Thank you for all you do to support the mission and ministry of the church. Below, we show you why your support matters, and how to get ready for the Fall “Season of Gratitude.” |
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Called to be the Church Annual Giving Program
 Sharing INSPIRING stories of how your community of faith is making a difference, then THANKING all your supporters and donors and INVITING them to intentionally and prayerfully consider how they will generously support your mission should happen annually (at least!). Sure, it’s helpful for your budget planning, but it’s critical to building generous disciples.
Called to be the Church has everything you need and can be used during the COVID-19 pandemic! - Download full Worship liturgies, sermons and children/youth programs for the five Sundays from World-Wide Communion Sunday (October 4) to All Saints Sunday (November 1) from the Stewardship Toolkit.
- Download the Quickstart Guide, Program Overview Guide and Planning Workbook at the Stewardship Toolkit.
- For hands-on help and coaching, contact us at called@united-church.ca.
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THANKS-giving!!
Fall is a great time for the THANK in Inspire, Invite & Thank! Saying a thank-you that is timely, personal and sincere is a critical part of your year-round stewardship program.
Who will you thank this fall? The tech crew who make on-line worship possible? Those who provided leadership during summer staff holidays? Pastoral volunteers?
How will you thank them? (COVID-19 hint: a personal email or phone call works just as well as face-to-face thanking.)- Personalized emails are easier when you use mail-merge. Try this Microsoft Office tutorial to learn more.
- Dropping off a gift card or other token of appreciation is still possible, just be sure to use appropriate physical distancing. Learn from Fed-Ex & UPS. Place the item on the porch; ring the doorbell or knock loudly; stand back at least 2 meters; wave and smile! Or simply use their mailbox!
- Ask Board/Council members to help thank people on the thanking list. Finally, a task that is fun and fulfilling!
[Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash] |
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If you read just ONE book this month…
Written with the needs of pastors and stewardship teams in mind, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate by J. Clif Christopher provides immediate, practical guidance to all who seek to help God’s people be better stewards of their resources. |
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Stewardship Seconds and Offering Introductions and Prayers
We’re bringing Stewardship Seconds and Offering Introductions and Prayers to you! From now on, both will be included in the Philanthropy e-news each month. No more searching for the right file! |
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Your amazing generosity makes a world of difference!
Thanks to your support, leaders in Zimbabwe receive food aid. Photo credit: Zimbabwe Council of Churches
Together, as a truly United Church, we raised over $260,000 through our COVID-19 emergency appeal for people going hungry around the world because of the pandemic. Your gift is hard at work helping people who need your support the most. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!
In Zimbabwe, pastors are among the most vulnerable. Church attendance is prohibited under lockdown, and ministers whose survival depends on weekly donations can no longer support themselves and their families. Because of your gift to the Emergency Covid-19 Appeal, nearly a hundred pastors and their families now have food and masks.
And your generosity reaches out even further. Your gift means that these vital community leaders can get back to work on the front lines of the crisis, providing hygiene information, coordinating community efforts to combat the virus and counselling families.
And that’s just the beginning of the good work that your gifts are making happen.
At relief camps in India, hundreds are supported through your generosity, receiving safety kits consisting of masks, soaps, and sanitizers and meal kits with staples like rice, oil, potatoes, milk and bread. Over 1900 marginalized people living in Angola, including seniors and people with disabilities, have also received life-saving food.
In short, your generosity is doing a world of good where it is needed most. Thank you! |
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This Thanksgiving, honour someone who inspires you to be generous!
Sarah Charters honours her mother-in-law Judy with her Thanksgiving gift. Photo Credit: Owen Charters
Who inspires you to live generously? Sarah Charters, the acting Director of Philanthropy, says her mother-in-law Judy is a source of inspiration, especially at Thanksgiving. “Every year, Judy invites people to our Thanksgiving table who have nowhere else to go,” says Charters. “I am always moved by how welcome everyone is at Judy’s table because I dream of such a world. A world where we take care of each other so that no one is hungry or alone. During this global pandemic, I believe we have to work harder than ever to make that dream for the world a reality.”
In Canada right now, COVID-19 is the final straw for families who were already pushed to the financial edge before the virus struck. By the end of the year, 12,000 people per day living around the world could die from hunger because of the pandemic.
And the situation is getting worse by the hour. Your generosity can make all the difference for someone who needs your support. Please make a special Thanksgiving gift through Mission & Service to help people who need it most during this pandemic.
When you make an online gift, you can dedicate it to someone special whose generosity you want to honour. Or, after you make your gift, drop us a line about the story of their generosity.
Thank you for honouring people in your life who exemplify generosity. Thank you for supporting those who are more vulnerable than ever because of COVID-19. Thank you for helping build a world where the tables of abundance flow for everyone.
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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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