Union Congregational supports Our United Church of Christ and the Montana-Northern Wyoming Conference. We strive to be a 5 for 5 church by contributing basic support and holding 4 special mission offerings; One Great Hour of Sharing in March, Strengthen the Church in May, Neighbors in Need in October and The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross in December.
One Great Hour of Sharing: God calls us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6) People are able to create a 'new normal' in their lives after disasters strike their homes and and communities. After storms, large or small, One Great Hour of Sharing helps communities recover. Hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes nor the Ebola virus were able to escape our watchful eyes. We provided real assistance to people in the Philippines, Vanuatu, Fiji, the northeast United States, western Africa, Haiti, and Japan as well as in other places where disaster struck.
When you give, One Hour of Sharing is able to help families around the world become stronger, healthier and better equipped to address hardships and catastrophes that would otherwise leave them destitute and hopeless.
Strengthen the Church: The Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ.
As God calls our congregations to be in the church in new ways, your generosity will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults. Most congregations will receive the STC offering on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2021.
Neighbors in Need: Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. This year, special consideration will be given to projects focusing on serving our immigrant neighbors and communities. Most UCC congregations will receive the NIN offering on October 3, 2021 as part of their World Communion Sunday observance.
Veterans of the Cross: The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund is a Special Mission Offering that congregations have been supporting for over 100 years. The offering is administered through the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance, the charitable arm of the Pension Boards. This Fund provides assistance for United Church of Christ clergy and staff in financial difficulties due to ill health, disaster or insufficient retirement funds.