About the M&S Fund

• We have a number of interesting local projects that are asking us for funds. Can we use our M&S dollars for this instead of remitting them?
• How is the United Church responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis?
• Why can't I just give my money to a mission project of my choice and have it credited to the Mission and Service Fund?
• We've given quite a bit of money to various United Church disaster appeals. Is that money credited to the Mission and Service Fund?
• What has the Mission and Service Fund ever done for my congregation?
• Can my congregation have a say in how Mission and Service Fund money is spent?
• What if I'm angry about a specific program or project that is funded by the Mission and Service Fund? What choice do I have but to stop giving to the fund as a protest?
• What percentage of my offering should go to the Mission and Service Fund?
• Is my local church "assessed" as to what we should give to the M&S Fund?
• Is it possible to visit some of our church's mission projects and see first-hand what's going on?
• Where can I find brochures or films outlining the work supported by the Mission and Service Fund?
• So, OK, what's an M&S Fund Enthusiast?
• How does the "national" United Church stay in touch with what's going on regionally and locally in the church?
• Our congregation is considering supporting the Shoebox program and are looking for some insight. How does the United Church view this program?

We have a number of interesting local projects that are asking us for funds. Can we use our M&S dollars for this instead of remitting them?

The quick answer is no. A more complete answer is this:

The Mission and Service Fund (M&S) is not a description of a kind of work, like outreach. It is a fund, a discrete entity with parameters clearly set about how the money in the fund is to be spent. M&S dollars are used to "run" the wider church, to support our congregations and our worship, to do all of our Canadian outreach and advocacy work, and to fulfill our commitments to our ecumenical and global partners. Decisions about the allocation of M&S funds are made by volunteers working on behalf of the whole United Church of Canada.

This is what the Financial Handbook for Congregations says:

Mission and Service Fund contributions are monies held in trust for the Mission and Service Fund and may not be used for operating expenses of the pastoral charge or for any other purpose.

So M&S is not for local outreach. M&S gifts are held in trust and legally and ethically must be remitted to the General Council Office to do the work for which they are intended. Local outreach programs are vital to the community and the work done by congregations is indeed a blessing. That work, however, is funded by the local congregation and is a welcome addition to the work that we all do together through M&S.

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How is the United Church responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis?

The Beads of Hope Campaign, which was launched as an HIV/AIDS emergency appeal, ended on December 1, 2004.

As United Church global partners continue with their work on issues related to HIV/AIDS, your ongoing support to the Mission and Service Fund will be essential to their core funding so that programs initiated with Beads of Hope funding can be maintained. Some of these programs involve health education, youth and young people's programs, community-based parenting programs, gender equality education, and advocacy.

The United Church will continue to look for opportunities to advance Canadian government action in the area of HIV/AIDS through its membership in the Interagency Coalition for AIDS and Development, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, and the Canadian Council for International Co-operation. Your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund enable us to continue this work and to maintain our ecumenical partnerships.

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Why can't I just give my money to a mission project of my choice and have it credited to the Mission and Service Fund?

Founders of the United Church decided, and members have confirmed over the years, that they want a unified fund. A unified fund pools all gifts and the money is allocated as needs are decided. This is a fair and economical way to support others. The needs of the church and of our national and international partners are tremendously varied. If people only supported the project of their choice, the less glamorous, less advertised, smaller-budget projects would never receive enough support. Sometimes it's difficult to get excited about paying for electricity or staples or e-mail service when we would like to be building a school or nursing a child back to health. All of these needs have been determined to be valid, and a unified fund means everyone contributes to all of the work, from teaching children to buying light bulbs. Because our partners can count on consistent support for their large and small projects, they can commit to long-term development work. The M&S Fund gives large and small projects an equally fair chance to be funded.

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We've given quite a bit of money to various United Church disaster appeals. Is that money credited to the Mission and Service Fund?

No. The money you forward to the United Church to help us respond to international crises and natural disasters such as floods or hurricanes are called "supragifts." Because they are funds that you designate for a very specific situation, they are not credited to M&S, which is a pooled fund. M&S funding depends on having a common pool of undesignated money to allocate to a huge array of different programs and projects.

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What has the Mission and Service Fund ever done for my congregation?

Do you have a minister who received his or her training at a United Church-related theological school? Did he or she participate in a student internship? Has your pastoral charge ever received budget assistance through a mission support grant? Have you ever used a lay training centre or sent delegates to Youth Forum or General Council? Have your members ever benefited from a university chaplain or from a United Church hospital chaplain? Do you use United Church Christian education, social justice, or worship resources? Do you read The Observer or watch the Spirit Connection television program? These are just a few of the ministries and resources that are made possible because of your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund.

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Can my congregation have a say in how Mission and Service Fund money is spent?

Yes, you do have a say by using the structures (courts) of the United Church. For example, if you want a special program or project to receive funding, you can bring your "wish" to presbytery, which petitions your Conference and General Council to support it. Many times, one congregation's good idea has gone through this process, gaining friends and admirers, until it has become a project or program funded by the Mission and Service Fund.

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What if I'm angry about a specific program or project that is funded by the Mission and Service Fund? What choice do I have but to stop giving to the fund as a protest?

It's never a good idea to chop down the whole tree because a small branch has knocked your hat off! The best way to voice your concern is through your congregation and through your presbytery representative. It's at presbytery that the strongest impact is made. Another suggestion would be to try to find out more about the projects you disagree with and are upset about. Write to the appropriate unit of the church or inquire through your Conference office. You may not be receiving fair and accurate information.

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What percentage of my offering should go to the Mission and Service Fund?

Let's set the stage here. Total congregational givings for all purposes are approximately $320 million annually. M&S givings are close to $30 million annually. There are about 185,000 M&S givers in our churches, which is less than half the total number of contributors we have in the church. So, there are two goals we need to work toward. First, we need to dramatically increase the number of M&S givers in our churches. Second, we need to encourage the many churches that have set a goal of having a 50-50 split in givings: half of the total monies raised to local needs and the other half to the M&S Fund. In other words, we'd like to see people split their offering right down the middle.

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Is my local church "assessed" as to what we should give to the M&S Fund?

The M&S Fund is a strictly voluntary fund. No assessment is made on any congregation. However, each pastoral charge is challenged to set an objective for its Mission and Service Fund contribution each year. The M&S Response Form is sent to your congregation each year to help charge decide on a fair and challenging goal for the next M&S Fund year. Please remember that at no point does your objective ever become an assessment.

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Is it possible to visit some of our church's mission projects and see first-hand what's going on?

Certainly, if the individual projects agree. And, by and large, M&S-supported projects would be pleased to sit down with you and/or your church group and discuss their work. Check with your Conference office for some project names and addresses and telephone them first. If the project staff or volunteers find it difficult to meet with you on their turf, you might consider inviting one of them to visit your congregation to talk about the work.

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Where can I find brochures or films outlining the work supported by the Mission and Service Fund?

M&S resources are sampled and advertised through mailings to your local church office and through Infopac. You may want to track down how these samples are distributed in your church. Some resources, like the Mandate Mission and Service Fund Special Edition (the full M&S story) and Minutes for Mission, are mailed to every pastoral charge. Good videos are available. We hope that the M&S Fund Enthusiast program will help to make M&S Fund resources more visible to congregations.

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So, OK, what's an M&S Fund Enthusiast?

Glad you asked! The United Church stewardship network has been working hard since 1998 to identify, train, and support a Mission and Service Fund "Enthusiast" or "Enthusiasts" in every congregation. The Enthusiasts work in a wide variety of ways to keep the M&S Fund front and centre in the consciousness of their local congregations. We believe that these Enthusiasts bring new energy to M&S Fund support at the local level.

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How does the "national" United Church stay in touch with what's going on regionally and locally in the church?

The national United Church of Canada is very fortunate to have its staff connected to a large network of volunteers from across Canada who set directions and goals. It's a great way to stay in touch! National staff also stay in touch by accepting invitations to events, meetings, and Conference annual meetings, and by receiving mail, calls and e-mails from members and friends of the United Church. This website and the church online communities also keep us united in spirit.

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Our congregation is considering supporting the Shoebox program and are looking for some insight. How does the United Church view this program?

The United Church does not endorse the "Shoebox" program or others like it. A United Church alternative called "United in Love" offers a program for adults and children.