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

Your April Mission & Service Stories   APRIL 2 Your Generosity Increases Food Security   [Photo credit: Amy Zavitz/The United Church of Canada]   In Zambia, Merit Mabenga has felt the deep impacts of climate change. Droughts are killing her crops, necessities are scarce, and prices are soaring far beyond her modest reach. But your support through Mission & Service is helping Merit and her family not just to survive, but also to thrive.   APRIL 9 Your Generosity Shows Love of Creation   [Photo credit: fstop123/istockphoto.com] Earth Day is celebrated in communities around the world on April 22 each year. Join the United Church and fellow members of the For the Love of Creation climate justice initiative for a “Together for the Love of Creation” Earth Week from April 16-22. APRIL 16 Your Generosity Supports a Rights-Based Approach to Growing Food   [Image credit: Christie Neufeldt] In El Salvador, the Association of Economic and Social Development Santa Marta (ADES), a Mission & Service partner, is acting to protect the community’s right to a healthy environment. Working closely with community members to grow food, ADES promotes sustainable agriculture that protects biodiversity, maintains the integrity of the land, and upholds rural culture.    APRIL 23 Real-Time Relief Really Makes a World of Difference: Thivan Hoang’s Work     [Video still credit: The United Church of Canada]   At a time when it feels like there’s a new crisis confronting us every day, it’s reassuring to know that Mission & Service partners provide real-time relief around the world on a daily basis. United Church of Canada staff member Thivan Hoang reminds us, “There is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’ We are one community.”   APRIL 30 The Incredible Difference Your Gifts Make: Bill’s Story     [Image credit:Bill Darnall]   As scientists and activists sound the alarm around climate change and experts report that not spending enough time outside is having an impact on our children’s health and well-being, outdoor ministry has never been more crucial. It’s just one of the many reasons why Mission & Service really matters. Goal-Setting Made Easy When communities of faith set goals for giving, our partners know they can count on our support. To make setting your goals a little easier, we have made the Mission & Service goal-setting form for 2023 available online. It’s wonderful to know that we can count on your gifts. Thank you!   Congregational Stewardship/Generosity This is your resource to help you grow generous disciples and gather the resources you need to respond to God’s calling. Please modify and use these ideas in your context. Easter Ideas to Try! Especially with guests and visitors at Easter, this is the time to build Inspire, Invite and Thank into Easter worship. Find an inspiring story to share about one way your community of faith is helping bring new life to people. Talk about some life-giving project or activity your community of faith would love to do, and how people’s generosity could help make it happen. Preach on your personal response to the resurrection and be sure to include generosity – of spirit, of time, of love, of material goods and money – as part of it. Invite people to consider their own personal response. Easter Season Stewardship Worship Resources Easter is a season, so don’t stop after Easter Sunday. Five weeks of full worship liturgies, prayers, sermons and kid/youth ideas are yours to customize. Revised for 2023! Use the Lectionary Worship Starters 2023 sheet for stewardship related sermon starter ideas and suggested hymns. Find them at the Stewardship in Worship webpage.   Called to Be the Church: The Journey Called to Be the Church: The Journey modules really make a difference. In each cohort, community of faith leaders rediscover how inspiring their church really is and get excited about telling their stories as they invite people to share their resources to grow in faith and make a difference in people’s lives. Don’t take our word for it! Here’s what Dave Charles, a participant from Grace United Church, Gananoque, ON has to say: “Great workshop. Generosity is contagious and more folks in Gananoque want to be part of our journey. Stewardship and boldness are really waking up at our Church. Called to be the Church is working. M&S up 100% in three years. Tithing up. Folks using regular electronic giving for most donations.” Come and join the movement! New Learning Opportunities! Getting Started in Stewardship: May 2, 6:30 p.m. EST. Join United Church people across the country to learn some stewardship first principles. Register for Getting Started in Stewardship. Stewardship Best Practices: starting week of March 20. Four two-hour sessions to examine Stewardship Best Practices in order for you to set goals, create an annual stewardship plan, and get energized! Get dates and register for Stewardship Best Practices. The Congregational Giving Program: starting mid-May. Learn how best to utilize the Called to Be the Church materials and develop a plan that will work for your church with two two-hour online sessions. Get dates and register for The Congregational Giving Program. Bequests & Planned Giving for Your Community of Faith: next offered October 2023 Explore how to set up and maintain a Planned Giving Program at your church, with two one-hour online sessions. For more information on these and other stewardship supports, contact called@united-church.ca. Check Out the Most Recent Stewardship Blog: The Rev. Roger Janes tells us how attending a financial retirement seminar helped him make a life-shaping decision. Stewardship Seconds (revised for 2023)   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 (revised for 2023)   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. Call us. Email us. Book a meeting with us. Whatever works for you!  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! Fill out your Mission & Service goal-setting form online! 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.

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