Room to Grow, Room to Serve, Room
for You
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 child 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.
Back to the top
 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.
For more information regarding Families in Transition please visit their website at www.fitnh.org.
Back to the top
 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.
Back to the top
 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.
For more information about New Horizons please visit www.newhorizonsfornh.org.
Back to the top
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.
Back to the top |
