Board
of Community Action
Outreach
Westmoreland has a long tradition of serving the
community – locally, nationally, and globally. BCA acts as the common
arm of the congregation, reaching out to improve the lives of those
around us by providing financial support to service agencies,
encouraging and supporting members who offer personal service to local
agencies, coordinating donations in kind, and supporting special
projects and offerings. Westmoreland encourages and emphasizes
community action in a variety of ways including music, sermons and
scripture in the worship services as well in other activities in the
church.
Each fall one Sunday is designated as Community
Action Day, celebrated with a worship service dedicated to community
service
and action and a Community Action Fair is held during coffee hour. At
the fair representatives of service agencies and projects supported by
Westmoreland describe their programs and new ways for members of the
congregation to join them in that service. Click here to view photos of
a Community Action Fair
held by BCA.
BCA
Grants
BCA distributes funds to local service agencies as
well as national and international agencies with special ties to the
congregation. See Grant
Guidelines
for information on how to apply, and click
here for the application form. For a list of past recipients,
see BCA Grants
List.
Funding
for BCA Grants
Three sources provide funding for Westmoreland's
grant program, a special Christmas offering, a special Easter offering,
and a
congregation-wide Bazaar
held each November.
These three sources generate about $27,000 per year. Photos from the Bazaar.
Personal
Service and Donations in Kind
Many Westmorelanders volunteer their time and
effort in the community. BCA coordinates some of these activities and
provides
financial support for others.
Examples:
- Westmorelanders provide
breakfast for
homeless Washingtonians by preparing and delivering food to S.O.M.E. (So Others May
Eat) headquarters.
- Westmoreland members prepare
and serve a
monthly dinner at Bethesda House, a shelter for
homeless men
in Bethesda.
- Each Thursday, Westmoreland
volunteers
deliver Meals on Wheels to shut-ins.
- Westmorelanders bring canned
and dry
foods to the narthex. A church member delivers the donations
to the
food pantry at People's Congregational Church in Washington.
- Through Shaw
Community Ministries,
members tutor children in the Shaw area after school or during school
hours.
- During the Thansksgiving
and
Christmas Holiday season Westmoreland collects food and funds
for
holiday meals for low-income neighbors plus toys and Christmas gifts
for their children.
Special
Projects
Westmoreland’s historic commitment to service is
expressed in several long and short term activities designed to meet
specific needs.
- Since 1968 Westmoreland has
helped
provide affordable housing in D.C. by building and administering Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing.
- Westmoreland serves the
greater
Washington community through the Volunteer
Corps program. Five volunteers, usually recent
college
graduates, live in intentional Christian community while working in
social service or advocacy positions for one year. A separate Volunteer
Corps Board supports and administers this program, coordinating with
BCA.
UCC
Wide Offerings
Each year Westmoreland and other UCC churches take
up
special offerings that support programs outside the local area.
- During Lent UCC
congregations, including
Westmoreland, join nine other denominations in One Great Hour of Sharing.
This offering supports disaster relief, economic development, refugee
settlement, and social service around the globe.
- In October UCC congregations
contribute
to Neighbors in Need,
a nationwide
program that funds the promotion of social justice as well as
environmental and economic issues.
Last updated
Thursday, May 29, 2008.
