First United has mission partners that work within the church and in the wider community. We support these programs financially as well as with volunteers’ time and effort.
Beyond Hunger: (gobeyondhunger.org) This agency, housed in the church itself, provides hunger relief in our community, giving assistance to 15,000 families each year. The Food Pantry changed its name to Beyond Hunger in June 2019 to reflect the evolving needs of the broader community. Besides food, the agency offers nutrition and health education, healthy cooking classes, and counseling for clients about benefits. Volunteers help in various shifts and jobs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from stocking food to rescuing food items donated by local merchants to checking in clients to helping carry bags out to clients’ cars.
BUILD: (buildchicago.org) The mission of BUILD, or Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development, is to engage at-risk youth in Chicago’s schools and streets so they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safety, and well being of our communities. BUILD works against gun violence and specializes in gang intervention, prevention, and youth programs for nearly 3,000 teens in the Chicagoland area.
Learning Edge (formerly Cluster Tutoring): (learningedgetutoring.org) Volunteer tutors and students in grades K-12 from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood meet for one-to-one tutoring and mentoring on Thursday nights at the church, September through May. Sessions last 90 minutes, and activities focus on reading, vocabulary, math, and homework.
Housing Forward: (housingforward.org) The agency offers homeless clients a path to temporary and permanent housing. It also offers a place to sleep at the PADS Emergency Overnight Shelter, now held at the Wright Inn in Oak Park. Housing Forward also runs Prevail, in which volunteers work with clients to help them address factors contributing to their immediate financial crisis and to create plans to put them on the path forward.
Lighthouse Foundation: (lightfoundchi.org) The church’s newest mission partner is the Lighthouse Foundation, whose purpose is advancing justice for Black LGBTQ+ people throughout Chicagoland through education, empowerment, and entertainment. First United Church recently joined the Lighthouse Foundation Coalition of Allies for Racial Equity (CARE). The nonsectarian and nonprofit Lighthouse Foundation was started in 2019.
New Moms: (newmoms.org) This group helps teen mothers break the cycle of poverty and change the future for young moms who are experiencing poverty and homelessness in Chicago. Church members help with an annual holiday effort so that young teen moms can find Christmas gifts for their children, and church school classes plant flower pots as Mother’s Day gifts.
The Faith in Action Team also sponsors other groups ranging from those supporting refugees in Syria and Colombia to environmental groups to an agency that offers temporary housing for homeless patients after they leave the hospital.
Here are some of the groups we are supporting on Middle East issues:
Seraj Library Project: (serajlibraries.org) We partner with Seraj to establish children’s libraries in Palestinian villages where there are none. It is difficult for Palestinians to travel to nearby larger cities because of road blockages and checkpoints. Seraj’s vision is to provide access to a community library for every Palestinian child and family. In partnership with Seraj Palestine, the mission of Seraj U.S. is to establish and enrich community libraries for Palestinian children and their families.
Syria Lebanon Partnership Network of the PC(USA): (syrialebanonpn.org) We partner with SLPN, whose mission is to bring together Presbyterians from around the United States to facilitate partnerships with churches and church-related ministries in Syria and Lebanon. The network also provides a place for U.S. Presbyterians to share information and coordinate their efforts. Priorities of the network include supporting the capacity of the church in Syria and Lebanon, supporting leadership development and theological education, and working towards God’s just peace in the region.
Israel Palestine Mission Network of the PC(USA): (new.israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org) The Israel Palestine Mission Network covenants to engage, consolidate, nourish, and channel the energy in the PC(USA) toward the goal of a just peace in Israel and Palestine through education, partnerships, and advocacy. The IPMN is a grassroots organization that seeks to support PC(USA) policies and partners in the land of Christ’s birth. As part of its mandate, the network is an advocate for Palestinian rights, seeking a deeper understanding of the struggle of Palestinian people. The network speaks to the church, not for the church.
