Recent/Upcoming Missions Events

CARITAS

We host a group of homeless adults for a week each year as part of the CARITAS program.  We will welcome our 2011 guests during the week of Jan 29 - Feb 4.

 CROP Walk  

CROP Walks support local hunger relief ministries and the global relief and development efforts of Church World Services. The 40th annual Richmond CROP Walk will be on Sunday, Nov 7, 2010.

Mission Moment

In the days just after January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, giving to the UCC's Haiti earthquake response exceeded previous online giving rates, indicating a generous outpouring from across the United Church of Christ.

Within six days of the disaster, a total of $250,603 had been received from 2,366 online donors. “It's no surprise that UCC people are being very generous in reaching out to our sisters and brothers in Haiti,” said Susan M. Sanders, the UCC’s minister for global sharing of resources. “But this unprecedented outpouring also shows that people are remembering to give through the UCC in times of disaster, and demonstrates that we are getting more comfortable with offering our gifts through online methods.”

UCC funds are flowing to mission partners in Haiti, including support for relief kits organized by Church World Service and funds for medicine and supplies for area clinics provided by Interchurch Medical Assistance. Funds have also been shared with Global Ministries for support of partners, the National Spiritual Council of Churches of Haiti (CONASPEH) and House of Hope. Additional distributions are being made as relief and recovery efforts continue.

Sanders reminds UCC supporters that while the church responds immediately at times of natural disasters, its commitment to recovery and rebuilding is long-term. “The UCC will be working in Haiti for many years to come, long after the media spotlight has turned elsewhere,” she says.

February 2010
God is still speaking,

Our Annual Missions Calendar

• Souper Bowl

A special offering collected on Super Bowl Sunday to support a local hunger ministry.

• 30 Hours of Famine

A fast/fundraiser to benefit World Vision.  This is accompanied by educational activities, and ends by breaking our fast with our CARITAS guests.

• CARITAS

Each year in late February/early March we host a group of homeless adults for a week through the metro Richmond CARITAS program.

• One Great Hour of Sharing

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is the relief, refugee and development fund of the United Church of Christ. It is one of the Special Mission Offerings received by the United Church of Christ and is a part of Our Churches Wider Mission (OCWM).  This offering , which is received annually on the fourth Sunday in Lent, supports partners in more than 70 countries with ministries that fund development projects, feed the victims of famine, provide services for displaced people, and respond to natural disasters.

• Strengthen the Church

Strengthen the Church is one of the Special Missions Offerings received by the United Church of Christ.  Traditionally collected on Pentecost, gifts to Strengthen the Church help to further our commitment to be a multiracial, multicultural church, open and affirming and accessible to all. These funds are used to strengthen and renew existing congregations, support leadership for new congregations and leadership development for the whole church, and provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. 

• Neighbors in Need

Neighbors in Need is a Special Missions Offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, including ministry carried out by the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM) and by the national offices of Justice and Witness Ministries. It is received annually on World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of October.

• CROP Walk

CROP, or "Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty", is the community hunger appeal of Church World Service.  CROP Hunger Walks raise funds for both local hunger relief ministries and the global efforts of Church World Service to help impoverished people become self-sufficient. The CROP Walkers' motto: We walk because they walk!

• CCHASM Thanksgiving Food Basket Program

Our special Thanksgiving offering provides funds for holiday meals  through the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Alliance for Social Ministry (CCHASM).

• Christmas Mother

Every year we adopt a needy family and provide holiday gifts through the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Christmas Mother Program.

• Christmas Offering

Our Christmas offering is usually divided and used to support two ministries:

The Christmas Fund - one of the Special Missions Offerings of the United Church of Christ.  It provides financial aid to retired and active ministers and their surviving spouses and children who face overwhelming financial demands, a ministry carried out by the Pension Boards. 

One of our local missions partners - Freedom House, Homeward Bound, CARITAS, etc.