise $10 million to be used to advance the society's mission of collecting, preserving and sharing its collections with the church and the wider community. According to Heuser, the goal is "making our history a more widely used resource."

Heuser said that the church is at a "critical juncture" in its history.

"Most Presbyterians today have come from other faith traditions and have little knowledge or understanding of their Reformed heritage," he said. "We want to make history come alive for this generation and to make certain that it is preserved for the next." He said the PHS hopes to establish a heritage program in local churches and to train church leaders to use congregational histories as renewal resources.

The society has a Web site that details its programs and services and anniversary-related events: www.history.pcusa.org. 
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