Mentoring at First Church:
Our thirteen mentors at First Church are removing many
stones for the youth they mentor. They are teaching them life
skills: how to budget money, work with tools, cook, and apply for
jobs. The love that our mentors consistently show is healing
the pain that has crippled many of our mentees and hindered them
from achieving success. As our mentors share their love,
resources and experiences, their lives are also transformed and
touched by the Spirit.
Through our partnership with Covenant to Care, there are many
youth still in need of a mentor. Please contact Sara
Burrows (860-408-1459) or Nancy Crouch
(860-658-1894).
Care Bags
Gather materials and make bags containing school and personal care
items for children in foster care.
Please contact Becky Goss at 860-658-7016 for
information.
Adopt a Social Worker (AASW) Program
This program matches individual religious congregations of
any faith tradition with a child protective services social worker.
The purpose of the match is to support that worker and to meet the
unmet needs of abused, neglected, and severely impoverished
children in the local community. Social workers who work with these
families voluntarily participate in the Adopt A Social
Worker program in order to help people of faith reach the
needy who live among us.
Through this partnership, we are building stronger connections
between congregations and their communities, reducing the negative
consequences that poverty has on the nurturing children receive in
their homes, and providing hope for families who experience the
support they need from caring neighbors.
For more information about this Covenant to Care program, please
contact: Jane Hadley at 860-408-1559, or by email
at janefacts@hotmail.com
White Gifts at First Church
Every year our Church provides over 250 gifts to families in need.
The names come from the social workers with whom Covenant to Care
for Children has matched us with. We usually have 15-20
families all with children. Many times our gifts will be the
only gifts the family will receive that year.
Our congregation has very generously provided microwaves,
blankets, pots and pans, coats, food baskets, scarves, gloves, and
toys ranging from dolls and basketballs to the latest in computer
games.
Please call Karen Yanik at 860-658-6533 to help
assist her with the tasks associated with organizing the collection
of gifts in support of this program.
South Park Inn
Every night hungry and homeless men, women, and children
flock to South Park Inn on Main Street in downtown Hartford for a
warm meal, camaraderie, and shelter for the night.
For at least one of those nights each month men, women, and
children from First Church will have the privilege and joy of
greeting the clients of South Park, serving them dinner, and
engaging them in conversation and laughter. The blessings
experienced defy words as we work together to set aside the worries
of the day, and share in the God given beauty of each individual.
We serve the healthiest, yummiest meals we can whip up!
South Park Inn is a homeless shelter providing food, shelter,
job training and placement for men, women, and children who find
themselves without a home. Their program is extensive and
their needs are great.
We serve at least one meal a month, plus 5 extra days in the winter
when each Confirmation group cooks and serves a meal. And, we could
serve more if we have the people to do the work.
Contact Denise Bell at 860-651-1974 or by
e-mail at sopherbell@aol.com, and let
her know how you would like to help.