Our congregation is very committed to and involved with mission programs both here in Nashua and around the world. Here are just some of the missions with which we are currently involved:
Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter [NSK&S] In addition to sending a crew twice a month to help serve the evening meal at the Nashua Soup Kitchen we work to support this ministry by growing vegetables in our church garden and taking them into the Soup Kitchen during the summer; by creating Easter Baskets to be given to families during Holy Week; Socks with toiletries at Christmas, and with other hands-on projects during the year.
Family Promise of Southern NH - formerly called 'Anne Marie House'. Folks from our congregation were actively involved in creating this ministry for homeless families and they continued to be involved by working hours a month before COVID. We have also always worked to contribute financially to make sure that this ministry thrives in Nashua. Read about our 'Shower' for its new location on the page in the menu above.
SOUPER BOWL OF CARING Super Bowl Sunday is also Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday! We usually pick some of our stellar youth to greet you at the Great Room doors with a soup pot to collect donations. This year, everything is happening virtually. Our collection supports the Nashua chapter of End 68 Hours of Hunger. The goal of the organization is to meet the nutritional needs of school children who confront hunger at home. With some students not back to in-person classes, the need is greater than ever! End 68 Hours of Hunger ~ Nashua is a private, not-for-profit, effort to confront the problem in our community. You can donate directly at this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=97D5P4VWUKTNJ&item_name=End+68+Hours+of+Hunger+-+Nashua%2C+NH. You can also send your gift to the church earmarked for Souper Bowl and we'll forward it for you.
New England Glow is our regional Youth Group. This is its Mission Report for Nov-Dec 2020 "Thank You" to all of you who promoted, donated and prayed for the Cold Weather Clothing Drive. I was amazed by the generosity we encountered. I had inquiries from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts asking how individuals and churches could contribute. Members of the leadership team hopped into their cars and traversed New England to consolidate all of the donations so they could be taken to Common Cathedral the week of the 17th. Over 60 boxes and large bags of donations were delivered to Common Cathedral in 3 car loads! Donations included blankets, sleeping bags, coats, pants, sweatshirts, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, hand warmers, hand knits and dignity cards ($5 gift cards to Dunkin Donuts). These donations were sorted by volunteers at Common Cathedral on Friday January 22 and displayed in a large hall. I dropped off donations from Maine, New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts on Friday and I was inspired by the volunteers who helped me unload the donations. On Saturday January 23 individuals were invited into the space to go "shopping" for whatever they needed. No money exchanged hands but individuals were given the opportunity to pick out what they needed from the items donated. What I found so wonderful about the work at Common Cathedral is the intentional care given to both physical and spiritual needs of individuals experiencing housing insecurity. Seeing the person first and recognizing Christ in each individual. Restoring dignity by treating people as individuals and as valuable. What a wonderful way to be church!
BECOMING A MATTHEW 25 CHURCH After a year of prayer, study, and conversation, our Session voted in December 2020 for our congregation to become a Matthew 25 Church.
What is a Matthew 25 church? Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. Convicted by this passage, both the 222nd and 223rd General Assemblies (2016 and 2018) exhorted the PC(USA) to act boldly and compassionately to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor.
How the vision unites all Presbyterians By accepting the Matthew 25 invitation, we can help our denomination become a more relevant presence in the world. We recognize Christ’s urgent call to be a church of action, where God’s love, justice and mercy shine forth and are contagious. And we rejoice how our re-energized faith can unite all Presbyterians for a common and holy purpose: our common identity to do mission.