Equipping No. 30 Letter to Treasurer or Finance Committee Chair- MC Canada

Dear Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair:

It is exciting to see many individuals and congregations entrusting their gifts to Mennonite Church Canada (MC Canada) as they steward the grace of God in their lives. I believe our Church has a sincere heart, a love for God and an aspiration to serve our God.

As you know, MC Canada holds firmly to the vision that:

God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world..

MC Canada will express this vision in a mission which:

partners across Canada and around the world to share the message of God’s healing and hope through our work in Witness.

partners across Canada to form a community that embodies grace, joy and peace through our work in Formation.

partners across Canada in response to the leading of God’s Spirit to grow and change as we discern God’s calling and desire for the wider church.

A letter like this does not have enough space to give you a full picture of all of the elements of work that make these statements come alive. Too often we have approached congregations to include an increase their budget allocations to the wider church without attempting to inspire you with how those contributions make a difference. The following three illustrations offer a brief snapshot:

Your congregational support enables the wider church:

To stand in solidarity with Christians in Colombia as they testify to another way of dealing with conflict. Our work in the seminary trains leaders and our partnership with the national church helps them to fund relief efforts and actively witness to the Gospel through the programs they operate. (We support workers in 42 countries.)

To work in multi-cultural ministry with groups that are forming worship communities in Canada. Specifically, support is needed for worship music resources and for the translation of Christian education materials for the instruction of faithful leaders. (Over 40 of our congregations worship in languages other than English.)

To engage in a process of discerning and following God’s Spirit in congregations across Canada. Take a New Road is an invitation to engage leaders in missional ministry in their home congregations through dialogue, visioning, and formal biblical and theological training provided by leaders in MC Canada.. Facilitators work with congregations to discern how God is uniquely calling them to embody the mission in their context (call for details about this exciting initiative).

This is just a small sample of what you are a part of. There are many other stories of how our collective work is changing lives. I encourage you to consult the World of Witness Prayer Directory, the Together! newsletter, and the MC Canada web site for many more stories of how together we are making a difference.

This summer delegates at Assembly 2002 approved an ambitious plan for how we will invest our resources in our vision and mission as a wider church. We thank you for how you have been a part of making this a reality, and we are inviting your response for the coming year. We are asking that your congregation would discern together how they might increase their funding for the ambitious mission of the wider church.

Our projections for the coming year will require a 7.7% increase (over last year) in individual and congregational contributions from you, our faithful partners in ministry. This increase is necessary to sustain the work of our international Witness (mission) workers, implement fully the projected ministries approved at Assembly 2002, and invigorate our national and formation projects. (For your information, you may want to see budget projections presented to delegates at Assembly 2002 this past summer.)

The grace of God is a wonderful gift. The decisions we make regarding stewardship of resources are challenges for every congregation. It is our aspiration that your congregation can find an expression of hope for the world through its giving to MC Canada.

Thank you for partnering together to do what none of us could do alone,

Dan Nighswander
general secretary

PS: I am encouraged to hear from Al Rempel, director of development, that electronic fund transfers will be available in the near future. This will enable you to make automated monthly pension and benefits contributions for your pastoral staff. Al will be contacting you to facilitate this process.