Today in the Mission Yearbook - Connection Shelter welcomes homeless people in Minnesota

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Connection Shelter...: Ministry also connects dozens of congregations June 21, 2024 Connections Shelter (provided) The Connection Shelter at historic First Presbyt...

EarthBeat Weekly: For both faith and science, truth is the goal

For both faith and science, truth is the goal Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change June 21, 2024 Jesuit Fr. Brian Grogan and Fr. Richard Gibbons, rector of Knock Shrine, are pictured at the launch of the Creation Walk at Knock Shrine, May 25 in Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. (Sinead Mallee) During the second ever Lemaître Conference convened by the Vatican Observatory June 16–21, Pope Francis told cosmologists, theoretical physicists and astronomers who were gathered for the event that "science and faith are two distinct and parallel paths, which are not in conflict. Indeed, the two paths prove complementary, inasmuch as, for the believer, science and faith are grounded alike in the absolute truth of God." He was reflecting on the life and work of Msgr. Georges Lemaître, the conference's namesake and the scientist who first theorized that the universe had a single origin point and is constantly expanding, an idea known today as the "Big Bang theory," reported Carol Glatz for Catholic News Service. "Georges Lemaître was an exemplary priest and scientist," said the pope. "His human and spiritual journey offers a model of life from which all of us can learn." Read more: Science that serves humanity is in harmony with faith, pope says At Knock Shrine in County Mayo, Ireland, Jesuit Fr. Brian Grogan has designed a Creation Walk that similarly weds faith and science. Each of the 30 stations along the half-kilometer walk tell a part of the story of the universe paired with a quote from scripture. "This is an attempt not to laud one and squash the other, but to create an environment in which religion and science illuminate each other," Grogan told Sarah MacDonald for EarthBeat. "What is given in Genesis has its own correctness and its own wonder. It is not trying to be scientific. While theology can tell us that God made the world, science tells us how God went about it and how God is going about it. Science tells us what the story is." Read more: Creation Walk at Knock Shrine weds faith and science for a prayerful woodland pilgrimage     What else is new on EarthBeat:   This election season, vote pro-life by voting pro-creation by Michael Wright As the U.S. bishops state in "Faithful Citizenship": "We have a moral obligation to protect the planet on which we live — to respect God's creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings."   How to maintain hope in the face of global warming by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service Yes, the devil is working hard to lead us to despair over global warming, but the Spirit is also alive in many dedicated people doing exciting work in response to climate change, writes Reese.    Through connection to their land, Tarahumara runners are among Mexico's most beloved champions by María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press With no vehicles at hand, Maribel Estrada runs to pick up her children from school, to attend Mass and to visit her mother, who lives 160 miles away.   Muslim pilgrims wrap up Hajj pilgrimage in deadly heat by Samy Magdy, Associated Press The Hajj rites have taken place under the soaring summer heat, which has reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.   Hundreds died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say by Samy Magdy, Associated Press One list suggested at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj. A 2019 study found that even if the world succeeds in mitigating the worst effects of climate change, the Hajj would be held in temperatures exceeding an "extreme danger threshold" from 2047 to 2052, and from 2079 to 2086.   What's happening in other climate news: 135 million Americans now sweltering in unrelenting heat wave —Michael Loria for USA Today Air pollution linked to nearly 2,000 child deaths a day: Report —Daniel Lawler for AFP Pollution from East Palestine train derailment rained down in 16 states, study says —Kasha Patel for The Washington Post How Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their celebrations of the summer solstice − and using them to resist —Jason E. Ybarra for The Conversation Catholics lack a clear ethic of hunting. Do we need one? —Rebecca Randall for U.S. Catholic   Final Beat: If you like what you read here, support our reporting by becoming an NCR Forward member. Members get first access to special events, updates from our publisher and newsroom, and opportunities to give feedback through surveys and polls. You can also forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to subscribe to support our work. Thanks for reading EarthBeat! Stephanie Clary Environment Editor National Catholic Reporter sclary@ncronline.org Instagram: @stephanieclaryncr     Featured Advertisers   Explore spirituality and social justice at Xavier University. Graduate theology degrees and certificates. Online options. Tuition discounts available.   Advertisement

WCC News: Webinar will provide new insights on climate-responsible banking

A webinar entitled “Climate-Responsible Banking: A Moral Imperative towards Children“ on 3 July will increase awareness of how investments into new fossil fuel expansion imperil the wellbeing of children, youth, and future generations, to advance actions of faith-based actors and hold accountable those investing in fossil fuels. Participants in the Fridays for Future march in Glasgow, UK, 5 November 2021, during COP26. Fridays for Future is a worldwide movement born when Greta Thunberg started standing outside the Swedish parliament with a sign that said “school strike for climate” in August 2018. Other activists followed and it is now a worldwide movement with children all over the planet taking part. Many young people and families joined the demonstration with signs. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 21 June 2024 Organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC), UN Environment Programme, and Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, the webinar will provide an update on the 9 May 2022 statement on climate-responsible finance and commitments made on the five calls to action. The event will ensure youth participation and highlight the consequences of fossil fuel financing on young people’s mental health, with a focus on ways to address root causes. Besides introducing the climate-responsible financial choices and sharing insights on their changing legal landscape, the event will inspire participants through testimonials by faith leaders. Illustrating how climate-responsible banking can help to tackle root causes of desertification, the event aims to serve as a milestone towards the UN Summit of the Future. The event will be facilitated by Dia Mirza, UN Environmental Programme, Goodwill Ambassador. Speakers will include:  Andrew David Raine, Deputy Director of the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) Law Division Ellyanne Wanjiku-Chlystun (13 years), Africa's Youngest Climate Finance & Health Champion Dr. Iyad Abumoghli, Founder and Director of the Faith for Earth Coalition of UNEP Rosie Venner, Just Money Movement  Dr. Anne Olhoff, Chief Climate Advisor, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Center Foday Bangura (19 years), co-author of the Children's Declaration to the New Global Financing Summit Eric Usher, Head of UNEP Finance Initiative Megan Clay, Client Earth François de Cambiaire, attorney specialised in responsible banking   When: Wednesday 3 July 2024, 2:00 – 3:30 pm CET Where: online, please register here  Statement "Climate-Responsible Finance - a Moral Imperative towards Children" (9 May 2022) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

Minute for Mission: World Refugee Day

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Minute for Mission: World Refugee Day: June 20, 2024 Outside U.S. District Court to support resettlement. You cannot turn on the news these days without hearing about violence and...

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

Congregational Stewardship/Generosity    This is your resource to help you grow generous disciples as part of doing God’s mission. Please modify and use these ideas in your context.    Thank You, Thank You, Thank You  May was PAR month: a time to intentionally invite people to greater generosity through monthly giving.    If you took part, thank you.    If you thought about it, but it didn’t fit, so you’re going to do it later, thank you.    If you started monthly giving through PAR yourself, or increased the amount you give monthly, thank you.    If you only gave to your local Community of Faith but now you also give monthly to Mission & Service, thank you.    If you have any feedback or suggestions for future PAR months, thank you. (And please send them on to us: par@united-church.ca)     For all you do to promote and nurture generous disciples of Jesus, thank you.    You make a difference! Rev. Dave Jagger Community of Faith Stewardship Lead Step Up Your Online Fundraising  CanadaHelps has an updated set of learning courses to help you succeed.  Start collecting donations with customizable donation forms  Optimize your CanadaHelps charity profile  Get started with ticketed events through CanadaHelps  Learn about Peer to Peer (P2P) fundraising with CanadaHelps  Called to be the Church: The Journey     Called to Be the Church: The Journey courses 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. Step right up and join the movement!     NEW COURSE OPTION! On-Demand Bequests and Estate Giving     Do it on your own timeline. Watch the videos. Answer the quizzes. And after all that, we’ll be here to help you make Bequests and Estate Giving a reality for your community of faith.     Find more information and register for all these courses at CHURCHx.    Getting Started in Stewardship   Join United Church people across the country to learn some stewardship first principles.     SPECIAL SUMMER COURSE:   Get ready for the fall. August 27, 4:00-5:30 p.m. Eastern, with a reunion on October 14, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern.    Stewardship Best Practices  Best done AFTER Getting Started in Stewardship.    REVISED PROGRAM:  Phase 1: FIVE weeks. (Ends before Advent!) Two-hour sessions each week. The first hour is learning and content. The second hour is discussion and application in order for you to set goals, create an annual stewardship plan, and get energized!  Phase 2: 10 months of coaching for implementation starts January 2025.  Course fee: Pay what you can. Recommended fee $100/team.     Setting Up Your Congregational Giving Program    Learn how best to utilize the Called to Be the Church Giving Program materials and develop a plan that will work for your church with two 2-hour online sessions and coaching.    Fall dates now available: Plan your giving program for January-June 2025.    Bequests and Planned Giving for Your Community of Faith Explore how to set up and maintain a Planned Giving Program at your church, with two one-hour online sessions. Course fee: $29.99/person.    Find more information and register for all these courses at CHURCHx.     For more information on these and other stewardship supports, contact called@united-church.ca. Stewardship Seconds (updated for July-December 2024) 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 July-December 2024)  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 Read Just ONE Book This Month... Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer  Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teaching of plants. Fascinating ideas and information that will help you connect stewardship to everything –  plants, animals, air, water, land – the whole world.  [Image credit: Braiding Sweetgrass] Get the Stewardship Support You Need The people and resources to help you succeed are here.  Your July Mission and Service Stories JULY 7 Ministers’ Retreat: Respite and Reflection     [Photo credit: Lindsay Victoria]   There is a crisis facing Northern United Church Ministers. The emotional toll of ministering to a grieving community is immense, and ministers are in dire need of rest and renewal.  JULY 14 Climate Justice through Cultural Movement      [Image credit:Yowanda Yonggara]   In October 2023, Mission and Service partner the World Student Christian Federation Asia-Pacific, worked with the Bangladesh Student Christian Movement to bring together 50 passionate students from various regions of Bangladesh to address the critical issue of climate change.      JULY 21 Restoring Lost Languages    [Photo credit:Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society]   Revitalizing a lost language, as one of our partners in Nunavut is doing, is an important way to preserve not just the language but also the culture that surrounds it.    JULY 28 Facing an Uncertain Future in Lebanon     [Photo credit: © Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime.com]   Fleeing war, Hamdan's family struggled to afford basic needs, jeopardizing his education. Thanks to your support, MECC provides tuition assistance, securing Hamdan's future.  Ask Glenn and Dave! Questions about congregational stewardship or Mission and Service? Just ask Glenn and Dave! Glenn Waterman answers your questions about Mission and Service, and Rev. Dave Jagger handles everything related to congregational stewardship. Question:  Why are United Churches using U.S. based website platforms? Is there a way The United Church of Canada could fund a web-site platform so every United Church could have a site on united-church.ca through which donations could be made as well? Answer:  According to the current polity of our denomination, it is up to each community of faith to decide what web platform and web design software it will use to create its own website, if it has one at all. One of the activities within the Common Good section of the Strategic Plan is working on some suggestions and guidelines for communities of faith to use when making this kind of decision, but it’s up to the local community of faith to decide what works best for them. Your idea of a common web platform across the whole denomination is interesting. However, at this time, and with current resources available, I don’t think we have either the funding or the personnel to create and manage such a thing. It would also be a great challenge to try and accommodate all the unique and specific needs of the variety of communities of faith across the country. And unless we made it mandatory, and charged a fee, it wouldn’t really be sustainable. If you have a question, send it on our handy form, and 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 our all-star team of two, they may even collaborate! Confidential to H…that CanadaHelps link is definitely for your community of faith. Go ahead and use it!   If you haven’t, take a few minutes and do it today!   Questions? Email Mission and Service or call us at 1-800-465-3771.    2023 Mission and Service thank-you certificates and Accountability Reports are on their way to you now! Here’s an Idea! As we begin the 100th Anniversary celebrations of Church Union, give people a chance to tell their story of their passion for the church. Share short testimonial-style stories about why people love their church; how their church has supported their faith; how their church is making a difference in your community and the world. Email Mission and Service or give us a call at 1-800-465-3771 if you have a story to share.  Gifts with Vision: Camping Trust Summer is here, and Gifts with Vision is making a difference for kids at camps across Canada through the Camping Trust.   United Church camps across the country turn to the Camping Trust for projects big and small. Not every project is a tug-at-your-heartstrings, tailor-made-for-magazines story. Some are more functional than flashy—like fixing a hole in a roof or constructing gender-neutral washrooms. But every project is an important part of bringing camping ministry to life, and every grant from the Camping Trust helps make United Church camps possible. Did you know that one way you can support Mission and Service is by being a volunteer? Volunteers are “on the ground” in communities of faith. They tell our stories, making more and more people aware of just how life-changing Mission and Service is! They can choose what they want to do and the amount of time they can spend. And volunteers play an important part by letting us know about what works (and doesn’t work!) in their communities of faith. If this sounds like something you’d like to do, call us at 1-800-465-3771 or email Mission and Service. 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.

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