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Outreach Mission:
The primary outreach mission of First Congregational Church is “To help the most
vulnerable in society: children, the elderly and others who are troubled.”
First Congregational Church offers many opportunities for members to get involved
in programs in the community and wider world. We also provide direct financial
support for some of these organizations and others. To learn
more about any of these Outreach projects, please contact the Outreach board,
Outreach@FirstCongMadison.org
or contact the church office at (608) 233-9751.
Opportunities in Madison and the surrounding area:
- Habitat for Humanity.
Members of the church work as volunteers at worksites and provide lunch for
workers of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County. We organize workdays for these
activities in the spring and fall. For more information on Habitat activities
check out Dane County Habitat for Humanity's web page.
- Farmer’s Market Food Collections.
First Congregational
is one of a number of churches in the Madison area involved in the collection
of donations of extra food and other produce from vendors at the Farmers’ Markets
in Madison. On selected Wednesdays (Hilldale Shopping Mall) and Saturdays (Capital
Square) from May to August, members volunteer to collect food items for distribution
to free meal sites by the Community Action Commission.
- Madison-area Urban Ministry (MUM).
Our congregation supports Madison-area Urban Ministry through its membership
contribution as well as members participating in its study groups and activities.
MUM is an organization that works toward interfaith collaboration, social action,
low-income people advocacy, and juvenile justice. For more information on MUM,
visit MUM's web page.
- St. Paul Community Meals.
The community meal program
of Madison serves cost-free lunch and dinner to those in need in the Madison
area. Members of First Congregational Church volunteer at the St. Paul’s University
Catholic center one Thursday a month, providing the food and serving lunch to
125-150 people. Our church is one of 52 Madison area faith groups that participate
in this program.
- Thanksgiving Dinner.
Since 1993, the church has
hosted a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community. Volunteers prepare, cook,
and serve meals for several hundred people. All are welcome at the dinner. There
are volunteer opportunities for all ages.
- Salvation Army Women's Shelter.
The church provides
volunteers at the Salvation Army's women's shelter on a weekly basis. Donations
of items such as warm clothing and metro bus tickets are welcome, as are additional
volunteers.
- Second Chance.
Second Chance, an outreach project
initiated in 2003, involves First Congregational Church in a commitment to support
one family to transition from homelessness to a stable apartment situation.
The program includes counseling, financial, and mentor support from members
of the church in cooperation with other community agencies. Beyond mentorship,
members of the church provide periodic support of donated supplies, furnishings
and other necessities. The Church both contributes local missions dollars and
holds a special offering for this project. For further information see information at the Second Chances Workshop web page.
- Cherokee heights Middle School.
First Congregational
Church contributes funds to the school, to be used to help children and families
in difficult socio-economic circumstances get appropriate healthcare and education.
Volunteer opportunities are present for school library work, classroom assistance,
and one-on-one work with English-as-a-Second Language students.
Volunteer opportunities beyond Madison:
- Chiapas, Mexico.
Starting with an initial visit in 1998, First Congregational UCC commissioned
five delegations to Chiapas, Mexico. The objectives were to gain understandings
of the history and social/economic circumstances of the people of the Las Margaritas
parish and to develop a supportive relationship with the Diocese of San Cristobol
and the parish.
- Other international collaborations.
Members of First
Congregational UCC have been active in a number of other international and ecumenical
collaborations. For example, groups have visited Cairo, Egypt, as part of a
cooperative mission with German churches and the Coptic Church in Egypt.
Organizations supported by our local
mission dollars:
Organizations supported
by our national and international mission dollars:
- Our Church's Wider Mission
(OCWM).
supports the state, national and international work of
the UCC church through mission dollars from the church budget. See the OCWM web page for more information.
- One Great Hour of Sharing
: once a year interfaith
offering; focused on world mission
- Neighbors in Need: once a year United Church of Christ
offering, focus on social justice, human rights and advocacy
Please call the church office at (608) 233-9751 for the contact person regarding
each of these activities.
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