Looking for help with stewardship in your church?
You've come to the right place!
For 2008, we have sets of fund-raising materials on the theme, "The World of the Generous Gets Larger and Larger." Based on Proverbs 11:24 (The Message,) the materials include posters, bulletin inserts, time and talent cards, pledge cards, and more. Does your stewardship ministry include connecting your members to Our Church's Wider Mission—the broader mission of the church, nationally and globally? We can help you with that, too. Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support funds the UCC's Conference and National ministries. Our Church's Wider Mission Special Support includes the four special mission offerings in the United Church of Christ: Neighbors in Need, The Christmas Fund, One Great Hour of Sharing, and Strengthen the Church. If your congregation gives to each of these offerings and to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support, then you are a "5 for 5" church! And if your church is giving 10% or more of your operating budget to Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support or pledging to move toward giving 10% or more your are also one of our Covenant Keepers! Online Mission Moments give churches a UCC mission story for every Sunday of the year—just cut and paste into your bulletins. Speaking of bulletins, have you checked out the UCC Sunday Bulletin Service? They feature full-color front covers and a UCC mission story on the back. Do you want to make it easy for your members to give? The UCC's electronic giving program, called StillspeakingMoney, is designed to do just that. For even more ideas simply click here.
"The World of the Generous Gets Larger and Larger."
Stewardship Theme Materials 2008
Faith is personal but not simply individual—just as being a parent or partner is "personal" but always involves more than "me." Those who first followed Jesus were not isolated individuals but members of a group of disciples. The church is called "the body of Christ" with different parts that alone would not exist at all. We're part of a bigger picture. We only become who we are in relationship with others. We find our identity as part of a world larger than ourselves. Our baptismal vows, most church creeds, and the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ begin with "we." We support the United Church of Christ together, as 5,800 congregations, through our giving to Our Church's Wider Mission. Without each other we are lost to ourselves. This is forgotten amid talk of personal faith as though this were an individual affair.
So with giving. This is a personal decision that is more than an individual matter. It shows and confirms our connection with others. And like any relationship that amounts to anything it requires our own emotional investment: the less we give the more we stand to lose. "I'm afraid I'll be let down!" The only way to avoid getting hurt is not to love—or give—much of anything.
If the popular "prosperity gospel" is wrong in promising that greater giving leads to wealth and good fortune, our problem may be more a "scarcity gospel" that ignores what we do get when we give: a better experience of God and one another, a chance to connect with something larger and more important than ourselves, and the discovery that Jesus is right. In giving, even when it's hard, we receive—more than we thought possible.
New Stewardship Theme Materials for 2008 are available for order call 800.325.7061. The theme is "The World of the Generous Gets Larger and Larger." based on Proverbs 11:24 (The Message.)
Now Available: 2008 Stewardship Theme Materials
Stewardship Theme Materials
Poster $3.00, #10 Envelope and Report/Worship Folder $4.50/50, all other pieces $3.50/50. To order please call 800-537-3394.
Use Mission Moments every week to tell a story about your congregation's connection with the wider church. Each issue - which is designed to be inserted with your newsletter or Sunday worship leaflet - is an effective way to inform your members about what they make possible through their gifts to Our Church's Wider Mission. stewardship stewardship stewardship stewardship stewardship stewardship
