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

Scroll down for congregational stewardship news! It Only Takes a Spark! We all have that impulse inside of us: to give, to help, to make the world a better place. And as the hymn says, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. This Advent, your gifts through Mission and Service are especially important. Your generosity will go towards helping children across Canada and around the world: children who are hungry, children who are living amongst wars in Ukraine and Palestine, children who are escaping disaster in their home countries. That’s why it’s so important to listen to that spark of generosity inside of us all. Every child deserves to know that the world has not forgotten them, that we have not forgotten them. That they, too, are loved and cherished children of God. Your January Mission and Service Stories PowerPoint slides for each story are available on the Mission and Service in Worship page.

January 4 Building on a Year of Care [Image credit: The United Church of Canada]   As we step into a new year, we pause to celebrate the faithful work of our Mission and Service partners around the world. January 11 Good Food, Good Futures  [Image credit: Hungry Heart Café & Catering]   In St. John’s, NL, Hungry Heart Café & Catering is a place where good food and good hearts come together. For 18 years, this social enterprise of Mission and Service partner Stella’s Circle has been serving the community while opening doors for people who face barriers to employment.  January 18 Mountains of Service  [Image credit: Asian Rural Institute] If you ever travel to the northern mountains of India and meet a man named Surrender Singh, the first thing he’ll do is invite you on a walk.  And as you walk with him, you are walking through the story of a life spent in gratitude and service to others.    January 25 Where Neighbours Meet  [Image credit: Brunswick Street Mission] In Halifax, Brunswick Street Mission is a steady presence for people who need support, connection, and dignity. Every day, neighbours come through its doors to find a place where they are seen and valued.  Congregational Stewardship and Generosity Wishing you a blessed Christmas season from the Stewardship Support Team.   Take care. God loves you! Sharing and Stewardship   In November of 2024, Atwood United Church (in Western Ontario Waterways Region) sent a year-end letter to inspire, invite, and thank. They thanked their community for their generosity and presence, highlighted the impact of their generosity in all the ministries of Atwood United Church, and invited them to consider deepening generosity through a one-time gift or through joining or increasing their PAR giving. They also highlighted some special Advent events people could participate in. It was heartfelt and sincere and a good example of not needing a big, full stewardship campaign, but of how intentional communication can make a difference. Their 2024 year-end gifts to local ministries were up 22%, likely not only because of the letter, but it sure seemed to make a difference. What could you do? Use this Sample Letter in your Community of Faith. The Stewardship Support Team is here to help. We’d love to talk to you. Give us a call. Sign up for January’s Getting Started in Stewardship course on CHURCHx. Let’s Get Ready! Looking ahead to Annual Meetings, there is still lots of time to change things up. Make this year’s meeting about abundance, not scarcity. Prepare a Narrative Budget to tell the inspiring stories of what the money does, not just how it is distributed. Throw a “thank-you party” to make sure people know they are appreciated for who they are, not just what they give. Write a nice personal message (or make a short video) to share with everyone to say “thank you” for 2025. Include a couple of inspiring highlights from the past year of how you made a difference in people’s lives and increased in discipleship. Resources You Need!   NEW! Free Capital Campaign Resource Kit In secular fundraising they say that if done well, capital campaigns can raise 10 times the annual amount given for operating. Think of the church or ministry you love. What would it mean to raise 10 times your annual donation amount? Improved facilities? New programs?    There is a lot of untapped potential generosity if your Community of Faith hasn’t engaged in a capital campaign in a while.   Get ideas, plans, and samples in the free Capital Campaign Resource kit.   And don’t forget the Stewardship Starter Kit, the Digging Deeper Kit, the Stewardship Program Kit, and the Planned Legacy Giving Kit.    All are available on this web-page: Encouraging Generosity in Your Community of Faith   Stewardship Seconds (NEW Update for January-June 2026!) 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 (NEW Update for January-June 2026!) 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.   UPDATED! 2026 Lectionary Worship Starters Sermon ideas, theme hymns, RCL based. Five-week worship series on giving and generosity. Available now on the Stewardship in Worship webpage. Get the Stewardship Support You Need Team Changes Beginning on January 1, 2026, The Rev. Roger Janes is retiring! We will seriously miss him, but wish him the best. Those in his regions are still welcome to reach out using stewardship@united-church.ca. Unfortunately, Vicki Nelson is now on medical leave for the foreseeable future. Those in her regions are still welcome to reach out using stewardship@united-church.ca. In both cases, other members of the team are covering for the short term. For the longer term, more information will be coming in January 2026. The people and resources to help you succeed are here. Gifts with Vision News Our small but mighty Gifts with Vision catalogue – featuring the gifts currently on the Gifts with Vision website – is available now! Email Gifts with Vision and we’ll send you as many copies as you need. You can also call us at 1-844-715-7969 to request catalogues or if you have questions.   And stay tuned for new gifts in early 2026! Why be a Mission and Service Volunteer? What do you feel called to do? There's a place for you! You might be a Church Treasurer: you’d like to have information at your fingertips that you can share with the other leaders in your community of faith about why Mission and Service is an important part of their givings. We can help you tell your community about where those donations go.  As a volunteer, you can have Mission and Service stories for the upcoming month sent right to your email inbox as part of a weekly email that’s sent to the whole community of volunteers – which you’ll be a part of. And you’ll be able to share with that community what works for you in terms of supporting Mission and Service!    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. 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 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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