Community Outreach
At Faith United Church of Christ we recognize that we belong to many different communities both locally and globally. Part of our faith includes a committed to building a better community and world, a "beloved community," as Martin Luther King, Jr. describes. The following are just some of the many ways that we seek to do our part.
Almoner Fund
This is a local fund that Muscatine churches give to to help people and families with emergency needs. Special offerings for the Almoner Fund are taken up throughout the year.
Card Sharks
This is a ministry of church members who make cards for fellow church members and others in the Muscatine community.
Bag of Blessings
This program to address local food insecurity was started at Faith United. It provides food on the weekend for elementary age children who might otherwise go hungry.
Christmas Projects
Like many churches during the Holiday season, Faith members give all kinds of community helpers - MCSA, Food Pantry, Diaper Bank, Senior Resources, and many others.
CROP Walk
We have a long history of participating every October in this fundraiser for Church World Service to alleviate combat food insecurity.
Domestic Abuse Shelter
We collect items throughout the year.
Emmaus Café
Church members regularly provide food and help to serve the meal at this site six times year.
MCSA Adopt-a-Room
Church members sponsor families in need of shelter throughout the year.
Muscatine Community Food Pantry
We collect different food needs each month and hold a large-scale food drive every November.
School Supplies
Collected in July and August and distributed to area elementary schools to be used as needed.
Senior Circle at Senior Resources
We collect needed items and donations.
Community Diaper Bank
Annually, we collect diapers and donations for this vital local resource for local families.
Iowa Conference Thank Offering
Through the Iowa Conference of the UCC, churches are assisted in their work to engage the root causes of poverty or discrimination; seek the change of unjust systems; seek to empower groups for their own self-development; seek to help people meet basic human needs; seek to strengthen peace and reconciliation in society.
Church World Service Blankets+
A special mission offering to help people in need around the world, including the United States. Church World Service works in partnership with local communities to identify their needs and access the resources they need to build the foundation for a more viable future. Resources include blankets, tents, food and other emergency supplies in the wake of a disaster; tools and seeds for refugees returning home; wells for families living in drought prone areas; and literacy training and microcredit for women struggling to realize their potential.
One Great Hour of Sharing - Special Offering
Channels resources for international programs in health, education and agricultural development, emergency relief, refugee ministries, and both international and domestic disaster response, administered by Wider Church Ministries, Global Sharing of Resources.
Neighbors in Need - Special Offering
Supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States, including the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM), justice and advocacy, and direct service projects supported by Justice and Local Church Ministries.
The Christmas Fund - Special Offering
The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund is a Special Mission Offering that congregations have been supporting for over 100 years. The offering is administered through the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance, the charitable arm of the Pension Boards. Funds provide direct financial support to those who serve the church and are facing financial difficulties. Active and retired clergy, lay employees, and their surviving spouses may be eligible for the Supplementation of Small Annuities, Supplementation of Health Premiums, Emergency Grants, and/or Christmas “Thank You” Gift Checks.
Our Churches Wider Mission (OCWM)
Provides funding for the Iowa Conference and the national ministries of the UCC (66% of the funds remain in Iowa and 34% are remitted to the UCC national setting).