Souper Bowl of Caring

We will be collecting donations on February 7 and throughout the month of February. Non-perishable food items and monetary donations will go to the Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners foodshelf.

Read more!

The Partners at our Table

Last year, due to your generosity, and the dynamic leadership of some PCCC members, our January Mission-of-the-Month began a movement that continues still. We were challenged to clean up Our Table (i.e. get things in better shape around the building), and the changes have been measurable and highly empowering. Look at the new rooms, furniture, lighting, and paint (Thanks again, Al!!!). Such work is never finished, of course, but the message our facilities now send is one of organized and welcoming hospitality. You taught me how important that was, so thank you.

This year, therefore, we hope to build on, even mimic, that success. One of PCCC’s greatest blessings is to provide safe and caring hospitality to families and neighbors every day, particularly by working with two primary partners- Yellow Brick Road Childcare and Thy Word
Worship Center. Besides worship, these partners are as central to our church mission as anything else we do. So this January, and beyond, our church leadership is asking us to celebrate
that fact.

Here’s a question I hope we’ll all strive to answer this month- “How can I show our partners how much their flourishing matters to me?” You’ll soon hear the different ways people answer that. You’ll be challenged to act on those ideas, and show our partners the love that Christ gives us. Indeed, in the spirit of our 2010 Theme, our January mission will be to build more authentic and empowering community with the partners we impact, and are impacted by, most often and directly. These, of course, aren’t our only partners. But they’re the closest and most active, and we praise God for that! Read more!

December 2009

Thy Word will once again be heading up collection and distribution of toys for the Toys for Tots program.

We are in need of donations and people to help distribute. A particular need is for the 14-16 year old age group. Last year, some children in that age group did not receive gifts because of a shortage of items.

If you would like to donate, bring new unwrapped items to church by December 13. Toy distribution will take place on December 19 from 8am - 4 pm.

Please contact Al Johnson if you would like to help distribute, or for more information.

Read more!

November 2009

Plymouth Creek Christian Church will once again be hosting a sleep out to support IOCP’s efforts to combat homelessness in our area.

We will be sleeping out on November 14th.

We will again gather on the north lawn of the church in our tents, boxes, and cars. Or bring a bedroll and sleep on the floor inside (many people stay with a friend when they lose their housing).

We will have breakfast together before Sunday School

If you would like to make an online donation in support of this year’s sleep out, visit iocp.ejoinme.org/140

Read more!

Crop Walk

CROP Hunger Walk

What is a CROP Hunger Walk?

Neighbors walking together to take a stand against hunger in our world. Together we raise awareness funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting.

This year IOCP will receive 6.25 of the NW Suburbs total earnings to help in the local community.

In addition to raising funds, this year’s walkers and congregations are encouraged to bring canned goods to the walk. PCCC has been asked to donate soup for IOCP

The NW Suburbs walk will be held on October 11. If you would like to sponsor a walker, checks made out to CWS/CROP may be given to the walker of your choice. To make an online donation, follow the link on the PCCC website (www.plymouthcreek.org).


Children at Risk
• In developing countries nearly 16 million children die every year from preventable and treatable causes. Sixty percent of these deaths are from hunger and malnutrition.
• The World Health Organization estimates that there are 178 million children who are malnourished across the globe.
• A child born in a developing country is over 13 times more likely to die within the first five years of life than a child born in an industrialized country.
• Ninety percent of the world’s undernourished children live in just 36 countries. Intensified nutrition action in these nations can still lead to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halving severe hunger.

Hunger: Facts and Faces
Hunger Progress and Distress
• In September 2000, 189 countries, including the United States, endorsed the Millennium Development Goals to cut in half the percentage of people living in extreme poverty and substantially improve health and education in impoverished countries by 2015.
• In 19 developing countries, the number of hungry has dropped by 80 million over ten years.
• However, higher food prices are likely to push 100 million deeper into poverty.
• Over 923 million people around the world remain hungry – more than the population of the western hemisphere.
• Most of these people are not victims of famine, but suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition that stunts growth and saps energy and potential.
• Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes – about one child every five seconds.
• 1.4 billion people live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 a day.

What is poverty? To come home and see your children go hungry and not have anything to give them.
Brazil

CWS – Walking With the World for Sixty Years!
• Founded in 1946, Church World Service stands with impoverished peoples around the world as they envision and fashion a better future.
• Last year CROP Hunger Walks and events raised over $17 million to support the hunger-fighting work of Church World Service around the block and around the world.
• With those resources, wells, seeds, tools, and literacy training were provided to African farmers — who are mostly women.
• Emergency medical supplies for flood victims in the United States, health services and safe water for the displaced in Darfur, and vocational training for indigenous communities in Latin America – these are only a few of the ways you are making a difference through your CROP Hunger Walk. Thank you!

If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger.
Buzz Aldren

The CROP Hunger Walk is a wonderful gathering of people coming from different faiths to work for a common cause – fighting hunger.
Susan Davis, coordinator, Akron CROP Hunger Walk

Sources: Bread for the World; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); U.N. Development Program; World Health Organization

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September 2009

Disciples of Christ Coffee Project




The Disciples of Christ Coffee Project, a partnership between the Disciples Home Missions, Week of Compassion and Equal Exchange, is a way for your congregation to join hands with small farmer communities across the world. You can put your faith into action by using fairly traded coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks in your congregation and by learning about how our consumer choices impact the global community. Through the Project farmers receive fair prices for their crops, affordable credit and long term trade relationships with a trading partner they can trust, Equal Exchange. In addition, for every pound of fairly traded products Disciples order through the Project, Equal Exchange makes a donation to the Disciples Hunger Relief and Food Security Fund.

Disciples Home Missions, a General Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the enabling and coordinating division of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in congregational program and mission in North America. DHM's priorities include leader development, congregational transformation, faith formation and Christian vocations.

Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee and development ministry fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada. WOC helps North American Disciples contribute to relief and development efforts world wide. WOC also encourages and supports volunteer groups in "hands-on" mission and service opportunities in North America and abroad.

Starting in September, coffee purchased through the DOC Coffee Project will be available for members and guests in our
welcome center. Read more!

August 2009

In conjunction with this year’s Vacation Bible School, our Mission of the Month will be “Hunger No More”. We will hold two events this month in an effort to combat hunger locally and globally. The first will be a food packaging event at Feed My Starving Children (information and directions on previous page). The second will be collection of food and money for the IOCP foodshelf on August 9. Please join us in these hunger fighting efforts. Read more!