Outreach Ministries
Members of the Outreach Committee carry on the long and proud tradition of generous, volunteer, and selfless philanthropy on behalf of the First Congregational Church of Camden. The official charge from the church is, "assessing the current needs for outreach in our local community, nation and the world." The Outreach Committee is the main mechanism for the church to support necessary social services for our fellow congregants, fellow citizens and humanity throughout the world. The Committee provides a framework and stimulus by which the entire congregation joins in the church's gifting ministry. We believe our involvement in outreach activities keeps us faithful to our Christian principles and values of love and charity. We rely on the example and inspiration of Jesus Christ to guide us.
Click on a link below to jump straight to a particular ministry.
Shields Mission Project • Christmas • Thanksgiving • Soup Lunches • Prayer Shawl Ministry
AA meetings • Red Cross Blood Drive
The Shields Mission Project was launched in June 2002 through a significant bequest to the church. After serious contemplation church members decided that this gift should, in fact, be dedicated to the greater community. In doing so we had an opportunity to put one of our major goals into action: to reach out to the poor, hungry, and disadvantaged.
The gifting ministry is a referral-based program. Social service representatives contact the Shields Mission Project when working with clients who are in financial crisis and cannot access aid from other established sources. We encourage multiple funding sources to share the cost of providing assistance and also ask that, if possible, the client make a contribution to the need.
After nearly 4 1/2 years of reaching out to individuals in financial need throughout Knox County, the project has become very much a part our church's identity. We have lived up to our motto of "Making a Difference, One Person at a Time."
Through monthly articles in THE BEACON the congregation learns of the difference Shields financial help has made to our neighbors in Knox County in times of crisis, including some of our own church family. We honor the need for confidentiality in working with individuals and families and have gained the respect both of the congregation and the community.
In order to replace expended funds and to maintain the longevity of the project, the Shields Committee seeks donations and does several fundraising events during the year. The response has been both generous and heartwarming.
For more information on the Shields Mission Project, please contact
Debbi Hitchings
Shields Administrator
207-236-4821 x6
debbihitch@verizon.net
Christmas Eve Services
• 6:00 pm Family Service
• 10:00 pm Candlelight Service
There are no services on Christmas day.
You are invited! Our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner is usually held on Thanksgiving Day at 1:00 pm. All invited to share this wonderful meal with the Church Family. Sign up on the Opportunities Table. You will also find a list asking who can help the day before and on the day of the dinner on the Opportunities Table. The dinner is free and you won’t have to bring a thing. So if you’re alone or without family this Thanksgiving or just don’t have the energy or inclination to cook, join us here for a fine turkey dinner with all the trimmings! So don’t go to a restaurant or eat alone! Come join the Church Family Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner is sponsored by our Outreach Committee and is underwritten by funds generated by Heavenly Threads.
Turkey Feather Time! Please plan to pick up your turkey feathers in the Pilgrim Room during the first week of November. Bring in the food items that are designated on the feathers, and help us provide Thanksgiving meals for area families. Let’s make Thanksgiving a day of hearty celebration for some of our needy neighbors.
For the past two years our church has hosted a free Community Hot Soup lunch every Wednesday noon during the fall and winter months. The meal features two soups (one vegetarian), homemade breads and desserts and coffee and tea. The soups are made fresh each Wednesday morning by volunteers chefs who gather early in the morning to prepare their specialty. Our guests are served at their table by volunteer waiters and waitresses. A dedicated group of 18-20 volunteers each week makes the lunch possible.
The lunch has become an interdenominational effort as members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church & the Lincolnville United Christian Church have lent a hand.
Beryl Charlton, coordinator of the lunches, explains that the meals are an opportunity to offer a nutritious hot meal to anyone who may need it as well as a time of good fellowship. Over 70 people come regularly to the lunch which has become more than just nutrition for the body. In fact, as relationships develop and friendships are made, the time together over lunch has become food for the soul as well.
The Prayer Shawl ministry strives to bring God’s love to those are ill, need comfort or perhaps just a hug, through knitted/crocheted shawls which surround the recipient with prayer and the love of his or her church family. It is a powerful expression of our church community’s care and concern for each other and is a lovely way to reach out with love to those who are hurting or who may need the comfort of a special blessing. One recipient wrote that "I often wrap my shawl around me and feel that I am not alone."
The creator of the shawl uses the power of prayer while knitting, figuratively weaving prayer into every stitch. When completed, the shawls are blessed in a special service before being distributedas needed. The shawl is presented to the recipient with a printed prayer expressing God’s love.
"May God’s grace be upon this shawl…
warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing.
"May this mantle be a safe haven,..
a sacred place of security and well –being…
sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones.
"May the one who receives this shawl
be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace,
and wrapped in love."
- Janet Bristow
Knitters meet on Thursdays at noon in the Mayflower Room. Come join the fun!
Alcoholics Anonymous meets downstairs at the church every Wednesday night at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.
We have blood drives sponsored by the Red Cross three times a year, from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm on February 2, July 6, and November 2.