Our Churches’ Wider Mission (OCWM)

Our Conference staff, particularly our Conference Minister and Associate Conference Minister, surround churches for covenant and support regarding church vitality, search and call of ministers and churches, ministerial ethics, pastoral care for ministers, and consultation around leadership challenges. The national setting of the UCC oversees all ministerial excellence and requirements for authorized ministry, as well as supporting conference staff.

With this non-hierarchal model, churches are encouraged to participate in financial covenant that keeps the conference operations alive and thriving as they center their ministry for the local church. Each local church covenants with their conference to give a portion of their finances to fund and maintain Conference staff.  The amount of the financial covenant is determined by each local setting and typically ranges from 1% to 10% of their total budget.  Some churches can give more, and some less.

A small portion of those finances are given to the national setting. As our Conference staff provides support and ministerial resources to local churches, National provides support and ministerial resources to Conference staff and to Committees on Ministry that oversee ministerial preparation, support, ethics, and excellence.

Each church in the Maine Conference is strongly encouraged to give a portion of their annual budget to Basic Support.

Special Support

In addition to basic support, there are four areas of special support that churches can give to in order to help the UCC to maintain and continue a vibrant ministry:

One Great Hour of Sharing: Channels resources for international programs in health, education and agricultural development, emergency relief, refugee ministries, and both international and domestic disaster response, administered by Wider Church Ministries, Global Sharing of Resources.

Strengthen the Church: Strengthen the Church largely supports youth ministries and full-time leaders for new churches in parts of the country where the United Church of Christ does not have a strong presence. Its also provides support for existing church’s new initiatives.

Neighbors in Need: Supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States, including the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM), justice and advocacy, and direct service projects supported by Justice and Local Church Ministries.

Christmas Fund: The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums, and Christmas “Thank You” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees.