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Mission
opportunities are an important part of our church life and include, but
are not limited to Habitat for Humanity, Feed My People, Interfaith
Hospitality Network, and Community Table. Volunteers to help in
these missions are always needed and appreciated.
Mission
giving at First Congregational can be divided
into three categories:
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Money
given through the United Church of Christ "Our Church's Wider
Mission"
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Money
given to special offerings and activities
sponsored by the UCC and Church World
Service
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Money
given to local missions through the budget
and special offering
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Special
Offerings and Activities
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Neighbors
in Need Offering
is a special offering taken by the UCC on
World Wide Communion Sunday. Money is
used in the following areas, all within the
United States:
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Support
for American Indian Congregations;
recruiting and educating American Indian
pastors.
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Combating
violence, particularly against women and
children.
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Supporting
economic and environmental justice.
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Supporting
youth programs that prevent problems before
they occur.
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Helping
build a multicultural and multiracial church
and society.
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Revitalizing
and enriching the ministries and mission of
urban ministries.
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The
Christmas Fund (Veterans of the Cross),
which we have as a budgeted item, supports
low-income retired UCC ministers and their
widowed spouses with supplements to small
pensions, emergency grants, and subsidies
for health plan costs.
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One
Great Hour of Sharing
is an interdenominational offering that
supports partners in more than 70 countries
with ministries that feed the victims of
famine, provide services for displaced
people, fund development projects, and
respond to natural disasters. Most of
this money is given to Church World
Service. We receive this offering on
Easter.
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Tools
of Hope and Blankets, an offering for Church World Service,
replacing Blanket Sunday, provides blankets,
tents, and other emergency supplies in the
wake of natural disasters. It also
provides tools, education and training, and
loans to help people help themselves.
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Crop
Walk, while not officially budgeted, is generously
supported by First Congregational.
Begun in 1947 by Church World Service, Crop
Walk funds provide hunger-fighting
development efforts in 80 countries.
In addition, 25% of the funds stay in the
local area to help with local hunger relief
efforts.
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Support for Local Missions
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Community
Table
- First Congregational gives both time and
money to the Community Table, a local
organization serving meals. We are
responsible for cooking and providing lunch
on a rotating basis.
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Food for Pets - Pet food and monetary gifts will be donated to the Eau Claire County Humane Association. The third Sunday of each month.
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Habitat
for Humanity
- As a covenanting church, we provide both
workers and money for this organization that
builds homes for area families. The
Thanksgiving offering goes to the local
Habitat chapter.
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Interfaith
Hospitality Network
- First Congregational Church provides
workers to support this organization that
provides shelter for homeless families while
helping them find jobs and permanent
housing. In addition, the Christmas offering
goes to support IHN.
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Chippewa
Valley Free Clinic
- For the past two years, the Giving Tree at
Christmas has gone to support the Chippewa
Valley Free Clinic, an organization that
provides free medical services to area
residents.
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Support
for Food Pantries
- First Congregational Church supports local
food pantries through the following
programs:
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Food
given on the first Sunday of every month is
given to either the Salvation Army or the
St. Francis Food Pantry.
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Food
and money given for Load a Truck Sunday and
Souper Bowl Sunday is given to Feed My
People.
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Red
Cross Bloodmobile
- First Congregational Church sponsors two
Bloodmobiles each year in September and
March.
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