Five for Five

Our church recently received a “Five for Five” designation from the Conference, and national setting of the

United Church of Christ. This means that, last year, we contributed to the five key national funds of the church:

·        Our Church’s Wider Mission (which supports the general work of the church)

·        One Great Hour of Sharing (which sends money for relief work in emergencies, such as Haiti and Japan)

·        Strengthen the Church (which helps fund local church building programs)

·        Neighbors in Need (supporting mission work here in the United States)

·        The Christmas Fund (which supports retired pastors)

This is no small task for a church of our size, and so let us pat ourselves on the back for participating

in these important ministries, to help make the world a better place.

Part of our Statement of Beliefs and Core Values reads “Guided by the wisdom of scripture, prayer, and the movement of the Holy Spirit we seek to live in community, caring for each other and for all of God’s creation.” This is behind the work we do in outreach. We support a number of local agencies with financial and other gifts. (Last Christmas, for example, we gave over 125 packages of socks, underwear, hats, gloves, and scarves to Seattle’s Compass Center, for distribution to folks who are homeless.) We also support the major offerings of the United Church of Christ, and we look for ways to be involved in issues of concern and justice in our community – locally and globally.

Outreach activities of our church often involve all ages working together, and we believe that – even in a small way – we as the Body of Christ are able to make a difference in our world.