Pastor’s Corner (05/16/19)
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:40
For my Pastor’s Corner I want to invite you to read this article from our Outreach Team. The Outreach Team Leader Elaine Parman expresses the core message of the Gospel well and needs no more comment from me.
Blessings, Pastor Karen
Ongoing Outreach
One of the annual responsibilities of the Outreach Team is to oversee the “hands-on” mission outreach of First Christian Church. According to the church bylaws, the Outreach budget equals 10% of all income received by the congregation during the budget year. Of this 10%, Disciples Mission Fund automatically receives 5% and the other 5% is allocated by the Outreach Team to support local and global entities.
Disciples Mission Fund (DMF) brings the whole Church together, connecting us to the life-giving and life-saving work we have been called to do. It also simplifies giving for congregations and individuals, providing a way to support the entire Church at once.
For 2019 the Outreach Team selected the following local entities to be the recipients of our budget resources quarterly:
- Christian Church in Nebraska
- City Impact
- Food Bank of Lincoln
- Lighthouse
- People’s City Mission
- The Bay
- Voices of Hope
- Undesignated Funds for future use
The following Global entities are the recipients of an annual fixed amount for 2019:
- Church World Service – CROP Walk – $100.00
- Diaconia Connections – $250.00
- Friends of Cozumel – $250.00
At the end of 2018 the Undesignated Funds line item had a balance of $814.33. The Outreach Team voted to allocate the following amounts to local nonprofits:
Cedars Youth Opportunity Center – $150.00* of Russ’s SCRIP cards to purchase perishable foods for their daily meals.
Claire McPhee Dream Team (PTO) – $500.00 toward their school sign.
Transformations Thrift Store – $150.00* toward startup costs. A new store opening in early June at 14th and B Streets.
*The $150 increments were chosen to celebrate our 150th Anniversary!
To further celebrate our 150th Anniversary a portion of the Undesignated Funds for 2019 will be used to provide and serve a lunch to the on-site workers at the Habitat for Humanity Faith Build, provide a Welcome Home basket to the new family moving into the Faith Build home and some type of outdoor neighborhood cleanup, such as graffiti cover up along the bike trail. Stay tuned for upcoming Outreach activities you will be invited to participate in.
To quote Morgan Freeman, “How do we change the world? One Random Act of Kindness at a time.” Your Outreach Team, along with your support, continues to change our “neighborhood world” by collecting items for the programs offering hope to those in need. Thank you for your generous support of our Collection Barrel over the last 17 months.
