Your Impact: Easter 2025

Sarah Charters, Executive Officer of Philanthropy

For 100 Years your Mission and Service has helped to transform and save lives, inspire meaning and purpose, and build a better world. In our 100th year, I would like to share some history of Mission and Service. My thanks to the staff at the United Church of Canada Archives for this information. 

The work of Mission and Service was started in 1925 and was initially named the Maintenance and Extension Fund. This was quickly changed to the Missionary and Maintenance Fund in 1926. 

In 1942, it evolved from being a “Committee” to becoming a “Department”, and in 1961, the Capital Funds Service Committee was established within the department to provide professional fund-raising assistance on a fee-for-service basis. 

In 1968 the Missionary and Maintenance Department became the Department of Stewardship Service. Finally, in 1970, the Missionary and Maintenance Fund was renamed to be the Mission and Service Fund. More recently, “Fund” was removed. 

Mission and Service has experienced many changes in the past 100 years, and I expect it will experience many more in the next 100 years. However, the purpose remains the same: to enable the people of The United Church of Canada to reach out with compassion and generosity to help others. 

As we commemorate the incredible work that has been done through Mission and Service for the past 100 years, we also pray the work will continue with the same kind of positive impact for the next 100. This report shares just a few stories of the work that you have made possible through your generosity. Thank you for your support.