Ministries
The life of the church doesn't begin and end on Sunday Mornings.
We are called at all times to be part of the body of Christ by continuing to enrich our faith, welcoming others to join us, and caring for others as we care for ourselves.
Giving Back
AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Our church seeks to give back to the community as part of everything we do. We have an Outreach Board that directs many of the charitable and justice ministries of the church, and many other members and groups in the church also give back in various ways.
See below how we give back to the communities we are a part of.
In the greater Grand Ledge area, we partner with many local organizations.
Grand Ledge Food Bank - Monthly, we have a food collection for the food bank as part of our Communion Sunday worship,
and we publish a list of updated needs in our newsletter. We have several individuals who regularly volunteer to work at the food bank.
Grand Ledge Emergency Assistance Program (GLEAP) - we collect a special offering to support GLEAP during the course of the year.
Blessings in a Backpack - we collect food and supplies to help support students when they will not have access to regular meals at school.
We partner with other local churchs in the Grand Ledge community for shared worship on Thanksgiving and Good Friday,
as well as working on community concerns.
Little Free Library - In our continuing effort to fight illiteracy First Congregational UCC has a Little Free Library.
It is located in the front of the church near our road sign.
Little Free Library is a national program where interested individuals or groups register their libraries and then place them on their property and make books available to all ages in their neighborhood. It works just like a regular Library; you can borrow a book and return it.
You can donate a book. You can take a book and return it to another LFL.
We also share our building space with a variety of community groups, including Alcoholic Anonymous, Al-Anon, and practice space for Mudge's Follies.
If you know of a group in need of a space to meet, please let us know!
A delegation from First Congregationa United Church of Christ was sent to Woodside Church in Flint, Michigan
with a generous check for their community water filtration system.
Our church is engaged with the greater Lansing community and statewide. Through our Open and Affirming group, we participate in the Michigan Pride parade and festival. Our clergy and members are regularly involved in social justice issues and rallies at the State Capitol.
Members also volunteer monthly at the Southside Community Kitchen
and regularly send crews out to help with Habitat for Humanity Capital Region Projects.
The primary way our church works nationally is collect special offerings including One Great Hour of Sharing and Neighbors in Need.
These offerings fund the UCC Witness and Justice Minisries, including disaster relief.
Recently, a delegation from First Congregational UCC was sent to the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C.
Our church joyfully supports the Global Ministries Board of the Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ.
In addition, any loose change in our weekly offerings supports a youth in Zambia.
Recently, a delegation from First Congregational UCC was sent to the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C.