Union Congregational Church

"As you have done for the least of these, you have done it for me."

Jesus brought us a new life in ultimate vulnerability. As a child he was dependent on the care and protection of others; he lived as a poor preacher without any political, economic, or military power; and he died nailed on a cross as a useless criminal. It is in this extreme vulnerability that our salvation was won. Excerpt from Henry Nouwen.

“I swore to never be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, never the tormented.” Elie Wiesel

Globally, nationally, and locally, the people of Union Church strive to make a difference in the world. We are actively involved in the Elk River community, the nation, and throughout the world. We use our facilities, time, energy and financial resources in responding to social needs and issues in meaningful ways.

Union Church supports local organizations with our time and tangible resources. We work together as a congregation to support CAER, Gifts Anonymous, the Crop Walk, Faith in Action, Bridging, Meals on Wheels, and Global Health Kits.

Throughout the year, Union Church contributes to all five of the special UCC offerings: Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen the Church, and the Christmas Fund. To learn more about any of the offerings, click on the links.

Most recently, several members of our church organized a trip to Joplin, Missouri to help with clean-up from the Spring storms. In the last couple of years, youth and adults have been active in Cedar Rapids, Iowa helping to rebuild homes for victims of the 2009 floods. When disaster struck in Haiti, our congregation joined the national population of the United Church of Christ to donate over $1.3 million dollars through the Haiti Relief Fund. Our Spring 2010 project was to pool our energy and resources to purchase a ShelterBox for the people of Haiti, a huge box that contains a tent for ten, and the utensils to start home over.

Here is a glimpse at our monthly projects from the Service and Mission Ministry Team

January: Souper Bowl (CAER)
February: Local and National Missions
March: One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC cash collection)
April: Avenues
May: Strengthen the Church (UCC cash collection)
June: Mission Trip (Union Church)
July: CAER Golf Classic
August: Avenues
September: School Supplies (CAER)
October: Neighbors In Need (UCC cash collection), Spaghetti Supper (CAER), Earth Day (Union Green Team)
November: Mission 1: Food Locally and Internationally
December: The Christmas Fund (UCC cash collection), Gifts Anonymous (CAER)

More Information on Avenues: This year, the Service and Mission Ministry Team is looking into working working with Avenues. To learn more about Avenues, click on this link.

Green Team Update

Kitchen changes: We have removed all Styrofoam cups and plastic flatware from the kitchen. Please use the bio-degradable cups, and please use real flatware. The effects of using the dishwasher far outweigh the effects of using Styrofoam and plastic, both of which have the capacity to never decompose.

Rain Barrel: We’ll be installing the rain barrel where it will get the most use – just behind the mailbox to the left of the front entryway. We’ll have ladles available, so anytime you notice the flowers need water, you can fill a ladle and pour! We plan to have this completed by the end of June.

Rain garden: Sherburne County contacted us to receive a free rain garden. They are interested in protecting the ground water from rainwater runoff. Our location and our roof size (creating large amounts of runoff) qualify us for this program. A green team member has met with the Sherburne County representative who defined appropriate locations and plants. More details to follow after plans are presented and approved. Look for our rain garden this summer.

Mission One

For eleven days in November, Union Church participated in the Mission I Campaign, a national effort by the United Church of Christ to feed the hungry and confront food-related injustice locally, nationally and globally.

Our Goals & Accomplishments:
Neighbors in Need Goal $1,111 Union Total: $711.53
CAER Goal 1,111 items Union Total: 1249 items
Avenues Goal 111 items Union Total: 116 items
Letters to Senators & Congress Goal 111 letters Union Total: 48 letters

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Mission One Campaign.

Check out the National UCC Website for national totals by clicking here.

Mission One – that they all may be ONE…keep up the good work, for Elk River, for the metro, for the state, for the nation and for the world.

A Note from the Service and Mission Ministry Team:

In these tough economic times , Union Church is often asked for emergency assistance. The church office tries to refer as many people as possible to CAER, to Faith in Action, and other available social services. But there are times when all that is needed is some emergency services that we can help provide. If you would be able to put together an emergency food box for a family of two or for a family of four, or some other emergency help, please contact Dana to get specifics on what could be put in a special emergency food box, or even donate cash or gift cards for this assistance. Please help however you are able. Call Pastor Dana for specifics on how you can help.

Rides to Church: Rides to the 9:30am summer Sunday worship service are available on an on-going basis! Just call the church on Saturday by 3:00pm and leave a message on the voice mail with your name and address! (763) 441-1203.

Local Volunteer Ministries
Our ministers and laity actively participate in many community organizations including these:

CAER Community Aid for the Elk River Area, our local food shelf provides food, clothing, and emergency assistance. More than forty of us volunteer there regularly. (763) 441-1020.

MEALS ON WHEELS provides the noon-day meal for homebound persons in the area. Union delivers 4 months a year. (763) 441-6288.

FAITH IN ACTION offers transportation, companionship, respite care, housekeeping, minor repairs, caregiver coaching services and intergenerational projects to help older adults and others remain in their homes. (763) 263-4277.

FUNERAL MINISTRIES – Many members and friends are on call to provide support for those bereaved by preparing the sanctuary for funerals and memorial services, ushering, offering special music, and serving lunch.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS – Union Church provides space and prayer support for an NA meeting every Monday night at 7:30PM. Volunteer building supervisors insure access and privacy.

RELAY FOR LIFE – In memory of those who have died from cancer and with love and gratitude for all who are surviving, we support a team of walkers as part of this beautiful and courageous tribute and fund raising event for cancer research.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Adults and youth have traveled for a week to 10 days out of state to serve.

GUARDIAN ANGELS OF ELK RIVER - Pastor Dana leads worship at Guardian Angels once each month in the Angel Ridge Dining Room. In addition, the Membership Care Team hosts coffee at Guardian Angels on the first Wednesday of each month. Many Union Church members and friends serve on various boards at Guardian Angels.

OTHER SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES – Members are active in RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program), the Arts Alliance, Rivers of Hope, the Historical Society, the Oliver Kelly Farm Preservation, and many other local groups. Tell us about your interests.

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Social Justice

Union Church has played a key leadership role in starting DISCOVERY, a local community education and awareness group started in the fall of 2004. The Discovery Group is an inter-denominational, faith-based community gathered to support and affirm our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) family, friends and neighbors, and to promote education related to GLBT issues in our communities and our schools. To learn more about the Discovery Group in Elk River, visit their website by clicking here.

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Mission and Service
The Mission and Service Ministry Team special offerings during the year. Sometimes these are on a regular monthly basis, sometimes they have to do with a particular need that arises in the local community, the global community or the church. Our hope is to coordinate our financial giving with our active participation in the need at hand. Here are some examples of where our giving has been focused:

Congregations Concerned for Children
Gift of the Heart Health Kits
One Great Hour of Sharing
Crop Walk
Strengthen the Church
Habitat for Humanity
Rivers of Hope
Faith in Action
Neighbors in Need
Tools and Blankets
The Christmas Fund

"As you have done for the least of these, you have done it for me." Jesus brought us a new life in ultimate vulnerability. As a child he was dependent on the care and protection of others; he lived as a poor preacher without any political, economic, or military power; and he died nailed on a cross as a useless criminal. It is in this extreme vulnerability that our salvation was won. Excerpt from Henry Nouwen. “I swore to never be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, never the tormented.” Elie Wiesel Globally, nationally, and locally, the people of Union Church strive to make a difference in the world. We are actively involved in the Elk River community, the nation, and throughout the world. We use our facilities, time, energy and financial resources in responding to social needs and issues in meaningful ways. Union Church supports local organizations with our time and tangible resources. We work together as a congregation to support CAER, Gifts Anonymous, the Crop Walk, Faith in Action, Bridging, Meals on Wheels, and Global Health Kits. Throughout the year, Union Church contributes to all five of the special UCC offerings: Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen the Church, and the Christmas Fund. To learn more about any of the offerings, click on the links. Most recently, several members of our church organized a trip to Joplin, Missouri to help with clean-up from the Spring storms. In the last couple of years, youth and adults have been active in Cedar Rapids, Iowa helping to rebuild homes for victims of the 2009 floods. When disaster struck in Haiti, our congregation joined the national population of the United Church of Christ to donate over $1.3 million dollars through the Haiti Relief Fund. Our Spring 2010 project was to pool our energy and resources to purchase a ShelterBox for the people of Haiti, a huge box that contains a tent for ten, and the utensils to start home over. Here is a glimpse at our monthly projects from the Service and Mission Ministry Team January: Souper Bowl (CAER) February: Local and National Missions March: One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC cash collection) April: Avenues May: Strengthen the Church (UCC cash collection) June: Mission Trip (Union Church) July: CAER Golf Classic August: Avenues September: School Supplies (CAER) October: Neighbors In Need (UCC cash collection), Spaghetti Supper (CAER), Earth Day (Union Green Team) November: Mission 1: Food Locally and Internationally December: The Christmas Fund (UCC cash collection), Gifts Anonymous (CAER) More Information on Avenues: This year, the Service and Mission Ministry Team is looking into working working with Avenues. To learn more about Avenues, click on this link. Green Team Update Kitchen changes: We have removed all Styrofoam cups and plastic flatware from the kitchen. Please use the bio-degradable cups, and please use real flatware. The effects of using the dishwasher far outweigh the effects of using Styrofoam and plastic, both of which have the capacity to never decompose. Rain Barrel: We’ll be installing the rain barrel where it will get the most use – just behind the mailbox to the left of the front entryway. We’ll have ladles available, so anytime you notice the flowers need water, you can fill a ladle and pour! We plan to have this completed by the end of June. Rain garden: Sherburne County contacted us to receive a free rain garden. They are interested in protecting the ground water from rainwater runoff. Our location and our roof size (creating large amounts of runoff) qualify us for this program. A green team member has met with the Sherburne County representative who defined appropriate locations and plants. More details to follow after plans are presented and approved. Look for our rain garden this summer. Mission One For eleven days in November, Union Church participated in the Mission I Campaign, a national effort by the United Church of Christ to feed the hungry and confront food-related injustice locally, nationally and globally. Our Goals & Accomplishments: Neighbors in Need Goal $1,111 Union Total: $711.53 CAER Goal 1,111 items Union Total: 1249 items Avenues Goal 111 items Union Total: 116 items Letters to Senators & Congress Goal 111 letters Union Total: 48 letters Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Mission One Campaign. Check out the National UCC Website for national totals by clicking here. Mission One – that they all may be ONE…keep up the good work, for Elk River, for the metro, for the state, for the nation and for the world. A Note from the Service and Mission Ministry Team: In these tough economic times , Union Church is often asked for emergency assistance. The church office tries to refer as many people as possible to CAER, to Faith in Action, and other available social services. But there are times when all that is needed is some emergency services that we can help provide. If you would be able to put together an emergency food box for a family of two or for a family of four, or some other emergency help, please contact Dana to get specifics on what could be put in a special emergency food box, or even donate cash or gift cards for this assistance. Please help however you are able. Call Pastor Dana for specifics on how you can help. Rides to Church: Rides to the 9:30am summer Sunday worship service are available on an on-going basis! Just call the church on Saturday by 3:00pm and leave a message on the voice mail with your name and address! (763) 441-1203. Local Volunteer Ministries Our ministers and laity actively participate in many community organizations including these: CAER Community Aid for the Elk River Area, our local food shelf provides food, clothing, and emergency assistance. More than forty of us volunteer there regularly. (763) 441-1020. MEALS ON WHEELS provides the noon-day meal for homebound persons in the area. Union delivers 4 months a year. (763) 441-6288. FAITH IN ACTION offers transportation, companionship, respite care, housekeeping, minor repairs, caregiver coaching services and intergenerational projects to help older adults and others remain in their homes. (763) 263-4277. FUNERAL MINISTRIES – Many members and friends are on call to provide support for those bereaved by preparing the sanctuary for funerals and memorial services, ushering, offering special music, and serving lunch. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS – Union Church provides space and prayer support for an NA meeting every Monday night at 7:30PM. Volunteer building supervisors insure access and privacy. RELAY FOR LIFE – In memory of those who have died from cancer and with love and gratitude for all who are surviving, we support a team of walkers as part of this beautiful and courageous tribute and fund raising event for cancer research. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Adults and youth have traveled for a week to 10 days out of state to serve. GUARDIAN ANGELS OF ELK RIVER - Pastor Dana leads worship at Guardian Angels once each month in the Angel Ridge Dining Room. In addition, the Membership Care Team hosts coffee at Guardian Angels on the first Wednesday of each month. Many Union Church members and friends serve on various boards at Guardian Angels. OTHER SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES – Members are active in RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program), the Arts Alliance, Rivers of Hope, the Historical Society, the Oliver Kelly Farm Preservation, and many other local groups. Tell us about your interests. Back to Top Social Justice Union Church has played a key leadership role in starting DISCOVERY, a local community education and awareness group started in the fall of 2004. The Discovery Group is an inter-denominational, faith-based community gathered to support and affirm our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) family, friends and neighbors, and to promote education related to GLBT issues in our communities and our schools. To learn more about the Discovery Group in Elk River, visit their website by clicking here. Back to Top Mission and Service The Mission and Service Ministry Team special offerings during the year. Sometimes these are on a regular monthly basis, sometimes they have to do with a particular need that arises in the local community, the global community or the church. Our hope is to coordinate our financial giving with our active participation in the need at hand. Here are some examples of where our giving has been focused: Congregations Concerned for Children Gift of the Heart Health Kits One Great Hour of Sharing Crop Walk Strengthen the Church Habitat for Humanity Rivers of Hope Faith in Action Neighbors in Need Tools and Blankets The Christmas Fund Back to Top

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