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In the spirit of giving during the holiday season, The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ (PBUCC) continues its long-standing tradition of supporting UCC pastors, church workers, and their families through The Christmas Fund. This fund has been a source of financial assistance for over a century, enabling contributions from congregations and individuals to aid those who proclaim the good news.
As of now, $1.2 million out of the $1.6 million target for 2024 has been collected. In 2023, more than 1,800 UCC congregations participated in this initiative, allowing up to $2 million to be distributed among clergy and church workers needing pension supplementation, health aid, emergency support, monthly supplements, and Christmas gifts.
The collection for The Christmas Fund typically occurs on the Sunday before December 25th or during Christmas Eve services. Some congregations opt to gather offerings on Epiphany Sunday as well.
This year's theme is "The Glory of God shone around them…" from Luke 2:9. New resources have been developed by Rev. Elyse Berry to enhance engagement with Advent themes. These include weekly children's sermons featuring original art inspired by the upcoming UCC General Synod's theme "Into the Deep," scheduled for July 11-15, 2025.
"The theme for these children’s sermonettes is ‘deep-sea theology,’ with different deep-sea creatures that illuminate and illustrate the theme that week," explained Berry.
Berry emphasized that creating content for children was both enjoyable and meaningful: “It was such a fun experience creating something for children — as well as a profound exercise for me to communicate these big themes of love, hope, peace, and joy in an accessible way.”
Additionally, spiritual exercises inspired by poetry are available as part of this year’s resources. These can be used in various settings like fellowship gatherings or youth groups.
Understanding pastors' busy schedules during this period, The Christmas Fund also provides sermon support with full transcripts and accompanying videos available online.
“We hope all these resources support everyone in the congregation to dive deeper into Advent,” said Berry.
For more information or to download resources such as bulletin inserts and worship materials, visit christmasfund.org.
