Strengthen the Church: A Five for Five Offering of the United Church of Christ

On Sunday, June 4, we will recall the story of the Holy Spirit coming in a different way to the earliest of Jesus’ followers.  It is celebrated as Pentecost and for many it is the birth of the early church.

In the United Church of Christ, we support the work of the Spirit in new ways through the specific offering, Strengthen the Church.  This offering allows conferences and associations to support the work of God in new ways and in new settings.  Here are some ways that your offering has made a difference:

• Strengthen the Church is helping to fund the God is Stillspeaking Ministry, that helps make religion relevant again and to extend an extravagant welcome to all.
• Money will be given in the form of grants to provide pastoral leadership for new church starts and revitalizing congregations.  In our earliest years of formation, we received monies from this offering to establish Hope UCC.
• God is calling new generations to ministry in our increasingly diverse church. Funds will be used to help meet future leadership needs for all our congregations.
• Monies from this offering will support Youth at General Synod 2017. In non-Synod years, these contributions support regional and national youth events, such as the one our youth attended in 2015 when over 3000 youth and their sponsors participated in NYE.

This offering will be taken on Sunday, June 4.  Special offering envelopes will be available or you may simply mark your check with the wording, Strengthen the Church, in the memo.  Thank you!