M&S or Catalogue Giving

I have been rereading an excellent resource called "The Steward's Notebook" prepared by Terry Parsons of The Episcopal Church in the USA. The following quote addresses many questions about catalogue Advent projects.

"Part of the work God is calling each of us to do is to support the life and work of our congregation. Many of our congregations involve children in giving projects which neglect or even subvert this important lesson. Bringing soap and toothbrushes for children in Afghanistan, collecting money to buy animals for third world families through the Heifer Project and similar projects are excellent learning opportunities but they somehow leave the feeling that the day to day support of the church is boring and can be left to someone else."

Some people ask if the United Church has an animal program or catalogue of items to buy. Let's be clear first on these programs. The items are largely symbolic of the needs that the charity addresses. The Heifer Project says the following: "Every gift to Heifer International represents[my emphasis] a gift to our total mission of purchasing and transporting food and income-producing animals, as well as providing intensive training in animal husbandry; environmentally sound, sustainable farming; community development and global education. Again, gifts designated for a particular project or animal are used as requested until that need is fully met. Any remaining money is put to use where it is needed most

World Vision programs help an entire community: a good thing but maybe not what people expect. "... families...are asked if they'd like to be part of the child sponsorship program, with the understanding that the benefits will be shared by everyone in the community. "

In almost all cases these gifts are symbolic ones. We have not concentrated on developing similar symbolic programs but you can easily and honestly do so. A Gift List From M&S might look like this:

When you give to the Mission and Service Fund you might imagine your money buying these gifts. They are real examples of the work we fund and the gifts we give all year long.

A gift from the Christmas Place in Woodstock, Ontario
A glass of milk at lunch for children at Los Quinchos in Nicaragua
A training session in new technology for farmers in Shangri-la in China
A grant for a United Church intern minister
Home renovations for Angela in North Bay
Marketing counseling for banana growers in Jamaica
A healthy meal at Friends Restaurant, Toronto
Addiction treatment for Cheryl in Toronto’s St. Stephen’s Community House
A visit from the United Church chaplain for Lydia in the hospital 300 kilometers from home
A welcoming United Church presence at Kanehsatake
A clean, safe room at Emmanuel House, St. John’s
Classes in reproductive health for young women in the Kakuma Refugee Camp

A loan for Obsebiaw to start a tailor shop in his village in Zambia
A safe place for a young girl on the street to prepare for the arrival of her baby
A technology grant for a United Church congregation
An exciting and inviting training centre called Calling Lakes Centre for folks in Saskatchewan
Clean clothes and a pair of shoes for Gord who is going on a job interview in Vancouver
A workshop on gender equality for women in Zambia
A warm coat for a child with none in Woodstock or Winnipeg
Sunday worship service at the Longhouse Church in East Vancouver
A literacy class for 45 year old Robert in Hamilton, Ontario
Rehabilitation for accident victim Kwang in Wonju
Eggs, toast, and cereal for children in the breakfast program in Canso, Nova Scotia
A week at a United Church camp for single mom, Janet, and her three children
A wheelchair curling team at the Wonju Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in Korea

For more gift ideas, read any Minute for Mission book or the Mandate M&S Special Edition.