Missions to Fulfill
5 for 5!
Our church regularly supports all five of the United Church of Christ’s "Our Church's Wider Mission" programs:
* Our Church's Wider Mission Basic Support, which is distributed through the many regional conferences (in our case, the Rhode Island Conference);
* One Great Hour of Sharing, the UCC's relief, refugee, and development fund;
* Strengthen the Church, which helps start new churches, reinvigorate older churches, and supports ministries for and to young people;
* Neighbors in Need, which supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, including ministry carried out by the Council for American Indian Ministries and by the national offices of Justice and Witness Ministries; and
* The Christmas Fund, which provides financial aid to retired and active ministers and their surviving spouses and children.
Very Important Buckets to Fill
Please remember our red buckets at the entrance to the church. Please bring in your non-perishable food for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center (PNC) (no glass containers, please.) The Living Supplies Closet needs everyday items not supplied by other agencies. If you have used and nearly used eyeglasses, the Lions Club can put them to good use.
As an outreach mission, Haiti Missions Project is in need of medicines, school supplies, and toiletries as well as laptops.
WARM Shelter
Each month, we supply a home-cooked meal to the WARM Shelter in Westerly. Responsibility rotates among the various groups and committees of our church, with contributions welcome from all our members and friends. Our April Bowlathon, in which our best athletes appear as the Holy Rollers, also supports the WARM Shelter's efforts.
Blessing Boxes
Blessing Boxes are available on the cabinet at the entrance to the church. At the end of the day, count your many blessings by putting your spare change in a Blessing Box! The money collected will be shared between two of New England's UCC-affiliated seminaries: Bangor Theological and Andover-Newton.
Equal Exchange Fairly Traded Coffee and Chocolate
Equal Exchange is a fair trade organization that seeks to balance the inequities found in the conventional coffee trade. Coffee is a leading source of income for the Developing World. Through fair trade it can be a delicious and powerful tool to bring about positive change for small farmers. By purchasing Equal Exchange products, we are helping small coffee farmers receive a fairer share for their produce.
Fair trade items include coffee (regular, decaf, and whole bean), tea (regular and green tea), cocoa (hot and baking), chocolate bars (very dark chocolate, dark chocolate with almonds, and milk chocolate) and Equal Exchange Travel mugs. Please stop by the Mission table to purchase these items on Sundays or to place any special order.
Prayer Shawls
Our Prayer Shawl ministry continues. If you are interested in taking part, please see Pastor Amy or Lynn Murray for more information and patterns (knit and crochet).
SERVE Program
A program entitled SERVE has been in existence at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center for many years. People are allowed to order prepackaged food at a reduced price once a month. If you eat, you qualify! You pay $21 for $40–$50 worth of nutritious food. In return, you promise to do 2 hours of community service monthly, at your church or anywhere in the community! You can order the food in person, online, or by telephone. Family meals are offered, or you can choose from various meat packages. Check out the United Church & Community News bulletin board for more information.