Wider Mission

Sunday, September 05, 2010

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UCC Wider Mission

Below is a sampling of some of the UCC Wider Mission efforts supported by St. Vincent UCC.

     Five of Five
          Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)
          One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS)
          Strengthen the Church
          Neighbors in Need (NIN)
          The Christmas Fund
     Global Ministries
     Disaster Response Ministries
          Emergency USA
          International Relief Aid

Five of Five
Below are the five central mission and ministry funds of the United Church of Christ, known as the "Five of Five." In supporting all five of these, St. Vincent is known as a "Five of Five Church."

Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)
OCWM is the basic UCC offering that makes all of our other ministries possible. Of our OCWM gifts, about two-thirds are used right here in southeast corner of Pennsylvania, and about one-third is forwarded on by our Pennsylvania Southeast Conference (PSEC) to be used in our national and international UCC ministries.

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS)
OGHS supports our international relief aid, disaster preparedness ministries, refugee aid, and more. To learn more go to: http://www.ucc.org/oghs/

Strengthen the Church
This annual UCC offering supports new church starts, invigorating existing congregations, nurturing lay and pastoral leadership, building youth and young adult ministries, and evangelism. To learn more, go to: http://www.ucc.org/stc/

Neighbors in Need (NIN)
NIN gives support for justice and compassion ministries within the United States. One-third goes to support the UCC Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) for direct service projects, advocacy efforts, and justice initiatives. To learn more go to: http://www.ucc.org/nin/.

The Christmas Fund
This fund supports retired pastors and widows who do have the financial and/or insurance resources to meet their needs. To learn more, click on this link to the Pension Board's Christmas Fund web page.

Global Ministries
Global Ministries is a partnership of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). You can learn more about how we work together in mission and ministry throughout the world by clicking on this Global Ministries link.

UCC Disaster Ministries
The UCC averages one response every 2.5 days to provide relief aid throughout the US and throughout the world. By clicking on the UCC Disaster Ministries link you can learn more about how the UCC responding in our world today.

Emergency USA
St. Vincent UCC has sent aid to a number of UCC Emergency USA relief efforts. By clicking on the UCC USA Disaster Alerts you can learn more about our relief aid ministries in the USA and Puerto Rico.

Midwest Floods
One recent example of St. Vincent's USA mission is in its support of the Midwest Floods relief aid in North Dakota and Minnesota this past March 2009. By clicking on the Midwest Floods link, you can learn more about how this aid is used to help the people affected by these floods, as well as an opportunity to donate relief aid on line.

International Relief Aid
St. Vincent supports many of the UCC international disaster relief aid appeals. By clicking on the UCC Disaster Alerts link, you can learn more about these mission responses.

Haiti
St. Vincent has responded to the UCC special appeal to assist the people of Haiti following the 2009 earthquake.

Chile
St. Vincent has responded to the UCC special appeal to assist the people of Chile following the 2009 earthquake and tsunami.

Sri Lanka Refugees
St. Vincent has responded to the UCC special appeal to help the 265,000 displaced people of Sri Lanka, 80,000 of which are children. By clicking on the Sri Lanka link you can learn more about hope and tangible aid we are providing.

Pakistan Refugees
St. Vincent has responded to the UCC special appeal to help the 3 million displaced people of Pakistan - victims of the terrorist driven conflict in that region. By clicking on the Pakistan link you can learn more about hope and tangible aid we are providing.

Additional World Mission

St. Vincent UCC also supports missions beyond the UCC. The following are some examples of those mission efforts.

Church World Service
Church World Service (CWS) is an inter-faith, inter-denominational, ecumenical mission effort composed of 35 denominations (including the UCC) working together to help people throughout the world. Learn more by clicking on: Church World Service.

As stated on the CWS web site:
Church World Service works with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. Together we reach out to neighbors in need near and far--not with a hand out, but a hand up. So, if you’re looking to help build a better world—a world where there’s enough for all—you’ve come to the right place!

Around the world, Church World Service supports sustainable grassroots development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance, and we educate and advocate on hunger-related issues. In the U.S., we help communities respond to disasters, resettle refugees, promote fair national and international policies, and provide educational resources.

Heifer International
Heifer International is dedicated to ending hunger and caring for the earth. Since its founding in 1944, Heifer International has empowered hungry families to lift themselves from poverty to self-reliance through livestock and training.

Over the years, supporting various Heifer projects has been a favorite mission outreach of the youth and children of St. Vincent.

In May 2008, China’s Sichuan province was hit by a devastating earthquake. Thousands were killed and millions were left homeless. It is estimated that the direct loss of animal husbandry in Sichuan totals more than $2 billion. The children of St. Vincent are excited to be raising money to support Heifer International’s Sichuan Earthquake Rebuilding Project. They sent $225.00 in aid in the June 2009.

Heifer seeks to not merely provide tangible aid, but to increase independence and self-reliance of people in need, as well as to equip them to help others. You can learn more by clicking on the Heifer International link.

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