Mission Focus

June/July/August Focus. Heifer Project International A UCC and DOCPartnership. Global Ministries April Focus. Bread for the World Letter Project

March Focus. One Great Hour of Sharing

May, 2010 Mission is Crossroad. Crossroad is a not-for-profit treatment center for emotionally disturbed youth.  Founded in 1883 by the Reformed Church, a predecessor of the UCC, Crossroad creates promising futures for children in difficult circumstance by providing therapy, education, and family support services.   The center provides community education, in-patient and out-patient treatment for children ages 6-21 and their families.  Our mission focus for May, Crossroad is a ministry of the United Church of Christ.

April, 2010 Mission is Bread for the World - Letters Month. Donna Vaccariello told me that Beverly Popp has had many transfusions as part of her treatment for leukemia.  That got me up off the couch to go give blood.  Many of you make a casserole for neighbors or friends in times of need. Or perhaps you clear snow for someone unable to tend that big chore.  Abraham Heschel said that sometimes you have to pray with your feet. Many in our congregation fret that they are not able to write a check and give what they would like.  They would like to give more blankets or cans of soup, but cannot afford it.  In April, our mission focus will be an offering without dollars.  We will give our time, our thoughtfulness and our handwriting.  If you can write a letter (or color a nice, crayoned picture), you can give an offering of letters. "Bread for the World is a collective, Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad."  On Sunday mornings, congregations across the country take the time, in worship, to hand write letters to their congres  ional representatives, asking for legislative action to end hunger.  The specifics change from year to year.  In 2009, the focus was long-term projects overseas which would alleviate hunger.  This year, Bread asks congregations to write about expanding US tax credits such as the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit to help poor families pay their bills.  We will each write a letter in our own words, using cheat sheets of key information.  We will address our envelopes; stick on stamps and place them in our offering plates.  With prayers for the poor, we will offer our gifts to God.  If you really do not want to write a letter to your representative, we will have addresses of our shut-ins so that you might write them an encouraging word.  Last year's mission committee added UCC Child Sponsorship and Bread for the World as new ways to be in mission, new ways to respond to Christ's call.  Our April 11th offering of letters will give us a chance to change the world, to prevent hunger in that family down the block as well as in that home in a distant state.  Learn more, including lots of great videos at www.bread.org

February, 2010 Mission is Church World Service Blankets+. In 2007, 43,600 blankets were distributed in just the first nine months and more than 37,000 helped support the efforts of overseas partner agencies as they reach out to the most vulnerable populations in their regions. Some 8,300 lightweight CWS blankets (along with hygiene kits and baby kits) were shipped to Servicio Social de Inglesia Dominicana (SSID), a long-standing CWS partner. SSID is aiding 996 peasant families in rural communities in Dominican Republic’s Southwest. This year, your gifts will help many including those impoverished by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Here in the U.S. victims of flooding, tornadoes and other emergencies have felt the warmth and comfort of a CWS blanket. Five dollars will buy a warm blanket.

AND ... Sunday, february 7, Soup-er Bowl of Caring. On February 7 the country will be buying chips and pizza to watch the Super Bowl.  We will be collecting, stacking and counting soup in our Soup-er Bowl of Caring.  On the field the AFC will face the NFC.  Those who are rooting for the AFC will bring in cans of soup and stack them next to the AFC sign just below the pulpit.  While those rooting for the NFC will do likewise.  However, we found that once favorite teams were eliminated, little fire remained for the competition.  So, our sanctuary has a thrid sign.  IDC stands for I don't care.  Last year, "I don't care" won, big time!  We collected 154 cans of soup, with IDC getting the most votes.  The real winners are the needy families who use the food pantry in Burton, because all our soup goes there.  We just have a little fun collecting food for a good cause.

January, 2010 Mission is Winter Carnival. Christian Education invites everyone to Winter Carnival, Sunday, January 17th.  A simple lunch and fun games at a very small cost add laughter to a cold winter day.  Young and old will answer Bible questions or play games about favorite Bible characters to win little prizes. After 10 AM worship all head to our sunny fellowship hall to eat and play. Everyone takes home a few trinkets.  The cost is very small for paper tickets.  Usually, for $2-3 you can have lunch and play all the games you want.  The kids often go back to their favorites or the ones with the prizes they like.  Lunch has been things like soup and grilled cheese.  All are welcome. Invite your friends. We always have a great time.  All are welcome.

AND ... Child Sponsorship through Global Ministries. A Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ combined Global Ministries. Should our child live in India, Botswana, Jamaica, Armenia, Palestine, Mexico, Haiti, Philippines or China?  Perhaps we should help a Tibetan refugee child in Darjeeling or an elementary school student in Palestine.  Our January mission focus is child sponsorship.  Ever watch those television advertisements and wish you could support a hungry child?  Together, we can!  Through Global Ministries, our giving will provide necessities for a child in one of the neediest places on earth.  We will get a picture and letters from the child.  All donations support the child, not administrative costs.  One example, the Family Village Farm near Vellore, India is a working farm and family for 149 children.  Five and unders live in the nursery.  Older children live with house mothers and grandparents in cottages.  The oldest boys are in a neighboring hostel.  The Farm's English-language school teaches the Farm's children as well as over 500 day-students from the nearby villages.  The Farm was founded by UCC missionary Dr Pauline King.  Help by writing “child” on your offering envelope or check memo line.  Remember, you can always mail your donations to church.  A child's expenses are $25-30 per month.  This month’s offering will provide help for the coming year.

December, 2010 Mission is The Christmas Fund Offering. This is one of four Special Mission Offerings of the United Church of Christ (UCC), is an important way of sharing our joy at God's renewing and life-giving grace. The Offering, which is administered by the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance of the Pension Boards on behalf of the UCC, is an expression of joy and gratitude to, and for, those who serve the church.  

AND ... The Sock and Mitten Tree warms hearts and hands. The first Sunday in December will be Advent Sunday. Claridon Congregational Church has historically warmed many small hands by sharing our blessings with others by decorating the Sock and Mitten Tree. We also feel the warmth in our sanctuary as we watch the tree grow each Sunday. The tree will hold not only socks and mittens, but also gloves and hats and scarves. All items are donated to the Department of Human Services in Chardon.

November, 2010 Mission is Thanksgiving Baskets and Strengthen the Church. Make Thanksgiving baskets overflow. We are blessed to give from our bounty to others for a festive Thanksgiving dinner. There will be a basket at the door by the ushers with slips of paper with items for Thanksgiving dinner donations. For the two families we like to give everything from the turkey to the napkins. Each slip of paper will have one item. You may take more than one if you wish. Please bring all items no later than the Sunday before Thanksgiving. There will be baskets in the Sanctuary for nonperishable items. Please place all perishable in the refrigerator and mark them Thanksgiving Baskets.

October, 2010 Mission is Neighbors in Need. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion through the United States.  One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM).  Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects.  During October, Sunday bulletin inserts will give information about four different NIN grantees.  These grantees are “IndyKids”, Iowa’s “Citizens for Community Improvement”, the “Whatcom Peace and Justice Center” of Bellingham, Washington, and the “Workers Interfaith Network” of Memphis, Tennessee. There will be envelopes available in each pew for donors.

September, 2010 Mission is the Geauga CROP Walk: The Walk is usually held on Sunday in the latter part of September or first of October - For 2010 - Sunday, September 26th, beginning and ending at the Geauga County Fairgrounds. The CROP Walk in Geauga county is one of thousands across the USA and promotes hunger awareness throughout the world and here locally. 25% of the monies raised stays here in the county supporting local food pantries. Learn more about the CROP Walk and Church World Service and their disaster and hunger relief throughout the world. 

We will gather at 1:30 at the Fairgrounds. Walk begins at 2 PM. Online giving? Visit the Claridon Hunger Walkers online at the Church World Service CROP Walk website and make a secure online donation. Contact Bill Brandes (440-313-2833) for additional information. Join us. Become a Claridon Hunger Walker and start securing CROP Walk pledges today.

June/July/August 2010 Mission is Heifer Project International: During the summer of 2010 (June, July, August), the Mission Committee will present the First Congregational Church of Claridon’s very own kind of “ark” with our donations to HEIFER INTERNATIONAL. 

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL uses our donations to bring an end to world hunger.  Today, millions of people who were once hungry will be nourished by milk, eggs and fresh vegetables. Families who for generations knew only poverty will be building new homes and starting businesses. Children who once headed out to the fields to do backbreaking work will be heading into school rooms to learn to read. People who never thought they’d be in a position to help someone else will be experiencing the joy of charitable giving.

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL’s proven approach – almost 60 years in the making –helps people around the world obtain a sustainable source of food and income.  Long-term solutions emphasizing community involvement distinguish their work from that of other global relief organizations.  The practice of “Passing on the Gift” means recipients agree to share the offspring of gift animals with others in need, making them equal partners with Heifer in the fight to end world hunger.  Project recipients learn environmental and sustainable development  to help them achieve sustainable agricultural production.  Animal well-being guidelines are strictly reinforced with professional veterinary training staff.  Program success is measured by how people's lives have permanently changed since Heifer came along.

Join us with your donations as we build our “Ark” this summer.

First Congregational Church of Claridon UCC 13942 Mayfield Road - Huntsburg, OH 44046 (440) 635-1467

• Geauga Hunger Task Force
• The Good Tidings Benefit Choir