A birth day is a great and glorious day. Something new comes into being that has never existed before. On Pentecost that new creation was the Christian church. The disciples of Jesus received the power of the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the good news of what God had done. Those who received the message were baptized and the church began to grow.

Today, many congregations will give to the Strengthen the Church special mission offering of the United Church of Christ. Out of that generosity new churches come into being, new leadership is raised up, young men and women are energized by the Holy Spirit, and the church continues to grow.

In Surprise, Arizona, they say a new house is completed every two hours. Desert Surprise United Church of Christ has been engaged in the growing community since its start in 2001. Though they claim to hibernate during the heat of summer, local newspapers tell a different story, publishing articles about their free parenting classes and their mission work to stop childhood bullying in the community schools. Members attended the “It’s All About Evangelism!” event and the UCC General Synod Meeting in July 2003. The Southwest Conference is holding land in trust for the day when Desert Surprise is ready, but for now this new church start says their focus is this: “building a foundation of love, mission and members!”

Through our gifts to Strengthen the Church, we further our commitment to be a multiracial, multicultural church, open and affirming, and accessible to all. We strengthen and renew existing congregations. We fund leadership for new congregations. We provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. We fund leadership development for the whole church. Your Conference and Local Church Ministries each direct the use of half of your generous gifts for these purposes, that the sun might never set on God’s great and glorious day.

- from UCC.org