A Five-For-Five Church!

A five-for-five church?  What does that mean?  We learned about being a five-for-five church last Sunday which was BOCO Sunday.  Five-For-Five means that Lake Edge UCC gives, on a yearly basis, to five mission offerings.  How do we do this?  We give thru our church budget to OCWM…Our Churches Wider Mission which supports the work of our conference and national office.Then we give collectively four times a year to the UCC special mission offerings.  

These offerings are:
One Great Hour of Sharing which supports our international  partners,  funding disaster relief, helping with health, education and agricultural relief and the refugee ministries. Received on the fourth Sunday of Lent
Strengthen The Church:  funds the Still Speaking ministry, church growth, pastoral and lay leadership development and helps with youth and young adult ministries. Received on Pentecost Sunday.
Neighbors In Need supports the American Indian Ministry, while the rest supports a wide variety of justice and advocacy efforts. Direct Service Projects within the local church can request and receive grants. Received on World Communion Sunday.
The Christmas Fund helps provide pensions and health premium supplements to low income, retired church workers, emergency assistance to church families in need and Christmas thank you checks to hundreds.  Received the Sunday before Christmas.
Because Lake Edge is a part of the larger UCC church and gives collectively to the five church missions, we are considered a five-for-five church.  If you look on the BOCO bulletin board, you will notice the large thank you we have received from the national office. Our adults and youth who have attended the UCC national conventions are very proud that Lake Edge has been recognized as a five-for-five church.  And as we give to each of these missions, we as a church community can also feel proud.  Thank you to each member of Lake Edge.  y, you will find an envelope in the church bulletin.  Use that envelope to give to one of the four special missions of the UCC church.