Stand with Africa & Seafarers

Stand with Africa (www.elca.org/hunger)

Stand With Africa efforts assist communities and churches in Africa in their work to overcome HIV/AIDS, banish hunger, and build peace. Stand With Africa donations given through the ELCA are allocated to Lutheran World Relief, the Lutheran World Federation, and ELCA companion churches in Africa.  No administrative costs are taken from these funds.

Seafarers & International House (www.sihnyc.org)

“Real Presence … Real Mission” So what does this mean—really?  It is all about Christ, His presence, His mission.  We exist as an expression of that same life-giving spirit through services that foster human dignity and nurture the human spirit for the stranger we have yet to meet. It is primarily a ministry of care and support for seafarers, who spend months at sea, separated from family support and friends.  Through a ministry of presence, we reach out to these seafarers in various seaports throughout the Northeast. Ours are hands of welcome and outreach to those who would otherwise feel isolated and alone.  Our mission is to welcome and support these brave seafarers, to care for their physical, spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs, and to serve as a link to family and other loved ones. Whether at port, on the water, or in our guesthouse, we want to be viewed as a “home away from home.” In other words, our visits, our services, and our presence make a real difference.

However, this presence is not solely for the seafarer.  We have a mission to the sojourner as well.  This could be an international visitor who seeks refuge in our guesthouse.  It could be a seafarer at the end of a long journey or a career in maritime work. It could be a student seeking lodging as a part of a internship project.  It could be a family seeking comfort and care while a loved one receives medical treatment in a local medical center.  It could be a woman-in-crisis who has lost self-worth and dignity.  It could simply be an individual seeking a sense of meaning or direction for their life.  We are real presence for the least, the lost, and the lonely.  But there is even more—really! We represent an embodiment of Christ’s presence in Word and Sacrament ministry as a social ministry arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Therefore, our ministry, though ecumenical in outreach, finds its identity and mission in and through support of this larger community of faith.  Our mission to the sojourner provides a meeting place or retreat center for congregational groups or individuals who meet at the guesthouse in their own spiritual journey.

Calumet Lutheran Ministries

On the northern shore of Lake Ossipee, at the edge of New Hampshire’s magnificent Mount Washington Valley, Calumet is the camp and conference center partnering with 200 congregations of the New England Synod, ELCA. Throughout the entire year, Calumet hosts thousands and thousands of folks of all ages, from all backgrounds and all walks of life. In addition to supporting Calumet directly, each year Zion Lutheran pays one-half of one week’s tuition for every Zion young person who attends summer camp.

Camp Calumet (www.calumet.org)

BIRTHRIGHT OF GREATER MERIDIN, INC.

Birthright of Greater Meridin, Inc. needs gently worn maternity and baby clothing and books on pregnancy and baby and child care.

BIRTHRIGHT is an emergency pregnancy service staffed by volunteers dedicated to offering the alternative to abortion. Birthright offers free pregnancy tests, friendship counseling, and caring and practical support.  Bring items to the Gathering Place and Zion will bring the donations to Birthright.

Souper Bowl of Caring 2010

More than 20 years ago, the Souper Bowl of Caring began with a simple prayer from a single youth group: “Lord, as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those without even a bowl of soup to eat.” Since that day, more than $60 million has been raised for local charities across the country through Souper Bowl of Caring. It has become a powerful movement that is transforming Super Bowl weekend into the nation’s largest youth-led weekend of giving and serving.

The youth of Zion will be collecting donations on Feb. 6 & 7, to support Bread For Life, Southington’s food program for the hungry. Give graciously!

We collected $301.91

CHRISTMAS CARE PACKAGES AT CHESHIRE PRISON

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR PRISONERS

Once again this year you are invited to participate in providing Christmas Care Packages for inmates at Webster Correctional Institution in Cheshire. Items include:

Soap-bath size

Toothbrush-adult size

Tooth paste-large 6.2 oz

Deodorant-no glass or women’s

Hard Candies-individually wrapped

Instant Hot Chocolate –individual packages

Bring items and leave in box marked Prison Christmas Gifts by December 6, 2009.

CROP WALK

During October one of the mission organizations we support is CROP.

Crop Walk (www.churchworldservice.org/CROP)

CROP Hunger Walks are “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty”– neighbors walking together to take a stand against hunger in our world.

Together we raise awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting.

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE MONEY RAISED:

25% of all proceeds will be infused into Southington Bread For Life with the remainder going to Church World Service to help solve world hunger problems.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child (www.samaritanspurse.org/occ)

During the month of September we are focusing on Operation Christmas Child as our featured mission.

A table near the elevator has information about helping to create a Christmas Box to a child around the world.

Whether they are refugees of civil war, survivors of a natural disaster, or victims of extreme poverty, children around the world need to know that they are precious to God. That’s the motivation behind Operation Christmas Child, the unique project of Samaritan’s Purse that enables caring people to share God’s love with hurting girls and boys in the far corners of the globe. Take an ordinary shoe box, fill it with toys and other presents, and you have an extraordinary gift for a child in need of joy and hope. Most important, these shoe boxes provide opportunities for local believers to tell children about Jesus Christ through Gospel literature and evangelism programs. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV).

Food for the Poor

A part of this year’s Vacation Bible School Mission was donating money to Food for the Poor. Thanks to the generosity of the VBS participants, their families, and the members of Zion, we raised $378 to send to this worthwhile mission.

Food For The Poor is a Christian relief and development agency dedicated to sharing the love of Christ by helping the poor. By working through a well-established network of clergy, they deliver aid where it is needed most. Founded in 1982, Food For The Poor aids the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America. The ministry provides lifesaving nutrition to malnourished children, builds houses for families in need of shelter, supports orphanages and homes for the elderly, provides medical care and supplies in hospitals and clinics, drills wells for the thirsty, educates children, provides skills training for the unemployed and much more. They share the love of Jesus Christ by aiding our poorest brothers and sisters.

 

Covenant to Care

 Zion Lutheran and First Lutheran are pleased to have participated in Easter “baskets” for our Covenant to Care teens again this year. We were asked to remember the same 33 youth and four babies and toddlers that we helped this past Christmas. Each teen received a back sack (a lightweight drawstring bag popular with teens) filled with a few Easter treats. The babies and toddlers each received a basket filled with Spring toys and a few healthy snacks.

Our DCF social workers Steve Gambee and Deb Duncan said the teens were happy to receive their Easter bags – “it means so much to these kids that someone cares and is thinking of them”.

Zion continues to place critical goods such as twin beds, dressers, lamps and other apartment basics with teens in need. *Currently requested: boys clothing size 12-18 months. Thanks for your continued support of these CT youth!

 

30-Hour Famine www.30hourfamine.org

 We Did It!!!

 We Starved for Food

Thanks to the prayerful and financial support of our congregation, we completed our 30 Hour Famine! It wasn’t easy…but we had a fantastic time.

Notice the amazing wishing well display in the sanctuary created to illustrate that one child under the age of 5 dies every three seconds. One drop of water will fall every three seconds to remember that child’s death. There are around 26,000 children dying today because of hunger, poverty and disease.  Donations can still be made for world hunger.

Best of all, we raised over $900, which can help feed and care for 2 children for an entire year! That’s a pretty incredible accomplishment. Thank you for your contributions!  Special thanks to the chaperones and students who collected donations and participated in this year’s famine for those in need.

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