What is Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM) Basis Support? OCWM is the name we give to congregational gifts that support wider UCC ministry in the national and global setting as well as in the Conference setting. The United Church of Christ emphasizes God’s continuing testament in the world, the extravagant welcome of our churches and changing lives. The ideal way to have the most impact is for UCC settings to all work together. Your gifts to OCWM help the UCC spread God’s love to more people in more places than any one of us can do alone.
In the National setting of the UCC, there are four Covenanted Ministry partners who are supported by gifts of OCWM. They are the Office of General Ministries, the Local Church Ministries team, the Wider Church Ministries team, and the Justice and Witness team. Locally, the office of the PSEC is supported by your OCWM gifts. Check out the resource list for the work that is done both in the national setting as well as the local setting.
5 for 5 is the designation that we give churches who give to OCWM Basic Support and all 4 of the UCC’s other special offerings. Those 5 offerings are OCWM Basic Support (the money that goes to support the 4 covenanted ministry partners and the Conference office), Neighbors in Need (helps UCC churches across the United State who are developing justice projects), One Great Hour of Sharing (supports emergency and disaster relief, refugee ministries, and human development projects in the US and across the globe), Strengthen the Church (provides funding for new and renewing churches, youth and young adult ministries, and leadership formation), and The Christmas Fund (which supports retired clergy in need as well as pension supplements to low-income, retired church workers).
On our resource page is the current year OCWM Remittal form. Please use this current form when submitting all monies to the Conference so we know where to allocate your funds. If you have any questions regarding OCWM or any of the special offerings, please reach out to the Conference office, we will be happy to assist.
Also on our Resource page, are many different documents to assist you with financial questions, including our 501(c)3 documentation.