A Brief History

Church Periodical Club was founded in 1888 by Mary Ann Fargo, the wife of a member of the Wells Fargo Express firm. On a trip to the Dakotas with her husband she learned of the great need on the frontiers for Bibles and other spiritual literature. Mrs. Fargo and other church women in New York sent their bundles of books and periodicals westward to missionaries and pioneers via stagecoach. From this beginning a CPC network has spread throughout the American Church.

How It Works

Each year, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA officially declares the first Sunday of May as CPC Sunday. Special prayers, a sermon on the ministry of the printed word, and a special collection for CPC may be given on this Sunday.

All funding to the CPC is voluntary. Donations are received from (hopefully) each parish in the diocese. As required, half of the contributions are sent to the National CPC office in New York to assist in filling grant requests worldwide. The other contributions are divided at the discretion of the Diocesan ECW’s board.

Through the national giving programs, grants are allocated worldwide, based on contributions to two funds. The National Books Fund (NBF) helps meet religious and secular needs by providing printed and audio-visual materials to individuals, including seminary students, churches and organizations affiliated with the Anglican Communion. The need for materials to carry out the mission of the church must be established for all requests. Grant applications are processed after receiving the endorsement of the Episcopal Bishop of the diocese. Grants for the NBF are awarded twice a year. Mile of Pennies is the other program.

The Church Periodical Club Prayer

Bless, O Lord, The Church Periodical Club
that it may be an instrument
for the spread of your word throughout the world.
Grant to its officers wisdom and patience,
to its members perseverance
and the sprit of sharing that asks no return.
Bring many more to take part in
its work of service. Bless our gifts
and those who receive them to the
enrichment of individual lives that we
may all be servants of the risen Lord. Amen

Offerings to the Church Periodical Club (CPC) on CPC Sunday - the first Sunday in May - or any Sunday following are used to fund the ministry of the printed word. Bibles, Prayer Books, books for seminarians, educational materials, medical textbooks, agricultural manuals and books for those in local and global mission are some of the publications the CPC supplies.

In addition, through its Mile of Pennies (MOP) program, CPC awards grants to provide for the needs of children aged preschool through high school. MOP fund-raising is geared for Sunday School and youth group projects, but adults are certainly welcome to add their coins to the collection. Requests may be made for books, workbooks, manuals, videos, CDs, Vacation Bible School and audio-visual materials. One mile of pennies equals $844.80. MOP grants are awarded up to that amount. Grant applications are endorsed by a CPC representative.

CPC is an affiliated organization of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. It is the only organization in ECUSA dedicated solely to providing free literature and related materials, both religious and secular, to people all over the world who need and request them who have no other source for obtaining such literature and materials. The CPC operates at all levels of the church — national, provincial, diocesan, parish.