Your Impact: Easter 2025

Head shot of Sarah Charters wearing a black turtleneck and royal blue jacket, against a grey backdrop

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.

Educating Future Leaders

Mission and Service does a surprising amount of development in your local church, recruiting new ministers, funding theological schools, shaping the hymn books you sing from in every service, and providing educational bursaries for ministry students and theological leaders.

Jennifer Janzen-Ball shares how Mission & Service does a surprising amount of development in your local church, recruiting new ministers and funding theological schools. It even shapes the hymn books you sing from every service. Your gift sfor Mission & Service will help to remove barriers to educational leadership and will remind students that they are uplifted by their community.

Providing Rest and Renewal

Far from the chaos of war, a retreat in Tukhlya, Ukraine offers rest and renewal to mothers who have given everything for their families. Supported by Mission and Service partner ACT Alliance, ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid has welcomed 135 mothers and their children in the “Happy Family” initiative, providing space for healing and resilience.

Nurturing New Beginnings

Becoming a new parent can be overwhelming. It’s a time filled with great joy, but also uncertainty, as parents adjust to their new roles and work to create a safe and nurturing environment for their little one. At Fairview Resource Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the New Parents Support group aims to walk with parents as they navigate the complexities of raising a newborn.