Mission to Others
Mission to others is an integral part of the United Church of Christ at Valley Forge. We are a “5 for 5” church –
- One Great Hour of Sharing,
- Strengthen the Church,
- Neighbors in Need,
- The Christmas Fund and
- Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM).
UCCVF carries out its mission in several ways:
● Serving the wider community (local, Philadelphia, state) by partnering with other organizations, e.g. homeless shelter at the Old First Reformed Church in Philadelphia , the local LGBTQ Equality Alliance, a Philadelphia-based arts organization called Artwell and the social justice work of Philadelphia-based POWER Interfaith and its regional POWER Metro arm
● Supporting UCCVF members via the work of the elders and other members
● Supporting UCC ministries across the United States and around the world through our five mission offerings.
Volunteer Teams
But mission is more than the giving of money; it is also the giving of our time and talent. Youth and adults of UCCVF travel near and far to help others.
Come join us! To view current fellowship & outreach opportunities, see the Events page and the active volunteer teams below.
Much of UCCVF’s mission work is supported by informal teams of two or more members who do not need to report to council. Those teams include the teams listed below. For more information Contact Us.
Old First Ministry
UCCVF has supported the ministry UCC Old First in Philadelphia for many years. For 38 years, Old First had a men’s shelter that housed about 30 men from November to April. One Sunday each month, we contribute a homemade hot meal featuring a buffet with main dishes, sides, salads, desserts, and more. Our congregation is very generous with their time, cooking, shopping, preparing the meals, and serving the men at the shelter. Exciting update: Old First is building apartments for 34 residents to live in permanent supportive housing! They plan to continue serving Sunday dinner to the local community, and we plan to bring more hot meals!
POWER Interfaith/Metro
Power Interfaith organizes congregations and people of faith to promote racial and economic justice. It’s an organization that brings people together across lines of race, faith, region, and income to advance policies for the common good. Since Power gets involved in social justice issues, we as participating members, usually promote the cause by: giving out pamphlets, making phone calls, visiting State reps or senators. Basically, we establish a game plan to promote the issue.
Annual Flower Sale
Every year for over 30 years UCCVF has held an Annual Flower Sale. The sale features annual flowers at reduced cost. The proceeds from the sale are a fundraiser for the flowers planted around our church. This year some of the profits from the flower sale were used towards the UCCVF Community Garden. There is a small group of volunteers that run the sale in early Spring. We can use more volunteers to help organize the flowers when they arrive into groups by buyer. This is a once a year event and a great way to welcome Spring with your friends from UCCVF.
Black and Asian Lives Matter
Three groups addressing anti-racism via
- sidewalk vigils Mondays at 5pm
- member education, and
- how resources can be better channeled to support people of color
Caring Crafters
The Caring Crafters are in the 15th year of the group’s existence. Our entire reason for being is to provide items for a number of charities, hospitals, and UCCVF. Over the past 15 years Caring Crafters have completed 94 different projects. We meet weekly, have a good time while we work, and always welcome new members.
Community Garden
The UCCVF Community Garden was created in 2023. In our first year we grew from a lawn to just under 100 sq. ft. of raised garden beds. Our tiny garden donated over 200 lbs. to the Great Valley Food Cupboard in our first year.