Mission Team Update
“God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
2021 Mission Team: Sue Roth (Team Lead), Karen Griffith, Janine Hensinger, Sandy Lakatosh, and Sue Sawyer. Ad hoc member – Pastor Judy.
In 2021, we focused on Family Promise and our various pantries, including our Little Free Pantry, Resurrected Life Church, Jordan Lutheran, and the Ecumenical Food Bank. Our Little Free Pantry saw a lot of use throughout the year, and we requested popular items for the pantry through the Weekly Words newsletter. The congregation was once again very generous with their donations, both goods and monetarily, and mission team members also shopped for items. The team also used drive-thru Communion gatherings to collect items. Sale of soups and baked goods during drive-thru communions benefitted the Food Bank, the Little Free Pantry, and Resurrected Life Church.
We continued to support Family Promise and although we couldn’t host in our building, we provided meals and helped fund their lodging. We provided special meals during Thanksgiving week, including Thanksgiving Day.
Sue Sawyer offered the Fish Meals program once again and continues to make this available.
During the Celebration of Life service for Donna Field in September, Pastor Judy dedicated the TREX bench in Donna’s memory. Donna had been instrumental in our Mission Team and led the plastic bag drive to help the environment.
In October, Mission sponsored a Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot as a mission of hope and fun for children.
Benevolence Giving Breakdown
- 76% Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM)
- 4% Ecumenical Food Bank
- 4% Family Promise Greenawalds
- 4% Lehigh County Conference of Churches
- 3% Amigos de Guatemala
- 3% Bethany Children’s Home
- 3% Meals on Wheels
- 3% Phoebe Home
Family Promise of the Lehigh Valley
Family Promise of Lehigh Valley is a non-profit 501(c)3 affiliate of the National Family Promise Organization, which assists homeless children and their families. The national organization is made up of individual affiliates, which are regionally-based to allow for collaboration with existing services within the community. On the local level, we are an ever-growing group of individual volunteers and staff looking to act out the mission through our time, our talents, and our service. God’s blessings be with you all and with the children and their families who benefit from this program!
Mission Trips
Mission Trip to York Habitat for Humanity, October 2019
Although the group was only 5 in number, they became the “Mighty Five” and instantly formed a team. The expectation was to work on rebuilding 14 homes destroyed by fire, but when they arrived these houses were already framed to the second story, so our group was not expected to be on ladders. Their task was mudding, sanding and painting the inside of a rehab home with the assistance of Nate, the job foremen. The group was invited to attend dinner at a local Evangelical congregation, was warmly welcomed and able to meet some of the families that would be moving into Habitat homes. The rookie of the group was full of energy and fun, and another person stated, “I would go back there in a heartbeat.”
Puerto Rico Work Camp, April and May 2019
In April and May of 2019, a PNEC and PSEC Mission Trip/Work Camp team traveled to Puerto Rico to aid with the devastation of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria in the 2017 hurricane season. UCC Greenawalds members Grant Field and Ben Gulledge participated in this important work.
Mission Trip to West Virginia, September 2017
In September 2017, a team of church members traveled to Webster Springs, West Virginia, to help those affected by the floods in 2016. In January 2016, a small group from PNEC (including members Grant and Donna Field) traveled to South Carolina to work at the Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, which was being renovated to accommodate volunteers involved in an ongoing rebuilding effort in the area.
Local Work
Our church is frequently involved with UCC Disaster Ministries and Church World Services ministries. In June 2018, our congregation’s donations to Church World Services Hygiene Kits & Cleanup Buckets allowed us to assemble 32 Hygiene Kits & 25 Cleanup Buckets!! Boy Scout Dakota Longenbach helped organize, calculate, and shop for supplies as part of his Community Service for Boy Scout Troop 8.
We invite you to help us in working for Christ within our wider community by supporting the following agencies with your gifts and time: Phoebe Home, Lehigh County Conference of Churches, Ecumenical Soup Kitchen, Meals on Wheels, Lehigh Valley Hospice, OCWM, Angel Tree Ministries, American Cancer Society, Family Promise, Kidspeace, and more. Each week we also collect non-perishable food items for the Ecumenical Food Bank.