Faith-in-Action
Chair: Brian Porter
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Welcome to the Faith-In-Action page! Check this page often to find out what the current happenings are with the Faith-In-Action (FIA) committee.
Our committee members are: Brian Porter Chair, Ed Mueller, Cheryl Powell, John and Mary Ann Crayton and Carl Wolf.
We plan our ongoing activities at our monthly meetings that are held the second Monday of each month. To find out what is going on with the FIA committee and how you can participate, come to one of our meetings or stop by the FIA table in the Parish Hall any Sunday. We’ll have someone there every Sunday to answer your questions.
We are always looking for ideas from members and friends of the church. You can send your suggestions via e-mail to FIA Chair c/o of firstunitarian@verizon.net You can also contact any member of the FIA committee to share your ideas.
Show your support for the Faith-In-Action committee by purchasing one of our FIA green t-shirts for only $15. The t-shirts are available in Adult sizes S – XXL. You’ll look great in the stylish FIA shirt as you join us at various FIA activities.
Upcoming FIA Activities for November and December
Make a Difference in the World!
Faith-in-Action Holiday Actions
We’re bringing you multiple opportunities to help those in need this Holiday Season. You decide how you would like to help! We understand that in these times of economic uncertainty, that some of you may find it difficult to contribute to the FIA Holiday actions. We understand and want you to know that any contribution of time, energy or donations is greatly appreciated. Remember U can make a difference in the world. Thank you for your support.
•Family Giving Project
This is the fourth year that we are gathering food, clothing and gift donations to families in need. See the sign up sheet in the Parish Hall. This will also be our “Loose Change for Social Change” collection for the month of November. 100% of the money collected will go to support this project. We’ll have information on the families we are helping this year very soon. In the meantime you can see the sign up sheet at the FIA table in the Parish Hall.
Coordinator: Carl Wolf
•Guest at Your Table
This annual “at home” change collection is being coordinated with Religious Education. FIA will spend time with the children’s and youth RE to educate them about the work being carried out by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) around the world. The Guest at Your Table boxes provide families the opportunity to talk about the issues facing families and children in the US and other countries. GAYT boxes will be distributed on November 22nd. Boxes and additional resources will be available November 22nd. GAYT will continue until MLK day in January.
Coordinator: Mary Ann Crayton
•Mitten Tree Collection
The Youth group will coordinate the collection of hats, scarves and mittens to be distributed various women and children shelters around Northwest Indiana. If you know of an organization that could use these types of donations please let Emma Porter know. Look for the collection box near the FIA table. Contact Emma Porter if you have the name of an organization that would appreciate a donation of hats, scarves or mittens. Once the Christmas tree is put up in the Parish Hall we will decorate the tree with your donations.
Coordinator: Emma Porter.
•Men’s Undergarment Drive
We will collect men’s undergarments and distribute them to various charities in Northwest Indiana. Other donations of men’s warm clothing will be accepted. All undergarments should be new. Gently used sweatshirts and sweaters will also be collected. We’ll have a collection box at the FIA table in the Parish Hall.
Coordinator: Brian Porter
•Food Bank Angels
For the second year in a row FIA will be selling paper Angels to supplement our monthly donation to the Hobart Food Pantry. For $1 you can purchase a white, paper angel that can be colored and hung up around the church. All the money collected for this effort will be given to the Hobart Food Pantry. Last year we had a lot of fun with this project and raised $255.
Coordinator: Cheryl Powell
We intend to end all the FIA activities on December 20th in order to make delivery before Christmas. We are looking forward to an active holiday season and hope that you will find the time, energy and generosity to support any or all of these efforts. Thank you!
Loose Change for Social Change
Our monthly donations to reach out to the wider world.
The Loose Change for Social Change offering is collected each Sunday during our regular offering. The FIA committee designates ½ of the collection for a worthy cause and uses the other half to support additional FIA projects.
Each month a new charity is selected.
In September we collected for the Shirley Heinze Land Trust fund. We also had about a dozen people participate in the volunteer work day on Saturday September 26th at the Cressmor Prairie. We collected seeds of native grasses and flowers that will be used next spring to seed other parts of this unique native prairie. To get a sense of what the day was like take a look at the FIA picture section on this page.
The October collection was split between UNICEF and the Sojourner Truth House (STH) in Gary. We have been supporting STH for many years and last year our youth spent a Saturday volunteering at STH. We hope to organize another work day over the Christmas holidays. To learn more click the link to STH. If you are interested in coordinating another volunteer work day with our youth please contact Brian or Tina Porter. The kids did a great job of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and while they fell short of their goal of $450 they did raise over $300. Nice job to our young UUs!!
The November collection is for the Family Giving Project. 100% of this month’s donation will go to help support this annual effort.
We are always open to suggestions for a Loose Change charity from members and friends. Many of our past Loose Change charities came from your suggestions and in some cases our members may work or volunteer for the specific charity. Our primary objective for the Loose Change for Social Change donation is to further the work of those organizations whose work demonstrates the principles of Unitarian Universalism.
Recent Actions
FIA Takes Part in Two Community Events
On Saturday September 26th fourteen members of our congregation participated in a seed collection effort in support of the Shirley Heinze Trust organization. It was an educational and fun experience.
Then on Sunday, September 27th nine members of our congregation joined with members of other Faith communities from Northwest Indiana in the CROP walk that took place in Valparaiso. We raised over $350 to support the work of Church World Services. The Faith-In-Action committee thanks everyone that walked or donated to our efforts.