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Mission Team
The Mission Team is a chartered committee whose primary responsibilities include supporting 10 Core Mission Partners, managing the Monthly Mission Partner collections, and stewarding the money in the Mission Team Impact Fund. The purpose of the mission team is not just to provide financial support, but also to educate the congregation and help to connect congregants with the work of our Mission Partners.
On the fifth Sunday of the month,
our offering is dedicated to South Church’s Pastor Samaritan Fund. This resource allows our friends and neighbors in the congregation to anonymously receive help, maintain their needs, and be supported by the congregation.
The vast majority of people in our nation are one $400 emergency expense away from real financial hardship. We know that life can change on a dime for any of us, at any moment – none of us are immune to the highs and lows of life. This is a chance for us to reach out and help those who sit in the pews next to us, who we see in the online chat, and who we might never know are in need of a helping hand.
Spiritually, giving to the Samaritan Fund is an exercise in helping someone, without ever knowing who they were or how you helped them. It is a chance to look at our neighbors in church and know that your love and blessing shared through the offering time is making a real-time impact in the life of someone we worship with each week.
For the month of September,
our Mission Team is supporting the “Rally to Read” Program at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence and a church member has generously offered to match all donations.
Established in 1891, The Lawrence Boys and Girls Club serves as an afterschool haven for more than 4000 youth yearly who participate in programs and activities that provide them with essential opportunities in education, recreation, leadership, and character development. On average, 500 elementary through high school age youth from Greater Lawrence participate in the programs daily. 60% of club members live in one parent families, many at or below the poverty level. Overseen by caring staff and volunteers, the Club’s goal is to mold well-rounded, socially responsible and motivated young citizens. The Club has received many national recognitions for its program excellence.
Education is at the cornerstone of the Club programming, and the most vital piece of education is literacy. In grades 1 to 3, students are “learning to read,” and after 3rd grade, they are “reading to learn” which makes it critical that strong reading foundations are laid early. For this reason, the Missions Team has chosen to support the Club’s “Rally to Read” initiative which runs from October through March. In its 2nd year, this program is designed to develop reading fluency and a lifelong love of reading. At the Fall kick off celebration, youth will sign-up to read 100 books by March! Last year, 75 Club members participated and the Club hopes to increase the number significantly this year. Kids are already asking about when this program will start!
South Church funds will go towards enabling this program to enhance its impact by providing monthly recognition celebrations, take-home books of the members’ choosing, author events, a local field trip, and literacy-related art and writing projects. Our efforts will help the Club continue its track record where 100% of its members graduate high school and most go on to higher education.
In addition to financial donations, the club is also looking for reading volunteers on a one-time or regular basis. If interested, please contact the Club‘s volunteer coordinator. They are also seeking donations of new children’s books of all genres, including books in Spanish that are targeted for grades 1-5. The collection will be held for two weeks, Sept. 15-22nd. Bins will be located in the narthex and outside the nursery.
There are 10 Core Mission Partners who receive annual support from South Church in the form of quarterly disbursements. Each Core Mission Partner has an assigned mission team representative, with whom they communicate joys and concerns. They are asked to complete an annual Financial Support Request form where they share the highlights of their year and any specific financial needs they have.
ABC-Andover A Better Chance
ABC is organization in Andover who, since 1967, has been closing the education gap for students of color in American society. Their mission is to reduce inequity in education by providing young Black, Indigenous and People of Color academic and leadership opportunities. Partner since 1981
www.abcandover.org
Bread and Roses
Bread and Roses is a community wellness program focusing on providing meals served with dignity to those fighting hunger and hardship in Lawrence. They remove all barriers to the health and wellness of the most vulnerable including seniors, veterans and those struggling with unemployment, addiction and mental illness. Partner since 1980
breadandroseskitchen.org
Communities Together
Formerly known as the Greater Lawrence Council of Churches, Communities Together is a collaborative of Catholic and Protestant churches in the communities of Andover, Lawrence, Methuen and North Andover. They run Manos Felices! an afterschool and summer program for children living in Hancock Courts and Stadium Courts housing developments in Lawrence, a summer vacation bible school and collaborate with many social service agencies in the Greater Merrimack Valley to address the needs of children in Lawrence. Partner since 2002
communitiestogetherinc.org
The Giving Garden
Located in North Andover on the grounds of the Rolling Ridge retreat center, the Giving Garden was created by South Church in 2015 in response to increasing levels of food insecurity and a lack of fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate vegetables available in local food pantries. The mission of the Giving Garden is to address local food insecurity by bringing together diverse communities of volunteers and guiding them in sustainable, organic farming practices. Partner since 2017
southchurch.com/garden
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Essex County is a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. They believe affordable housing plays a critical role in sustainable communities. In addition to financial support, South Church sold a parcel of land at the back of our cemetery for the building of 2 Habitat duplexes—2 units in each. South Church commits to sending volunteers at least once monthly in order to help families have safe and secure housing. Partner since 1990
www.essexcountyhabitat.org
Lazarus House
Lazarus House is a Christian organization in Lawrence that believes every person they encounter should be treated with dignity and respect when they participate in the many programs offered including their soup kitchen, food pantry, emergency shelter and transitional housing programs. Partner since 1984
lazarushouse.org
Neighbors in Need
Started in 1983, NIN runs 10 neighborhood food pantries in Lawrence, Andover, and Methuen that address food insecurity by providing nutritious food and local produce. Since their founding, they have supplied 12 million pounds of food to the poor and hungry in Greater Lawrence. Partner since 1981
www.needfood.org
Honduras Hope
Honduras Hope is a non profit organization that empowers economically and politically marginalized people in rural Honduras by focusing on education, health, infrastructure development and economic sustainability. Partner since 2013
www.hondurashope.org
Only a Child
Only a Child is a nonprofit organization that works with disadvantaged youth in Guatemala hoping to break the cycle of chronic economic need by addressing critical social concerns like hunger, malnutrition and disease, delinquency and violent crime, and hopelessness and despair. They work primarily in Guatemala City with male youth who are particularly susceptible to seemingly unavoidable gang life. Partner since 2005
www.onlyachild.org
Ti Palmiste
Ti Palmiste is a Christian organization in La Gonave, Haiti whose mission is to join with and empower Haitians in their efforts to become healthy, educated and self sufficient members of their communities. They run a transition housing program that provides wrap around services for those children aging out of the orphan care system. Partner since 2020
www.instagram.com/explore/locations/643871509/ti-palmiste-ouest-haiti
In 2019, our church decided to think about giving in a new way. Rather than collecting a morning offering each week to benefit the programs of the church, we began choosing a Monthly Mission Partner. Each week, we dedicate our morning offering to the Monthly Mission Partner, learn a bit about their good work, and hold our Partner in prayer.
The Mission Team is responsible for finding organizations whose missions align with the vision and values of South Church. The team looks for organizations that address timely justice issues such as: food insecurity, homelessness, empowerment, education, the environment, the LGBTQ+ community, immigration, natural disasters, and mental health concerns. The organizations are also selected to represent a diversity of program size and geographic area.
Besides raising money to support our Monthly Mission Partner, our offering also serves to educate the congregation on the many different organizations doing good work in our world, encourage folks to get involved, and make space to hold our partners in prayer.
In addition to many others, South Church has supported The Bike Connector in Lowell, an organization designed to keep old bikes out of the landfill and provide immigrants with transportation, Abby’s House, an affordable housing and advocacy organization for women in Worcester, and World Central Kitchen, one of the first organizations to provide hot meals after the Russians invaded Ukraine.
2024
January: Refugee Community Alliance
February: World Central Kitchen in Israel and Gaza
March: Prison Book Program
April: Partners in Health Maternal Health
May: The Bee Conservancy and the South Church Pollinator Garden
June: NAGLY
July: The Giving Garden
August: SNAP Match
2023
IINE, NEADS, Uncommon Threads, Family Services of the Merrimack Valley’s Safe Place Support Groups and Survivor Support, SNAP Farmers Market Match, The Giving Garden, Greater Boston PFLAG, Food Link, International Red Cross and Red Crescent (Turkey/Syria earthquake relief), Project Home Again, Voices of Hope, Abby’s House
In 2023, we gave away almost $45,000 to our mission partners through our Sunday offering alone! Thank you!
The Mission Team manages a small fund which allows them to immediately address emergency situations that arise throughout the year. The causes vary in their size and severity, but each reflects our understanding of our Christian call to be responsive and support the oppressed in our world.
Past recipients include: the LGBT Asylum Seekers House in Worcester, after their roof was destroyed by a fallen tree, and
Doctors without Borders, after the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
www.lgbtasylum.org/asylum-seekers
www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Do you want to suggest a monthly mission partner? Click the button and complete the form to help our missions team determine the organizations that South Church can support!