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

Your February Mission & Service Stories   FEBRUARY 5 Fighting Racism at Home and Abroad: Adele Halliday’s Work   [Photo credit: DSPR]   When was the first time you became aware of discrimination or oppression? Adele Halliday, the United Church’s Anti-Racism Equity Lead, says that parts of her work focus on racial discrimination―and she encounters many people across the church who are surprised by the ongoing systematic racism in church and society.    FEBRUARY 12 Your Generosity Accompanies Grandmothers   [Photo credit: World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy] We would like to introduce Glenn Waterman, our new Annual Giving Lead. Glenn felt drawn to this story of discrimination changing through education and compassion because it mirrored the work he was involved in at two of his prior organizations, The Leprosy Mission and International Justice Mission. In both cases, one through stigma surrounding leprosy and the other dealing with slavery, the people he interacted with needed understanding, compassion, and justice. Grandmothers in the Rift Valley of Kenya are shunned by their pastors and their communities at the very time when they need support the most—because they are raising grandchildren whose parents died of AIDS. The pastors believe that HIV/AIDS is a result of sexual sin and teach that to their congregations. When we know better, we do better—and your gifts help grandmothers show their pastors how to do better by connecting their love for their grandchildren to God’s love for all.   FEBRUARY 19 Update: 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism   [Image credit:melitas | Dreamstime.com]   The United Church of Canada has made the declaration that it will become an anti-racist denomination, and the work of becoming anti-racist is an ongoing journey for everyone. 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism is an opportunity for participants within the United Church and beyond to engage in learning and develop their faith. Your Mission & Service gifts support expanding this crucial initiative each year, amplifying voices and encouraging deep reflection.   FEBRUARY 26 Your Generosity Revitalizes Languages [Credit: Haida Gwaii Skidegate]   Take a moment to think about your favourite story. Now imagine that story being at risk of disappearing because it’s written in an endangered language. This is something that nine Elders from Haida Gwaii are passionately trying to change. 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.   What Is Saving Your Life Right Now? This article by Anne Bogel introduces us to a spiritual practice around gratitude from Barbara Brown Taylor. Bogel invites you to share your list with her, but we’d love to see it, too. If you’re so inclined, send it to us at stewardship@united-church.ca. We won’t share your list, but we will hold you—and it—in prayer. Do This – It Will Make a Difference! Income Tax receipt time is coming soon. Please be sure to spread a little donor love by including a thank-you message when you send out your charitable gift tax receipts. You can find samples in the Downloads section at the bottom of this webpage to get you started. 100-Year-Old Proves That Sharing Yourself Makes All the Difference This video from the BBC Morning Show invites us to consider the question of how we share ourselves with others. How can your church help provide people with practical ways to share themselves and experience both generosity and gratitude? Is Your Church Running a Deficit? Find out information and options to improve your situation in the recording of this Deficit Dilemma workshop hosted by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, and Western Ontario Waterways regions. Called to Be the Church: The Journey You can be like Jen Dresser of St. Andrew's United Church, Yorkton, SK. “I loved this course. It created excitement about stewardship and provided concrete tools to take baby-steps towards healthier stewardship practices.” Called to Be the Church: The Journey modules really make a difference. Come and join the movement! New cohorts for the UPDATED Stewardship Best Practices module start the first week of March 2023. Start gathering your learning team now and don’t miss out! Registration will open soon on the new CHURCHx platform. This module fills quickly, so don’t delay!   New cohorts for the Congregational Giving Program module start in May 2023. If you are planning a Congregational Giving Program in the fall (2023) or early winter (2024), this module is for you! Registration will open in the early spring. Connect with us for help and support: called@united-church.ca   Getting Ready for Lent and Easter Worship?   Full seasonal 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. Stewardship Seconds (revised for 2023)   Full seasonal 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. 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. If you just read ONE book this month: Good Courage: Daily Reflections on Hope Ash Wednesday is February 22. Get ready with the new 2023 United Church Lenten devotional, Good Courage: Daily Reflections on Hope. Good Courage offers honest testimonies from people who have had the courage to follow their hearts, to hope against hope, and to faithfully work toward a better world. Edited by the Rev. Alydia Smith, this new Lenten devotional includes daily scripture, reflections, study questions, and prayers for individuals or groups. Available in print and as an ebook from the United Church Bookstore. 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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