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The Hill Church |
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Board of Outreach
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CLICK HERE FOR CTUCC/MISSION1 WEBSITE “Holy One, protect them in your
name, those that you have given me, so that they may all be one, as we are one.”––
John 17:11b Here are 11 things you can do to participate in Mission 1. Pick
1 ….or see if you can do all 11 1. Stock The Shelves --
Did you know that Windham County has some of the highest levels of food insecurity in the state? Pick up
some food for the Daily Bread Food Pantry when you go shopping. Help us reach our goal of 111 items for our local pantry in
Putnam! Suggested items include: canned meats, canned fruits, canned vegetables, tuna fish, peanut butter,
cocoa mix, dry pasta, canned soups, meals in a can, dried milk, jam. Add these to the basket at the Mission 1 display in Harrison
Hall. 2. “Cut the Coffee Break” -- Skip the
Dunkin Donuts stop today (or make your own coffee at home) and use the $ saved to supplement your Neighbors in Need
(NIN) contribution. Did you know that 60% of the worlds’ population lives on less than $4.00 per
day? Your gift can make a difference! 3. Give Us Lord Our Daily Bread
-- Take time to offer your prayer of thanksgiving at each meal. Log on to Church World
Service www.cws.org for some sample prayers. Help yourself to one of the CWS placemats to learn how support for small-scale
farming is making a dent in hunger. 4. 111 Pennies –
Empty your coin jar and bring the loose hange on November 6 for the NIN collection. The UCC is focusing
a major portion of this collection on food aid in famine-stricken East Africa. 5. Share The Bounty -- Our church prepares Thanksgiving baskets for local families in need each year.
Pair up with a friend and gather up the fixin’s for a holiday meal. Look for the sign-up sheet
and instructions on the kiosk in Harrison Hall. 6. Write a Letter –
Did you know that humanitarian aid accounts for only 1% of our federal budget? Urge congress to take robust action to fight
hunger and poverty during Mission 1. Look for sample letters, stamps, envelopes, and address labels at our Mission 1 table
at church. Be sure to add your personal statements about why hunger relief is important. There are also
resources online at Bread For The World www.bread.org and Church World Service www.cws.org Your voice matters! 7. The Fast That I Choose – Meditate on Isaiah 58: 6 – 11. This passage
lifts up not only God’s call to feed the hungry, but also shares beautiful images of the blessings that come from giving.
Say a prayer for malnourished children who need good food to grow strong bones. 8.
Cook It Up -- Our congregation has a long-standing relationship with the Community Kitchen of Northeastern,
CT and we have a dedicated crew which gathers to cook on the second Monday of each month. Make a
pledge to support this ministry throughout the year with either supplies (fruit cocktail, green beans, elbow macaroni, or
crushed tomatoes) or your time in the kitchen. Contact Ruth Stevenson, Dick Horsfield, Marilyn Pomeroy, or Shirley Field if
you would like to get involved. 9. Senior
Café -- Youth Group will be sponsoring this meal at the East Woodstock Congregational Church from 11:30 to
1:00 PM on Friday, November 11. Invite folks to attend and offer a ride. The “price of admission” is one canned
food item for the Daily Bread Pantry. Pray for the elderly in our community who struggle to cook for themselves or eat alone
at mealtime. 10.
Check it out -- Log on to the UCC website www.ucc.org/mission1/ or “Like” Mission 1 on facebook to learn what other churches are doing for Mission 1 and to see the national
totals. 11. Celebrate! -- Come to our worship
of celebration on Sunday, November 13. We will tally our results and ask God’s blessing on our gifts
before sending them out into the community. Excerpts from our Church’s Constitution & By-Laws: The Board consists of 6 members and church delegates, elected at Annual Meeting. This Board shall
provide the congregation with venues of mission at the local, state, national and global levels, and shall recommend
appropriate relationships and responses. It shall also maintain a covenantal relationship with our national and state denomination
(UCC) and interpret its work for the congregation. It shall help the congregation define and address social and political
issues from the perspective of the Christian faith. Some of the Ministry Teams that Outreach will oversee and coordinate include:
Covenant to Care, Habitat, Community Kitchen, Justice and Witness Ministries, Open and Affirming and Delegates. Resource Sheet: Katherine Freygang, (860) 672 6010, Cornwall Energy Task Force, UCC CT Conference Environmental Ministries Team www.CTEnergy.com, www.CTEnergyInfo.com www.CTEnergyEducation.com (UConn) www.CTSavesEnergy.org/programs (CL&P audits) 20by2010CleanEnergy@googlegroups.com (A Must Listserv) www.CleanWater.org (Roger Smith et al.) www.ctclimatechange.com (CT DEP) www.ctinnovations.com ( CT Clean Energy Fund) www.ct.gov/opm/sites/default.asp (OPM Grants) www.onethingct.com (Gov. Rell) www.cleanair-coolplanet.org (NH Model) www.IREJN.org (Inter-religious Eco-justice Network) www.Techniart.com (lighting) www.safeclimate.net/calculator (carbon calculator) http://www.ctucc.org/resources/pdfs/Green_action_steps.pdf (action)
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Community Kitchen Community Kitchen is an organization that provides a meal each day of the week to those in need at various locations
in North Eastern Connecticut. Our church participates in this program by preparing and serving a meal for approx 60
on the 2nd Monday of each month. This mission is solely supported through donations, of money and needed food
items. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Habitat for Humanity Mission We are fortunate to have a Habitat Re-Store on Providence St in Putnam where slightly used building & home supplies can be purchased, inexpensively. Open/Affirming Ministry The Open and Affirming Ministry of the Connecticut Conference works to advocate for full participation of all persons in the life of the church
without regard for their sexual orientation. The Ministry is a volunteer ministry supported by the Conference. Justice and Witness Ministries "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8 Justice and Witness Ministries, one of four Covenanted Ministries in the UCC, helps local congregations and all settings of the church respond to God's commandments to do justice, seek peace and effect change for a better world. The work of JWM is guided by the pronouncements and resolutions approved by the UCC at General Synod.
The Connecticut Conference is one of 39 regional conferences in the 1.5 million member United Church of Christ, a "united and uniting" Protestant denomination in the United States of America. Our membership descends from Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed traditions, and dates its founding to June 25, 1957, the day the four denominations merged into one fellowship. In our "ground-up" polity, the Conference is the regional representative for UCC churches, and Associations of those churches, in Connecticut. It provides pastoral support, placement, and other support services to the local churches, and acts as a liaison between the churches and the national denomination. The Connecticut Conference is a direct descendant of the Congregational Christian Conference of Connecticut, which held its first Annual Meeting in 1867. The Conference includes two additional legal entities with a distinguished history of mission and ministry: the Missionary Society of Connecticut was founded in 1798 to bring the Christian gospel to the "heathen lands" of Vermont and Ohio. The Trustees of the Fund for Ministers oversee supplements to the retirement income of Connecticut's Clergy. Both organizations are governed by the Board of Directors elected by the Connecticut Conference. www.ctucc.org GREEN TEAM Our newly formed GREEN TEAM strives to be responsive stewards of God’s creation, to advocate for environmental issues, to educate our members and to work toward public policy change for the well being of all creatures on our God created planet. click here to download "Roger's Resource Sheet" HEIFER PROJECT Heifer’s mission is to work with communities
to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn
lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. With gifts of livestock and training,
we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as “living
loans” because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal’s offspring
to another family in need. It’s called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding
network of hope and peace. Read some of the inspiring Success Stories from our partners
around the globe that have had their lives changed as a result of Heifer’s work. Link: Help provide livestock, seeds, or training to
a family struggling with hunger and poverty. |
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