Missions at First Church
Missions: Changes the world! Missions at First Church is an active team that coordinates service and justice work in our community, country, and world. Specifically, they collaborate with our church community to provide access to shelter, food, and clothing through contributions and good works.
Our Missions Committee is particularly active in winter and spring. They meet quarterly to dream, strategize, and plan current, upcoming, and new projects to serve our community and beyond.
We meet monthly and consider any ideas for fundraising and distribution to worthy causes. The meetings are open to all.
Check out below some of the projects and enterprises our Missions team is involved in!
- Monthly collections to the Bridgton Food Pantry
- Annual contribution to neighboring food pantries
- Backpack project in August for local school children
- Maintenance of our Little Blue Library
- Provide gift bags to our “Home Alone” church members
- Mail birthday cards to all our church members
- Collaboration to provide clothing needs requested by Jeanette’s Closet
- Fundraisers to support our Teen Mission projects
- Provide funding and gift cards to Tucker’s House
- Support the UCC Gun Safety Coalition
- Financial support for Special Olympics
- Financial support for Pilgrim Lodge Scholarships
- Encourage participation for the Rotary Reading Program, Big Brother/Big Sister Program
- Provide annual donations to Church World Services with Health Kits and/or other requests
- Five for Five-Quarterly collections and donations to UCC sponsored charities
- Annual collection and donation to Honduras based Daisy’s Children and Heifer
Volunteering with Missions
Missions is looking for folks who want to get involved with some of their activities without committing to being a committee member. Specifically, they are looking for help with the following:
- A rides coordinator who can help organize rides for folks who need local transportation. Estimated time required 1-2 hours/ week.
- Plant sale support, including collecting, delivering, set-up, and breakdown for this event. The plant sale occurs in June, date TBD.
- Redemption center pickups and delivery to downtown Bridgton’s redemption center. We currently need help for August and November. Estimated time 1-2 hours/week (2 trips/week).
Please contact our church office if you’re interested or have any questions!
Our Missions Committee is asking for your help in our annual drive for hygiene kits for Church World Services (CWS).
In the face of natural disasters, violence, and poverty, hygiene kits can make an impactful different for struggling families.
There are two ways you can help:
- Pick up a kit (or multiple!) from the church office. Kits include instructions on how to assemble them. (Click the tab above “Items Needed” to see what items would need to acquired for kit assembly.) Completed kits are due back at the church by Sunday, May 4th.
- Make a monetary donation (please make a note with your donation that it is for Missions). The value of each kit is approximately $15 plus an additional $2 for shipping.
- Washcloth
- Toothbrush (in original packaging)
- Fingernail/toenail clipper (packaging removed)
- Bath-size bar of soap (in original packaging)
- Travel-size deodorant (3.4 oz or less, non-aerosol)
- Travel-size lotion (3.4 oz or less, fragrance-free, NEW only)
- Travel-size shampoo (3.4 oz or less, expiration date of 1 year)
- Sturdy wide-tooth comb (6″ minimum teeth, packaging removed)