Our Amazing Churches in Action

Every week, the Conference hears stories about important work our churches are doing in our communities and the wider world. This week, we spotlight two wonderful examples. What is your church doing that we should know about and share with the wider Conference? Send us a note!

New Spirit UCC in Savage raises funds for UCC Ukraine fund
One of the Sunday School teachers at New Spirit suggested that the children create sunflower artwork that would be the focus of a church-wide art show. The children stepped up to create and the congregation stepped up to purchase — with all proceeds donated to the UCC’s Ukraine fund! “It was a great way for kids to raise $700 for the fund,” said Rev. Vanessa Bradby, Bridge Pastor at New Spirit. “And the people at church were really excited about the project.” Our hats off to this congregation for their creativity and commitment to the people of Ukraine.

Saint Anthony Park UCC reduces its environmental footprint
In fall 2019, Saint Anthony Park UCC (SAPUCC) kicked off work with Minnesota Waste Wise to reduce its environmental footprint. The church started collecting food scraps that a staff member then took to a local organics drop-off site. Leaders then applied for and received a Biz Recycling Grant, which allowed SAPUCC to start commercial organics recycling services and purchase bins for coordinated collection of organics, trash, and mixed recycling throughout the building. Dollies were purchased for the janitor to efficiently collect various types of waste throughout the building. Additionally, MN Waste Wise provided training sessions to teach the congregation best practices for recycling. The result? The combination of diverting 1,300 pounds of organic waste from the trash and switching haulers has saved SAPUCC $2,040 per year! And most important, as church member Dian Klinefelter said, “We are one big step further in ‘greening’ our church and being good stewards of our planet.”