Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:3
(New Revised Standard Version)

Grace to you and peace in this season of light and life!

At this joyous time of year, our thoughts turn to light: the light that shone in Bethlehem’s sky, illuminating the path of wise visitors from far away; the candles of
the Advent wreath, each week bringing us closer to the holy night of Jesus’ birth; and, at last, the celebration of the inbreaking of God’s own Light into human history – a light that blazes so brightly that it cannot, will not be obscured. In Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, we see the radiant, loving face of the One who came to save us from ourselves and who desires that we be reconciled, with God and with one another.

For 109 years, the Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund has been a means by which we – as members of the United Church of Christ and its predecessor denominations – reflect the light of God in the world, individually and in community. The Christmas Fund, one of four Special
Mission Offerings received annually in the United Church of Christ, is a beacon of light for many who have served, and who continue to serve, our church.

Your generous giving to the 2010 Offering enabled the Pension Boards’ Ministerial Assistance program to provide, on behalf of the whole church, $1,504,420 in Pension Supplementation, Health Premium Supplementation, Emergency Grants and Christmas “Thank You” Gift Checks to individuals and families facing financial crises.

The global economic climate continues to affect most profoundly those with the most limited financial resources. In the face of rising fuel prices, the United
Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA) was pleased to be able to provide one-time Energy Assistance Grants in the amount of $200 to 1,000
lower-income annuitants and 500 lower-income active clergy in the summer of 2011. These grants were made possible by the income generated by the Fund for
Ministerial Assistance.

Still, the need continues to be great. We are grateful for your partnership in this vital ministry, and ask that you consider supporting the Christmas Fund Offering again, prayerfully and to the best of your ability. Your gift to the Christmas Fund helps us to reach out in love and compassion to provide assistance to those in the greatest need, who selflessly have given of themselves for the sake of the Gospel.

On behalf of the nearly 1,600 clergy and lay individuals and families who received some form of Ministerial Assistance since the last Christmas Fund Offering, I express my deep gratitude to you for your generosity. May the light of Jesus Christ shine brightly in your life, now and always.

Faithfully,

Michael A. Downs
President/CEO