Mission Efforts-
Reaching out is at the heart of our faith
Molalla
Service Center-
we collect food and money for the service center every year. In
2008 we sent the Center 1,780 pounds of food, and $800.
Children
for change- our Sunday
School children collect change every Sunday to “change the world”.
Recent projects include Heifer International ($692.94), providing
animals so that people in poor countries can raise their own
food, Pennies for Peace ($694.81),
building elementary schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and
Children’s Safe Drinking Water (our current project), helping to
provide safe sources of drinking water
through out the world.
www.Heifer.org,
http://www.penniesforpeace.org/
www.csdw.org
Cancer
Society Relay for Life-
our youth group raised
over $1600 for the Molalla cancer Society Relay for Life this
year, helping to work towards a cure for cancer.
http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/
Maclaren Youth Correctional Facility-
our church is working with one cottage at Maclaren. Our pastor conducts
a Bible study one day a week at the Kincaid Cottage and we sponsor two
parties a year for the entire cottage (25 boys) so they know that
someone cares for them.
Angel
Tree- At Christmas
time we participate in the Angel Tree project, providing Christmas gifts
for the children of men and
women who are in prison. Last year we distributed 20 gifts.
www.angeltree.org
Back
Bay Mission, Biloxi, Mississippi-
Smyrna has sent work teams to Mississippi for the last two years to work
on restoring this United Church of Christ mission that was partially
destroyed by Hurricanes. The mission is a community ministry of the
United Church of Christ, serves the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the wider
church community by faithful witness for social
justice and compassionate service to the poor and marginalized.
www.thebackbaymission.org
KIVA-
We have started a
KIVA revolving loan fund that will provide money to poor people
around the world, enabling them to
expand their business and improve their standard of living.
www.kiva.org
You will find the Smyrna Team Web Page at
www.kiva.org/team/smyrna_united_church_of_christ
Patriotic Christmas for Our Troops Please
help put a smile on a soldier's face for Christmas. We will have a drop
off box for the Patriotic Christmas for Our Troops overseas, September
13 - November 1, 2009. You can either donate some requested and much
needed items for them, or you can make a monetary donation to help cover
the cost of shipping. The requested and much needed items are Letters of
Support, Canned and Packaged Snacks, Powdered Beverage Mixes, Personal
Care Items, Stationary, Fun Stuff, and Other Supplies. Note: Please be
sure that any powder stays in its original container, and placed in a
zip lock bag. If you wish to look at the full list, click
here or please pick one up in the Narthex at Smyrna. If you want to
make a monetary donation, then please make a check payable to Patriotic
Christmas and mail that check to Molalla Communications, ATTN: Patriotic
Christmas, PO Box 360, Molalla, OR 97038.
Love Inc We recently became a member church of Love
Inc. Love INC of Clackamas County
is a network of Clackamas County churches working together to help the
poor and the needy in our communities. Through an intake and referral
clearinghouse staffed by volunteers, we connect people in need with the
resources and programs of nearly 50 churches and thousands of potential
volunteers in those 50 congregations. We support Love Inc with a $1200
contribution and with volunteers from our church.
www.clackamasloveinc.org
National Offerings We participate in four national United
Church of Christ offerings through out the year:
SERRV-
We sell products during
our coffee hour on the last Sunday of the month to support the efforts
of crafts people in poor
countries through out the world.
www.serrv.org
Scholarships-
We have two scholarship
programs. We administer the Glenda Yoder Sano scholarship program for
college students. We also provide scholarship money for children to
attend summer camp at Camp Adams, the United Church of Christ summer
camp east of Molalla. In 2009 we provided scholarships for 14 children.
Building use-
Our building is available for
community use by groups such as the Cub Scouts, and for family reunions.
Please e-mail
friendship-hall@smyrna-ucc.org
for more information.
Click
here if you'd like
to e-mail the church for more information regarding
Smyrna's mission efforts.
