Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering. You.

Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering

You

Your Church

Today

Tomorrow

Strengthen the Church

• A special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that grows our denominational future by . . .

Strengthen the Church

• Funding new congregations

This is Rev. Susannah Davis. Her church - Kirkwood UCC in Georgia – is housed in a coffee shop in the center of town!

Strengthen the Church• Revitalizing existing

congregations

Here are the folks of Beecher Memorial UCC in New Orleans. After Katrina left them flooded, displaced and depleted, Beecher might have called it a day. Instead, the Spirit moved in, Beecher re-built and the people returned.

Strengthen the Church

• Nurturing lay and pastoral leaders

Strengthen the Church

• Supporting youth and young adult programs

How often do you get to see history in action? 17-yr old Katie Vivona of Dover UCC in Ohio did. Katie knows the story of

Darfur and “the lost boys of Sudan.” Did she learn it from a the evening news? No, she learned it from Manyang Mangar,

a “lost boy of Sudan,” at the UCC’s National Youth Event.

Strengthen the Church• Funding The

God is Stillspeaking Ministry

This is Adriana from Journey UCC in upstate New York. Using a grant from Stillspeaking, Journey reached 60,000 people in its largely un-churched community by airing ads on the radio!

Strengthen the Church

Strengthen the Church

$505,552 raised in 2008. (An increase from $480,000 in 2007)

That’s $250,000 for conferencesAnd $258,000 for national ministries

Strengthen the Church

Our Goal $1,000,000 by

2011

Strengthen the Church

Strengthen the Church Pentecost Sunday May 23,

2010Or Mothers Day, Thanksgiving,

Anniversary

Strengthen the Church

What you can do to Spread the Love

• Give a generous contribution to Strengthen the Church

• We will send you an envelope (May 2010)• If you haven’t given this year, you can give

on line any time through ucc.org donate button or with envelope (Fall 2009)

• http://www.ucc.org/make-a-gift/

Strengthen the ChurchWhat you can do to Spread the Love• Ask your church, if it does not give

to STC, to give in 2010– Start now to ask your church (Fall 2009)– Speak to your pastor and mission board to

ask them to receive or include STC in mission support (Fall 2009)

– Help to organize an STC offering group in your church (March 2010)

– Invite your fellowship group, or Adult Class to give (March 2010)

– Challenge the Youth or Women to have fundraiser (March 2010)

Strengthen the ChurchWhat you can do to Spread the Love• If you church gives to STC, work to double

what your church gives– Help to organize an STC offering group in your

church (March 2010)– Use the promotion guide to encourage greater

understanding (Apr/May 2010)– Ask to speak to the congregation to tell how

STC Spreads the Love (May 2010)– Share your commitment to give to STC

(May 2010)

Strengthen the ChurchWhat you can do to Spread the Love• Contact your conference minister or office

– Ask who the STC promoter/contact is for your Conference (Fall 2009)

– Ask the STC Contact how you can help(Fall 2009)

– If there is no STC program in Conferenceencourage your conference to make STC appeal

(Fall 2009)– Volunteer to be your Conference STC Contact

(Fall 2009)– Encourage your conference to share it’s STC

story and use with Doris Powell for ucc.org/stc page (March 2010)

Strengthen the Church

What you can do to Spread the Love

1. Contact Doris Powell at [email protected] to tell her what your congregation and conference are doing. (April/May 2010)

Thank You!

Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering