Category: Mission

CROP Walk Update

On Sunday afternoon, October 1, a group of 16 set off on our annual CROP Walk around the river. We were walking to raise money for Church World Service’s ongoing initiative to help end hunger. It was a beautiful early autumn day, the sun was shining and spirits happy as we ambled along, making new connections with each other and sharing stories. We will be sending $1500 to Church World Service as a result of our efforts. As is their practice, they will return a percentage to the Waterbury Area Food Shelf, now known as the Waterbury Common Market.

Church World Service Kit Project

Your Board of Outreach is inviting you to participate in a social justice project!

Each year, Church World Service makes a trip around the various regions of the US to collect from Kit Depots a variety of hand-made rescue kits — these range from disaster clean up buckets, to back-packs that are given to children who otherwise can’t afford them and menstrual hygiene kits, or period packs. You’re invited to help us assemble some of these latter period packs.

From the CWS website: “Providing Period Packs to help end period poverty is an easy way you can help share your love with others. It’s a chance to be an even greater blessing to individuals who lack access to necessary feminine care supplies like sanitary napkins, tampons, and soap. And it’s easy! Whether you are making Period Packs as an individual or hosting a Period Pack party with your friends, by making these simple kits you will be offering women and girls a sense of dignity during the menstrual cycle.”

It is easy to help: Just pop over to our Signup genius page, select an item or as many items as you wish, purchase it, or them, and return to the church by Sunday, April 28.

Here’s the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44A9AB2DA1FC1-48330189-help

Let’s Make Refugee Welcome Backpacks

The Church World Service annual pick-up of church-made emergency kits (ranging from hygiene and clean-up kits for use in disaster areas to kits assisting refugees and other displaced people) will be at our church again this year in its usual early May slot.

Aside from collecting these various kits from other churches, our Bd. of Outreach will be contributing to the cause, with your help, by making 10 Refugee/Immigrant Welcome Backpacks. Help us extend a warm welcome to our new neighbors while giving essentials like food and toothbrushes to refugee and immigrant families rebuilding their lives in the U.S.

To help, visit our SignUp Genius page where we have divided the items we need for the 10 backpacks into manageable chunks. Sign up to buy one or more of these chunks of needed items, purchase the items and bring them to the church where there will be a collection box in the library. The Bd. of Outreach will divide up the donated parts and create the backpacks as pictured to the right.

The link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44A9AB2DA1FC1-help

CROP Hunger Walk

Our Board of Outreach has set the date for this year’s walk for Sunday, October 2, 2022. The CROP Hunger Walk is a way of raising awareness and money in the fight against poverty and hunger. The walk began in 1947 making it one of the longest-running fund-raisers and is now an important part of Church World Service’s efforts around the world to ending hunger including right here in our own community as they donate 25% of the money a walk raises to the local food-shelf.

Our walk is at 1 pm, from the church.

Please consider helping! You can help by signing up to walk. This year, as in the past several, we plan on walking the loop around Waterbury: We’ll head west on Main St, turn left on Winooski St, cross the river and head back east on the River Rd. At Rt 100 we’ll take another left and shortly after that, find ourselves back on Main Street, heading back to church. It’s a 3-mile walk. Sign up to walk at our event page online: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/team/waterbury

You can also help by sponsoring a walker. Go to the same page linked above and instead of clicking on “join,” click on “donate.” and enter Waterbury as team name.

One Great Hour of Sharing – 2021

Through One Great Hour of Sharing, lives are literally changed daily. Your support provides clean water, food, medicines, shelter, healthcare, education and so much more.

What is One Great Hour of Sharing?
One Great Hour of Sharing, part of Our Church’s Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in crisis. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water, food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons, and emergency relief and rehabilitation. One Great Hour of Sharing also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response.


Who participates in One Great Hour of Sharing?
Several Christian denominations – American Baptist Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the Brethren, the United Church of Christ, and Church World Service – work together to develop common promotional materials thereby sharing ideas, costs, and a commitment to faithful service. Each denomination receives and manages its respective One Great Hour of Sharing offering.


How are our gifts used?
The collection we take in this month, on our online offering website, will get sent to the National Setting of the UCC in Cleveland, OH. Sixty percent of the UCC’s offering supports international development initiatives, including annual support for missionaries. Currently, there are 2 One Great Hour of Sharing supported missionaries and 1 Global Mission Intern working in disaster relief, health care, education, sustainable agricultural development, and refugee support. The offering also funds disaster preparedness and response, and disaster-related volunteer initiatives in the U.S.


Where and how are One Great Hour of Sharing funds shared?
The United Church of Christ responds to humanitarian and development needs in the world. Specifically, the UCC supports sustainable development and refugee needs internationally and provides disaster relief and immigration assistance in the United States.The United Church of Christ responds as a member of organizations such as Church World Service and the ACT Alliance. We also support the direct mission efforts of churches and church-based organizations that the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have direct partnerships with through Global Ministries. Nearly one-fifth of the UCC’s OGHS offering is shared through Church World Service to support refugee, and disaster programs worldwide.


How many dollars are given to the UCC’s One Great Hour of Sharing offering?
In 2018, the OGHS offering received just under $2 million. Nearly sixty-five percent of UCC congregations participate annually.


What percentage of One Great Hour of Sharing donations are used directly for the mission?
On average, of every dollar given to One Great Hour of Sharing, 95 cents is used directly for mission programming; and 5 cents for interpretation materials. The associated administrative costs are paid by gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission National Basic Support.


How are decisions made to fund the various projects?
Most of the expenditures are put into the budget to support long-term sustainable development. All funding is reviewed and monitored by a leadership committee that also reviews grant requests for long-term disaster rehabilitation initiatives.


How can I contribute to One Great Hour of Sharing?
We are asking that all donations to OGHS be made by check. Our treasurers will write a check to OGHS at the end of the month. Please do not try to use the online portal for this offering.