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Outreach
Bulletin Board
Care Givers
Mission Projects
Mission Opportunities
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Care Givers
Christian people are called to care for each other and we at First St. John are sensitive to the needs of others. By all accounts, Care Givers has been a practical and important factor in the everyday ministry of First St. John.
The group was organized to assure that those members of our church who are home bound and in need of assistance can receive that help by contacting the church or any member of our circle of care givers.
Our congregation has come together to serve those who need us and are prepared to assist in many ways. We can run errands, furnish medical transportation, send greetings of encouragement, be a companion to a loved one while their regular care giver rests, provide assistance in reading or writing, arrange for food preparation and delivery or even do minor home repairs. The registered nurses of our congregation participate in a Parish Nurse program providing blood pressure screenings for those who desire that health information.
We currently support a program called Home Touch, a weekly inspirational bulletin/letter that we mail to our homebound members to help them feel valued, appreciated and not forgotten.
We thank God for the skills, gifts and insights that each has brought to our common work and for guiding us to share ourselves so deeply and so freely.
If it is your wish to help the Care Givers in this Christian endeavor, please call the
church office at 863-0793.
Peg Moore, is the Care Giver Coordinator.
Mission Projects and Opportunities
We Are A Habitat For Humanity Covenant Church
A primary Mission Project at First St John is our Financial and Human Resource support of the Tri-State Chapter of
Habitat For Humanity. We are glad to be a Covenant church, pledged to support our local chapter with a minimum contribution of $1,000 per year. In addition to this financial support, several members volunteer for work teams to build homes for those among us who are in need of decent housing. Several serve on the Habitat Board and its Standing Committees. We are pledged to actively support this international effort to make sure that no one has to live in sub-standard housing.
More volunteers from our church and community are always needed to make sure our neighbors have adequate shelter. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact
the church office.
Direct Assistance to our Community
In loving obedience to our Lord Jesus as he taught
especially in the 25th chapter of Matthew, we now have a monthly Community
Meal on every fourth Monday Night beginning at 6:00 p.m.. These hot
meals are for anyone in our downtown, inner city community who wishes to
come. We are averaging over 100 meals served so far. First St.
John's love of our neighbor and Lord shine brightly in this ministry.
We are also sharing in the Hamilton Church Hospitality Network which houses
the homeless of Hamilton. The second and fourth Mondays of each month members
of First St. John fix and serve meals to be those at Serve City.
We know that God desires of us that we share our bread
with the hunger and welcome the homeless into our home (Isaiah 58). We
do so gladly.
First St. John also shows its generosity and love for the less fortunate through special projects in the Fall and at Christmas. At Back-to-School time and at Christmas we receive names of individuals from
Catholic Social Services who are in need of extra assistance. New shoes and clothing are provided to children for going back to school so that they won’t feel ashamed of having to wear old and worn-out clothes and shoes. Christmas gifts are also given, though these gifts provide primarily for “needs” rather than “wants.” In October we also work with the
Samaritan’s Purse organization sending shoe boxes full of small toys and personal hygiene items to children all around the world.
Our Missions Committee has also provided financial assistance to many others in need through other charitable or mission organizations such as
Heifer Project International, our local Haven House for the homeless and
Hope House for abused spouses and children, the annual Crop Walk and the
Open Door Pantry here on South Front Street which provides food for the hungry. Annually we are pleased to host a community wide concert in our sanctuary that benefits the
Open Door Pantry. That concert is held the first Sunday afternoon in November and it is broadcast several times throughout the year on the local Hamilton Cable TV station.
The Mite Box
You may have noticed our Mite Box at the rear of the sanctuary next to the double doors. Moneys contributed to this box are distributed monthly to some local charity or mission effort that our Mission Committee has chosen. Most people collect about $35 in change every month. Please consider sharing some of your change with others in need through our Mite Box ministry.
OCWM
Finally, through our denomination we support mission and ministry efforts here in the United States and around the world as together, we the members of the United Church of Christ, bring to others the good news of Jesus’ love for them by word and action. We call this financial support system “Our Church’s Wider Mission”
(OCWM).
Mission Opportunities
God is Calling You!
To Believe is to Care … To Care is to Do.
Ministry and Mission are what the church is all about. We are doing a lot but we need to do a lot more. If you are interested in being involved in one of our current mission or ministry efforts or if you feel called to start a new ministry or mission effort, please
contact our Pastor or
the church office. Our
Mission efforts are coordinated by our Deacons.
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