MISSIONS BOARD

What is mission?  Webster defines it as a sending out with faith to perform a special duty.

The Missions Board does just that, both in our community as well as outside our community.

Within our church “camperships” are provided to those who attend summer camp.  “Undie Sunday” will once again kick off Rally Sunday in September.  Health and hygiene products are being collected to be made up as health kits for those who suffer from natural disasters.  

Community needs vary throughout the year with food donations to the Waukesha Food Pantry; a twice a year visit to the Cathedral Women’s Center to provide toiletries, a light snack, and prepare bagged lunches; and a twice a year visit to Waukesha for “Loaves and Fishes” to prepare and serve a hot meal.  Bikes, tools, and donated shoes have been collected and delivered to Honduras.

Other collections include One Great Hour of Sharing in the spring and Neighbors in Need in the fall. A decision in November, allows the disbursement of our Board’s discretionary funds for our Advent  offering.

With the Missions Board, we are given the opportunities like these, for our church members to serve those who are less fortunate.  Thank you all for your generosity and support.

If you should have any questions or know of other opportunities we could support , please contact Jan Gradisnik, chair, Jerry Elvers, Jean Reichert, or Lois Thatcher.

HEALTH KITS

The Missions Board will be collecting items to create health kits for the victims of natural causes, which will be distributed through Church World Services.

          The items needed are:

          1    hand towel measuring 16” x 28”

          1    washcloth

          1    wide-tooth comb

          1    nail clipper    

          1    bar of soap (bath size in  

               wrapper)

          1    toothbrush (in original

                packaging)

          6    standard size Band-aids

The assembly of all these health kits will be done by those, both large and small, as a mission project at the Vacation Bible School camp-out August 7^th.

Donations can be the purchase of all the listed items, or multiples of an item.  If shopping is not an option, a $12.00  donation check, to cover the cost of items plus a processing charge, can be made out to B.C.C.  Hopefully, we will get a good response over the next 3 months. 

Donations can be placed in a collection bin in the Narthex.

BCC MISSIONS:

A WORK IN PROGRESS

Neighbors in Need.  The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will receive during the month of November, supports the UCC’s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States.

Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects.  Through UCCTakeAction.org, our national Justice and Witness Ministries office offers resources, news updates, and action alerts on a broad spectrum of justice issues.  Working with members of the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network (a network of thousands of UCC justice and peace advocates), Justice and Witness continues its strong policy advocacy work on issues such as the federal budget, voting rights, immigration, health care, hate crimes, civil liberties, and environmental justice.

Neighbors in Need also supports our Native American  neighbors in the UCC.  One-third of the offering supports the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM).  Historically, forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arickara, and Hocak in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and northern Nebraska.  Today there are 20 UCC congregations on reservations and one urban, multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  These churches and their pastors are supported by CAIM.  CAIM is also an invaluable resource for more than 1,000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who are members of other UCC Congregations in the US.   A special Neighbors in Need envelope is attached to this newsletter for your donation.

The Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County, now called Hope Center, sends along its thanks to the members of Brookfield Congregational Church for their donations of 44 packages of new underwear.   If possible, please remember to check the Missions Board bulletin board in the hallway across from the food pantry shelves for other requested items for those in need.