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MISSION (Outreach & Benevolence) |
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~~~ Scope ~~~ The very words outreach and benevolence define the scope of our O&B activities: · Outreach: to reach beyond; the act of extending services, benefits, etc., to a wider section of the population, as in community work. · Benevolence: the desire to do good to others; goodwill; an act of kindness; a charitable gift; a kindly act; a gift given out of generosity.
Thus, St. John UCC seeks to engage the time, talents, and material resources of our members in projects targeted at helping people and organizations locally, nationally and internationally with critical or special needs.
~~~ Reach ~~~ St. John members in recent years have reached out to supply a wide range of needs for the less fortunate people in our community, the US and elsewhere in the world. These include: · Locally – a generous donation of time, money, food, meals, clothing and holiday gifts to less than well off children, adults, seniors and low income families, not to mention the feeding and staffing of a homeless shelter 3 to 4 times a year. · Nationally – funding for programs aimed at alleviating hunger, disaster relief for hurricane victims, training leaders, funding for medical research (cancer), workers to repair, paint and fix up homes in distressed areas away from Illinois; emotional support to incarcerated individuals, etc. · Internationally – humanitarian relief funds and materials directed to people in poor and underdeveloped areas, victims of natural disasters, civilian victims of wars, and others.
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FELLOWSHIP Our fellowship activities include coffee hour every Sunday, women's afternoon and evening circles, the Women of St. John group, a men's breakfast group, senior’s group, Lunch Bunch, progressive dinners, supper groups, picnics, Advent workshop, potluck dinners, Christmas Caroling, Easter Breakfast and Mother's Day Brunch, attending baseball games and Ravinia nights, canoe retreats to the Boundary Waters, and an annual Family Camp weekend at Tower Hill camp in Michigan. |
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For more information about local UCC Outdoor Ministries, including Tower Hill camp, click on the image below. |
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The individual O&B projects undertaken at St. John evolve in various ways within our membership. Although the O&B ministry supports traditional St. John outreach activities on a continuing basis, the Pastors, other ministries and individual church members often propose and become the champion of projects. The O&B ministry encourages these and lends support as needed.
In summary, the collective result of recent St. John UCC O&B activities is extensive, considering the relatively small size of our membership. And, individual outreach efforts are not limited to the O&B ministry, but can arise from the conviction of a single St. John member who is moved to make an impact on a need which he or she identifies.
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