| We have a strong interest in
Mission and people are often drawn to our church by our outreach
programs. Here are some specific outreach projects where “We
Live What We Believe:" |
| Hunger |
| We see hunger as an issue we simply can not
ignore. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, we purchase and
assemble holiday food baskets for families in North and Northeast
Portland. We support the Oregon
Food Bank with a monetary donation, and also send groups of
volunteers to work in the Food Bank’s warehouse. We serve
meals at the Lake
Oswego Adult Community Center as part of their "Welcome
Break" program. |
 |
| Our
day at the Oregon Food Bank. |
| Homelessness |
In September of 1988, a coalition of 6 Lake
Oswego churches, ultimately named Lake Oswego Transitional Shelter
Ministry (LOTSM), in partnership with Clackamas
County Social Services and the Annie Ross House
Outreach Program, opened a transitional shelter for homeless
families. LOUCC housed guest families within our church building for 14
years until LOTSM received non-profit status, a grant, and donated
funds to construct an apartment that afforded families more privacy.
The apartment, adjacent to our church building, was built in 2001. In
2005, a second apartment opened at the
United Methodist Church. Each apartment accommodates a single family at
a time for a 6-9 month period. For more information on the Lake Oswego
Transitional Shelter Ministry, go to Lake
Oswego Transitional Shelter Ministry.
We also support:
Operation
Nightwatch - offering hospitality to homeless single persons.
Outside In
- supporting homeless youth.
Clackamas
Women's Services - providing shelter and services for women and
children affected by domestic violence.
|
 |
| The
LOUCC transitional center for homeless families. |
| Open
& Affirming |
| As an Open &
Affirming congregation since 1993, we denounce acts of
discrimination and violence against any person, and celebrate and
affirm all loving and committed relationships. We have worked actively
to defeat proposed ballot measures that would deny any group of people
its rights. We recently welcomed a speaker from PFLAG, and have
chosen to support their work through our Mission budget. Our members
are active on the Central Pacific Conference committee that provides
workshops for other UCC churches who want to look at becoming Open and
Affirming. LOUCC was instrumental in developing "Bridging Our
Differences," a curriculum for youth and adults on
homosexuality/homophobia which is now available nationwide. LOUCC is a
member of the Community
of Welcoming Congregations. |
 |
|
| Refugee
Resettlement |
| We have been active in refugee resettlement,
having helped families from Southeast Asia, Poland, South Africa,
Ukraine, Eritrea (Ethiopia), Iraq, and Bosnia all settle and find new
homes in America. As one example, our Congregation helped settle a
family from Eritrea by assisting them in securing housing, health care,
jobs, and language classes. Today, members of that same family are part
of the melting pot of people living the American dream: one is a
pharmacist, one a medical doctor, and another, a nurse. |
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|
| World and
National Outreach |
LOUCC consistently wins the highest per capita
giving award in the Central Pacific Conference for our contributions to
Our Churches' Wider Missions (OCWM). We allocate 10% of our annual
budget to Mission, donating 5% to OCWM and 5% to local missions.
As our world has grown more violent, we have seen the need to be
increasingly active in our calling as peacemakers. To take our
commitment to peace one step further, LOUCC has elected to support Oregon Peaceworks.
Outside our front entrance is our World Peace Pole, on which the
phrase, "May Peace Prevail on Earth," is inscribed in English, Arabic,
Hebrew, Spanish, Bosnian, Korean, American Sign Language, and animal
paw prints. This is one of more than 200,000 Peace Poles, located in
over 180 countries around the world. |
 |
| Our
World Peace pole. |
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