Becoming an Enthusiast

Here are a few suggestions to consider as you plan your Mission and Service Fund work:

• Name an Enthusiast or Enthusiast group. Many congregations have committees that see M&S as part of their work. M&S committees can make for lighter work!
• It is useful to name a contact person in your congregation for M&S who will receive information about M&S from the General Council Office and coordinate their use. They can take responsibility for ordering M&S resources through UCRD or Financial Stewardship. If the M&S Enthusiast has an e-mail address send it to M&S Fund. Occasionally we send e-mail notes with current information or with an alternative Minute for Mission about a recent event that cannot wait to be included in a regular mailing.
• Consider both the number of givers to M&S and your church's total dollar goal for M&S. As our church ages it is important that new members be informed about the need to support the wider church.
• Try to be as clear and informative as possible about the various kinds of gifts-to the local church, to local outreach, and to the wider church. These are not either/or gifts but AND/AND gifts.
• Give options to your members including PAR, online giving, and direct donations. Gifts can always be credited to your local congregation's M&S total if the donor so indicates.
• Take heart. With all the problems in all areas of the church and the country, encouraging giving may seem to be a challenge. Recent research, however, indicates that Canadians have an extremely resilient mindset, and there are many indications that Canadians are becoming more aware of their ability and responsibility to shape society through their actions and their finances. We must tell the United Church story boldly and often!