Here are some of the ways EHCC, and you!, help those in need:

• The July Caring Coin collection will go to “Holy Joe’s Café,” a non–profit, volunteer effort, UCC coffee project that supports the coffee house operated by the chaplains’ office at Sather AFB in Baghdad, Iraq. The project originated with the First Congregational Church of Wallingford, CT as a coffee drive, but gained enough momentum to grow into a national donation effort. As the nature of the war has changed, chaplains are deployed to the forward operating bases and often are the first line of defense against the extreme physical, emotional and psychological situations faced by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Holy Joe’s Café provides a place where our troops can socialize, receive emotional and spiritual support, and be in a relaxed atmosphere after the tension of being on duty for many days. What began as a 100-cup weekly makeshift ministry has been so effective and well received that the outreach program has grown to assist over 60 chaplains and now serves over 3,500 cups weekly. Our July Caring Coins donation will be used to purchase Equal Exchange coffee online to be sent directly to Holy Joe’s Café.
  
  Now in its tenth year, Project Backpack, is an annual program of Helpline House providing essential school supplies and helping with education related expenses for students in need. The program reduces the burden of school expenses on an already-tight household budget by eliminating the need for many families to make the choice between groceries and basic school supplies. Project Backpack serves over 150 families each year ,and the recipients are overwhelmingly touched by the community’s generosity.
  EHCC will have a drop-off box in the narthex for school supplies and backpacks–a list of needed items will be in the August Sunday bulletins. Also welcomed are gift cards to stores such as Target or Wal-Mart to help families purchase back-to-school shoes and clothing. Project Backpack will also receive our August Caring Coin donations.
  
  Thank you for your generosity to, and support of, both Caring Coins recipients!

• Called to Care:

We all have gifts of caring that we bring to the world! Some of us are more sure of our gifts than others and have an easy time sharing them. Others may wonder more if their gifts "count," or whether they have the time and energy to use them at all.  Many EHCC members share their gifts of compassion in a variety of forms. While we affirm all our much-needed acts of ministry, we also want to empower those of us who have not yet utilized their caring gifts as much as they would like, and to better coordinate the caring that is ongoing. To this end, the Called to Care team is hoping to improve communication between those responding with care (or hoping to!) and those who need care, as well as expand beyond lay visitation to encompass all of the caring gifts of congregation members. As a result we hope that we will be more able to communicate what is needed to a wider circle of people and thus respond to people's needs in a more timely way.

We feel called to breathe a new model into this important ministry for the following reasons:

• Many practical needs, such as folks in need of transportation or meals following a crisis in their lives, are different than lay visitation, but are just as important.
• There are many gestures that make a person feel up-lifted, such as a hand-written note, a prayer shawl delivered to them, or a simple gift such as flowers, a box of tea, or a paper heart made by a child.
• Sometimes a need does not come to our attention until it is too late. With this new model, congregation members and the staff would be encouraged to contact the coordinator so that the need can be responded to in a timely matter.

 

So whether you have been responding with care to the needs of the congregation for years, or if you’re wondering if this is one of the ways you are called, here are a couple of questions for you to consider:

Would you be willing to be on an email or phone list to be notified when a need arises?
If so, what are some of your gifts that you would be willing to offer the community?

Here are some examples of ways that you can contribute time and energy:

• Food preparation and/or delivery of food
• Transportation to and from church
• Sending notes/Knitting prayer shawls/other gifts
• Lay visitation (Please schedule meeting with me for training if you are new at lay visitation)
• Being part of a prayer chain

Regular communication with team members will happen via email, or phone for those who request it (no meetings required!!). We will have separate email lists for each category of care, so that you will only receive an email when a need arises that matches your gifts.  For those who wish to participate, the Called to Care team will try hosting quarterly celebration pot-lucks during which we can share what we have learned and receive some inspiration from a speaker or practitioner. And once a year we will celebrate our Caring Ministry in worship, honoring and giving thanks to all those who have contributed in ways both large and small to the work of caring for the needs of our fellow community members.  If you are not sure what your particular caring gift might be, I welcome the opportunity to help you discern what area feels the best for you and/or your family. Contact me if you want to set up a time together. Remember, everyone has a gift!   Watch your email in-box for more information, and I look forward to hearing from you!

~Pastor Emily

 

• Special Offerings:  Approximately quarterly, we encourage your financial contribution to special offerings designated by the United Church of Christ.    To find out more about UCCofferings, click here: www.ucc.org. 
  
  
• Youth Group Mission Trip: for a week each summer, our Sr. Youth Group attends a mission trip during which they work in needy communities.  You may volunteer as a chaperone for a mission trip, and you may financially support the trips. Outright donations are certainly appreciated, and the youth group sponsors several fund-raising events throughout the year.
  
  
• Helpline House: Our church makes a substantial financial contribution to Helpline House each year. This contribution is targeted to a specific family in need as identified by one of Helpline’s social service workers.  And, one afternoon every few months, we encourage shoppers at Town and Country Market to donate food to Helpline.

• EHCC is home to Helpline's Super Supper dinners the last five working days of the month.
  
  
• Ometepe Scholarship Program: The financial contribution our church makes helps send an Ometepe student to college. You can donate directly to this fund!
  

• Our Church's Wider Mission: UCC congregations are involved with mission in many ways. In the United Church of Christ, we affirm that, although the congregation is the fundamental unit of mission, mission is not just local. We are connected to one another, across boundaries of neighborhood, class, race, and national border. Our Church’s Wider Mission is the name we use to describe the work we do as the United Church of Christ beyond the local church–through our Conferences, national ministries, and UCC-related institutions. Our Church’s Wider Mission is also the name we give to the financial support given by UCC members and congregations that makes this broader mission possible.  EHCC makes a substantial contribution to OCWM annually.  To find out more, www.ucc.org
  
  

For more information on any of the above, please call the church office.

To contact us:

EHCC

105 Winslow Way West

Bainbridge Island, WA  98110

Phone: 206-842-4657