Profiles in Generosity

This Thanksgiving season, we are dedicating our newsletter to three longstanding UCC donors who have supported our mission for over 30 years. We hope you are inspired by their commitment to the United Church of Christ’s vision: “United in Christ’s love, a just world for all.”

We are happy you are here: Enhancing the work of Global Ministries

Rev. Dr. James and Mrs. Sharon Moos

This year, longtime donors Jim and Sharon Moos generously established the Salaam Endowment for the Middle East, ensuring sustained support for our critical work in this region. Please keep reading to discover why this cause is so close to their hearts and the impact they hope their gift will make.

Q: Jim, what personal experiences influenced your and Sharon’s decision to create the Salaam Endowment?
    
A: Over the years, I have visited the Middle East region multiple times on behalf of Global Ministries. During a trip to Egypt, I visited a quarry where children were abused and exploited. A little boy, around ten years old, told me about the suffering he and his friends experienced. He said, “I am happy you are here.” I was deeply moved.

Sharon and I believe that the Salaam Endowment is a way for us to enhance Global Ministries’ future work in the birthplace of our faith. We expect this endowment will enable that boy’s great-grandchildren to say of our church’s ministry, “We are happy you are here.”  

Q: What are your hopes for the Salaam Endowment’s impact?

A: Sharon and I have watched with horror as tens of thousands have been killed or wounded and millions more displaced amid extreme violence in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and elsewhere in the Middle East.  

Global Ministries works with Middle East ecumenical and interfaith partners with expertise and capacities in interfaith relations, peacemaking, displacement and refugees, sustainable development, and human rights.

Two of Global Ministries’ Palestinian partners operate a campaign called “Keep Hope Alive,” which Sharon and I have long supported. We believe that now, more than ever, it is essential to maintain hope that peace and justice will prevail. We believe that the resources generated through the Salaam Endowment will help “Keep Hope Alive” in the Middle East now and in the future.  

Q: How has your giving shaped your connection to the UCC?

A: The UCC has taught that our faith is active and that to believe is to care and to do. Through the years, we have seen the results of our giving. The cause of justice is advanced through initiatives to combat racism, homophobia, and environmental degradation, to name a few. New generations of leaders are developed, natural disaster survivors are cared for, sustainable development is accomplished, and the good news of God’s all-inclusive love goes forth. Giving to and through the UCC has been an important way for us to live out our faith.  Establishing the Salaam Endowment is one manifestation of our faith nurtured in the United Church of Christ.

Q: What advice would you give others considering becoming donors to similar UCC initiatives?

A: Let’s follow Jesus by dedicating ourselves to causes greater than ourselves. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors unconditionally, neighbors who may be as close as our communities or as far as the other side of the world.  Giving to the Salaam Endowment and similar initiatives allows us to live out our calling through global partnerships that advance the causes of peace, justice, and mutuality. Sharon and I invite everyone to leave legacies that will last through the generations.  

For more information about donating to a specific initiative, please email us at giving.@ucc.org.

Hope is a Spiritual Practice

Betsy Dole

Having been born into a parsonage where my father was the pastor of the local Congregational Church, I have always been a part of the UCC. I recall having Sunday dinner with a missionary home on furlough and hearing the story of mission work in a far-off country. I also remember being free to ask my father theological questions and always having his response be one of searching for truth rather than telling me what I should believe. I think this is the genius of the UCC: it is open to all who want to be part of a faith community seeking truth rather than a community that believes it already has all the answers to life's great questions. 
 
I have been privileged to attend several General Synods, National Women's Meetings, and Open and Affirming (ONA) Coalition National Gatherings. These experiences have given me a sense of the UCC's diversity and a strong sense of how empowering it is to know that others in the UCC are working toward similar goals in different settings. Often, I have been challenged by others in the UCC whose life experiences have been very different from mine. These challenges have helped me to grow, both theologically and spiritually. I like that aspect of the UCC.

When speaking to a pastor recently about a major gift I made to the UCC, I said it did not feel very spiritual, just writing a check to the wider church. He replied that giving of your financial resources is, indeed, a spiritual practice. Many years ago, my husband and I decided to include the UCC national ministries, the UCC’s Michigan Conference, and our local church, Plymouth UCC in Grand Rapids, MI, in our estate plan. It gave us hope that the UCC will continue long into the future. Hope is a spiritual practice.

Betsy Dole self-published a memoir in 2023 titled Using My Voice: A Journey of Progressive Christianity and Social Activism. In it, she discusses how her faith has led her to become involved in leadership roles. It is available on Amazon in e-book or paperback format.

Thank you for your gift to our Hurricane Relief Appeal

Over two thousand donors displayed incredible generosity by giving $786,000 to our appeal to help individuals, families, and communities affected by hurricanes in 2024. We continue to receive donations and are incredibly grateful for your financial gifts, support, and volunteerism. With a goal of raising $1 million, your contributions will ensure the UCC can sustain its vital work in hurricane recovery and support those in need.

Your Year-End to Gift to Our Annual Fund

As the interim director of Philanthropy, I connect with many of our cherished donors, like you. Sometimes, it’s a brief email exchange, an extended phone call, or an in-person visit. I love witnessing your incredible generosity and open-heartedness; it is the highlight of my service to the UCC national ministries. Please take a few minutes to look at the video below and see the tangible ways you are impacting the world.

Our work continues, and we ask you to consider making a year-end gift to the 2024 Annual Fund.

Happy Holidays from the United Church of Christ Philanthropy Team!

L to R: Kent Siladi, Andrew Warner, Michael Vollbrecht, Jacqueline Owen, Kathy Reinke, Dave Sigmund, James Fouther, Elena Larssen, Aviana Marinella

Not pictured: Rachel McDonald