Missions Board Action Plan

The Missions Board ministry falls into four categories: Targeted Ministries, which focuses upon specific local needs; Systemic Injustice Ministries, which focuses upon the promotion of justice structurally, e.g. through legislation and institutional reform; Global Ministries, which focuses upon need throughout the world; and Denominational Support, which focuses upon missions ministry sponsored by the UCC.  Currently, the Missions Board ministry under each rubric can be summarized as follows:

Targeted Ministry

• Providing dinner to Lazarus House on the fifth Saturdays of the month
• Providing support to the Open Door Clinics in Elgin and Aurora through budget disbursements
• Providing St. John's UCC and the Open Door Clinics with Aldi gift certificates for their food pantry.
• Sponsoring a School Supplies Drive for St. John's UCC school children each August.
• Sponsoring a Hat, Scarf and Mitten Drive for St. John's UCC school children and Open Door Clinic supported families each November / December.
• Providing budget disbursements to St. John's UCC.
• Sponsoring a food drive for the Northern Illinois Food Bank each July.
• Making ongoing contributions to the Open Door Clinics food pantry monthly.
• Sponsoring 35 to 80 children at Christmas each year, as well as supplying Aldi gift certificates for Christmas dinner.
• Providing budget disbursements to Lazarus House.
• Providing budget disbursements to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
• Providing $50.00 monthly budget disbursements to organizations throughout the country in order to emphasize the fact that contributions can help even if they are small.  Organizations include: Oxfam America, Trees for the Future, the UCC Global Ministries Child Sponsorship program, Heifer International, The American Red Cross, Unicef, the National Wildlife Federation, Nothing But Nets, Plant a Billion Trees, and House of Hope in Haiti.

Systemic Injustice Ministry

• Participating, in conjunction with the Community Renewal Society (CRS), in letter writing and phone call campaigns as they arise.
• Attending and hosting educational events through CRS.
• Inviting CRS representatives to lead worship.
• Participating in the annual Offering of Letters sponsored by Bread for the World each May.
• Providing budget disbursements to Bread for the World.

Global Ministries

• Sponsoring the ministry of Mr. Njorogi in Kenya each year through budget disbursement and general support.
• Participating in refugee ministries through Exodus or the UCC, beginning with supplying welcome kits to refugee families moving to the Chicago area.
• Providing budget disbursement for refugee resettlement kits.
• Inviting missionaries to preach and teach.
• See also items listed under Denominational Support.

Denominational Support

• Participating in CROP Walk each October.
• Participating in the special collection for Veterans of the Cross each November.
• Participating in the special collection for One Great Hour of Sharing each March.
• Participating in National Day of Prayer each May by opening the church for prayer throughout the day and a prayer service in the evening.
• Recognizing World Communion Sunday each February, Immigration Rights Sunday each March, and Refugee Sunday each June in worship services.
• Providing budget disbursement to Basic Support of the Illinois Conference.
• Providing support to the Illinois Conference's Nigerian mission.