OUR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MINISTRY

Our ministry with Habitat for Humanity began in the early 1990’s when our Missions Committee found out that Habitat for Humanity of Wallingford was in desperate need of volunteers.  We agreed to provide a crew there on one Saturday of each month and did so for a number of years until 5 years ago, when that organization stopped working on homes.  Most of that time, we were the only organization sending volunteers there on a regular basis.  When Wallingford’s Habitat chapter stopped working, so did we for a brief time.  Lisa Cote then became interested in coordinating our Habitat for Humanity ministry and connected us with Hartford’s Habitat for Humanity.  We soon began sending a team there each month, as we continue to do.  It’s on the 3^rd Saturday, and all are welcome to join us.  Sign-up next to Gordon’s office any/every month and you will receive a call from Michael Halloran, who has served as our church’s Habitat coordinator for the past several years.  In addition to monthly work days, our church also provides some funding to local Habitat for Humanity programs, primarily (though not exclusively) from the sale of our Christmas Gift Cards.  We have done this since the early 1990’s.  In addition to monthly work days and funding for local Habitat chapters, our church also serves Habitat for Humanity through our youth.  When Rick Haverly joined our staff in 1996, he began leading annual Youth Mission Trips, rotating between 3 different sites: New York City (to work in soup kitchens), Mexico (to serve a UCC church and school in Mazatlan) and Baltimore/Washington, D.C. (to work with Habitat for Humanity).  Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful and deserving mission organization.  Other written materials about it are provided in today’s bulletin.  Please look it over.