We believe it is important to teach our children to
share God’s love with our neighbors near and far. To that end, we are
constantly engaging in mission work.
Annual projects include the Christmas Giving Tree,
Christmas Eve gift giving and One Great Hour of Sharing collection
banks. Each year the church school children also learn about and raise
money for larger mission project. In the past, we have raised anywhere
from $5,500 to $14,000 for Heifer Project, Church World Service, Haitian
Health Foundation and Fred Wish Elementary School.
This year we will be collecting money for the
backpack project. Many children in America that rely on
resources such as free or reduced-priced school lunch during the school
year. The backpack program is designed to meet the needs of hungry
children at times when other resources are not available, such as
weekends and school vacations. First Church will work with other
churches to provide non-perishable food to fifty children in Bloomfield
on a weekly basis. The backpacks will be filled with child-friendly,
non-perishable, easily consumed, and vitamin fortified food that
children take home on weekends. The money raised by class sales,
children’s offerings and special gifts from congregation members will go
towards this special backpack project.
Each church school class also participates in their
own class mission project. In the past the projects have included:
• Collecting canned foods for the Horace Bushnell Food Pantry &
Manchester;
• Sponsoring a toiletry drive for the South Park Inn homeless shelter;
• Collecting health kit materials for victims of natural disasters;
• Initiating letter writing to military personnel stationed abroad.
• Making blankets for children whose parents are in prison.
• Having a coat drive & giving the jackets to women, men & children who
need them.
This year we look forward to many more inspiring class mission projects.
We also have mission opportunities where families - children and parents
- can serve our neighbors together. Look out for information about our
mission immersion days.
