The Voice of the Martyrs - Share God's Love with Nigerian Christian Widows Like Gwom

You Can Help Nigerian Christian Widows

Life is a constant struggle for our persecuted Christian family in northeastern Nigeria. Thousands have been displaced, and nearly all Christians have lost family members or friends in Islamist attacks. Many pastors have been forced to leave the region, and others who stayed have paid the ultimate price for the sake of the gospel, leaving behind many widows like Gwom. Gwom’s husband, a pastor, was killed on May 3, 2015, after he and several other men traveled to a neighboring village to help victims of an attack by militant Fulani Muslims. The men traveling with Gwom’s husband as well as 17 men from the village were also murdered, presumably by the militants. Gwom doesn’t know how her husband died or where he is buried, but today she wants others to know the God who has restored her soul. “I want people to know that God is a merciful God,” Gwom said. “He knows us and our destiny. He does things in a way that man cannot understand unless you give your life to him.” You have an opportunity to stand with our Nigerian sisters in Christ like Gwom whose husbands have been killed for their faith. Your gift will encourage them and let them know they are loved and cared for by the global body of Christ. I Stand With Them

The Voice of the Martyrs - Pray Daily for Persecuted Christians with This Special Offer

Pray for Persecuted Christians with The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible

Prayer is the first request of our Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith. This year, you can pray for specific requests and needs from persecuted Christians with The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible. This special edition of The One Year Bible includes unique daily prayer prompts from our brothers and sisters in Christ and provides the structure to help you read the entire Bible in one year as you lift up those in hostile areas and restricted nations in prayer to God. Special Offer: You can receive a copy of The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible for free with any gift this month. You will learn about and pray for Christians like Ladi, who was driven from her home by gunfire. Read More

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Interfaith Immigration Coalition

Photo by Ra-dragon via Unsplash

The transition taking place at the White House has prompted an interfaith coalition that includes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to issue a statement reaffirming its commitment to advocating for immigrants, refugees and other newcomers seeking to make a home in the United States. 

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition, which is comprised of more than 56 national, faith-based organizations, recently released a statement expressing its solidarity with the vulnerable and showing its concern about the potential impact of Donald Trump returning to office.

Read Full Article 

Let us join in prayer for:

• Amanda Craft, Manager, Immigration Advocacy, Office of the General Assembly
• Octavia Craig, Treasury Assistant, Purchasing, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray:

O God, help us to show the love that we have seen in your Son, Jesus Christ, so the world can know we are your children because we love each other. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God's Mission Our Gifts: Your February Mission and Service Stories and more!

Did You Miss It?   2024 has ended, and if you gave in 2024 to Mission and Service, you have fed hungry children, sheltered the homeless and provided comfort to refugees. Thank you for your generosity!   Because of the Canada Post strike, many didn’t receive our Christmas mailing and missed the opportunity to be part of this work. If you have not given yet, but still want to, please join us and support those most in need.   Give Now As 2025 begins, we are looking forward to continuing to feed the hungry, help the homeless, and give comfort to refugees. The United Church of Canada, through Mission and Service, is helping so many within Canada and around the world. And you can be a part of the thousands who are making this happen.   There are many ways to give. You can use the link above, or you can call us at 1-800-465-3771. You can even make an e-transfer to donations@united-church.ca. Whatever method you choose, please know that we are deeply grateful.   Happy New Year to you, and may your 2025 be all you pray for. Your February Mission and Service Stories February 2 A Classroom of Care   [Image credit: Simon Chambers/ACT Alliance]   In Sambir, Ukraine, English teacher Ilona is encouraging her learners to enjoy the aspect of social time with one another while learning English, in a class supported by Mission and Service partner ACT Alliance. February 9 Farming Against the Odds     [Image credit: Tearfund Canada]   Thank you for supporting our Mission and Service partners as they provide people around the world with the tools and understanding to sustain themselves as they walk toward the future. With newfound stability, they can secure their livelihoods and look ahead with hope.      February 16 When Faith Meets Understanding   [Image credit: World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy]   In the Rift Valley of Kenya, grandmothers whose children have died of AIDS are often left alone to care for their grandchildren. To add insult to injury, their church community condemns them, leaving them without support as they raise their grandchildren. In partnership with the United Church of Canada, Mombo and Pauline Wanjuru of St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya, invited grandmothers and pastors to connect and learn from each other.   February 23 Hope in Action     [Image credit: Middle East Council of Churches]   After the immediate shock of a disaster fades, hope is a powerful force that gives us the motivation to move forward. Two years after the February 2023 earthquakes, people in Syria are still experiencing the devastating aftermath, exacerbated by civil war and other natural disasters. And Mission and Service partner the Middle East Council of Churches continues to be hard at work providing hope. The 2025 Mission and Service goal-setting form is here! Are you making plans for the Centennial year? We can help. The 2025 goal-setting form is new and improved – and ready to go whenever you are!   Questions? Email Mission and Service or call us at 1-800-465-3771. Congregational Stewardship/Generosity This is your resource to help you grow generous disciples and gather the resources you need to do God’s mission. Please modify and use these ideas in your context. The proof is in…   Our United Church stewardship program, Called to Be the Church: The Journey, really makes a difference.    Dublin Street United Church, Guelph, ON    After completing Stewardship Best Practices, they held a 3-week giving program. Both regular and PAR donations are up and they report they’re $60,000 better than last year. Their 2024 average monthly PAR giving is up over $400 compared to 2023. They also sent out personal thank-you notes to new and increasing donors, and feel these efforts were well received by both congregation and leadership. Where they’ve really seen growth, though, is in the way that individual committees and groups of the church are integrating stewardship into their activities and are excited to do so.   First Pastoral Charge, Bathurst, NB    After completing Getting Started in Stewardship and Bequests and Estate Giving, they received five planned gifts in 2023. So far in 2024, two individuals have updated their wills and included First United, and one other person is exploring a planned gift.    St. John's United Church, Sechelt, BC   After completing Stewardship Best Practices, a team has started looking at how they talk about money, who engages in data analysis and conversations of personal generosity, and are rethinking how they want to celebrate the gifts in their community. They have already felt cultural shifts and are hopeful that the work they are undertaking will also increase donations.   What are you waiting for? You can find more information and register for upcoming 2025 courses at CHURCHx.    For more information on these and other stewardship supports, contact called@united-church.ca. Stewardship Seconds (Updated for January- June 2025)  Short, pithy sayings that pack a punch, to help infiltrate stewardship thinking into your community of faith. Add them to newsletters, worship, announcements, webpages, wherever people gather!  Find them at the Stewardship in Worship webpage.   Offering Introductions and Dedication Prayers (Updated for January- June 2025)  The offering time in worship is NOT about collecting money! It is about growing generous disciples and stewards. These Offering Introductions, and Dedication Prayers, for each Sunday of the year, will help. Find them at the Stewardship in Worship webpage.  Get the Stewardship Support You Need The people and resources to help you succeed are here. Dave and Glenn Need Help! This is your last chance to help us shape the future of God’s Mission, Our Gifts. Just take two minutes and fill out our survey! And as always, if you have a question for Glenn and Dave, you can send it to us on our handy form. You’ll get an answer by email or in the next issue of God’s Mission, Our Gifts, or both (your choice). And if your question stumps us, we may even collaborate! Mission and Service Volunteers What do you feel called to do? There’s a place for you!   Mission and Service volunteers are people who are ready to spread the word about the great work that’s being done by the United Church of Canada through Mission and Service. They can choose the work they want to do and the amount of time they are able to spend.   It’s easy to take the next step to become a Mission and Service volunteer. Just call us at 1-800-465-3771 or email us at ms@united-church.ca. GOD’S MISSION, OUR GIFTS is your newsletter. We want to provide news and information that you can use in your community of faith, whether you’re a minister, a board member, an administrator, a treasurer, or anyone else who wants to make a difference.   What else would you like to see? What can we do to help your community of faith get where it needs to go? Send us your thoughts! Donate Facebook Twitter Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn   Your generosity enables the United Church to love, serve, and minister in the world. Make an online donation or learn more about your options to support the work of the church.

Copyright © 2025 The United Church of Canada, All rights reserved.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - John Lewis' civil rights photo collection on loan

The Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler, center, of Union Presbyterian Seminary primes Wade Burns
with questions to help move the discussion along.

As a close friend of the late Congressman John Lewis, Wade Burns has deep respect for the non-violent tactics that were used by brave men, such as Lewis and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to fight racist policies during the civil rights movement. 

Lewis and others like him “came to an understanding that grace is something God gave you, so if you've been wounded in the worst ways, you can forgive the person who’s not repentant,” Burns said. “Trust God to deal with justice. Forgive them, and you don't carry the burden, the shackles of bitterness … and you take whatever strength you've got to try to overcome what was done to you.”

Read Full Article

Let us join in prayer for:

• Donna Costa, Food Service Manager, Stony Point Conference Center, Presbyterian Mission Agency
• Amalia Cottrell, Archive Technician, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us pray:

Mighty God, we bless you for the rich soil in which your church is nourishing the seed of your gospel. Continue to transform our lives, congregations and communities so that all will know us by the fruit we bear. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Stoles sewn to honor the Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon

The Rev. CeCe Armstrong and the Rev. Tony Larson were elected Co-
Moderators of the 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) on June 30, 2024.

Dorchester Presbyterian Church outside of Charleston, South Carolina, was recently the site of an example of the powerful impact of Black Presbyterian women. 

The Sewing Connection, as the event was named, began with a set of stoles — just two — made as a gesture of friendship and support from one woman in ministry to another.

Read Full Article 

Let us join in prayer for:

• Cindy Corell, Mission co-worker serving in Haiti, World Mission, Presbyterian Mission Agency
• Christina Cosby, Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues, Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we come to you as humble sinners seeking your mercy and forgiveness We thank you for all of your blessings and are grateful for the opportunity to serve others. We ask for your guidance so that we may continue to serve for your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Pastor's Life - Common ground

Finding common ground in difficult times by Rev. Greg Allen-Pickett In November 2016, the puddle-jumper airplane touched down at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in the booming metropolis of Grand Island. If you’ve never heard of Grand Island, don’t worry, neither had I until I booked the ticket. I got off the plane and set foot in Nebraska for the first time in my life. Members of the pastoral nominating committee of First Presbyterian Church of Hastings picked me up and drove me 45 minutes through cornfields to the city of Hastings, population 25,000, where I would interview to become their senior pastor. Not only was this a new state and a new cultural context for me, I was also a bit naïve and wet behind the ears, this would be my first time serving in a senior pastor role. Something else happened in November 2016. There was an election and the country was divided into red and blue states, like an awkward jigsaw puzzle. The state of Nebraska was crimson red, but I was told that the church was diverse theologically and politically, so the red and the blue came together in the church to make an interesting shade of purple. My interview went well and the church extended a call to me. Our family moved to Hastings in March of 2017 to begin a new adventure in Nebraska as our country became further and further polarized. Continue Reading... Rev. Greg Allen-Pickett is Pastor and Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church in Hastings, Nebraska. He is a native of Flagstaff, Arizona, where he was an active member of Federated Community Church. Greg is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and he also holds an Master of Divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Greg has worked in small, medium, and large churches and also worked at the PC(USA) denominational offices in Louisville as the general manager of Presbyterian World Mission. Featured Resources Use social media to boost stewardship Social media can be a powerful tool to help churches communicate with their members and their communities and help share messages of stewardship. Find out more in our tips column. Read blog Aurora First Presbyterian Church makes space for what God is doing Read about how an Aurora, Colorado church has opened its doors to several other congregations in the area to create a unique and collaborative space for congregations to thrive. Read story

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