The Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) in North India has been supported by Global Ministries since 2006. The Centre serves 300 men and women who farm the rural areas of the Diocese of Sambalpur. Living at or below the poverty line, the farmers struggle due to damaging weather, globalization, and high interest rates imposed by local moneylenders. Often, they are forced to migrate and find work in hazardous industries. The Centre utilizes experienced resource persons in agriculture, cooperatives, resource mobilization, organization, community development, health issues, and mother and child care. The hope is that these programs will help provide area farmers with better food security and income, thereby halting the need for families to migrate to find employment. In its first 20 months, results are encouraging, though funds are still needed to allow for additional programming and to financially assist the farmers as they implement what they’ve learned.

UCC Hospitality KEEP OUT. Two bitter words that cut and sting. KEEP OUT The words send a chill through us, and we hurry along our way. United Church of Christ congregations tend to emphasize welcome and hospitality. Here is a sampling of the sayings on some of our churches’ signs:

For former UCC missionaries Richard and Martha Lammers, “To dream is to be alive. To act upon a dream can renew one’s life.” Renewal came to pass when they traveled to Japan in 2008 – the 60-year anniversary of the first time they set foot on Japanese soil. It was also their 60th wedding anniversary. The Lammers say it has taken a while to realize that their God-given purpose is to serve as catalysts for bringing people together “so they can create new and before-unimagined relationships and understandings. “To live and work for some 40 years among those who were considered our enemies has been the greatest privilege in my life,” says Richard Lammers. “I pray constantly that the youth of our day can have the privilege of living amongst those we now call our enemies and learn more deeply of our common humanity.”

U.S. Navy Chaplain Homer Yearick was stationed on the island of Tinian during WW II. The B-29 aircraft that carried the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki took off from Tinian. From that day forward, God’s children in Japan held a special place in Homer’s heart—a compassion that he passed on to his four children. Following his death, Homer’s family established an endowment in his memory to benefit the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) – an organization whose mission it is to build an environmentally healthy, just and peaceful world. On this day, Hiroshima Day of Remembrance, we reflect on the lives lost, the lives forever changed and those, like Homer Yearick, who invested a lifetime in service to others. Contributions to the Reverend Homer and Lorraine K. Yearick Endowment Fund can be directed to Wider Church Ministries, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.

Camp Totokett plans to continue its support to those who find themselves living in the midst of AIDS for as long as there is a need in our community. (Continued on August 5) As a mission project of the First Congregational Church, the Camp Tokokett depends on volunteers for staffing and on donations of food, services and dollars from not only the congregation but also the wider community. It is funded in part by the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF), the Fresh Air Fund of the New Haven Register, the Woman's Seamen's Friend Society, private donations and, in the past by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Branford Community Foundation.

(Continued from August 3) Through the bringing together of diverse urban and suburban groups, Camp Tokokett serves strongly as a bridge spanning geographic, socioeconomic, racial and religious lines. All participants develop new understandings, compassion, lasting friendships and respect for each other. There continues to be a significant need in the greater New Haven community for children and families living with AIDS/HIV. Camp regularly reaches out to newly affected families, but also serves as a long term support base to campers, the majority of whom return for multiple seasons. Camp offers stability to children coping with the multiplicity of changes that AIDS can bring, including (as has been the case with some of the campers) the death of a parent or loved one. Camp Totokett plans to continue its support to those who find themselves living in the midst of AIDS for as long as there is a need in our community. (Continued on August 5)

The United Church of Christ has announced its support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign to engage parents, families, schools and communities in eradicating childhood obesity and ensuring access to affordable and healthy food.

Members of Florida’s 100 UCC churches will gather for beach-side worship Sunday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. to celebrate and reflect how individuals can play — and are playing — a role in protecting the Gulf of Mexico devastated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The unassuming hillside church building that houses the UCC's Centro Romero ministry in San Ysidro, Calif., looks like many of the homes in its expansive neighborhood save the stuccoed steeple and white cross.

(Continued from August 2) Since Camp Tokokett’s inception, it has also had a primary objective to provide enrichment and leadership training to the older former campers. Previous Camp Totokett campers who are now in high school are eligible for a weekend enrichment program. The weekend takes place before the regular Camp Totokett week and is way to maintain the connections established in the past as the campers 'age out' of the regular program. Former campers join the Church's mission trip to Kentucky where they learn advanced leadership training skills, while giving of themselves to others in need. Camp Totokett also seeks to promote individual, family and community connections between urban and suburban participants. Camp staff (except for our waterfront director) is made up entirely of community volunteers, including high school and college students, teachers, nurses, physicians and clergy. (Continued on August 4)

Camp Totokett is a free one-week camp for the "invisible" children of HIV/AIDS: children who, while not infected themselves, live in families where one or more family member is infected. At a very early age, these children must face the illness, and sometimes death, of a parent or other loved one, often in the isolation and silence that typically surround those suffering from AIDS. Founded in 1996 by The First Congregational Church of Branford and held yearly at Killam's Point, the Church's waterfront property in Branford, camp offers a respite from the enormous issues and responsibilities which these children face daily in their homes. In a stimulating, nurturing environment, children, ages 6-13, participate in seashore-based nature activities, arts and crafts, fishing and a daily music program. (Continued on August 3)

All Ages, All Saints! People of all ages discover a spirit in the United Church of Christ of openness and welcome. Here are the discoveries of three saints of the UCC. What are the stories of saints in your congregation? Dana, a teenage saint “When I was younger, my Girl Scout troop met at this church. The more I got to know the building and the people in it, I realized that a church was more than an old building — it was a place where I could belong. At my church, there are so many people interested in what I'm doing and who I am.” Al, a middle-age saint “One night I asked my wife, "Do you get the feeling that something's missing from our lives?" We decided to try a church where my friend was its newly installed pastor. When we got there, we saw people hugging each other. They hugged us, too. Neither of us had ever experienced anything like this and certainly not among so many different types of people. On our way home my wife said, ‘They actually seemed glad to see us.’ That's when I knew what we had been missing: Community.” Pete, an octogenarian saint “As I reached my 80s, I had to see a new place for myself in a new world with new faces in the church I had grown up in. Because of the covenant created at baptism, I knew I could speak my mind and ask questions when I needed to – something I really cherished as I got older. My church treats me with honor, and I honor my church. I still feel a sense of community and commitment to my church. I'm committed to keeping the door to my mind and my church open.”

Service projects can strengthen your faith. For the past six years folks in Avon Congregational Church in Avon, CT, have been involved with a seemingly magical creation that takes place once a month in the church kitchen. Through what they call “Stone Soup” they make a meal that is delivered to the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen in Hartford. It is an act of faith when you make a commitment to gathering and preparing food for 150 people every month. Many people donate items to cook. There is a group of 10 who dedicate their Saturday morning to assembling and cooking the meal. A beautiful, nutritious meal is made, delivered, and receives rave reviews from the staff at Loaves and Fishes. When the generous donations of ingredients, are chopped, peeled and stirred, they really do see the light of God in the faces of these faithful cooks.

When: Sat Aug 14, 2010

Event Status: confirmed

When: Fri Sep 10, 2010

Event Status: confirmed

When: Tue Aug 24, 2010

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12pm to 1pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12pm to 1pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Aug 15, 2010 3pm to 4pm  EDT

Event Status: confirmed

When: Mon Aug 30, 2010

Event Status: confirmed