Our Stories
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - January: TOP OF PAGE
A Colombian Partner
Daniel, two, and Laura, five, are the children of Camila Pinzon, a young single mom in Colombia. She makes a living for herself and her children creating handicrafts. Like many working moms, she has a long workday, and has difficulty picking up her children on time after work. The state-run daycare facility has strict hours, and Daniel and Laura were in danger of losing their place there if Camila couldn't get there on time.
As the sole wage earner, Camila was very worried and turned to a United Church partner, the Methodist Church of Colombia, in her area. She sought help from Pastora Nubia, the woman in charge of the church daycare program. Things worked out well, and now Daniel and Laura are well cared for and safe at the church program until Camilla is able to arrive and pick them up. Both children are happy. Daniel is small for his age and hadn't been walking. Today he is making much better progress. Camila cares deeply for her children and is relieved and grateful for the help being given to her by the Methodist Church.
Your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund assist the Methodist Church of Colombia to work with people like Camila who have been displaced from their homes and are trying to begin again on their own in large urban centres. Part of our United Church vision is to love and serve others. Please give regularly to M&S so we can live out that vision.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - February: TOP OF PAGE
Gilmore Park Vision Fund
The youth at Gilmore Park United were feeling a little bit left out. Gilmore Park United Church in Richmond, B.C. had toys and equipment for babies and children. The adults had most of the church to use. The youth group had to share a room, and the only things in it were a couple of sofas.
Gilmore Park decided they needed a place in the church where youth would feel welcome and at home. Their youth group said they would like a place with bright colours, a video gaming system, air hockey, and sports equipment for the gym. They also said they would like to plan activities and resources about helping others and justice. Then they said they wanted to open up a centre for young people having problems in the community outside the church. Some of these young people had emotional and learning problems and were from low income families.
Like many United Church congregations, Gilmore Park knows that their young people are important members of the congregation. They worked on a plan with the young people. Together, they applied to the Mission and Service Vision Fund, which is money set aside for youth ministry projects. They received M&S Vision Fund money to start them on their way to reaching their vision.
The Mission and Service Fund supports youth leaders in the church and helps them prepare to be leaders for tomorrow.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - March: TOP OF PAGE
Colombia
"Go to la Iglesia Metodista down the street if you are worried about your child. They take good care of kids." That's the advice the locals gave to Donald's mother about their neighbourhood Methodist Church in Colombia, a United Church partner.
Donald is two years old. His mom works long hours in construction; his father is a drug addict. Donald was showing evidence of slow learning and reduced skills, and it appeared that it might be Down syndrome. His parents brought him to the Methodist Church children's feeding program.
The pastoral team began working with Donald and also with his father. They realized that Donald was not suffering from Down syndrome; rather, he wasn't being properly cared for due to his father's drug problem.
The church workers understand that it's not just children who need support, but parents as well. They, too, live with challenges, physical and mental, and need assistance with the struggles in their lives.
The church continues to work with Donald's family to be sure that he is well cared for and that his father also receives help. The church keeps close records on every child who participates in their programs and does everything within its power to follow up and make sure that these children live lives of dignity and peace.
The Methodist Church supports many people who are struggling to make a go of it in large urban centres. Our gifts to the Mission and Service Fund provide support for the programs of the Methodist Church in Colombia.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - April: TOP OF PAGE
Human Trafficking
The minister had never heard the term "human trafficking." Nevertheless, he knew something was wrong in his community on the border with Nepal in northeast India. "On Fridays, Nepali girls are coming to the bazaar; then we never see them again," he told a representative of the Church of North India (CNI). That's when he learned that those young women were probably being "trafficked" into slave labour in New Delhi, Mumbai, and other Indian cities.
This practice can happen in other ways too. The failing tea economy means many families are desperate for new sources of revenue. They are vulnerable to the false claims of traffickers who demand a fee to get jobs for their daughters in restaurants or as house maids in the city. Instead, the young women end up in brothels or in abusive domestic service with no way to escape.
The CNI representative urged the minister to talk about the threat of human trafficking during the Sunday service and gave him posters to raise awareness of the threat. Prompted by the information campaign, people in the congregation and the wider community came forward to say their daughters had disappeared after being offered work in the city. Eleven of the missing girls have since been found in brothels, and the CNI is raising funds for their rescue and rehabilitation in a safe haven.
The Church of North India is a partner of The United Church of Canada and receives M&S funding. Your contribution to the Mission and Service Fund helps CNI and ministers and congregations in the front lines along the India/Nepal border unmask the presence of traffickers in their communities.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - May: TOP OF PAGE
Village Schooling
Fu Fuying remembers the day when the peasant farmers of her village came running from the fields, hoisted her onto their shoulders, and carried her from house to house. It was a great celebration, because word had come to Fu's village that she had been accepted into a teacher training college. She would be the first in her village ever to receive an education beyond high school. Four years later, Fu graduated and returned to her village, proudly taking her position as the first professionally trained teacher in her village.
Each year in China, millions of high school students compete in rigorous entrance examinations for a place in one of China's colleges and universities. In 2007, 10 million students competed for half that number of possible placements. In the more developed regions of China, professionally trained teachers have modern resources and equipment to prepare their students. In contrast, teachers like Fu, working in remote villages, have no more than a few sticks of chalk and a slate blackboard to prepare their students for the same examinations.
Thanks to Fu Fuying's dedication, each year the number of college and university entrance students from her village increases. She and they know that education is a key to development. Without professionally trained teachers like Fu, the children of many villages in China have no chance for higher education. The Amity Foundation, a United Church partner, receives M&S funding to provide teachers and money for schools in several Chinese provinces. United Church overseas personnel, Gary MacDonald, works with Amity teaching English to students like Fu. Please give generously to M&S to support education for development.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - June: TOP OF PAGE
Right Relations
Today we celebrate First Nations' Sunday. The Rev. Maggie McLeod serves the Saugeen Pastoral Charge in Hamilton Conference and writes to you today:
Thank you to all who contribute to the Mission and Service Fund. Without your gifts, Aboriginal ministry within The United Church of Canada would not exist.
Having experienced centuries of colonization, First Nation communities are reeling from change that affects their mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Aboriginal people throughout Canada experience social, economic, and health crises disproportionate to other Canadians. In such a context, Aboriginal ministry plays a vital role in many First Nation communities across Canada, reaching well beyond the congregation to meet the diverse needs of community.
The United Church of Canada has provided leadership at the national level by urging the Canadian government toward a more just relationship with Aboriginals through its involvement in negotiating the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Importantly, this partnership is being lived out at the grassroots level as well, with Mission and Service Fund support for part-time and full-time ministries.
I have had the privilege to serve in two such pastoral charges and have found a deep sense of connection to the land and of "being home" for members of these communities. Families that have been away for many years come back to celebrate God's presence in life and in death. Those who have remained in the community have experienced the movement toward acceptance and been nurtured by ministry and mission that is culturally meaningful. This is vital as they seek to rebuild their sense of who they are as the beloved people of God.
Thanks to your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund, the United Church is present in these communities, affirming its commitment toward building authentic relationships.
Miigwech
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - July: TOP OF PAGE
Right to School
Education is much more than the three Rs (reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic). It is also about another R: rights. The right to education is far from universal, even though it is a human right enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nevertheless, around the world there are more than 115 million children of primary school age who are not in school. More than half of them are girls.
Karen Butt is a United Church overseas personnel funded by the Mission and Service Fund. She works with the Christian Council of Mozambique on a project called PEDRA ("pedra" is Portuguese for store). The PEDRA program seeks to build a solid foundation of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health for 400 young girls in Mozambique, in 11 centres. The program encourages girls to attend school and discourages girls from getting married at a young age. PEDRA provides after-school programming and HIV/AIDS awareness education. M&S pays for Karen's work, which provides girls with the knowledge and self-confidence to make informed decisions about their future.
PEDRA is a good example of a non-governmental organization that can aid in empowering girls, giving them the opportunity to continue in school. Other organizations learn from the example. They visit PEDRA to find out about their integrated AIDS program. M&S provides funds for many different projects at PEDRA. Last year PEDRA took possession of a truck that was partially funded by the Mission and Service Fund. A recent construction project of two classrooms for grades six and seven at Maquisinga now enables many adults to finish school.
Your M&S gift helps us to seek justice for girls in Mozambique.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - August: TOP OF PAGE
Extreme Church
First United Church in Fort McMurray, Alberta, might be called an extreme church. Fort McMurray is a city of extremes. It has lots of pluses-a community college, a nursing program, recreation centres, and some top-notch sports programs, including competitive skating. Its cultural programs and shopping facilities are still expanding for an 80,000-plus population. But this is also a community where a basic three-bedroom home rents for $3,500 to $4,000 a month-if you can find one-and costs $650,000 or more to purchase. There are people who do make the big bucks, but not all of them do. Many don't earn the big dollars of the oil company executives or others in the booming commodity industry.
Some residents may have come far from their homes to Fort McMurray looking for high-paying jobs. But the high salaries can come with a price of loneliness and lack of family support. This makes many vulnerable to influences that they might well resist at home. At First United, a dedicated few have kept the doors of the church open in a challenging community. With a message of hope, the Mission and Service Fund helps First United offer help for those who seek it. It is a community of faith where all are accepted.
The core of this congregation is active and committed. But the challenge is huge. The volunteers and a minister have organized a church school, produced musical skits with local children and youth, and offer free meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous and rental space for a multicultural society. Most importantly, they offer Sunday worship where young oil workers who are missing families and sometimes coming off a 19-day stretch of work can worship and find community before going home to sleep.
Please continue to give generously through the Mission and Service Fund so that this community can continue to love and serve! A lot of people in Fort McMurray are blessed by your M&S gifts!
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - September: TOP OF PAGE
M&S Keeps Us in Touch
Here's today's brain-teaser: What's the oldest continuously published magazine in North America? Here's a clue: It's also the second-oldest magazine in the English-speaking world. It's The United Church Observer!
The United Church Observer has captured the attention of people of faith for a very long time: 181 years, to be exact. How does it do this? One answer is that this magazine provides pertinent information on ethics, justice, and contemporary living for Canadian Christians. The articles are timely and relevant to those in and outside our pews.
Another answer might be that Mission and Service gives The Observer an annual grant.
In this age of multitasking, radio provides background noise while you make dinner, you can watch TV and knit, and you can spend hours at a computer screen while talking on the telephone and doing office tasks. It is good to discover a quality magazine that informs, entertains, enlightens, and stirs the imagination. In a national church as large as ours, it's good to have a publication that can connect us in our common issues and values.
The publishers are deeply grateful for your faithful support and want to continue to produce a publication that is worthy of it. Your gifts to Mission and Service can help that happen.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - October: TOP OF PAGE
Going to School
Julaine and Melanie are two young women sharing a first apartment away from home. It may not seem like a big story, but these two women demonstrate personal qualities not always common among 18-year-olds. They have practicality, self-sufficiency, and quiet confidence-as well as well-mapped-out dreams.
But there is more to this story. Julaine and Melanie are Crown wards, children living in foster care until they are 18. Mortimer Avenue Housing, managed by Fred Victor Centre, which receives M&S funding, designates three units for Crown wards. These young people also receive assistance from the Adolescent Resource Centre, from a social worker, and from the housing manager. Fred Victor Centre also reduces their rent while they're at school and helps them get bursaries and scholarships.
Julaine and Melanie had both lived in the same foster home in Scarborough. They have now created a simple household routine that works: Julaine likes to cook; Melanie likes to clean. While Melanie will finish high school this year, Julaine has already graduated and is saving money for school by working for a temp agency. She has been accepted at Centennial College and will apply for a student loan for a program in child and youth care.
Melanie has been accepted at Humber College's Food and Beverage Management program and currently holds down two jobs as well as attending Grade 12. She, too, will depend on student loans to get through college. It's hard to imagine two more worthy candidates to support through their college years.
Julaine wanted to put in one last word for M&S donors. She said, "Tell your donors we really appreciate it, because without Mission and Service Fund support, we wouldn't be here."
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - November: TOP OF PAGE
Channel of God's Peace
Both Mozambique and Sudan have experienced civil war. Today the two United Churches in Africa, the Sudan Council of Churches and the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), are working together to recover from that experience. They are facilitating exchange visits so that the Sudanese churches can learn from the experiences of the CCM. Their joint communiqué includes the statement, "We are a channel for God's peace."
Today on Peace Sunday we hear their call for peace:
♦ We call on those perpetuating violence to change their behaviour to become peacemakers.
♦ We call on those with weapons and the politicians to lead people toward reconciliation.
♦ We pray for those who are most affected by the violence and we pray for God to strengthen our efforts.
♦ We call on our international partners to respond generously to enable us to undertake those steps to consolidate peace.
Please consider making a gift to United for Peace to help raise the $2 million we seek to support peace efforts in the world.
Please give regularly to the Mission and Service Fund so that we can continue our partnership with both of these councils and many others who seek peace every day and struggle to maintain it in their communities.
From Minutes for Mission 2009 - December: TOP OF PAGE
Microloans
You have no doubt heard of Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who gave millions of Bangladeshis microloans to begin their own businesses. The United Church of Canada has also supported many people through microloans thanks to the Mission and Service Fund.
The United Church sends funds through the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF). It was established in 1946 to help rebuild churches in Europe after the war. In the 1960s and 1970s, the mandate for ECLOF was broadened to alleviate poverty, help provide self-reliance, and promote social and economic justice throughout the world.
Some projects are small in dollars, but huge in impact. Veronica Nkenseen received $222 to support her own baking business, which has grown so successfully that it now provides for her family of five children. Can you imagine it? The cost of one hotel night provided the funding to establish a successful business.
Afera Bago lives in the Central Region of Ghana. She processes Alata Samena, a type of local soap. Her microloan of $333 allowed her to support her business without relying on the high cost of suppliers' credit. She feeds and clothes two daughters and two sons, all in school, through her thriving business.
We seek to raise $32.5 million this year through the Mission and Service Fund for the work of the church in Canada and around the world. We use that money carefully and wisely to get the most out of your gifts. Your donations to the Mission and Service Fund help make projects like these happen.
