OCTOBER 5
Preparing a Place of Healing |
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 | [Image credit: Jean-Daniel Bourgault | Pixabay]
United Church ministers serving in northern communities will soon gather at Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre in Manitoba for a time of healing and renewal. |
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OCTOBER 12
Setting More Tables Together |
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 | [Image credit: Dreamstime] In the Bible, food is more than just sustenance: it’s manna in the wilderness, a feast shared among thousands, and a table where all are welcome. Again and again, food is a sign of God’s care and abundance. |
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OCTOBER 19
Supporting 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism |
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 | [Image credit: Rick Short| Lightstock.com] |
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OCTOBER 26
Healing with Horses: Transforming Through Trust |
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[Video credit: The United Church of Canada]
In Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, the Healing with Horses program brings people together to share, listen, and connect with each other, the land, and the gentle strength of the horses guiding the healing journey. |
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[Image credit: Central Labrador Pastoral Charge]
Orange Shirt Sunday, the Sunday before the Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30) is a day when the church takes time to remember and honour Indigenous children who were taken from their communities and families to residential institutions.
Prayers for Orange Shirt Sunday and more information on Orange Shirt Day are available on the Orange Shirt Sunday page.
National IRS Crisis Line 1-866-925-4419 / MMIWG Crisis Line 1-844-413-6649 |
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Congregational Stewardship and Generosity
This is your resource to help you grow generous disciples to do God’s mission. Please modify and use these ideas in your context. And if you do, please let me know what you did and how it went.
Take care. God loves you!
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Wouldn't it be nice if you were better prepared to talk about money and stewardship in ways that build people up? We can help. Contact us about Called to Be the Church: The Journey or go sign up!
And if you’re planning a giving program in first half of 2026, be sure to sign up for Set Up Your Giving Program this fall. |
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Sharing and Stewardship
Communities of Faith that have higher success rates and see real change are those that DO SOMETHING. So, please. Do something. Like in this email we received from a stewardship committee chair person that ended “It feels like we are in a very different place from a year ago!!”
The double !! got us exclaiming as well.
Members of Nipawin United Church in Saskatchewan have really dived into Called to be the Church: The Journey. Over the past two years, they have participated in several of our courses and seen results.
While we don’t have the pleasure of getting to worship and work alongside the folks at Nipawin United Church, we can see some positive changes even from a distance. From 2023 to 2024, giving to the church went up 22% and gifts to Mission and Service went up 19%. Plus, they are getting more people to give monthly through PAR and are working on accepting online donations.
Earlier this year, they really leaped into developing a Planned Giving Program. They have hosted two different gatherings with lawyers and estate-planning specialists, and are encouraging this type of giving from their members. Planned Giving is such an important way to be generous, and the stewardship team’s work is empowering folks to leave a legacy for years to come.
We are so proud of the work the Nipawin stewardship team has put in. If you want to add some !! to your financial picture, consider signing up for Getting Started in Stewardship today.
Learn more with Getting Started in Stewardship and Stewardship Best Practices.
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 | …so let’s get ready!
Advent candle lighting
This year, incorporate a stewardship theme.
Week 1: How do giving and generosity bring Hope?
Week 2: How do giving and generosity bring Peace?
Week 3: How do giving and generosity bring Joy?
Week 4: How do giving and generosity bring Love?
How will you inspire and invite generosity to both Mission and Service and your local community?
Everyone is talking about giving gifts. Don’t be left out!- Be sure to use a Mission and Service Story each Sunday and specifically include an invitation to give to Mission and Service with your offering.
- Set and promote both a Mission and Service goal and a goal for a local social service organization – just for the Advent and Christmas season – as your Community of Faith’s gift to those in need.
- Tell an inspiring story of what your Community of Faith is doing for Advent and Christmas to make a difference in people’s lives, and invite a gift to help make it grow.
- Invite people who really don’t need more “stuff” to ask their family to make a gift to your Community of Faith and/or Mission and Service instead.
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Am I My Sibling’s Keeper?In her new blog, Vicki Nelson reflects on some honest conversations on equity at General Council 45. |
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Resources You Need!Free Themed Stewardship Resource Kits
The Starter Kit, Digging Deeper Kit, Stewardship program Kit, Planned Legacy Giving Kit. Get them at Free Stewardship Resource Kits.
Stewardship Seconds (updated for July-December 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 & Dedication Prayers (updated for July-December 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. |
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You’re Invited to the Church Tech Network Open House!
Wondering how to strengthen your hybrid worship? How to connect with those who worship from a distance? Looking to get the most out of your donor management software or social media posts? Then it’s time to join the Church Tech Best Practices Network!
Curious? Want to learn more? Join us at the Church Tech Open House on Tuesday, September 23rd at 8pm AT/7pm ET/6pm CT/4pm PT.
We’ll talk about: - What the network is and its features
- The benefits and possibilities of having such a network on CHURCHx.ca
- How you can access resources outside of the network
- Your ideas for what this network could be in the future
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Why be a Mission and Service Volunteer? |
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What do you feel called to do? There's a place for you!
You might be able to do a Little or a Lot: You really want to dig into a big project to help the United Church, and you have the time to do it – or you’re super busy, but you have a few minutes for Mission and Service. |
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As a volunteer, if you can do just a little bit, you can share Mission and Service stories in your community of faith each week. If you can do a lot, you can create surveys, test new resources, or share opportunities for promoting Mission and Service (and whatever you do, we’ll provide the resources you need!)
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 ms@united-church.ca. |
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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! |
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Proud Boys Lose Control of Their Name to a Black Church They Vandalized By Alan Feuer, New York Times The Proud Boys no longer have control ...
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