MISSION AND OUTREACH

Mission Within Our Church

• Prayer Chain - Individuals in the Prayer Chain pray for those in need within the congregation and for their families and friends.  All are welcome to join the Prayer Chain and to submit requests for prayer.
• We Care - Meals are provided for those within the congregation after hospital stays, serious illness, or other severe situations.
• Funeral Lunches - Members of the Church provide funeral luncheons for members of the congregation when a loved one passes.
• Parish Nurses - Nurses within our congregation receive training and provide personal health counseling, help in patient health advocacy, provide health-related programs for the congregation, take monthly blood pressures for members after the weekly worship service, and promote the faith-health relationship.
• Communion Outreach - Members of the congregation assist and accompany the pastor in providing Communion to members of the Church who are shut-ins or in

Mission Within the Saline Community

• Saline Area Social Services - Our Church works with SASS to provide Easter and Christmas baskets, school supplies, shoes and boots, dinner vouchers, hats, mittens, scarves, socks and gloves, etc.  We also participate in the Adopt-A-Family program at Christmas.
• E-Home Bingo - Members of the congregation provide cookies and assistance with playing Bingo on the third Tuesday of the month at the Saline Evangelical Nursing Home.
• Blood Drive - In partnership with the American Red Cross, a community blood drive is held at the Church with members providing help.
• Evangelical Home Services - Members of the Church along with our minister provide a service on the second Sunday of each month at the Saline Evangelical Nursing Home.

 

Mission Within Our State and Nation

• Cass Corridor - Volunteers from the congregation go to Cass Corridor in the inner city of Detroit on the fourth Saturday of each month to provide a lunch, clothing, toiletries, and other needs for the homeless and less fortunate.
• CROP WALK - Members of the Church participate with the Saline community in the Church World Service CROP Walk in October.  This effort raises funds for hunger relief.
• Loving Yarns Needlework - Participants crochet and knit baby items, winter clothing, afghans that are distributed to hospitals, nursing homes, Cass Corridor in Detroit, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and other places as needed.
• Ronald McDonald House - Volunteers provide and serve a meal to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at the University of Michigan's Mott Hospital in Ann Arbor.  Supplies to provide needed amenities to the families are also collected and donated.
• Salvation Army Bell Ringers - In partnership with the Salvation Army, volunteers assist in collecting donations for the red kettles from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
• Habitat For Humanity - Members of the Church, along with members from St. James in Saline, Emmanuel and Bethel in Manchester, and St. Andrews in Dexter, in partnership with the Huron Valley Washtenaw County Habitat for Humanity, are working to become one of the 12 "churches" to work on an Apostle Build.

 

Mission in the UCC and World Community

• Envelope Mission Projects - The Outreach and Missions Committee sponsors collections for Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), Lenten and Advent folders, Church World Service (CWS) Rainbow of Caring, Neighbors in Need (NIN), One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), and the Christmas Fund.  All these are used for worldwide mission relief through the UCC denomination.

 

History of Outreach and Missions

St Paul has always had an active and strong Outreach and Missions program.  In it's early history an annual Mission Sunday was held, with emphasis on this area at the morning service and a meal and presentation in the evening.  Mission giving was an important part of the Evangelical and Reformed denomination and later the UCC denomination, with generous annual donations to Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM).  The Women's Fellowship in mission today works with Church World Service (CWS) and Saline Area Social Services (SASS).

 

In the early 1980's, members who had attended a Michigan Conference Mission Alive workshop became the Mission Coordinators and joined with the Women's Fellowship in promoting and participating in the mission work.  In the 1990's, church members began providing a meal, worship and distribution of clothing and toiletries in Cass Corridor in Detroit.  In March 2001, the Outreach and Mission Committee was formed.  It's mission focus expanded to include not only our Church and our community, but also the state, country, and world.