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Don't Forget the Newton Food Pantry!
Remember the Newton Food Pantry when grocery shopping. Bring your contribution to church on Sunday morning. The Newton Food Pantry provides a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced food items once a month to Newton residents who need their help. They serve an average of 30 families each week. Clients are referred to them by the Newton Department of Human Services and also by clergy, health and other social service workers. Their clients are elderly persons, or single parents, or unemployed or other people who are unable to work. |
Moments for Mission
June 8: Since 1973, Accion International has been providing people with the tools they need to work their way out of poverty. They are dedicated to bringing financial services and business training to the smallest small business people – market vendors, seamstresses, sandal makers – known as “micro” entrepreneurs.
June 22: Since 1827, Seafarer’s Friend has supported seafarers from around the world with a ministry of pastoral care, hospitality, information and referral, and human rights advocacy.
Next Shelter Cooking Dates: September 6 and 20
Volunteering for the Habitat Newton Project at 76 Webster Park, West Newton
Information on the Newton Habitat project can be found at www.habitatboston.org. Specific info on volunteering at the Newton project is found at http://www.habitatboston.org/newton.html.
Habitat welcomes volunteers, both individuals and groups (from businesses, faith groups, etc) to assist with the project. Volunteers can check on current volunteer needs and sign up via an online construction calendar. The online calendar for the Newton project at http://www.localendar.com/public/hfhnewton . On this calendar one can see which days are scheduled work days for volunteers. One can see which upcoming days have volunteer openings. On the Newton build, typically there are 8 volunteers on any given day; builds days are typically on Tuesday-Thursday during the week and either a Saturday or Sunday on a weekend. Habitat Greater Boston has a certified construction manager for its projects.
A volunteer manual for Habitat can be found at http://www.habitatboston.org/files/VolunteerManual.pdf. Official build volunteers must be 16 years or older but there are other ways for younger folks to be involved (such as in auxiliary services providing snacks, coffee for volunteers, fundraisers for Habitat such as carwashes, etc.). Volunteer work depends very much on fundraising and donated materials and services to keep moving ahead.
General orientation sessions for Habitat volunteers are held periodically and last about an hour. An online signup for these sessions can be found at http://www.habitatboston.org/orientation_form.php3.
How to Get to the Project Site
The Habitat build project location is in the rear of 76 Webster Park, a street off Webster Street in West Newton, a few blocks west of Cherry Street. You can find detailed directions to the site from all directions and by bus and train at the Habitat website at http://www.habitatboston.org/directions.html.
The Habitat project is actually in the rear lot of 76 Webster Park. You will see the original Forte' house in the front which will have a number on it. Look for the Habitat sign in the driveway to the left of the house. Parking is recommended on the left side of the road closer to the edge of the grassy inner circle which forms the Webster Park loop.
Support Myanmar Recovery
One thousand dollars of the Second Church undesignated Benevolence money has been forwarded to the UCC's Myanmar Cyclone Fund in response to their emergency appeal and by action of the Board of Mission and Advocacy. This contribution toward immediate relief and long tern rehabilitation from the devastating May cyclone is channeled through One Great Hour of Sharing, Church World Service and the other UCC ecumenical partner agencies, including the Myanmar Council of Churches. The agencies are able to transfer outside funds and relief items. Individual donations can be sent through http://www.ucc.org/disaster
(As of “press time” the church mechanism for contributions related to the horrendous Chinese earthquake haven't been received.)
Newton Walk for the World
Last October when Second Church was the host for the 26th fund-raising walk, the total raised was $68,344. The bulk of this, $40,435, came from the Central Church Legacy The portion of money that went to Church World Service helped them respond to the continuing crisis in Darfur, refugees in Kenya, flood and tornado victims in the midwestern USA and those still affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As usual, 25% was distributed locally. The organizing committee is looking for new volunteers to prepare for the October 19, 2008 event which the United Methodist Church will host. Call Mary Donchez at 617-965-7441.
From the Board of Mission and Advocacy Annual Report - 2007
The year 2005 found members of our congregation active in mission in numerous ways. Folks shopped and prepared meals for 100 men at United Homes Shelter once or twice each month. Weekly donations to the Newton Food Pantry were delivered. We participated in City Mission Society's Christmas Shops, collecting and delivering gifts for those who were in most need during the holiday season. Fair Trade Coffee that benefits farmers and the environment was used at Coffee Hour. Folk of Second Church are members of boards of various non-profit organizations, providing business expertise and invaluable support.
| Through the benevolence portion of our yearly pledges, we were able to support 32 different organizations, and, in addition, four new benevolences . These charities and non-profits serve children, teens, men, women, and families, covering diverse needs and fostering community. Our benevolences reach out to help people in Newton, Greater Boston, throughout Massachusetts and the United States and in countries located around the world. We have helped to fight hunger and poverty, and have provided shelter for those trying to get out of abusive situations. We have helped to educate the next generations of religious leaders and helped to educate people, located in many parts of the world, to take care of themselves and their families. |
Organizations supported in 2007 included
| UCC - Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM) | Newton Food Pantry |
| Accion International | Newton/San Juan Del Sur Sister City |
| Advocates, Inc | NWH Protestant Chaplaincy |
| American Antislavery Group | REACH |
| Andover Newton Theological School | Refugee Immigration Ministry |
| Boston Area Rape Crisis Center | Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice |
| Can-DO | Rosie's Place |
| City Mission Society | Rural Farm Advancement |
| Community Living Network | Seafarers' Friends |
| Congregational Library | Second Step |
| Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries | SERRV Development Grants |
| Fair Trade Coffee | Springwell |
| Grassroots International | United Home Shelters |
| Hands On Worldwide | Walker Center |
| Interfaith Counseling | UCC/GLC |
| MBA Just Peace Coordinator | Campership |
| Mass. Bible Society | Church World Service |
| Mass. Council of Churches | Friends of Open House |
| Match-Up Interfaith Volunteers | Homes for Our Troops |
| Middlesex County Prison Coordinator | |
Accion International
is dedicated to providing financial services to
the smallest of small business people who have no way to secure a bank
loan. They work in 18 countries and the US.
Advocates, Inc. Provides community-centered services that empower disabled individuals to deal effectively with their life challenges, to pursue their own individual aspirations, and to realize satisfaction in their relationships, their work, and their communities. Programs range from high-intensity group homes and staffed apartments to cooperative and supported apartment settings
American Anti-Slavery
Group
The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) is a grassroots organization founded
in 1993 to combat slavery around the world. AASG has broken a virtual
media blackout on slavery and helped free over 45,000 slaves.
Andover Newton Theological School
As a graduate school in the Reformed tradition, in faithfulness to Jesus
Christ, we strive to educate leaders who are: enlivened by
rigorous study in a community embracing diversities of faith and life;
devoted to the renewing of church and society through ecumenical witness
and creative expression of the Gospel; and committed to enacting God’s
ways of justice and love in the world.
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Founded in 1973, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center is a community-based, grassroots organization with a mission to provide: Free crisis counseling and advocacy services designed to empower, support, and educate survivors of rape and sexual assault, their families and friends, and the professionals who work with them, and Community education that strives to reduce the tolerance of sexual violence in our society and increase understanding of the issues facing survivors
CAN-DO Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization, Inc. (CAN-DO). Its mission is to own, develop, preserve, and manage affordable housing in Newton.
City Mission Society City Mission Society Christmas Shop brings the joys of giving and receiving to many people in the Greater Boston Metropolitan area annually. In 2006 almost 2,000 adults and children benefited from the generosity of hundreds of members of more than 45 local churches, groups and organizations.
Community Living Network
Community Living Network, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to the development of a continuum of housing options and housing related services to meet the needs and preferences of seniors. CLN now serves a network of communities, including Brookline, Needham, Newton, Watertown, Wellesley, Waltham, and several Boston neighborhoods.
The Congregational Library The Congregational Library was founded in 1853 by a group of ministers, out of awareness that an educated clergy is an essential ministry in congregationalism. It started with 57 books. Today the Congregational Library is a unique Boston repository of over 225,000 books and pamphlets documenting the history of American Congregationalism.
For nearly a century and a half, The Congregational Library of the American Congregational Association has been the archives for Congregational history and thought, a center for scholarship on both religious and secular topics, and a "loan/learn-by-mail-library." It houses the finest collection anywhere of books and papers about the history of Congregationalism, its Puritan roots and its influence in the formation of this nation.
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Inc. – An interfaith coalition of congregations in greater Boston, CMM brings people together across religious economic, racial and ethnic boundaries so that, in partnership, we can work more effectively for a just society.
Hands on Worldwide is a U.S. based, volunteer staffed, non-profit organization dedicated to timely disaster response and relief.
Homes for Our Troops is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that builds new or adapts existing homes for handicap accessibility to meet the needs of our most severely wounded veterans. They provide this service at no cost to the veterans they serve.
Interfaith Aids Ministry, Inc was founded in 1987. The mission of Interfaith AIDS Ministry is to provide support for persons affected by AIDS, to work with care givers, to help attend to the spiritual needs of persons with AIDS, and to educate religious communities about HIV/AIDS. …Interfaith AIDS Ministry seeks to fill a vital role in providing humane treatment and personal support for persons with AIDS, families of persons with AIDS, and health care workers who need material and personal support.
Interfaith Counseling Service, Inc.
Interfaith Counseling, with offices here at Second Church, provides pastoral counseling to help people find solutions to life problems and find ways of handling the difficult times in their lives. Fees for services are determined on a sliding scale, based on one’s ability to pay and every effort is made to make counseling affordable.
Just Peace Coordinator
This ministry is dedicated to enabling us to grow together as a community of faith, seeking to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God,” while honoring Jesus’ invitation to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Massachusetts Bible Society
The purpose of the Massachusetts Bible Society is to further biblical theological study and reflection through a variety of means (educational programs, grants, and book services), so that the ecumenical church is empowered to be faithful; that individuals might have faith strengthened for service; and that the broad outlines of biblical vision of reality be lifted up in the larger world.
Massachusetts Council of Churches
Mass. Council of Churches is an ecumenical partnership of 16 denominations dedicated to fostering Christian unity and witness in the Commonwealth. The Council educates and evangelizes for unity, promotes ecumenical worship, fosters council interdependence, provides a forum for dialog, stimulates social mission and prophetic witness, and offers services, resources, and consultation. The Massachusetts Council of Churches is the statewide organization of Christian churches that helps heal hurts, break down barriers, and build bridges.
Match-up Interfaith Volunteers
is committed to helping isolated elderly and disabled adults remain living
independently in their own homes by bringing caring and helpful volunteers into
their lives. Since its founding over 20
years ago, Match-Up Interfaith Volunteers have given over 410,000 hours of time
– freely from their heart – decreasing the social isolation of and changing the
lives of over 12,000 elders and adults with disabilities.
Metropolitan
Boston Association Just Peace Coordinator
This ministry is dedicated to enabling us to grow together as a community of
faith seeking to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God,” while
honoring Jesus’ invitation to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Middlesex County
Prison Coordinator’s Committee
Middlesex County Prison Coordinating Committee is composed of local faith
communities working toward: maintaining the relationship of county
correctional facilities with the communities they serve, deeper understanding
and wider discussion of prison issues, a safer society by helping former inmates
return to life outside prison, and better prisons by advocating for good working
conditions.
Neighbors in Need, an annual offering of the United Church of Christ, supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. It includes the Council for American Indian Ministry, and justice, advocacy, and direct service projects supported by Justice and Witness Ministries.
Newton Food Pantry
The Newton Food Pantry was founded in 1983. Serving an average of 30 families each week, the Newton Food Pantry provides a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced food items once a month to Newton residents who need their help. The food pantry is located in the basement of the Waban Branch Library.
Second Church is a supporter, delivering food dropped off at the church on Sundays to them. Most requested items are canned fruit, tuna, meals (i.e., stew, Chef Boyardee, etc.) peas, and beets, and boxes of cereal. The pantry staff requests that any individual toilet articles from hotels and motels be brought to the pantry for distribution. Please put them, along with nonperishable food items, in the food collection baskets found in the Narthex.
Newton’s Sister City - San Juan del Sur
Newton/San Juan del Sur Sister City Project: Free High School for Adults in San Juan del Sur. This is the only high school in San Juan whose students teach adult literacy and the only one where such teaching is required of seniors. This year there are 100 student-teachers.
One Great Hour of Sharing
By giving to One Great Hour of Sharing, an
offering of the United Church of Christ, we join with communities struggling to
overcome poverty, illiteracy, illness, and the dangers of wars and disasters.
Nine Christian churches support One Great Hour of Sharing, a life-giving
tradition that began in 1949. Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM) Our Church’s Wider Mission means teaching and
healing, sending missionaries overseas, working here in the U.S. toward
justice and compassion for all people. But Our Church’s Wider
Mission also keeps the church strong by helping in every way possible to
support local United Church of Christ congregations: the
foundation of all mission. Project Bread’s
Walk for Hunger on May 4 is a 20-mile walk to raise money and awareness
of the problem of chronic hunger and malnutrition in Massachusetts. Project Care & Concern Project Care & Concern, in their 34th year, sends to
camp in Vermont, New Hampshire, and on Cape Cod more than 100 children
representing 50 families. Most of the children, ages 5 to 15, come from
poor and struggling families. The Protestant Chaplaincy Council, Inc. The mission of the Protestant Chaplaincy Council,
Inc. is to establish and support the ministry of a Chaplain for
the Protestant population of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
RAFI-USA
The Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA (RAFI-USA) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Pittsboro, North Carolina. It promotes conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity as insurance against human and natural disasters. RAFI-USA educates farmers, consumers and policy-makers about the importance of sustainable agriculture for rural and urban communities.
REACH, provides time-critical, first-response domestic violence services and support to victims in 27 Greater Boston and Metro West Communities.
Refugee Immigration Ministry
Refugee Immigration Ministry works to build a community to serve uprooted peoples. RIM’s Mission is to serve the needs of asylum seekers and those detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service through social services, pastoral care, and advocacy.
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is guided by the principle that every woman should be free to make decisions about whether and when to have children according to her conscience and her religious and/or spiritual beliefs.
Rosie's Place
The mission of Rosie's Place is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives. Founded in 1974 by Kip Tiernan Rosie’s Place was the first drop in and emergency shelter for women in the United States. It provides emergency and transitional services including hot meals, groceries, shelter, and clothing, and is committed to helping women achieve independence by creating permanent solutions through advocacy, education, and permanent housing.
Seafarer's Friend
Seafarer’s Friend extends the ministry of the churches to meet the unmet spiritual, social, emotional, and physical needs in the New England maritime community.
Second Church Accessibility Fund
Our second largest benevolence is the Second Church Accessibility Fund. We have one year more to pay the loan for the renovation of the first floor bathrooms and the installation of the narthex bathroom.
The Second Step
Second Step is a transitional program for survivors of domestic violence and their children. The program is multi-dimensional, combining diverse community and in-house resources and counseling components designed specifically for the problems confronting battered women.
SERRV Development Grants expand development services – professional training, quality control oversight, trend updates and product design – which enable groups of artisans and farmers to improve quality and find new markets for their products.
Springwell,
Springwell is dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults through comprehensive, cost-effective, and compassionate services. Their “Meals-on-Wheels” Program serves over 200,000 hot meals per year
UCC Coalition for LLGBT Concerns, a group recognized by the United Church of Christ, is committed to ministry with and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender UCC members, their families and friends.
United Homes Adult Shelter United Homes Shelter, a 106 bed adult homeless shelter in Dorchester known for its warmth, relaxed atmosphere and which prides itself in taking many men barred from other shelters because of behavior problems or substance abuse.
Second Church furnishes a dinner for United Homes Shelter clients on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Call the church office (244-2690), if you would like to participate in this outreach project.
Walker Center Since 1869, the Walker Center’s global reach has evolved from a home for missionaries into much more. Last year, they provided over 2,000 nights of free or subsidized accommodations to families of hospital patients and to homeless families. Walker Center sponsors 28 prominent international seminary students who live there while studying at Boston-area schools, before returning to be the future leaders of their countries.