2011 contained the following Family Social Actions:
UCC Mission 1: Focus on Hunger
Family Social Actions at Parker UCC include, in November, the preparation of Thanksgiving baskets of turkey and food for community families through the Parker Task Force.
This year, our church is participating in a letter-writing advocacy campaign as well, led by the United Church of Christ.
We have offered letters in support of U.S. foreign aid, directed to our elected officials, as conscience calls us as individuals. The letter is available here. In the Parker community, feel free to direct the letter as below.
UCC “Mission 1” - Offering of letters to address hunger and poverty.
Instructions: Cut and paste below – make it your own – send to your elected officials.
Senator Bennet: http://www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Udall: http://www.markudall.senate.gov/contact/
Rep Coffman: http://forms.house.gov/coffman/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Food Baskets: Parker Task Force
Register on the event page
Parker United Church of Christ compiled complete Thanksgiving dinners that families can prepare at home, packaged in baskets/tubs/boxes for a family of 4-6 people.
What we put in the basket/box/tub - a complete Thanksgiving dinner - for example:
Frozen turkey Aluminum turkey pan Canned Vegetables
2 sticks of butter Stuffing Can of Sweet Potatoes
Pie/dessert Gravy, packets or jars Can of Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls Box of flavored gelatin with a can of fruit
Bag of potatoes or box of instant mashed
God has blessed the church with enough to share. This year we donated more than a little-red-wagon-load of food to struggling families through the Parker Task Force. We pray that it fills spirits as well as bellies.
Reaching Out to the Homeless
Sophias and the youth spearheaded this 2011 winter mission project.
We helped the homeless by collecting coats or blankets. We also collected socks, nice clean socks are always a welcome comfort.
The morning of this mission Pastor Malcolm blessed the blankets and socks, so that they would warm and help those that recieved them. We then made 75 sack lunches. The lunches included 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes, a soft drink and a few items they could save for later like power bars, cookies, etc. We took the items downtown and handed them out. It was just in time for it snowed that evening. The men and women were very appreciative and kind and we felt blessed to help them. It is funny how these missions give back to us as well...
This is a very powerful ministry; it has had a wonderful impact on our congregation as well as our youth. As always Parker UCC seems to go above and beyond, as we gave out too many blankets and socks too count as well as the 75 lunches.
Thank you to everyone!!
Whole Earth: September 11th
Peace Flotilla
Whole Earth: Cherry Creek State Park Trail Restoration
We celebrated Earth Day with youth who are making a difference!
On the 23 of April we helped VOC's Cairn Youth Program high school students for a fun day helping repair and restore one of Cherry Creek State Park's most popular walking trails. Creek Trail has suffered significant damage from frequent floods along Cherry Creek. To alleviate the damage and re-create a sustainable trail, we will restore eroded areas with new soil, and repair and resurface sections of the trail with finely crushed rock.
It was a great day to be a UCCer in Colorado!
Social Justice: Cuba Relief
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This is a nationwide nondenominational project providing humanitarian aid for the people of Cuba. A school bus will be loaded with medical supplies, computers, construction tools, powdered milk, bicycles – and volunteers Scot, Laura, Gabriella and Diane. The journey make its way to Cuba by way of Mexico. Once the bus arrives in Cuba and the supplies have been distributed, the bus itself will then be donated to a needy school or community care organization as part of a concerted effort to show the children and people of Cuba that Americans care about them, regardless of current government policies. We have been doing this social action since we opened our doors at Parker UCC.
Our Angel Tree
Christmas is for kids….and there is a kid in all of us! Once again PUCC had a chance to help make a child happy for Christmas. As in the past we supported the Buckley Air Force Base Officers’ Wives in their annual Angel Tree Program which is to supply gifts to those dependent children of active duty personnel who are not able to afford Christmas gifts for their children. This has been one of the most rewarding programs we have done over the years. Every year we have received a list of the children whose parent is deployed or in a situation where their financial situation will not allow them to buy Christmas gifts for their children. With the length of this war it is not hard to see why after multiple deployments some are having a hard time making ends meet.
Thank you for making this such a wonderful program every year!!
