This is the fifth installment of the Stewardship Committee’s Narrative Budget. This article pertains to the Board of Christian Service, which comprises 4.6% of the church budget. Most of these funds are directed to Church World Service, a “cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions affiliated with the National Council of Churches in the United States, providing sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world” (source: Wikipedia).

Working closely with the Director of Youth and Family Ministries, the Board of Christian Service encourages the congregation to reach out in Christian love to the local community, the nation and throughout the world.

Local missions include monthly meals at the Eddy Shelter in Middletown, hosting the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries each Thursday, collecting donations for the Deep River Food Pantry, the Backpack Program, Birthday Boxes for Safe Futures in New London, and working with Deep River Social Services to sponsor a Giving Tree at Christmastime.

Outreach at the national level consists of mission trips within the U.S., an annual Homeless Sleepout, participating in Midnight Run, and Blood Drives. There have also been international mission trips, and a number of activities under the direction of Church World Service, such as CROP Walks, the Blankets Plus program, and Hygiene and School Kits.

While only a small portion of the church’s overall budget, the Board of Christian Service helps our church have a large impact on the world at large, addressing issues such as hunger, poverty, and social injustice. For more detail about the programs mentioned above, visit the Christian Service page on the church’s website.