Letters from the General Secretary

This letter shares actions taken in November 2007 by the Executive of the General Council related to the Mission and Service Fund. It was sent from the office of the General Secretary to ministry personnel in pastoral charges, presbytery and Conference M&S convenors, the Executive of the General Council, and General Council commissioners.

Letter from General Secretary

January 15, 2008

Friends in Christ,

I am writing to share with you actions taken in November 2007 by the Executive of the General Council related to our Mission and Service Fund.

For two generations, people of the United Church have responded to the call of Jesus Christ in four key ways: nurturing a vibrant spiritual life, especially in congregations; speaking with a strong voice for social and economic justice in this country; leading and supporting outreach, education, and health ministries; and encouraging and supporting mission partners around the world, both by deploying personnel overseas and by providing funding.

An essential and dynamic element of how we are living our faith, and of our accomplishments, is the generosity of United Church people. Consistently they support United Church ministry and vision through a number of channels—congregations, the Mission and Service Fund, local United Church outreach ministries, theological schools, the United Church Foundation—and in a variety of ways—regular offering, major gifts, bequests, matured annuities, and other planned gifts, as well as special appeals such as the Healing Fund, the recently completed Beads of Hope, and the recently launched United for Peace Campaign. All of these enable valuable parts of our church’s life.

Every discussion of mission challenges and opportunities eventually collides with the reality of meeting budgets and funding programs at every level of church life.

In hearing from a task group established to look at funding the work of the church, the Executive affirmed the continued use of a unified fund such as the Mission and Service Fund as the primary vehicle for funding the church’s work, and affirmed with gratitude the work currently being done throughout the church and the faithful people who annually give approximately $30,000,000 to the Mission and Service Fund.

In the last 20 years, the total amount of money raised by people in all congregations for all purposes has risen from about $248,000,000 to $385,000,000 (about 2.7% each year). During this same period, gifts to the Mission and Service Fund have remained pretty much constant at about $30,000,000. (The Mission and Service Fund “peaked” in 1987 at $31,900,000.) Just as in our pastoral charges, the costs to provide programs, services, and the ministry of the General Council have increased, and during the last few years we have been using our reserves to partially offset the effects of these increases. This is not a sustainable practice in the long term, so in June 2007 the Executive made budget adjustments of about 10% to bring our expenditures more in line with our income. About half of these adjustments are reflected in the 2008 budget through the reductions in staffing and program expenses. The other reductions are planned for 2009 and will involve reducing grants to our global partners to $5,100,000 (a $900,000 reduction) and reducing our Mission Support Grants for pastoral charges and ministries in Canada to $5,000,000 (a similar $900,000 reduction). This timing allows for as much consultation and notice to our partners as possible in the circumstances. (More information about these plans can be found under Planning and Priorities.)

Adjusting to these realities is challenging. Many concerns and suggestions to help have been offered, and received by the Executive. In November the Executive expressed appreciation for the passion and concern of members of the church for the church’s justice and mission work. As well, the Executive reaffirmed our commitment to a balanced budget, while simultaneously encouraging the people of The United Church of Canada in our collective stewardship by increasing our 2008 and 2009 Mission and Service goal. The M&S goal was increased from $30,500,000 to $31,500,000 in 2008 and to $32,500,000 in 2009 (a 3% increase per year) in order to enable us to do additional work in furthering the priorities of the church. Many people have said (in writing and in person), “If only we knew about the need, we would have given more.” Raising the goal is a visible sign that the church does indeed need more funds to continue the level of services, partner support, and programs funded through the Mission and Service Fund.

Also, acting on a suggestion from Selkirk Presbytery in the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, the Executive approved that givings to the Mission and Service Fund for 2007 in excess of $30,200,000 be set aside to reduce, equally, the planned 2009 reductions in global partner grants and Mission Support Grants. (Given the timelines involved, this information was shared by e-mail on November 22, 2007, with pastoral charges, M&S Enthusiasts, and Conference stewardship staff and through various networks.)

Thank you for all that you do on behalf of The United Church of Canada. Your commitment to supporting the Mission and Service Fund as part of both your personal annual giving and the annual stewardship efforts within your congregation are appreciated. Through the Mission and Service Fund, we work together for a united vision as members of The United Church of Canada.

Continued blessings on your various ministries as you seek to share the love of Christ with others in your community, within Canada, and around the world.

Sincerely,

Nora Sanders
General Secretary, General Council