 On Sunday, May 20 – Pentecost – we will be receiving the Strengthen the Church special mission offering of the United Church of Christ. This offering builds the UCC’s future. It funds new congregations and renews existing ones. It supports programs for youth and young adults and nurtures current and future leaders. And it aids the God is Still Speaking Ministry to spread our message of inclusivity. Directed to local Conferences, Local Church Ministries and the Still-speaking Ministry, Strengthen the Church gifts help to create vibrant church communities of extravagant welcome.
A little love can go a long way. When our lives become unpredictable or chaotic, when we’re facing into a storm, when we’re weary and discouraged, fearful or confused… a little love can give the boost we need. Many of us find that love in our church. But there are many people still seeking and yearning for a little love, a little hope, and a reassuring word. They have not found a church that’s reaching out with an extravagant welcome, where they can hear the message of the unconditional love of our still speaking God. That’s where the Strengthen the Church special mission offering steps in. Each year, we receive a special offering that helps the church’s love to grow and thrive. Called Strengthen the Church, this offering funds new congregations and renews existing ones. It supports programs for youth and young adults and nurtures current and future leaders. And it sends the God is Still Speaking Ministry’s message of extravagant welcome and inclusivity into our world. We will receive this offering on May 15 – the birthday of the church – Pentecost Sunday. I invite you to celebrate by giving to Strengthen the Church. Your generous gift today ensures a vibrant church tomorrow. Spread the Love. Strengthen the Church. God is still speaking. Still-speaking: It's the shorter form of "God is still speaking," a campaign by the United Church of Christ to simply remind us that God still has a lot more to say. Since 2004, Still-speaking has worked with thousands of UCC churches and individuals across the country to make religion relevant again and to extend an extravagant welcome to all—because no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here. Here at the United Church of Christ. Your gift to Strengthen the Church builds the UCC’s future now by fund- ing The Still-speaking Ministry, new and renewing churches, youth and young adult ministries, and lay and pastoral leadership formation— especially among women and people of color. Your offerings are directed to your church’s Conference, Local Church Ministries, and The Still-speaking Ministry for these church development, leader development and Still-speaking purposes.
Neighborhood House Association, established in 1896, is dedicated to providing a Safe Haven with comprehensive services that meet the social, emotional and material needs of individuals and families from infancy to the elderly.
The common goal of all services is to enhance the quality of life and foster independence of those served. Neighborhood House was founded as a settlement house. It began with a church service in September of 1896. Poor immigrants could find refuge and receive many of life's necessities. A 1910 census report showed that 2/3 of the residents in the Eighth Ward (the South Side) were either foreign born or of foreign parentage. Fourteen different languages were spoken and immigrants had settled in this area to find their freedom and fortune. Neighborhood House will continue to provide the core comprehensive services that began in 1896. We will remain in constant communication with our citizens, service recipients, and community leaders. We have the unique ability to continually assess the needs of the community and to promptly initiate specialized comprehensive programs to meet identified needs. At Neighborhood House, we believe: • That all lives are enriched by participation in a compassionate and supportive community • That the enduring strength of our Neighborhood Community relies on cultivating a spirit of neighborliness and mutual respect among diverse populations • That Neighborhood House should work to bring groups and individuals together as an inclusive community • That families require lifelines of support and benefit from community services and programs responsive to their needs • That children and their families from all socioeconomic backgrounds should have equal access to quality early childhood programs • That children and teens should have a safe environment for their development in order to foster positive social Interactions • That seniors, including the homebound elderly, need and deserve to be valued as individuals who are important to the fabric of community life • That an effective settlement house must continually evolve and adapt to the ever changing needs of its community.  Companions Journeying Together, Inc., provides a forum to personally impact the emotional, spiritual, and social lives of the incarcerated and their families. Our vision is for a society that lives by the principles of restorative justice. For over 20 years Companions Journeying Together Inc. has lived out the mission of Jesus by valuing all people as members of the kingdom of God. We seek out opportunities to reach incarcerated women and men through a variety of programs designed to build healthy relationships and foster positive communication. Those programs include Aunt Mary’s Storybook Project, Fathers Read, Family Stories, and Mother Love Parenting classes. Additional services we organize and either provide or facilitate include special holiday communication projects, provision of re-entry materials and referrals, community education/training, and advocacy. Our goal is to be a link between resources and needs. We have a history of working successfully with officials from the Department of Corrections, as well as with individuals, churches and community organizations committed to serving the imprisoned and their families.  Companions Journeying Together, Inc., provides a forum to personally impact the emotional, spiritual, and social lives of the incarcerated and their families. Our vision is for a society that lives by the principles of restorative justice.
For over 20 years Companions Journeying Together Inc. has lived out the mission of Jesus by valuing all people as members of the kingdom of God. We seek out opportunities to reach incarcerated women and men through a variety of programs designed to build healthy relationships and foster positive communication. Those programs include Aunt Mary’s Storybook Project, Fathers Read, Family Stories, and Mother Love Parenting classes. Additional services we organize and either provide or facilitate include special holiday communication projects, provision of re-entry materials and referrals, community education/training, and advocacy. Our goal is to be a link between resources and needs. We have a history of working successfully with officials from the Department of Corrections, as well as with individuals, churches and community organizations committed to serving the imprisoned and their families. Companions Journeying Together works with the following correctional institutions:
 Their MISSION:
To help all people - women, men and children - live free from violence and abuse. For more than thirty years, the CENTER for PREVENTION of ABUSE has been a state-wide leader to end abuse and make our homes, schools, and communities safer. Our pledge to those we serve~ We will work every day to provide confidential and compassionated service in a safe environment with one goal in mind-empowering people in our community to live free from violence and abuse. Our pledge to our community~ We will continue to educated and advocate for positive changes in the way those living in violent situations are treated and the way that our community values and works toward peace. The CENTER, its staff, and volunteers believe that everyone deserves peace. The CENTER for PREVENTION of ABUSE is the only agency in the state of Illinois to provide free combined services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault/abuse, and elder abuse. CPA focuses its work on four major areas: 1. Domestic violence-through work with both survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence. 2. Sexual assault/abuse 3. Elder abuse 4. Keeping kids safe  Our Purpose
One Great Hour of Sharing is an offering that makes the love of Christ real for individuals and communities around the world who suffer the effects of disaster, conflict, or severe economic hardship, and for those who serve them through gifts of money and time. Today, projects are underway in more than 100 countries, including the United States and Canada. In the 1990s, receipts have exceeded $20 million annually. While specific allocations differ in each denomination, all use their One Great Hour of Sharing funds to make possible disaster relief, refugee assistance, development aid and more. The History of One Great Hour of Sharing Fifty years ago, during World War II and immediately following, Protestant churches made appeals for relief and reconstruction. In 1946, Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill, newly-elected Presiding Bishop of the Episco- pal Church, set a goal of one million dollars per year for the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief. On na- tionwide radio, he challenged members to raise “one million dollars in one hour.” His impassioned challenge worked. During the first three years, Episcopalians raised $3.8 million. In 1950, the title “One Great Hour of Sharing” was used for the first time. A logo depicting a church steeple clock with hands fixed at eleven was also adopted. A series of six fifteen-minute radio programs was produced to promote the effort, but problems with radio stations brought disappointing results. The next year, the name of the offering was changed to “One Great Time of Sharing.” In 1952, the name was changed back to One Great Hour of Sharing, and has remained so ever since. By 1954, the announced goal for all giving to One Great Hour of Sharing reached eight million dollars. From the beginning this has been an ecumenical effort. As denominations changed and merged, One Great Hour of Sharing has varied from eight to twenty-nine participating communions. Currently, the One Great Hour of Sharing committee officially comprises nine Christian denominations. In various ways, all work in cooperation with Church World Service, the relief, development and refugee assistance arm of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A . The purpose of One Great Hour of Sharing has remained the same: to collect special gifts to assist those in need. Today, projects are underway in more than 100 countries, including the United States and Canada. In the 1990s, receipts have exceeded $20 million annually. While specific allocations differ in each denomination, all use their One Great Hour of Sharing funds to make possible disaster relief, refugee assis- tance, and development aid. Contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing make a difference in the lives of people. Church World Service, a division of the National Council of Churches, with overseas partner churches and church councils are often the first on the scene following a disaster of natural or human origin. One Great Hour of Sharing, nearly 50 years old, continues to respond to needs equally critical as when it was first created.  Purpose
The Christmas Fund provides a lifeline of hope to many lower-income active and retired clergy and lay employees in the United Church of Christ. Gifts to the Christmas Fund help provide pension and health premium supplementation to low-income retirees, emergency assistance to the families of clergy and lay employees and Christmas “Thank You” Gift checks to hundreds of annuitants. Mission The Mission of the Christmas Fund is to provide assistance dollars in situations of critical need, while reserving the dignity of those who receive the aid. You can honor the Christ Child during this season by bringing gifts that will be used to support and honor those who have served, and are serving, this beloved church. Your gifts will truly represent the incarnational nature of the church at its best. For 110 years, the Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund has been a means by which we-as members of the United Church of Christ and its predecessor denominations- reflect the light of God in the world, individually and in community. The Christmas Fund, one of four Special Mission Offerings received annually in the United Church of Christ, is a beacon of light for many who have served, and who continue to serve, our church. We are grateful for your partnership in this vital ministry, and ask that you consider supporting the Christmas Fund Offering again, prayerfully and to the best of your ability. Your gift to the Christmas Fund helps us to reach out in love and compassion to provide assistance to those in the greatest need, who selflessly have given of themselves for the sake of the Gospel. On behalf of the 1,600 + clergy and lay individuals and families who received some form of Ministerial Assistance since the last Christmas Fund Offering, the members of the Pension Board express their deep gratitude to you for your generosity. May the light of Jesus Christ shine brightly in your life, now and always.  Mission Statement
Common Place encourages a life style of love and concern for others that recognizes the dignity and self-worth inherent in each person while striving to eliminate the causes of poverty and other social injustices. Common Place is a social service agency on Peoria's South Side that helps people overcome poverty and injustice through education. At Common Place, educational programs start with our Youth Programs, grades K-12. Our Youth Programs offer academic assistance, life skills, and cultural enrichment to build self esteem and success in school. Common Place literacy programs help adults learn reading, writing, and math skills and acquire self-esteem and self-confidence needed to obtain employment. Vision Statement Working primarily on the South Side of Peoria
Since 1967, Common Place Family Learning Center has worked on the center south side of Peoria, Illinois, to eliminate the root causes of poverty, racism, and injustice through education. Adult Programs
Youth Programs
 Founded by the family and friends of Whitney Grotts, following her death by suicide in 2004, Whitney's Walk For Life was created to increase the awareness about the tragedy of teen suicide. Working with local survivors, schools and mental health advocates, Whitney's Walk For Life takes proactive steps for increasing depression awareness and suicide prevention programs in the Central Illinois area.
Our community has come together in order to better understand the most effective way to reduce the incidence of suicide. Since Whitney's Walk For Life began in 2004, over $917,000 has been raised for depression awareness and suicide prevention efforts. Numerous community organizations, local school districts, as well as thousands of individuals have walked, donated or sponsored these efforts. Money from Whitney’s Walk for Life is donated to the Hult Center for Healthy Living which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. Hult combats suicide through community based education, awareness and advocacy programs. These include: Signs of Suicide (S.O.S.) - Suicide Prevention Skills Training for Youth Hope Project– The project uses local theater talent in one person/one act monologues which tell real life stories relating to mental illness. Mental Health Screening– Hult Center for Healthy Living offers an online mental health screening program.  In the month of June we will be supporting Peoria Rescue Ministries. In the past fifty years, this local ministry has grown from giving out donuts and coffee on the street to serving men, women, and children in our community at five different facilities.
These facilities include: Peoria Rescue Mission, a residential program ministering to the physical, spiritual, & emotional needs of hurting men. Victory Acres, a farm in rural Peoria County, to help men find a productive Christian lifestyle as they deal with alcohol & substance abuse. The Women’s Pregnancy Center was opened to minister to the needs of women who experience an unplanned pregnancies or post-abortion trauma. The center provides caring, compassionate assistance to mothers and babies. At Barnabas Center caring, trained counselors offer free Biblical counseling to scores of clients of all ages. The need for an in-house, long-term facility for women and women with chil- dren was met when Esther House was opened. Esther House provides a safe, in- viting environment where ladies can come to know Jesus Christ and grow in their daily walk with Him. PMR also has sister ministries in the former Soviet Union that include the REALIS CENTER (research Education and Light Center) in Kiev, and Riga Bible institute in Riga, Latvia. The objectives of the corporation of Peoria Rescue Ministries shall be:
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Monthly MissionThe church focuses on a unique mission each month that serves different aspects of our society. Archives
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