Interested in learning about new opportunities to help others? You can volunteer for an ongoing effort or get a taste of trying something new.
November
Holiday Food and Gift Basket is back this year! Individual gift-buying for needy local families didn’t happen last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but people are invited to sponsor individuals and families again this year. The program, sponsored by the Community of Congregations, serves around 2,000 people in Oak Park and River Forest, from babies to seniors. All gifts are due back at church, wrapped and tagged, on Sunday, Dec. 5. You can learn more about the Holiday Food and Gift Basket Program and, if you don’t want to shop, make a monetary gift at the group’s website.
Extra help needed for the Alsaad family. Nadia, the wife and mother of our former Iraqi refugee family, has been out of work since Sept. 14 due to a back injury and resulting back surgery. We are grateful that she is on the road to recovery, but she cannot return to her job teaching preschool until December. The family depends largely on her salary to make ends meet. The Migration Ministries Team of our Faith and Action Team is asking for donations to help the family through this challenging time. You can either send a check to the church or donate online. Be sure to indicate that the funds you are donating are meant to support the FIA-Alsaad Family.
December
Fourth Sunday Offering for NESSL, Dec. 26. Each month, all undesignated money donated on the fourth Sunday goes to a specific beneficiary supported by First United. This month’s Fourth Sunday Offering on Dec. 26 will go to the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, which includes 38 churches in the region and has an emphasis on education. The synod’s schools today serve more than 10,000 students. You can learn more about NESSL at the group’s website. Church members can donate electronically using their Realm accounts. Click on the church website’s Give page and select “4th Sunday Offering” in the drop-down menu. Or text FIRSTUNITED to 73256 followed by your gift amount. You also can donate by mailing checks to First United.
