United Church of Christ
300 Central Street Saugus, Massachusetts 01906 781-233-3028
We are a congregation that seeks to love God and make God's love known by being a faithful group of folks who:
- Believe in God - Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit - and seek to put God first in our lives through prayer and worship
- Belong to a welcoming, loving and caring fellowship
- Are rooted in Jesus’ teachings to love God and our neighbor
- Are seeking to use our gifts to be servants of God both within and beyond our sanctuary walls
- Desire to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, one deed at a time, starting in our hearts, our homes, our neighborhoods, our town and ultimately our world.
STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE
September 2011
Another church year is here! We have so much to look
forward to -- like pledging and paying our dues to support the things we love
about our church!! Well, maybe we don’t look forward to this, but admit it –
aren’t you a little curious about what the Stewardship Committee will do for an
encore after last year’s piratical pledge drive? And there’s always the Time
and Talents Auction in April... And will Stephanie write another novel this
November? Or will there be a new fundraising challenge from another quarter?
Stay tuned, and while you do, here’s something to think about from our friends
at UCC.
Neighbors in Need & the Pumpkin Connection
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special
mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion
throughout the United States. One-third
of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the
UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice
initiatives, advocacy efforts and direct service projects.
It
is fitting that this collection is taken during the month of October during our
Pumpkin Patch. It is through a
collaboration with PumpkinsUSA and the Navajo Reservation of New Mexico that
the PPatch ministry is possible. Because
the pumpkins are offered on consignment to churches and non-profits only, all
of us are able to assist each other in our ministries. Jobs are created for Reservation residents
and the profits are shared by their community.
This is also a green endeavor, helping to sustain independent
farms and keeping the Earth providing an economy for indigenous peoples, as it
has been for thousands of years.
Please
give as generously as you can when you see the offering envelopes distributed
in church.
UCC Membership Dues
The
Trustees report that year-to-date we have collected $865.05 in UCC membership dues.
Each church member is asked to pay the
$18.30 per person for yearly dues to the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC. The
church prepaid our dues already in the amount of $1390.80 (76 members x
$18.30). We have mailed out two request
letters so far and are still short of our goal by $525.75. This Spring, we offered a program where
people requiring assistance in paying their dues could speak to Rev. Martha,
who has a list of those who offered to donate extra funds to cover those who
could not pay. This offer still
holds. If you would like to make an
extra donation to benefit another member, please see Jessie Allison, our
Financial Secretary. Thanks to you all
for helping to keep our church on budget in this fiscal year.
From
Your Stewardship Committee:
Greta
Zaniboni, Stephanie Machell, Wayne Welch, & Paul Lima
PUMPKIN PATCH
The Pumpkin patch came into being as a simple Youth Group project which evolved into a church community adventure as many members volunteer at the annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser during the month of October.
The pumpkins we receive are from a non- profit organization called Pumpkins U.S.A. and are grown on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. The pumpkins are planted, cared for, harvested then transported to churches and non-profits around the country for the purpose of Christian outreach. Our generated proceeds support the church and some Saugus non-profits. Each year we have enjoyed an increase in our funds which allows us to seek out new mission related projects.
Saugus Clergy Association Ministry to Homeless Families
In 2009 the Boston Globe ran a story about the increasing number of homeless families being housed by the State of
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
We participate in the Coalition’s Christmas Bake Sale by purchasing cakes from Dancing Dear Bakery, profits from which to support homeless shelters in our area. For more information log on to http://www.mahomeless.org.
Saugus Community Food Pantry
On Communion Sundays, the first Sunday of the month, we gather two basketfuls (and sometimes more!) of food to donate to our local Saugus Food Pantry, located at the Cliftondale Congregational Church. Each Friday morning from
Angel Tree
This is our most popular outreach
event. At Christmas time, we
decorate a tree with angel ornaments that represent a woman and her
child(ren)
who are living at Bridge House, a homeless shelter in
Lynn,
Mass.
The age, gender & clothing size of each is listed on the
angel. We each take an angel (or two or three!)
and buy the appropriate gift. We
hope our small gift is received in the spirit it is given ? with love.
Deacons Fund
United Church of Christ Yearly Offerings
Our church gives generously to One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors in Need, & Strengthen the Church, all ways we can give to these world-wide outreach efforts of the UCC. To learn more, visit (http://www.ucc.org/ocwm)
Aid to Haiti
We gave generously to the UCC’s plea for financial aid for
Annual Christmas Concert
On the first Sunday in December
each year, we invite the community in for a free concert of Christmas
music with
our choir, featured soloists and musicians and a sing-a-long of your
favorite
Christmas hymns. There is a
reception following where we can eat and talk together. Come
celebrate the season with us.
