PROUD TO BE “FIVE FOR FIVE”
The First Congregational Church of Pelham is proud to be one of 1250 churches that are 5 for 5!
This list includes churches that contributed in 2007 to each of the 4 mission offerings in the UCC: One Great Hour of Sharing, Christmas Fund, Neighbors in Need, and Strengthen the Church; and to Basic Support of Our Church's Wider Mission.

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). OGHS, as part of OCWM, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God's message of love and hope to people in more than eighty countries. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water and food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, emergency relief, and advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons. OGHS also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

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.
Most UCC congregations will receive the NIN offering on October 5, 2008 as part of their World Communion Sunday observance. NIN contributions can be made on-line at any time here.

STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH
Strengthen the Church grows the UCC's future by:

• Funding new church starts and invigorating existing congregations
• Nurturing lay and pastoral leadership
• Building youth and young adult ministries
• Supporting the God is Stillspeaking Ministry and its extravagant welcome for all within the United Church of Christ.
  
  
  
  

THE CHRISTMAS FUND

The Christmas Fund Offering (formerly the Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross), one of four Special Mission Offerings of the United Church of Christ (UCC), is an important way of sharing our joy at God's renewing and life-giving grace. The Offering, which is administered by the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance of the Pension Boards on behalf of the UCC, is an expression of joy and gratitude to, and for, those who serve the church.
Gifts to the Christmas Fund help provide pension and health premium supplementation to low-income retirees, emergency assistance to the families of clergy and lay employees and Christmas Gift Checks to hundreds of annuitants.

NASHUA SOUP KITCHEN
A Non-Profit organization, Nashua Soup Kitchen provides meals, emergency shelter,
transitional housing, food baskets and advocacy to the poor and homeless.
Visit their website at www.nsks.org.

PELHAM GOOD NEIGHBOR FUND
Established in 1969 to provide food and financial assistance to those in need, the Pelham Good Neighbor Fund sponsors the Food Pantry located at St. Patrick’s church at 12 Main Street. The Pelham Good Neighbor Fund is a non-profit organization. It is not a state or town funded agency. All of the programs and services are made possible by the generosity of people like you. All donations are used to provide food and financial assistance to less fortunate neighbors. Visit the website at www.pelhamgoodneighborfund.org

LAZARUS HOUSE
Lazarus House assists people in need of food, shelter, medical and dental services, a home for AIDS patients and three thrift stores serving over 8000 people a month in the Greater Lawrence area. Visit www.lazarushouse.org

13 organizations work together with over 3000 partners in
more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions
to poverty and injustice. Their website is www.oxfam.org.

HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL

Since 1944, HPI has helped more than 4 million impoverished families in approximately 110 countries and 35 states become more self-reliant through the gift of livestock and training in their care. A non-profit organization, rooted in the Christian tradition, HPI joins with people of faith everywhere to work for the dignity and well being of all people. HPI provides 24 types of food and income producing animals, as well as intensive training in animal husbandry, environmentally sound, sustainable farming practices and community development. www.heifer.org

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

Church World Service is a ministry of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 70 countries; CWS supports
sustainable self-help development, meets emergency needs, and helps address
the root causes of poverty and powerlessness.

Within the U.S., Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters,
resettling refugees, promoting fair national and international policies, providing educational
resources, and offering opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring
through participation in CROP WALKS, the CWS Blanket Kit and Layette Program, and the Tools of Hope Program.

Habitat is a non-profit, ecumenical housing organization, which builds simple, decent,
affordable housing in partnership with people in need. Their website is www.habitat.org.

NOBODY'S CHILDREN
Nobody's Children provides medical and humanitarian resources for needy children throughout the world. The organization was founded in 1991 by Edward and Elaine Yourtee after experiences in Romania while adopting their son Jonathan. Moved by the plight of orphans in Romania, they organized their friends to make a limited contribution to improve the conditions they had seen. They also sought to leverage their efforts by working directly with Romanian doctors to improve their abilities to care for children. When a key volunteer from Romania moved to work in Bosnia, opportunities arose to help children from all factions who were left homeless by war. www.nobodyschildren.org

HIGH SCHOOL MISSIONS TRIPS
Each year, our High School students have dedicated a week of service as the Lord leads them,
to help others in need. Through fundraising to pay their own way, this year our Youth is working at
the Overlook Farm of Heifer Project International in Rutland, Massachusetts.





For more than 30 years the national setting of the UCC has been on a clear course of welcome and inclusion, calling for serious study of human sexuality, supporting the civil rights of LGBT persons, and in 1985 adopting the Open and Affirming (ONA) resolution, that it has publicly declared that "gay, lesbian, bisexual" (GLB) people (or those of all "sexual orientations") are welcome in its full life and ministry (e.g. membership, leadership, employment etc.) It bespeaks a spirit of hospitality and a willingness to live out that welcome in meaningful ways.
The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns provides significant leadership in the ONA movement, developing resources and urging congregations to become ONA. Their website is www.ucc.org/lgbt.

Bridges is a nonprofit organization located in Nashua, New Hampshire that provides free and confidential services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, child sexual abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and harassment. We provide crisis intervention, emergency shelter, court advocacy, support groups, and education and outreach to both women and men. Their Website is www.bridgesnh.org.

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in assistance to people in 106 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America and Europe, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries. Their website is www.mercycorps.org.