M&S Ideas

The Mission and Service Fund needs the regular generous gifts of our members to support everything we do as The United Church of Canada. These weekly voluntary gifts represent a serious commitment to doing God's work. United Church people also know that doing God's work is about thankful living and joyful giving! The following "fun'raising" ideas are great ways to fundraise for M&S and help us celebrate our ministry together.

For Special Occasions

1. M&S Perfect Gift cards are great Christmas ideas. E-mail the Mission and Service Fund office.
2. GiveM&S In Celebration cards for all special occasions. E-mail the Mission and Service Fund office or see the Direct Giving web page for more information. In Celebration envelopes are also available.
3. Honour "Star" givers with M&S star ornaments on the Christmas tree.
4. Create Easter or Valentine's Day cards & sell for M&S .
5. Sell Christmas caroling cards for M&S. Recipients get a visit from choir carolers.
6. Use Advent calendars that encourage M&S giving. Get an Advent Celebration brochure from UCRD.
7. Use Lenten calendars to do the same. Contact the Mission and Service Fund office, 416-231-7680, ext. 2021.
8. Make a gift to M&S and add a light to the Christmas tree.
9. Use Christmas cards with photos of the Sunday School children as a fundraiser for M&S .
10. Use Lenten or Advent coin boxes to collect funds for M&S. Contact the Mission and Service Fund office, 416-231-7680, ext. 2021 for can labels to colour or order M&S can labels from UCRD.
11. Make and sell M&S Christmas wreathes.
12. Celebrate a Christian New Year's Eve Party the first week of Advent with crafts, story-telling, games and supper, music and dancing!
13. Produce a Christmas pageant or Passion play.

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M&S Giving Ideas for Kids

1. Use "Change the World" tins to collect change for M&S.
2. Give M&S your 2 cents worth more each week.
3. Schedule a Lenten 24-hour fast program to help raise M&S funds. (Contact London Conference* for their program).
4. Feed the M&S bears (using peanut butter bear jars).
5. Make and sell Christmas ornaments for M&S.
6. Magic Penny time
7. Loonie Bins. Loonies are collected in film canisters.
8. See the new M&S for Kids booklet available from UCRD in September 2004
9. Use the Bulletin Covers for Kids - available from UCRD for $29.98. These are lectionary based and can be photocopied.
10. Children's Hallowe'en party fundraiser for M&S.
11. M&S Posters - make a poster with a huge M&S in loonie size circles. Donate a loonie and colour a circle.

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Get Everyone Involved!

1. Hold a talent/service auction for M&S Fund.
2. Sell M&S Fund pins. Available from UCRD.
3. Have an M&S fashion show - tickets cost an M&S donation.
4. Treasure table sales for M&S.
5. Make an M&S button banner. Challenge your neighbouring churches.
6. Musical concerts for M&S
7. Read Minutes for Mission every Sunday. Use M&S envelopes in your congregation. Available online or from UCRD.
8. Tailgate/garage M&S sales
9. M&S Fund Book Sales
10. Celebration jar. If it's your birthday or anniversary, you celebrate with a gift to M&S.
11. Host a Fabulous Finds auction with proceeds to M&S.
12. Create a church cookbook
13. Local art and craft sale
14. Increase PAR donors
15. Groups create fab t-shirts and auction off for M&S
16. "Dig It" Plant sales for M&S
17. Neighbourhood scavenger hunt - tickets sold for M&S
18. Mini M&S Fund golf on the church lawn
19. Croquet/softball tournaments
20. M&S Car wash
21. Dog wash (maybe not!)
22. Bird house sale - made by groups from kits and decorated
23. Teddy bear fashion show and auction
24. Guest speaker evenings
25. Travelogues from your snowbirds or world travelers especially to areas where we have partners
26. Mission Fairs with booths describing M&S work and activities like any small fair. Admission is a donation to M&S.
27. Bridge M&S marathons
28. Home or garden tours
29. What can you do with $10? Everyone is "given" $ for supplies and creates wonderful things to be sold or auctioned for M&S.
30. M&S coin cans at meetings - participants make a donation for the usual free snacks
31. Quilting sale (pot holders, Christmas hangings)
32. Knitting sale (mitts could be purchased for M&S and then donated to a local charity with givers name on gift tag. This has twice the impact).
33. Farmers market - produce from members' gardens. Sell those extra tomatoes and zucchinis!
34. Promote M&S Fund address labels. Contact the Mission and Service Fund office, 416-231-7680, ext. 2026 for information or see the Direct Giving web page.
35. Garden clean-up-Youth Group, Men's Group, Couple's Club volunteer to help clean up yards for a donation per hour to the M&S.

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Everyone Loves Food!

1. M&S Pie Sales
2. M&S Church suppers
3. Santa's M&S brunch
4. Easter breakfast for M&S
5. Church M&S picnics
6. Mmmm M&S Muffin sales
7. Church lunch with food from countries where the United Church has partners.
8. Candy sale "Sweets for M&S"
9. M&S Bake Shoppe sale
10. Cake walk'n for M&S
11. M&S Pancake supper
12. Movable feast - progressive dinner, brunches
13. In a Stew for M&S - packages of stew-to-be-frozen for fast suppers
14. Sunday lunches - BLT's for M&S
15. Birthday Sunday - cakes for each month, $1 a slice goes to M&S
16. Strawberry social
17. Corn roast - 'ere's to M&S
18. Robbie Burns dinner
19. M&S Barbeques
20. Chili bake-off-Tickets allow you to sample and vote on the best chili chef
21. Holiday baking-Families contribute three dozen holiday cookies. On sale day, a ticket buys you a holiday tin (from a dollar store), which you can fill with an assortment of baking.

Thanks to all contributors!