Christian Service

Ways to Reach Out and Share God’s Love

OUR MISSION

• Promote benevolent, community service and mission programs both at home and abroad;
• Translate Christian ideals into social action;
• Promote cooperation with other religious and civic groups in worthwhile projects;
• Encourage programs that help us live out our mission to share God's love.

Some of the on-going projects the Board sponsors are:

• Hands on Hartford (formerly Center City Churches) - We provide lunch at the soup kitchen four times during the year. We serve on Columbus Day (October), Election Day (November), Martin Luther King Day (January) and Good Friday (April).
  Contact: Valerie Escalera at Miguel.escalera@sbcglobal.net.
   
• Hunger Walks –We publicize and recruit people to walk and/or sponsor walkers in both the Crop Walk in October sponsored by Church World Service and the Hunger Walk  in May sponsored by Foodshare.
   
• Rummage Sales - There are two rummage sales a year (one in the fall and one in the spring). All the funds go to the BCS for distribution.
  Contact: Gary Williams at gwilliam@iaev2500.com.
   
• Turkey Drive - For many years, the Board of Christian Service has collected turkeys the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The majority of them are given to Foodshare. Foodshare helps hungry people in CT.
  Contact: Ron Kimmel at r_kimmel@cox.net.
   
• Fred Wish Elementary School – We have sponsored the Polar Express night in the past, and we’re now sending volunteer readers to the school on a consistent basis.
  Contact: Susan Parmelee at Amparmelee@aol.com.
   
• Giving Trees - Each Christmas season, First Church sets up two giving trees that benefit several organizations. The Board of Christian Service has a tree with tags for Cromwell Children's Home and Covenant to Care.
  Contacts: Sharon LaFargue at Slafargue1@cox.net
  and Nancy Tandon at nantanslp@yahoo.com.
   
• Mobile Food Share Van - Mobile Foodshare is a "Farmers Market" style food distribution service sponsored by Foodshare. It provides fresh produce and other food items to lower income people. A Mobile Foodmobile comes to First Church every other Wednesday.
  Contact: Paul Fraleigh at paul@fraleigh-gray.com.
   
• Horace Bushnell Food Pantry - For many years, First Church has collected food items and brought them to Horace Bushnell Food Pantry in Hartford a few times a month. There are two collection boxes at church – one in the back of the church (narthex) and one in the back lobby.
  Contact: Lisa Hapgood at lisa.hapgood@yahoo.com.
   
• Adult/Alumni Mission Trip - This trip gives both adults and young people who have benefited from the youth mission trips a chance to go again and serve people who are in need. Anywhere from 30 to 50 parishioners and friends of First Church go on this annual trip to Back Bay Mission, and they range in age from 18 on up. This week-long trip gives participants a chance to do hands-on mission work, including building and refurbishing houses for people who need a helping hand.
  Contacts: Gary Williams at gwilliam@iaev2500.com and
  Ron Kimmel at r_kimmel@cox.net.
   
• SERRV - For over twenty years, SERRV products have been sold during the Advent season. SERRV is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating poverty wherever it resides. When people purchase SERRV products, they are having a direct impact on our global market's great injustices: the inequality in income and quality of life for people living in developing countries.
  Contacts: Mitsey Baker at mbaker28@cox.net and
  Valerie Escalera at Miguel.escalera@sbcglobal.net and Nancy Tandon at nantanslp@yahoo.com.
   
• Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC) - In 2010, the Board of Christian Service voted to become a member church of MACC. Four times a year we will go to the soup kitchen and serve a meal to the shelter guests. We also help at MACC in other ways throughout the year.
  Contact: Susan Parmelee at Amparmelee@aol.com.
   
• Family Mission Immersion Days - We believe in giving people of all ages, including children, the opportunity to serve in the community. Four times a year we offer Mission Immersion Days where families go into the community and work with an agency to serve an underprivileged population. These events are fun and open to all ages!
  Contact: Sharon LaFargue at Slafargue1@cox.net.