YOUR CHURCH’S 2012 GUIDE TO GIVING

M a s s a c h u s e t t s c o n f e r e n c e , u n i t e d c h u r c h o f c h r i s t

Changing lives

in Your Congregation

in massachusetts

in the world

Changing Lives

Changing Lives

Changing Lives

C h a n g i n g l i v e s

Mary’s Story

Mary, a mother, comes to church with her child, Amy. She settles Amy into the Sunday School, secure in her safety – the church has implemented safe church policies with the assistance of Susan Dickerman at the Massachusetts Conference, UCC. In Sunday school the child learns of God’s love for everyone using UCC curriculum. The teachers have attended “Learning to Teach” seminars led by Elsa Marshall, belong to a Christian Educator’s Community of Practice and receive the Christian Educator’s E-Connections newslet-ter. They call Martha Cook at the Conference when they are looking for resources.

Mary settles into a pew and opens the colorful Sunday bulletin, printed on the UCC Sunday Bulletin se-ries. There are a lot of announcements this morning. Two carloads of people are going to the next twice-annual “Super Saturday” event of the Conference, where over 30 workshops on every aspect of church life will be offered. There will be confirmation in two weeks for the confirmands who attended a confirmation retreat sponsored by the Conference.

Mary loves the pastor, who was called just two years earlier after a search with help from Peter Wells, one of the Conference’s regional Associate Conference Ministers. The pastor was trained at Andover-Newton Theo-logical School, a UCC seminary. The pastor is a member of a Clergy Community of Practice, which helped support him through some difficult issues.

The congregation rises to sing a hymn out of the UCC New Century Hymnal. Worship this morning incorporates ideas gained at a Pastoral Excellence workshop sponsored by the Conference. Mary follows along with the scripture reading in the pew Bible from United Church Press. A lay person does the call to offering, testifying to the love the con-gregation showed her when her husband died suddenly. Having a lay person testify as the call to the offer-ing was an idea picked up at a Super Saturday workshop. Today a special offering - One Great Hour of Sharing - is also collected. Mary is delighted to be able to support this special UCC offering that provides disaster relief, refugee resettlement and development assistance to those in need around the world.

After the service Mary goes to coffee hour, where she has a cup of the delicious Equal Exchange Free Trade coffee that the church switched to as part of the UCC Coffee Project. Mary is so happy to be part of this loving, faithful congregation. She was invited to attend by a friend. Her friend learned how to invite others at an evangelism training event. Mary also checked out the church website. It had been updated and improved after the webmaster attended a “WebFest” event led by Tiffany Vail at the Conference. Mary’s church also has a Facebook page, set up after attending a Super Saturday workshop on that topic.

A member of the church grumbled to Mary, “What do we get for all this money we give to Our Church’s Wider Mission support anyways?” Mary hardly knew where to begin.

I n t h e M a s s a c h u s e t t s C o n f e r e n c e , U . C . C .

Supports Pastoral Excellence through:

New Clergy Groups, Clergy Communities of Practice, and continuing education events

Pastoral search and placement services

Supports Excellence in Lay Leadership through:

Super Saturday programs

Providing Sunday School resources

Providing youth programs such as confirmation retreats, summer camps and mission trip opportunities

Providing programs and consulting for church members and leaders on: Christian education, contemporary worship, congregational life, spirituality, justice and mission, stewardship, planned giving, church growth, safe church, ONA, leadership development and more

Providing assistance in conflict intervention and resolution

Providing information and resources through the Conference website – www.macucc.org

Supports Excellence in Prophetic Witness through:

Massachusetts Conference Disaster Response Team

Chile Mission Partnership

Hispanic Ministries

Task Teams on Economic Justice, LGBT concerns, Environmental Ministries, Homelessness,

Innocence Commission, Interfaith Action, Race & Justice and Restorative Justice

I n t h e N a t i o n a l S e t t i n g o f t h e U . C . C .

Supports UCC mission impact in 79 countries on every continent of the globe through Wider Church Ministries

Supports outreach of UCC vision and values, media, web, leadership, governance, fund develop-ment, publishing, ecumenical and interfaith relations through the Office of General Ministries

Supports church vitality, leadership training, church planting in unchurched communities in need of a progressive voice, and pastoral search and call services through Local Church Ministries

Supports a more compassionate and just world through Justice and Witness Ministries

Our church’s wider mission Our church’s wider mission basic support basic support ( O C W M )( O C W M )

Congregations engaged in capital campaigns or individuals interested in planned giving, may wish to consider a gift to one of the following conference funds.

S u s t a i n i n g P a s t o r a l E x c e l l e n c e E n d o w m e n t F u n d

This endowment fund provides income for ongoing support of the Pastoral Excellence Program of the Massa-chusetts Conference. Income from the fund may be used to support Conference programming designed to promote pastoral excellence by pastors with standing in the Massachusetts Conference. Currently this pro-gramming includes continuing education events, New Clergy Groups and Clergy Communities of Practice.

M i s s i o n a n d J u s t i c e F u n d

This fund supports the Mission and Justice ministries of both the Conference and the congregations of the Massachusetts Conference. Funds may be used for Barnes grants to congregations, support of Mission and Justice task teams, programming and resources.

2 1 s t C e n t u r y C o n g r e g a t i o n s F u n d

This fund assists churches to successfully meet the challenges of ministry in the context of contemporary society. Funds may be used for programming, coaching, consulting, training and grants to support local church transformation, missional effectiveness, lay leadership development and long-term vitality.

S e e d s o f F a i t h F u n d

This fund promotes faith development within the Massachusetts Conference. Funds may be used to provide programming, resources and grants to local congregations to support faith, generosity and discipleship formation of children, youth and adults. Funds may also be used to support programming and/or resources by the Conference for faith development of individuals (on-line Bible studies or spiritual retreats, for example).

Special funds of the macuccSpecial funds of the macucc

C h a n g i n g l i v e s

D e s i g n a t e d g i v i n g i n t h e m a c u c cD e s i g n a t e d g i v i n g i n t h e m a c u c c

S u s t a i n i n g P a s t o r a l E x c e l l e n c e E n d o w m e n t C a m p a i g n

Now well over half our pastors who serve churches – and nearly 100% of our newly or-dained clergy – are participating in clergy groups we call Communities of Practice. By shar-ing their wisdom, experience, struggles and plans, they form a circle of accountability that enhances their effectiveness and deepens their faithfulness. The benefits of these discussions are then lived out in hundreds of our congregations. Indeed, the Pastoral Excellence Pro-gram has changed the culture of ministry in the Massachusetts Conference. Having created

such a successful program, we want to make certain that it will continue to anchor ministry in Massachusetts for generations to come. By contributing to the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Campaign, your congregation can help to ensure that the UCC in Massachusetts will have the best possible pastoral leadership.

H i s p a n i c M i n i s t r i e s

Demographics are shifting. In all the major urban areas of Massachusetts, the diverse His-panic population is growing. Churches that have intentionally partnered with and housed Hispanic ministries are experiencing a vibrant cross-fertilization in church life and wor-ship. And many Hispanic UCC churches have opened or are emerging: there are current and evolving ministries in Jamaica Plain, Lowell and Worcester, and ministries emerging in Everett, Southbridge and Lawrence. Hispanic Ministries began as a program of the Massachu-

setts Conference in 2001, and hundreds of lives have been touched and changed since. But funding for this ministry runs out in 2011. Will your church consider making a commitment to the future of Hispanic Ministries in the MACUCC?

A d i f f e r e n t C h r i s t i a n v o i c e

… a new UCC church start in Massachusetts. Church Planter Rev. Marie J. Lucca describes A Different Christian Voice this way: “We are a brand new, unconventional Christian spiritual community in the Greater Boston area for those who are seeking an alternative to a tradi-tional New England church. We worship in a living room-style setting while sipping fair trade coffee and tea. Our multi-media services are exciting and family-friendly, and include hands-on service projects, art activities, drama, discussions, and spiritual practices from a

variety of ethnic cultures and faith traditions. We engage in world-changing community service and welcome everyone into the full ministry of our church regardless of age, race, ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, educa-tion, political affiliation, health and abilities, and religious background — no exceptions. Although our faith might be 2,000 years old, our thinking is not!” For more information, contact Marie Lucca at mariejlucca@comcast.net or visit this web-site: www.adifferentchristianvoice.org.

D i s a s t e r A s s i s t a n c e

Whenever disaster strikes, the United Church of Christ is there providing both immediate and long term relief. You can be assured that 100% of your disaster relief gifts go to help those in need. Make sure to indicate the disaster being contributed to on your remittance form or the memo on your check.

Special offeringsSpecial offerings

Congregations are encouraged to take a special offering each year between now and 2015 to support the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Campaign. This campaign will ensure the sustainability of the Pastoral Excellence Program, including New Clergy Groups, Clergy Communities of Practice and continuing education events.

Received on the anniversary of the pastor’s ordination or call to the church

O n e G r e a t H o u r o f S h a r i n g G i v i n g H e l p , H o p e a n d L i f e

Supports partners in more than 70 countries with ministries that fund development

projects, feed the victims of famine, provide services for displaced people, and respond to

natural disasters. These ministries are the responsibility of Wider Church Ministries,

Global Sharing of Resources.

Received annually on the fourth Sunday in Lent

N e i g h b o r s i n N e e d J u s t i c e a n d C o m p a s s i o n L i k e a M i g h t y S t r e a m

Supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, including ministry carried out by the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM) and by the national offices of Justice and Witness Ministries.

Received annually on World Communion Sunday (first Sunday of October)

S t r e n g t h e n t h e C h u r c h F a i t h f u l l y B u i l d i n g t h e B o d y o f C h r i s t

Supports church growth and leadership development in the conferences and through the national offices of Local Church Ministries.

Received annually on Pentecost Sunday

T h e C h r i s t m a s F u n d R e m e m b e r i n g T h o s e W h o S e r v e O u r C h u r c h

Provides financial aid to retired and active ministers and their surviving spouses and children who face overwhelming financial demands, a ministry carried out by the Pension Boards.

Received annually on the Sunday before Christmas

S u s t a i n i n g p a s t o r a l e x c e l l e n c e e n d o w m e n t c a m p a i g n s p e c i a l o f f e r i n g E x c e l l e n t p a s t o r s m a k e e x c e l l e n t c h u r c h e s

G i v i n g G u i d e l i n e sG i v i n g G u i d e l i n e s

G i v i n g G e n e r o u s l y

Because of its primacy in making God’s love and justice real for everyone, individuals should make

their local church their priority in charitable giving. Likewise, the local church should make the

wider church its priority in its mission giving.

Churches are asked to give at least 10% of current expenditures to total mission giving. Churches

giving less than 10% are asked to prayerfully consider increasing their giving at an annual rate of

1/4 to 1/2% of current local expenditures.

G i v i n g t o O u r C h u r c h ’ s W i d e r M i s s i o n

B a s i c S u p p o r t

Because of the indispensible and comprehensive nature of Basic Support in supporting the entire

ministry of the church across all settings — local congregations, Conference, and National —

churches are asked to give 50% of their total mission giving to OCWM Basic Support.

G i v i n g t o D e s i g n a t e d S u p p o r t

Churches are asked to consider designated giving to Conference and National programs (see page

5 of this brochure) of particular interest to them. Fifteen percent of total mission spending is con-

sidered a good goal for designated giving.

G i v i n g t o L o c a l N e e d s

Churches are asked to consider using 35% of their mission spending to meet local needs, such as

feeding programs, homelessness shelters, and other local ministries of compassion.

M a s s a c h u s e t t s c o n f e r e n c e , M a s s a c h u s e t t s c o n f e r e n c e , u n i t e d c h u r c h o f c h r i s tu n i t e d c h u r c h o f c h r i s t

One Badger Road

Framingham, Massachusetts 01702 508-875-5233

E-mail: gustafsona@macucc.org

C h a n g i n g l i v e s

Sign outside First Church of Monson after June 2011 tornado swept through

photo by Peter Wells