Residents of the island have invested their resources, with the help of our community and USAID, in the development of a sea turtle egg nursery. Rather than losing the precious and endangered turtle eggs to poachers who sell or eat the eggs, members from the community are paid to collect the eggs and bring them to the turtle egg nursery so they will be protected, hatched, and released into the Pacific. The Salvadoran government recognizes this well-run program as a model of economic development and protection of the delicate natural environment of the island. Our gift to the community will help further this project even as the community seeks more long-term funding solutions. Your generous gift on October 2 is a gift to the world as we honor Jesus' call that "we all might be one." Click to see more about our mission in Tasajera.
One Great Hour of Sharing
On Palm Sunday, our congregation participates in the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering where we come together to help provide disaster relief, development assistance, safe refuge, and health and social service to our sisters and brothers around the world who are struggling both to survive and improve their lives.
Pentecost Offering
Our annual Pentecost Special Offering benefits a local mission project. Past projects have included School-Based Health Centers and Brethren Community Services.
Christmas Special Offering - December 18, 2011
We celebrate the birth of Jesus with a gift for the world! During worship on December 18, we lift up in prayer and give generously to two special offerings of the United Church of Christ: Neighbors in Need and The Christmas Fund. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. In December look for special inserts on Sunday mornings that tell the story of recipients of Neighbors in Need funds.
Our collective gift to the Christ Child is a gift to our neighbors, near and far. Please give generously on December 18.
Neighbors In Need
Each year, two-thirds of Neighbors in Need (NIN) supports program initiatives and direct grants offered by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM)—including hunger action programs, policy advocacy, just peace ministries and community organizing. One-third supports the work of the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries(CAIM) and, in turn, its direct support of 20 American Indian congregations throughout the UCC.
“Many of us wonder how we can really make a difference in the world,” says Bernice Powell Jackson, JWM’s executive minister. “How can we work for world peace? How can we help end hunger? How can we support justice and fairness? Well, a gift to Neighbors in Need is something concrete that we all can do. It allows our church’s voice to be heard and our caring to be felt.”
The Christmas Fund
The Christmas Fund offers one-time and on-going assistance to retired United Church of Christ clergy who live on very small incomes. After years of faithful service to the church, many clergy find that retirement incomes are not enough to survive. The Christmas Fund provides extra support in difficult times.