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Outreach
According to its mission statement, the Board of Christian Outreach
views as its purpose "To represent the congregation of Brookside
Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in a responsible
manner, while responding at the local, national and global levels
to the need for food, clothing, shelter or means of attaining
self-sufficiency. To keep the congregation advised of progress
achieved and opportunities available for continued enrichment
of living life as faithful followers of Jesus Christ."
There are many ways to get involved
in Brookside Outreach:
• Local, National
& Global Efforts
• Holiday
Baskets
• Families in Transition
• Loaves
and Fishes
• New
Horizons Soup Kitchen
• Partners
in Health
Please feel free to contact any member of the Outreach
Board* should you have questions or have an interest in participating
in any of the Board's many worthwhile projects and partnerships.
Local, National, Global Efforts
Local All-Church Offerings
Brookside participates in three special all-church offerings during
the year: Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, and Blanket
Sunday. Announcements concerning the specific events are publicized
prior to each collection. Local community support includes participation
in the annual interfaith Religious Response to Hunger, falling
between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and hosting New Horizons'
Empty Bowls Project.
National & International Programs
Brookside is proud to provide ongoing support to two children
through the Compassion International chid sponsorship program.
We also support Andover Newton Theological School, Bangor Theological
Seminary, Pastoral Counseling Services and people in need of catastrophic
dental and medical service.
Partnership with Sakubva Church, Zimbabwe
Our ongoing relationship with Sakubva Church in Mutare, Zimbabwe
continues to flourish. Each month, members of the Outreach Board
and Brookside's congregation conference call with members of Sakubva
Church to receive updates on current events and projects. The
calls, in addition to letters, have provided us with a way to
keep our connection alive and find ways to work on a shared mission.
The Outreach Board, on behalf of Brookside Church,
offers monetary support to help Sakubva Church provide for the
basic needs for orphans they care for. Outreach has also sold
linens and other goods made by our brothers and sisters of Sakubva
Church. All proceeds from the sales are sent to Sakubva Church
to be used to build a guest house at the church.
Youth from Brookside and Sakubva Church:
Phone Conference
Following morning worship on Sunday,
May 4 a conference call will be made between the
youth of Sakubva Church in Zimbabwe and Brookside Church
here in New Hampshire.
How are our youth and the youth of Sakubva alike or different?
What are the burning issues in the minds of young people
from different hemispheres and continents? Encourage the
young people in your life to be part of the conversation!
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Holiday Baskets
One of the highlights of Brookside's outreach for
many families is the collection, preparation and distribution
of Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. In 2005, we added to the
Brookside holiday baskets tradition by successfully filling and
distributing Easter food "baskets." These baskets directly
assist the clients of organizations such as the Salvation Army,
Greater Manchester AIDS Project, Southern NH Services/Head Start,
Child Health Services and Families in Transition.
Families in Transition
Families in Transition (FIT) is a Manchester-based nonprofit
organization that offers low-cost transitional housing and on-site
supportive services to homeless women with and without children,
as well as men with children.
Over the past few years, Brookside has been involved with FIT
in a variety of ways: by providing the necessary furnishings and
household items needed for FIT's new interim housing unit, through
monetary contributions, and by encouraging Brookside families
to support FIT through volunteer efforts.
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 Loaves
and Fishes
On the first Sunday of every month, we collect canned goods,
staples, dry goods, and personal toiletry items to help stock
the shelves of the New Horizons Food Pantry and Shelter. The congregation's
response to this program has been tremendous, with an average
monthly donation of 60 bags of goods.
In April, we collected 26 bags of groceries and other non-perishables
for New Horizons. Let's try to double that amount in May!
Please consider putting some extra items in your supermarket basket
for the food pantry. Their wish list currently includes: diapers,
baby formula, peanut butter, jelly, baked beans, macaroni & cheese,
canned goods, tomato sauce, pasta, and tuna. Our next collection
is Sunday, May 4.
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 New
Horizons Soup Kitchen
Volunteers from Brookside serve the evening meal at New Horizons'
Soup Kitchen on the fifth Tuesday of the month. A 4-6 member team
spends approximately two hours serving dinner to an average of
120 people.
Since 2005, Brookside members have participated
in the annual Walk for Hunger to benefit New Horizons. Our annual
goal is to have 100 people from Brookside participate by walking
and/or through donations.
Top Ten Reasons to Participate in the Walk Against Hunger
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10.
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The weather just has to be better than last year!
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9.
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We can all use the exercise.
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8.
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You get a snazzy T-shirt advertising your affiliation
with Brookside UCC.
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7.
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It's a great opportunity to see the mill buildings
up close.
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6.
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Teach your kids social responsibility; bring them
along and make it a family tradition.
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5.
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Fellowship - you can learn a lot about your fellow
church members over a four-mile course.
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4.
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On any given day in New Hampshire, 2,248 people
are homeless.
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3.
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New Horizons provided 68,199 meals to those in
need during 2007.
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2.
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16,347 bags of food were distributed to the hungry
last year.
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1.
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"When did we see you hungry and feed you,
or see you thirsty and give you drink?" ...
"The truth is, every time you did this for
the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it
for me." (Matthew 25:37-39)
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 The
Details: The Walk Against Hunger will be held on
Sunday, May 18, starting
at 12 noon. Pledge sheets will be available at coffee
hour during the weeks prior to the walk. On the walk day,
come to church in your walking clothes (including your
snazzy Walk Against Hunger T-shirt) and carpool with others
to the starting line at Victory Park. If you are concerned
about walking the four miles, Brookside is conveniently
located along the course. If for physical or other reasons,
you cannot join us, please consider sponsoring our team!
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Partners in Health
In 2005, Brookside expanded its global reach through a donation
to Partners in Health (PIH), an international nonprofit organization
that strives to increase access to health care for those who most
need it. Begun by Dr. Paul Farmer, PIH brings the resources of
the world's leading medical and academic institutions to some
of the world's poorest and sickest communities in Haiti, Rwanda,
Peru, Guatemala, Russia, and Boston, Massachusetts.
To read more about this work, check out the website (www.pih.org)
or read Tracy Kidder's best-selling book, Mountains
Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would
Cure the World.
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