2008 Missions: Summary

OVERALL GOAL: To assist Christians battling poverty, hunger and injustice.

OUR COMMITTEE :

  • Continues to check out the ratings of groups requesting financial assistance to make sure they use the funds appropriately.
  • Continues to give monthly Mission Moments the last Sunday of each month (Sept. – May) to help educate our own congregation regarding the causes we support on their behalf
  • Continues to write informative monthly Lantern articles
  • Increased our monthly conference contribution to $475
  • Continues to organize the 3 major conference fund raisers
    • Neighbors in Need,
    • Christmas Fund,
    • and One Great Hour of Sharing
  • Encourages our congregation to bring in food items for the Billerica Food Pantry the 1st Sunday of each month
  • Updated our Missions Committee web site information
  • Provided Palm Sunday dinners to UCC shut-ins and provided pictures taken for our church’s web site
  • Created our annual Missions calendar
  • Continues to attend monthly Executive Cabinet or Executive Leadership meetings
  • Authorized supporting the following agencies
    • Bread for the World - $75 for their lobbying efforts and 75 for their institution portion
    • Fellowship of Reconciliation - $250
    • Hispanic Community Church UCC of Lowell - $300
    • House of Hope - $200
    • The Navigators (Janeen Davis ) - $350
    • The Outdoor Church - $150
    • Project Chacocente - $600
    • PYF Habitat Trip to Colorado - $1,625
    • Society of St. Andrew’s - $150

 

NEW INITIATIVES:  

  • The Outdoor Church for the homeless and needy in Boston/Cambridge with 4 Missions members attending a communion service on May 4th and providing white socks and Sandwiches

  • Invited Jed Mannis to preach on the Outdoor Church on May 11th.

  • Collected used printer cartridges and cell phones to  recycle with proceeds going to support Project Chacocente

  • Offered greeting cards for purchase with proceeds going to support Project Chacocente

  • Provided for the worship service on Sunday, July 27th
  • Proposed an Alternative Christmas Market to be held in Dale  Hall on November 30th with the following groups sending representatives:
    • The Billerica Food Pantry
    • Equal Exchange (Fair Trade coffee, tea, & chocolate)
    • Habitat for Humanity
    • Heifer International
    • Project Chacocente
  • Contacting the Hispanic Community Church UCC of Lowell to see if they might send a representative to preach or share information with us regarding their church
  • Initiated an environmental stewardship program at our church by:
    • Obtaining endorsement from our Executive Leadership Team
    • Attending an environmental UCC conference in Andover
    • Inviting our Trustees, Pastor and Custodian to assist in this important endeavor
    • Creating signs for recycling paper, bottles, & cans and for refundable bottles & cans
    • Planning for 2 free energy audits
    • Contacting recycling companies