It’s an area of stewardship that many churches aspire to strengthen but rarely find the right moment—or the right tools—to begin. Resources from secular charities don’t always translate to a faith-based context, and conversations about wills and bequests can feel awkward or out of place in the life of a congregation.

“We often hear from parishes that they want to start the conversation about legacy giving, but they’re not sure how,” says Michelle Hauser, Development & Communications Officer for the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC). “That’s exactly why we created the Legacy Talk Parish Toolkit—to make it easier, more natural, and more spiritually grounded.”

Rather than focusing on financial targets, Legacy Talk connects legacy giving to gratitude, discipleship, and hope for the future of the Church. Each seasonal toolkit aligns with the rhythms of the liturgical year, offering clergy and lay leaders reflections, bulletin inserts, sample messages, and practical templates that can be adapted to any parish setting.

Begin with Vestry Season: Planning with Purpose

Annual Vestry Reports and planning meetings provide a perfect opportunity to integrate legacy giving into the parish’s financial and spiritual vision.

For example, the Vestry Season Toolkit offers a Parish Council Checklist—simple, concrete steps that can help normalize legacy giving as part of a parish’s ongoing stewardship practice: Add legacy giving as a standing item in stewardship conversations; Include a legacy paragraph in the vestry report;
Ensure your website or bulletin mentions bequest options; Publicly thank legacy donors when appropriate.

“For many churches, the checklist is a great place to start—it helps parishes move from ‘we should do something’ to actually feeling confident about making legacy giving part of their spiritual DNA.”

From Lent to Christmas: A Year of Gratitude, Growth, and Faith

Across the seasons of the Church year, Legacy Talk offers practical ways to weave legacy giving into parish life—always grounded in faith rather than fundraising.

During Lent, parishes are invited to reflect on what they treasure and why, exploring legacy giving as a spiritual practice rooted in love and intention.

The Easter to Pentecost toolkit celebrates growth and gratitude, encouraging churches to see legacy gifts as seeds of faith—planted today to bless the Church of tomorrow.

In Ordinary Time, the focus shifts to steady, everyday stewardship through simple reflections and conversation tools that keep faith communities engaged year-round.

As All Saints’ approaches, parishes are encouraged to remember, honour, and plan—giving thanks for those whose generosity built the Church we inherit and asking, “What legacy will we leave?”

Finally, Advent and Christmas offer a natural moment to express gratitude and hope, reminding us that every generation helps “prepare a place” for those who will follow.

“It is our hope that using Legacy Talk as a guide will help parishes build a rhythm of gratitude and generosity,” says Hauser, “and that 2026 will be the year more church communities feel inspired to take that next faithful step—turning good intentions into lasting impact.”

To explore or download the full series, visit the Anglican Foundation website: anglicanfoundation.org/legacytalk.

The post Planning With A Purpose: Getting Your Legacy Program Off On The Right Foot in 2026 appeared first on Anglican Life.

The Anglican Foundation of Canada’s 2025 Say Yes! to Kids campaign has been hailed as its most successful yet, with 30 teams across the country raising more than $160,000. This achievement surpassed the national goal of $150,000 and marked the first time since the campaign began in 2021 that every single team met or exceeded its target.

From coast to coast to coast, parishes and dioceses found creative ways to engage their communities, launching fundraisers that inspired generosity and strengthened connections between congregations and young people. Since its launch, Say Yes! to Kids has provided nearly $900,000 in funding for youth-focused ministry across Canada. These grants have supported dozens of programs in areas such as mental health, food security, arts and music, and outdoor recreation.

The Anglican Charitable Foundation for Children (ACFC) provided a significant boost to this year’s national results with a generous $5,000 gift. This is the second time since the launch of Say Yes! to Kids that the ACFC has supported this growing national effort.

Anglican East NL Team Surpasses Goal

While only one Newfoundland and Labrador team participated, the results were inspiring. Branded as “Anglican East NL Says Yes! to Kids,” the team represented the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador under the leadership of Bishop Sam Rose.

Together, the diocesan team raised $7,780 on a $5,000 goal—a remarkable achievement made possible by wide participation across the Diocese.

Funds raised locally will contribute to a variety of initiatives. Some of this support will make it possible for young people from our Diocese to attend CLAY (Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Gathering), while other funds will bolster long-standing programs such as the Church Lads’ Brigade. In addition, the campaign creates space to explore new and emerging opportunities for ministry with children and young people—ensuring the Church continues to grow alongside the needs of its youngest members.

A Vision for the Future

Reflecting on the impact of this year’s campaign, Bishop Rose emphasized the importance of youth ministry in shaping the Church of tomorrow. “When we say yes to our youth, we are investing in a vibrant future for the Church,” he said.

The success of the Anglican East NL team demonstrates the power of generosity and a shared vision. Even with just one team representing the province, the campaign has helped plant new seeds of hope, reminding us that the Church’s future depends on how we nurture, support, and celebrate its youngest members today.

The post Saying YES! to Kids in Eastern NL with the Anglican Foundation of Canada appeared first on Anglican Life.

Participation will be limited to 30 teams and registration is on a first-come-first-served basis. Teams will be asked to articulate a campaign goal and project focus at the point of registration. Most costs associated with youth projects and programs, including staffing, are eligible.

SYTK is an annual fundraising appeal sponsored by AFC. Launched in 2021 to encourage church-led pandemic recovery programs and initiatives, the SYTK movement has now provided $755,000 in funding to more than 150 beneficiaries and fundraising partners for youth-focused ministry and outreach across the Anglican Church of Canada.

“The top three ministry impact zones have been faith formation, arts and education, and outdoor recreation,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director. “It’s wonderful to see the year-over-year impact as so many churches and dioceses are using SYTK to invest in youth retreats, Vacation Bible Schools, and part-time staffing to revitalize children and youth ministry programs.” Other impact zones include food security and poverty reduction, reconciliation, and health and well-being.

At the close of the 2024 campaign AFC surveyed past SYTK participants. “Seventy-five percent of respondents told us they use SYTK to create a sustainable revenue stream for an ongoing ministry and that it’s an important source of funding for them,” says Brubacher. “We also heard how influential the AFC Angel Donor matching gift program has been to local campaigns. We are all very grateful to the lead donors who, over the past 4 years, have championed this cause with donations totaling more than $100,000.”

At the close of the 2025 campaign, teams will have secured a grant of 80 percent of the funds raised, including any matching gifts or leadership giving boosts provided by AFC. Campaign funds will be disbursed in August. The 20 percent share that is retained by AFC will build up the Kids Helping Kids Fund to enable even more youth-focused grants across Canada.

Visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/apply/sytk to register today.

What about Newfoundland & Labrador?

“Over the past five years, we have been deeply moved by the support the Say Yes! to Kids movement has received from Newfoundlanders,” says Michelle Hauser, AFC’s Development & Communications Officer. “In 2021, nearly $12,000—more than ten per cent of the national total—came from supporters in the Diocese of Central Newfoundland. And last year, Bishop Sam Rose captained the team for the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador, becoming the first Diocesan Bishop to lead a SYTK fundraiser.” Hauser says the Foundation also received a generous donation in 2024 from the Parish of Fortune-Lamaline. “They became the first Sunday School to adopt Say Yes! to Kids as a beneficiary. It was just wonderful.”

Since 2021, the Foundation has provided a total of $43,000 in funding for youth-centred projects and programs in all three dioceses and approximately half of that has come through the Say Yes! to Kids movement. “We look forward to seeing the more we can imagine together this year!”

For more information contact:

Michelle Hauser, Development & Communications Officer

Anglican Foundation of Canada:
169 Bridge Street West, Napanee, ON  K7R 2V5

Home office:
1-877-354-6387
mhauser@anglicanfoundation.org

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“The Board was pleased to be able to support both of these projects in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director, AFC. “This is the third grant to Home Again since 2020 for a total of $45,000 in funding. And the project at St. Paul’s was celebrated by the Grants Committee as a ‘very creative solution to food insecurity in the community.’” 

Also noteworthy in this grant cycle was the approval of the first-ever Category C grant of $50,000 to the Huron Farmworkers Ministry (HFM) in the Diocese of Huron. It is also the largest-ever grant in AFC history. Category C grants of up to $50,000 were created by the AFC Board in 2022 to enable AFC to be a more flexible funding partner in cases where a diocese might want to rally around a single transformational project in any given year. 

“There was a real sense of excitement at the Board meeting in being able to wholeheartedly support this incredible outreach ministry to more than 5,000 migrant workers across the Diocese of Huron,” says Brubacher. “It was poignant, too, to see a community ministry like this as the first-ever Category C grant recipient.” In recent years AFC has driven its granting program to new heights by intentionally shifting the balance of funding in favour of Community Ministries, which now comprise more than one third of AFC’s funding since 2010. 

Brubacher says that while the Huron Farmworkers Ministry is unique, it shares much in common with the increasing number of community ministries across Canada—including Home Again—that are coming to AFC for assistance to grow and expand. “On behalf of the Board, I can say that it is our great pleasure and privilege to support them.” 

During his address to General Synod delegates this past June, Brubacher highlighted Home Again as emblematic of the “spirit of compassion to serve the vulnerable” that many of these ministry share. “They are often born in the basement of one of our Anglican churches to meet a pressing community need. These ministries get nurtured by a small group of clergy and laity, until they are ready to flourish in the world as beacons of hope and hospitality.” 

Brubacher explains that as this list of Anglican-led community ministries grows longer every year, AFC’s “call to enable and support them will become more pressing and urgent every year as well.” 

Since 2010, AFC has awarded $335,000 to 79 applicants in all three NFLD dioceses. Community Ministries currently comprise about 17% of that total. “We hope that more parishes in the three dioceses will begin to see AFC as a funding partner for their outreach activities, as well as for Diverse Infrastructure projects. There is so much more we can do to fund transformational ministry across Canada.” 

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“We are so grateful for this grant,” says Maureen Lymburner, Director of Development, Home Again, “because we will be able to provide beds to children and youth who have been sleeping on floors, sofas, air mattresses or other makeshift beds.” Lymburner says too many families and youth-headed households on the Northeast Avalon are living without basic furnishings, including beds.

The grant was awarded in November as part of AFC’s Say Yes! to Kids campaign and Request for Proposals (RFPs), which was the largest one-time investment in youth-focused ministry the Canadian church has seen. Seventy-nine projects received a total of $470,000 in funding, pushing AFC’s 2021 grant total to the $1 Million milestone.  

“We were so pleased to be able to support Home Again for the second year in a row,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, AFC’s Executive Director. “It was particularly meaningful because of the way the people of Newfoundland supported our Say Yes! to Kids campaign.” Last spring, Newfoundlanders joined the movement to grow a brighter future for young people by raising nearly $12,000. 

“A gift of $5,000 from the Anglican Charitable Foundation for Children was matched by another gift of $5,000 from the Diocese of Central Newfoundland,” says Brubacher. A team effort championed by loyal AFC supporters in Eastern Newfoundland raised another $1,700. “This was AFC’s first community-based peer-to-peer fundraising campaign,” says Brubacher, “and we would not have been able to make our goal, and say yes to so many worthwhile projects, without that incredible generosity.” 

“We are closing in on two years since the onset of the pandemic,” says Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and Chair, AFC, “and we know our churches continue to face challenges. But the entire Board feels so energized by our capacity to fund these innovative, missional projects and to support Canadian Anglicans in their vision for an engaged, compassionate church. There are creative, visionary projects from across the country here and we are praying for all of them.” 

This year AFC will step up its commitment to young people across Canada yet again with an even more ambitious plan to fund youth-focused ministry and outreach. “Our hope is that Say Yes! to Kids 2022 will be both empowering and energizing,” says Brubacher, “enabling our churches to grow sustainable revenue streams for youth programs, while connecting them with other churches across Canada, as well as diocesan and national ministries.”

Michelle Hauser, AFC’s Development and Communications Consultant says, “Any Anglican parish in Canada with a vision for outreach to young people is eligible to apply to form a fundraising team and campaign alongside like-minded parishes nationwide from April 1 to June 30.” Hauser says teams will be able to set their own fundraising goals, and they will receive support with communications, case development, and training from AFC throughout the campaign. “Teams will also benefit from an AFC-led leadership giving campaign that will boost their efforts, including matching gifts.” 

Those who wish to learn more about Say Yes! to Kids should visit anglicanfoundation.org/say-yes-to-kids to register for an upcoming webinar and download AFC’s campaign FAQs sheet. “I also encourage anyone who has questions to reach out to me directly,” says Hauser, who can be reached at:
mhauser@anglicanfoundation.org. 

The post Home Again Furniture Bank Benefits From AFC’s Movement For Youth appeared first on Anglican Life.

“This campaign set a stretch goal for AFC, and no one really knew what to expect,” said Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate and Chair of AFC, “In the end, hundreds of donors from coast to coast to coast gave generously to Say Yes! to Kids.” 

In Newfoundland, the efforts of all three dioceses contributed nearly $12,000 to the campaign, more than ten percent of the national total: $5,000 from the Diocese of Central Newfoundland, another $5,000 donation from the Anglican Charitable Foundation for Children (ACFC), and nearly $2,000 from the Anglican East NL team effort, captained by the Rev’d Canon Amanda Taylor, AFC’s Diocesan Representative for Eastern Newfoundland.

In a statement for a June funding announcement, the Rt. Rev’d John Watton, Bishop of Central Newfoundland, said, “We like the idea of being a generative diocese and sharing in the ministry of the wider church. Whenever we can help, we want to. We cannot hold our Youth Camp this summer because of COVID-19, so we have decided to forward those funds to Say Yes! to Kids.”

Also in an earlier statement, the Rev’d Canon John Courage, ACFC Chair and Chaplain at Queen’s College Faculty of Theology, said, “At its May meeting the Board of ACFC voted unanimously to support Say Yes! to Kids. Little did Bishop Edward Field ever think that his desire to help the people of his time in the greatest need would contribute to the church’s efforts to promote pandemic recovery in 2021!”

“The tremendous support from all three Newfoundland dioceses gave us so much energy for the final weeks of the campaign,” says the Rev’d Canon Dr. Judy Rois, Executive Director, AFC, “You pushed us from milestone to milestone and encouraged donors elsewhere to support the campaign.”

At the July Celebration of Giving, Canon Rois thanked AFC’s friends and volunteers—Board Directors, Diocesan Representatives, Bishops, and diocesan staff champions—who carried the banner for Say Yes! to Kids in their dioceses. Archbishop Anne Germond, Vice-Chair of the AFC Board, spoke to the impact the Request for Proposals (RFP) arising from this campaign will have in dioceses. “All across the country, there are wonderful ministries serving vulnerable children and youth. Through this campaign they have discovered that there is both a will and a way to provide the additional funding they need.”

Grants from the Say Yes to Kids RFP will be awarded for both ongoing and emerging projects, and proposals will be accepted from September 1 to October 1, 2021. Category A grants, of up to $5,000 will be considered based on impact and how they support young people in a local context. Category B grants of up to $15,000 will be considered based on how they support the overall mission and service to children and youth in a city, diocese, or region. Eligible uses of funding include, but are not limited to, administrative expenses, equipment, technical costs, remuneration, honoraria, and food.

While the campaign is officially closed, late gifts will continue to be counted and will increase funds available for the RFP and maximize funding impact at the local level. For more information about the RFP, visit our website at: www.anglicanfoundation.org/rfp2021. To make a donation to AFC’s ongoing grant funding for youth-focused initiatives visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/kids. 

The post Newfoundland Donors Champion National Campaign for Kids appeared first on Anglican Life.

Say Yes! to Kids is AFC’s response to concerns about COVID-19’s impact on young people. This national campaign is meant to have local impact by supporting champions for children, youth, and family ministry across the country as we face a post-pandemic world. 

“The Diocese of Central Newfoundland understands the importance of helping children in our communities,” says The Ven. Terry Caines, Executive Archdeacon and AFC Representative for the Diocese of Central Newfoundland, “and by helping children in our communities, the Diocese believes that it is a way to build a better world, with better people. The Say Yes, to Kids campaign is a step in the right direction.”

“Children have had to endure so much as a result of the pandemic,” says Canon Rois, “social isolation, limited recreation, exposure to disharmony at home, depression, sleep difficulties, and emotional struggles. Say Yes! to Kids will ensure there is money available for homework clubs, nutrition and food security, private and group tutoring, safe outdoor recreation, mental health supports, and the many other courageous and creative ministries our church has the capacity to offer.” 

Between online and offline donations, the campaign is nearing the $20,000 mark of its $100,000 goal. “It is an ambitious target,” says the Very Rev’d Peter Wall, Gift Consultant for AFC. “But an achievable one. It is all that more achievable thanks to an extraordinary matching gift of $25,000.” Wall explains the matching donation will be applied to the Say Yes! to Kids peer-to-peer portal and double the efforts of online fundraisers.” 

To date there are close to ten Say Yes! to Kids fundraising teams registered, championed by Bishops, Diocesan Staff, AFC’s Diocesan Representatives, and individuals who are passionate about ministry and outreach to young people. “These teams are putting the fun in fundraising,” says the Rev’d Canon Amanda Taylor, AFC’s Diocesan Representative, and captain of the Anglican East NL Say Yes! to Kids fundraising team, “From community cleanup initiatives to Epic Online Game Nights, Canadian Anglicans are Saying Yes! to Kids in so many creative and wonderful ways.” 

In some dioceses, teams are rallying around specific ministries they hope will benefit from the campaign. “In our meetings across the country, we are seeing the emergence of a national story about outreach to children and youth,” says Wall. “It’s a story about compassion in the face of crisis. There are tireless champions for young people across the Canadian church who have been undeterred by the pandemic. They know exactly where and how new investments can be used to make an impact.”

Helping to strengthen existing ministries is only one goal of the campaign. “We are working through our network of volunteers at the diocesan level to get people thinking about pilot projects,” says Wall, “and what they might do if they had some extra funding. In this way Say Yes! to Kids has the potential to both seed and sustain ministry.” 

Since 2011, and the launch of the Kids Helping Kids Fund, AFC has invested over $1 Million in ministries that benefit children, youth, and young adults in Canada. Canon Rois says AFC will rely on the strength of its granting program to quickly turnaround Say Yes! to Kids campaign proceeds by funding a Request for Proposals (RFP) for youth-focused initiatives in fall 2021. 

Say Yes! to Kids launched on April 6 and will run until June 30. For more information email foundation@anglicanfoundation.org. To join a Say Yes! to Kids fundraising team, or to make an individual donation to the campaign, visit www.anglicanfoundation.org/kids. 

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