Mission and Justice
Feburary 2018
Soup for Syria: Saturday, February 3, 6pm
Come in from the winter cold for an evening of warmth, community and support for
the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS)! Admission is free, and all donations go to SAMS and their crucial ongoing work with refugees of the Syrian civil war. SAMS will share the life-saving story of how they have delivered over 5 million medical services during the last year alone. We’ll also enjoy delicious homemade soup with Syrian bread and raffle off two copies of “Soup for Syria,” a beautifully photographed cookbook with recipes from world-renowned chefs ($5 a ticket for a $30 value!).
For more information about SAMS, go to: www.sams-usa.net
One Great Hour of Sharing® (OGHS) “MORE THAN WE CAN IMAGINE”
OGHS is the Lenten Offering of the United Church of Christ that supports disaster, refugee, and development activities. Talk to Jill Lewis or Mike Rich if you are willing to be our campaign coordinator this year or to present a Mission Moment on a Sunday leading up to the collection on March 11. For much more information including about Matching Gift programs, donating to a specific natural disaster or refugee emergency, staying updated, go to www.ucc.org/oghs.
Local
Arlington Food Pantry
Bring non-perishable food items and household goods to church by Sunday, February 4. Find high-need items here:
www.town.arlington.ma.us/departments/health-human-services/food-pantry/food-donation
NEAT (Neighbors Eating All Together)
The next NEAT dinner at St. John’s Church (74 Pleasant St) is Saturday, February 17. These dinners are open and free to all. If you’d like to volunteer to help set up, serve, plate food, or clean up, please speak to Kate Lindheim or watch for an email to Chat.
Birthday bags for Youth Villages/Germaine Lawrence
Each month we send a birthday party in a bag to a dorm at Youth Villages. Birthdays can be a hard reminder that the girls are not at home with friends and family. If you’d like to donate, bring in any of the following: cake mix, cake frosting, cupcake liners, birthday candles, festive paper plates/napkins in sets of 20, or large gift bags. There’s a blue bucket under the table in the narthex where you can drop off items anytime. Thank you!
Somerville Homeless Coalition’s Community Supper
PACC provides a meal for about 25 people on the fourth Monday of every month. Look for an email to CHAT or speak to Kate Lindheim if you’d like to help set up, plate food, serve food, or clean up. Thank you!
Queer Mystic
See January news and events in February and beyond in the Mystic LGBTQ+ Youth Support Network’s January Newsletter, here https://tinyurl.com/ybauzmmm.
Wider Church
Super Saturday
March 17, 2018 – 8:00 A.M. to 3:45 P.M.
Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, MA
A day of stellar workshops and UCC community featuring the dynamic Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis as keynote speaker. Dr. Lewis extends a profound, moving, even funny invitation to join her in working for racial equality. Workshops focus on everything from living into our LGBTQ welcome to growing a vibrant church to learning about the Sanctuary movement. Past attendees have come back excited and equipped to do new things here at PACC! Register at www.macucc.org/eventdetail/super-saturday-march-2018-9985355 , deadline March 3. Talk to Mike Rich to register as a group at a discounted rate.
The Poor People’s Campaign
The Massachusetts Conference of the UCC invites you to learn about this national movement building on Dr. King’s dream of a more just future for our nation’s poor and marginalized. Visit www.macucc.org/poorpeoplescampaign for sermons, blog posts, and events that help us understand how injustice to any is harmful to all and how we can begin to dismantle it.
UCC Christmas Fund
THANK YOU for your generous contributions to the UCC Christmas Fund – over $800! Your gifts aid retired clergy and lay employees with income supplementation for basic needs such as food, utilities, and medical expenses and assist active clergy and lay employees facing unexpected financial needs due to crises in their lives.
