Kindred Credit Union offers financial literacy workshops
Recent research shows a “high percentage of people . . . find personal financing incredibly intimidating,” says Frank Chisholm, director of brand and marketing for Kindred Credit Union. Some people feel guilty for starting financial planning too late in life. Others experience barriers when it comes to accessing financial products and services. Throw in a pandemic…
‘Numbers people’ are worth their weight in gold
Every church has a plethora of creative ministries, but a couple roles will show up everywhere. Tallying up deposits and withdrawals, monitoring budgets and submitting forms, the “numbers people”—treasurers and bookkeepers—toil in basement corners and home offices, month in and month out. Without these roles being faithfully administered, a church will be financially unviable, and…
‘Are ethical funds really ethical?’
“I don’t want to support banks,” says Natasha Wiebe, statistician at the University of Alberta and a member of Edmonton First Mennonite Church. “For me, banks are primarily about greed and are heavily invested in mining and fossil fuels.” For her personal banking needs, she has chosen to be part of her local credit union,…
2020 surpluses help regional churches face 2021
Financial giving from Mennonite Church Canada congregations and individuals was stable in 2020 despite pandemic economic uncertainty. By year-end, the regional church bodies and MC Canada had strongly positive financial results, based on better-than-expected revenue and lower-than-expected costs. In planning for 2021, the regional churches acknowledged continued pandemic uncertainty and directed their 2020 surpluses into…
Steady giving sustains churches through COVID-19
Among the multitude of concerns COVID-19 has caused, the novel coronavirus’s effect on congregational giving has been one of them. What do church finances look like when congregations close their doors and stop passing offering baskets through the aisles on Sunday mornings? It turns out that in many Mennonite congregations across Manitoba, they look just…
MDS Canada issues second call for Spirit of MDS Fund applications
The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund is issuing a second call for applications from churches in Canada. The goal of the Spirit of MDS Fund is to provide financial support to Canadian Anabaptist-Mennonite congregations that are assisting people in their communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $100,000 has…
Mixing friendship with fundraising
The Waterloo Region chapter of Women Empowering Women (WEW) meets quarterly to nurture connections and friendships, to be inspired and to raise funds that support women in developing economies. As an auxiliary group of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), it supports MEDA’s international work of “helping women move into more valued and equitable roles in…
Why your church needs to talk about money
The local church is an excellent place to discuss saving money: Which type of tractor is cheapest to repair or whether a Costco membership is worth it. Mennonites brag about finding a good deal. During a worship service or church gathering, there will be announcements and requests promoting benefit concerts, fundraising dinners, bike-a-thons or relief…
