We Are United through the Mission and Service Fund
In the United Church we decide together what mission and ministry to support. We also pool our financial resources to support this work. This pool of money is called the Mission and Service Fund. It is made up of voluntary gifts and together we use it to fund our worship, our church organization, our ministry, and God’s mission.
The M&S Fund connects us to each other as members of the United Church in Canada and Bermuda, enabling us to speak with a united voice in advocacy and justice work and to participate together in our worship life. The M&S Fund connects us to our faith: we live in God's world, we believe in God who works in us and by the Spirit. The Mission and Service Fund connects us to others around the corner and around the world to whom we offer a loving hand of support.
The M&S Fund is the only fund in which members and friends of the United Church pool their givings. Gifts are also given by members to their local church, but it is through the Mission and Service Fund that we collectively live our creed "to be the Church, to celebrate God's presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, and to seek justice and resist evil" (from A New Creed).
The Mission and Service Fund Pays the Bills
The United Church is able to worship together and to work for human rights, social justice, peace initiatives, and global development thanks to the Mission and Service Fund. Gifts to the Mission and Service Fund from congregations, individuals, and from bequests have exceeded $30,000,000 annually since 2000.
This money is spent in hundreds of different ways. Some of the money supports congregations, programs, and new church development. Some of the money is spent in Canadian outreach programs, some on international relief and development programs, some to train ministers, some to maintain ecumenical relationships, and some to administer the work of the church.
M&S Lets Us Do United Work
Supporters of the Mission and Service Fund want to give their gifts to support work that reflects their values and beliefs. The United Church's Mission and Service Fund works with partners in Canada and internationally to ensure that needs are assessed quickly and accurately, that responses are immediate, and that ongoing support helps prevent problems from recurring.
Because of the Mission and Service Fund, the United Church is able to quickly respond to emergency situations without waiting for media appeals to create interest in them. Working with reliable trusted partners in Canada and in 37 countries means that less money is spent coordinating and delivering aid and more money goes where it is needed. The United Church is also blessed by the countless hours of work fulfilled by hundreds of United Church volunteers. These individuals enable more of your M&S gifts to go to our partners and to the work we share.
Consider supporting the Mission and Service Fund.
Jesus looks past the disciples and through the ages to all of us:
As the [Creator] has sent me, so I send you.
John 20:21