FAITH IN ACTION Mission is often marginalized in congregation to a committee and a budget. Faith is often seen as just a set of personally held beliefs. United Presbyterian Church believes that mission is the church and that faith is active. James writes, “I by my works will show my faith” (James 2:18). We want to show what we believe and how we live by the actions we take every day including Sunday. Faith in Action is about worshipping not only through prayer, songs, and sermons, but through service as well.
Faith in Action Sundays are Sundays in which the congregation has the option to worship through service in the community. There is still a regular worship service, but those who sign up dress to work and leave at the beginning of the worship service. We have Faith in Action Sundays throughout the year doing projects at places like Common Place and the Youth Farm. One Sunday a year during the summer we have no regular worship service, but invite the whole congregation to do mission work. Those who are able go off-site while others stay at church and work on projects like tie blankets, writing cards, preparing cookie plates, and care packages.
Our first Faith in Action Sunday was July 25, 2010. The congregation made twenty blankets to donate to the Red Cross and other people in need, wrote over two hundred cards letting individuals know they are cared for and prayed for, and baked over 200 cookies to give to those who could use a smile. Volunteers also put in over sixty hours of labor at Common Place doing yard work, painting rooms, organizing the food pantry, and doing maintenance work. On August 22, 2010 another group from UPC spent the morning at the Youth Farm building a tool shed and doing landscaping work. We’ll have other Faith in Action opportunities on special Sundays through the year.
We also have several mission projects throughout the year to participate in like the Family Christmas Shop, the Rummage Sale for Friendship House, Red Cross Blood Drive, Sharing the Warmth Blanket Ministry, and mission trips to cities like Chicago and St. Louis.
As part of the Faith in Action initiative the Mission Committee has designed Faith in Action t-shirts. When an individual completes ten hours of mission work through Faith in Action projects he or she downloads the form found here and fills it out. The form is turned into the church office and then on several special shirt Sundays those individuals are recognized before the congregation and presented with their shirt to wear during future Faith in Action opportunities. Our goal is to give out hundreds of shirts.
Join us and put your faith into action.
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