The First Congregational Church of Kent provides volunteer and/or monetary
support to, or is affiliated with, the
following organizations:
Children’s Rescue Mission – Teupasenti, Honduras
Founded in 1998 following Hurricane Mitch, CRM provides food and training for the children and young people of Teupasenti, Honduras. In 2002, our church raised $5000 to match a $5000 grant from Heifer Project International to start a farm in conjunction with the mission. In 2003, 7 members of our congregation traveled to Teupasenti to experience the mission, farm and community first hand. Read about that trip.
Video – CRM Thank you to Pat Howe
Support Children’s Rescue Mission | Tortillas for Teupasenti
Church World Service
Disaster Relief – provides relief, following natural disaster, in the form of blankets, tents, food and clothing.
Blanket Sunday – provides blankets for persons displaced by natural and human made disasters.
Tool Sunday – provides tools, such as hammers, seeds, water pumps, sewing machines and plows to development projects across the world.
Covenant to Care – pairs social workers and churches to help with providing for the needs of children in crisis.
Give Directly – Give Directly allows donors to send money directly to the poor with no strings attached. Our approach is guided by rigorous evidence of impact and our values of efficiency, transparency, and respect.
Greenwoods – resources counseling services for those in Litchfield County
Habitat for Humanity NW CT – Building houses for God’s people
IRIS CT – (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) is a federally recognized refugee resettlement agency in New Haven, CT
Loaves and Fishes – a soup kitchen in New Milford, CT
Neighbors In Need – provides food, shelter, education and wellness programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. These programs focus especially on women and Native Americans.
One Great Hour of Sharing – provides funds for emergency aid and relief, and development programs in developing countries. This is one of four special mission offerings collected every year. This Lenten Offering supports the disaster, refugee, and development ministries of the United Church of Christ within Wider Church Ministries. The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering was started in 1946 by Episcopal Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill with a goal to raise one million dollars in one hour for World Relief. In 1949, church leaders from several denominations began working together to promote this effort. Major networks broadcast a show, called “One Great Hour,” on Saturday, March 26 at 10:00 P.M. EST. The broadcast, featuring President Truman and popular musicians and actors of the time, closed with the request to make a sacrificial contribution at their own place of worship the next morning (see below for the full speech). While there is no record of funds raised that day, it is estimated that over 75,000 churches participated. Radio Address as Part of Interdenominational Program, “One Great Hour” March 26, 1949 [Delivered from the White House at 10:55 p.m.]
Fellow citizens: The words from the Bible that have just been read to us carry a great message. It is one that influenced our fathers deeply, and guided them when they shaped our way of life. As a country, we have long understood that to help the suffering is to serve God.Through our communities and our governments as well as through out charities we have sought to carry out this Divine command to aid the hungry, the needy, and the sick.Today, however, the words of the parable of the Last Judgment have fresh meaning for us. They make clear our duty toward those millions of people in other countries who have suffered and still suffer the miseries of war, destruction, and tyranny.There are thousands of children in foreign lands today who have no memory of their parents, no knowledge of the meaning of the words “home” and “family,” and who have forgotten what it feels like to have enough to eat. There are hopeless thousands who wander among the shattered towns seeking a place to rest, seeking security and a chance to begin their lives anew. There are many who pray to God only in secret, fearing persecution if they profess their beliefs openly. It is hard for us to comprehend grief and distress such as this, because we in America are so much more fortunate. Our country has been blessed with material riches. Our homes are secure. We can go to our churches and worship God as we desire. And most important of all, we know that our rights and our dignity as individuals are guaranteed to us under the Constitution. We know that we enjoy these great blessings not because of any special merit on our part, but because of the bounty of God. It is to His Providence that we owe the richness of our country and our heritage of freedom. Since these good things come to us from Him, we know that we must use them for the good of others in accordance with His will. Many of those in need and distress throughout the world share these beliefs and ideals with us. To them we should offer not only our aid in physical things, but also the sense of brotherhood in a common cause. We cannot do this through the channels of government alone. We must also extend the hand of fellowship through our private organizations and as individuals. In this way, we can join with those of kindred faith and destroy the barriers of distrust and propaganda that divide us from our fellowmen. To the millions in the world who cry in their despair for a new day of freedom and justice, we here in America, out of our strength and by our example, can give hope and comfort. I urge you to go to worship tomorrow, each in his accustomed place, to thank God for our heritage and our strength, and to ask Him for the grace and power to carry out His will in this troubled world.
Our Church’s Wider Mission – supports the work of the United Church of Christ, in Connecticut such as Silver Lake Conference Center and nationally throughout the United States.
Silver Lake Conference Center – Silver Lake is a place where young people experience nature, make new friends, and explore their faith.
Women’s Support Services – provides resources, training and counseling to women in crisis
United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ, Southern New England