Opportunities for Service - Overview
The First Congregational Church of Greenwich firmly believes in Christian commitment through outreach. The following hands-on opportunities exist for you to get involved. Please call the Church Office at 637-1791 for more information on individual programs:
We encourage all generations of our congregation to be actively involved in the Christian Education of our children, and we suggest that parents teach for two years for each child they have in Church School. Our confirmands (ninth graders) are also asked to help teach and assist as needed. Our Church School Task Force develops curriculum and coordinates special events in our children's church life beyond the classroom. Call Ginny Breismeister through the church office at 637-1791 for details. Serving on one of First Church's committees One of the most rewarding ways to service First Church is to join one of its many committees (click here to see a description of each and the time commitment involved). Each committee is responsible for guiding an important aspect of First Church's activities, whether it be attracting and welcoming new members, directing where the annual outreach allocation will be applied or finding new ways to balance the annual budget. This is definitely one of the best ways to meet new people and discover for yourself what makes First Church so special. Volunteer opportunities that support the outreach work of the Women's Ministries include:
Service projects and fund-raising activities enable the Women's Ministries to contribute over $156,000 to First Church and various charitable organizations. Volunteers are the lifeline of The Rummage Room. Help receive donated household goods and clothing, or assist customers to shop for treasure. Offer us four hours of your time weekly (flexible schedules available) and we'll provide you with fellowship and the rewarding feeling that you are helping to make a difference. Click here for more details. Stephen Ministry (for care givers) Stephen Ministry is a program that equips lay persons to provide distinctly Christian one-to-one care to those who are experiencing all kinds of life needs and circumstances, both in our congregation and community. Click here for more details. Volunteer program of free transportation for the elderly. Sponsored by six Greenwich churches, this program provided over 15,000 rides a year to grocery stores, nursing homes and medical offices to town residents over 60. Volunteers serve as dispatchers and drivers.
Rebuilding Together/Stamford-Greenwich
A one-day blitz by volunteers who renovate and repair homes of the elderly, low-income and handicapped owners enabling them to live in safety and independence. Its name arose when, upon observing her newly painted home, one of the assisted homeowners exclaimed, "Why this must be Christmas in April!" The name stuck. First Church usually fields two "work crews" each April. A program of the Council of Churches and Synagogues created in 1987 to help low and moderate-income families obtain their first homes. Prospective homeowners are guided through the home selection and mortgage application process by a director who also explains the various forms of government support. Volunteers help with minor fix-up, painting and clean-up projects. Started by Betty and Dave Ficker, this program was started five years ago to help alleviate the hunger problem in our area by collecting food each week on a street-by-street basis. Specially-selected, trained volunteers donate food and/or serve as "street captains" who pick up the food and deliver it to a central location. Prisoner visitation and support (PVS) PVS visitors offer friendship, help, and moral support to inmates in federal and military prisons, helping them to live constructive lives. Visitors are specially selected and take part in an extensive training program. The New Covenant House Soup Kitchen is located in the Yerwood Center in Stamford. Volunteers can help with once-a-month food preparation at First Church on Sunday or deliver and serve a hot noontime meal the following Monday. Volunteers are needed to shop for groceries, cook, deliver and serve the meal for approximately 150 homeless and disadvantaged clients. This group of volunteers, with the coordination of the Parish Nurse, helps other church members by providing rides, grocery shopping and other tasks on an as-needed basis. For 3-4 weeks before Christmas, First Church's front lawn is covered with hundreds of trees and wreaths for sale. The Christmas Tree Sale supports our community outreach programs. Volunteers are needed to unload and sell the trees on the three weekends before Christmas. This community has been First Church's major national hands-on mission project for the past 11 years. Each spring the young people of our Senior Pilgrim Fellowship dedicate their April vacation to serving this community with their construction and other skills as H.O.M.E. seeks to help approximately 5,000 of the rural poor of Hancock County, Maine. In addition, H.O.M.E. visits us in November with their craft fair while at the same time receiving a food donation from our Harvest Sunday service. This group of women meets each Monday to enjoy fellowship and create quilts which are raffled to support benevolences of the Women's Ministries. All are welcome to join and no prior experience is necessary; the group of "veteran" quilters has offered to train and support the next generation of quilters. We always need people to man the telephone and take messages during the day. It's a great way to get to know the staff better and learn first-hand what's happening around the church. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please let us know what time would fit your schedule. Silver Lake Conference Center camp counselors Volunteers are needed as camp counselors in the summer for one-week sessions at our beautiful conference center in northwestern Connecticut. In addition, help is needed during the year on maintenance and seasonal projects. The Halo Effect by First Church member John Raynolds (Golden Books $21.95) provides readers with an invigorating way to stand out by reaching out and helping others. Meaningful volunteer work not only enables people to help others; it enriches one's own soul - and it is also one of the best ways to advance in a career. Available at local bookstores. |
