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365 Belmont Street
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel (617) 484-1542

UCC Symbol

Mission and Outreach

Holiday Stollen Bread

The Mission and Outreach Committee will be selling Stollen Bread from on November 18th after church. A loaf of bread, made by Edelweis Bakery, is $10 and is appropriately packaged for gift-giving. All proceeds from the sales will benefit MA Coalition for the Homeless

Second Step Angel Tree and CMS Christmas Shop

We are very excited this year to be able to support two worthy missions during the Christmas holiday season – Second Step Family Shelter and City Mission Society Christmas Shop.

Basic Support—Our Church’s Wider Mission

The National United Church of Christ reaches out to assist people in need in this country and throughout the world with programs that provide food and shelter, supplies, money, and socio-economic development. OCWM works through the following agencies: Board for World Ministries, Board for Homeland Ministries, Commission for Racial Justice, Office for Church in Society, Council for American Indian Ministry, and other UCC agencies. Website: www.ucc.org

Massachusetts Conference—Church Development

This church has made a five-year pledge to the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ for the development of new churches in the conference area.

UCC Special Offerings - One Great Hour of Sharing

Gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing are used to support:

Much of the proceeds of One Great Hour of Sharing are channeled through Church World Service. Funds from the offering are administered by the United Church Board for World Ministries, and annual reports on the use of the money are made to the Executive Council and the congregations of the UCC.

Christmas Fund

Contributions to the Christmas Fund provide:

The Christmas Fund is administered by the UCC Pension Boards, which report annually to the Executive council on the status of the offering, indicating current and planned uses of the fund while protecting the confidentiality of individual grants.

Neighbors in Need

As the UCC celebrates its 50th year during 2007, we are challenged to articulate our vision for a different kind of world and to engage in bold acts of “Jubilee Justice”. Imagine that another world is possible. Through Neighbors in Need (NIN), UCC churches unite in our common commitment to justice and compassion by supporting congregations, nonprofits, and neighbors in our communities across the country. NIN supports 20 American Indian congregations through the Council for American Indian Ministry and a broad array of issues – poverty, economic development, environmental concerns, violence, and advocacy – that directly impact our neighborhoods and community. On November 4th special offering envelopes will be placed in the church pews and collected to support NIN efforts to alleviate the effects of injustice and eliminate the causes of it. By supporting the broad UCC mission, we can truly offer hope and transform lives!

Gifts to Neighbors in Need are used to benefit disadvantaged neighbors of the United Church of Christ in the United States. The council for American Indian Ministries received one-third of the offering. The remaining two-thirds are utilized by the:

NATIONAL MISSION

Back Bay Mission

Back Bay Mission Trip to Biloxi, MS – April 20-27, 2008

Sign up for those interested in our mission trip to Back Bay Mission in Mississippi is available on the Mission and Outreach bulletin board outside the church office. An information session will be scheduled for November those interested in the trip as well as volunteers who are willing to help with trip coordination or fund raising. Believe it or not, but the trip is just around the corner (a short winter season away)!

Background

Out of Biloxi, Mississippi, Back Bay Mission, founded in 1920 by the UCC, provides direct services to poor families:

Chuch World Service

Church World Service is the relief and development arm of the national Council of Churches of Christ in the United States. Working with indigenous organizations in more than 70 countries, Church World Service meets emergency needs in times of natural disasters and in assisting refugees. In areas with socio-economic problems, programs of long-term development include food productions, primary health care, land reclamation, water resource development, literacy and job training, food pantries, and clothing collection.

Heifer Project International

Since its founding in 1944, Heifer International has helped families in more than 125 countries to become self-reliant for food and income, by providing more than 25 different types of farm animals and training in environmentally-sound farm management and community development. Everyone who receives the gift of an animal from Heifer agrees to pass on the gift of livestock and learning to others in need. Rooted in the Christian tradition, Heifer International works with people of all faiths to end hunger and to care for the earth.

The Northeast Regional Office of Heifer is located in Rutland, MA, at Overlook Farm. Heifer is supported by the Sunday School offerings as well as the Mission budget.

H.O.M.E. - Home Workers Organized for More Employment

Is part of the Emmaus Movement, an international movement that helps poor and homeless people build new lives. There are 38 Emmaus groups in 32 countries. Two groups exist in the United States: one in New York City and one in Orland, Maine, which Payson Park Church supports. H.O.M.E., founded in 1970, attempts to work with others in four ways:

  1. To provide help to those in need
  2. To help people develop the skills they need to help themselves
  3. To develop a community rather than just an individual to end prejudice and racism

LOCAL MISSION

Belmont Food Pantry

Located in the fire station on Waverley Street, is open two Saturday mornings each month to provide assistance to Belmont residents in need. Donations of groceries are available to families and individuals. People receive a grocery order for a complete holiday meal at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. This church provides the items assigned to us by collecting food from the congregation.

Bristol Lodge

The Bristol Lodge, a program of the Middlesex Human Services Agency, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide shelter, food, advice, and counseling to the homeless people in the Waltham area. Specific facilities include a women’s shelter, a men’s shelter, and a family shelter as well as the Bristol Lodge Food Kitchen. The Food Kitchen is funded entirely by private donations and volunteers. The kitchen provides a hot, nutritious dinner, prepared and served by volunteers. The kitchen also prepares sandwiches and take-out lunches. The Bristol Lodge also provides case management, counseling groups for women, housing advocacy, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meetings, family life advice, and referrals to other social agencies. The mission is to serve the homeless with dignity and respect.

City Mission Society

City Mission Society is a UCC-related action, service, and advocacy agency in the city of Boston. It works with urban youth and families to meet emergency needs, enrich their lives and help individuals develop their full potential. CMS programs: Faith in Action provides opportunities–the successful Christmas Shops program, for example–for UCC congregations to experience the vital presence of Christ in Boston; a children's Arts in the Neighborhood program; crisis intervention to provide relief to families who, because of sudden illness, unemployment or other emergencies need temporary help with food, fuel or utility bills; a Boston-area Youth Organizing Project to develop leaders, build self-esteem, and bring about positive life changes for 7th–12th graders; a Summer Fund supports opportunities for children to spend time in the country for education and recreation; a Criminal Justice Program works with prisoners while in prison and as they re-enter the community. A new Men in Transition program pairs volunteers with newly released prisoners in supportive relationships.

Congregational Library

The Library was established as part of the American Congregational Association in 1853 to maintain a collection of books, manuscripts, pamphlets, portraits, and historical artifacts. Located in Congregational House at 14 Beacon Street in Boston, the Library is open to everyone; you may borrow books simply by providing identification. The Library collection includes over 225,00 titles, including books on biblical studies, theology and philosophy, preaching and worship, history, education, church organization and missions, church music, as well as books covering contemporary issues useful to a working minister.

Cottage Hill Academy

Is a part of Y.O.U., Inc. of Worcester, MA, which provides a broad range of community-based resources to families and adolescents in crisis. Cottage Hill Academy is a residential school for troubled female adolescents in Baldwinville, MA, formerly known as The Protestant Youth Center. Teenage girls are referred to the school by social service agencies and psychiatric hospitals, many of them having been physically and emotionally abused in their homes and communities. At Cottage Hill, they attend school, receive extensive counseling, learn life-skills, and enjoy a safe environment. This highly structured program of intensive intervention creates positive growth and change for the girls, allowing them to reintegrate to their families and communities.

Pilgrim Church

in Upham’s Corner, Dorchester, MA, is a community-based church which provides many services to the residents of that area. A food pantry, meal program, senior citizen programs, youth organizations, and fellowship are only a sampling of the services provided to the community. Pilgrim Church is the recipient of our Thanksgiving In-Gathering of food and special offering and also of a portion of our Easter offering.

Seafarer’s Friend

Is the name of the current organization that continues the work of The Boston Seaman’s Friend Society, organized to serve seamen in New England since the early 1800’s. The mission of Seafarer’s Friend is to “meet the unmet spiritual, social, emotional and physical needs” of crew members aboard cargo ships visiting the ports of Boston, Portsmouth and Portland. Chaplains and volunteers visit the ships daily to talk to the crews about their needs and to provide transportation to shopping areas and other shore services. Pastoral counseling, conflict mediation, and advocacy are available. Seafarers visit the new Visitors’ Center in Chelsea for recreation, telephone, email and Internet communication and fellowship. Other services include donations of new and used clothing, toiletries, and reading materials. The importance of this organization has grown as issues of terrorism and security have increased in this country.

Support Committee for Battered Women. Since 1981, the Support Committee for Battered Women, located in Waltham, has worked diligently to render necessary services to battered women and their children. This non-profit, tax-exempt corporation provides services that include a shelter program, a 24-hour hotline, legal advocacy, and support groups to help victims of domestic violence. With the help of the staff and many dedicated volunteers, women are encouraged to develop as individuals and as parents. The goal of this committee is to work toward the eradication of domestic violence.

EDUCATION

Andover Newton Theological School

Founded by United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches, USA, Andover Newton prepares women and men for faithful and effective pastoral leadership wherever they are called in the world or in the church. Many areas pastors and graduates of Andover Newton and a number of our Christian Education Directors have come from their program. In addition to its traditional role, the school also offers our church many resources in the form of speakers, conferences, and training sessions which keep us up-to-date in the field.

Bangor Theological Seminary

Founded in 1814, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. Its primary mission is preparation for Christian ministry. The seminary has an innovative program known as the “Bangor Plan” which allows for ministerial training to persons who do not have a college degree. After two years in the liberal studies program, the participant may enter the Master of Divinity program of study; and, once completed, he or she is able to work as a minister while completing the undergraduate degree. Bangor Theological Seminary offers a Certificate in Small Church Leadership. The teams gain an understanding of the distinct character of their congregations. The Seminary has campuses in Bangor and Portland, Maine.

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS