Little Dresses for Africa & Britches for Boys
March 2015
www.pccucc.org
Little Dresses for Africa & Britches for Boys A year ago, Emmanuel, Hanover member Madge Armstrong suggested a mission project to the congregation. She promoted Little Dresses for Africa as a simple sewing project and made a pattern available to those who expressed interest. Soon after she initiated the project, she asked for donations of pillowcases or a yard of cotton fabric suitable for girls, elastic, and bias tape. In just a short time, she received enough materials to begin preparing and cutting the fabric; machine sewing seams and hems; sewing in elastic and finishing armhole seams with bias tape/binding. Volunteers stepped forward to sew the little dresses and as they were displayed after Sunday services, several more people became interested. Little Dresses for Africa is a nonprofit organization providing clothing to orphaned children in remote villages of Africa; girl orphans are the most devalued and abused in the culture. The dresses are distributed through missionaries who take them to orphanages, churches, and schools in Africa. For more information about this mission project go to http://www.littledressesforafrica.org. Six months later, Madge launched Britches for Boys, the male counterpart to “Little Dresses”, and set a total goal of 250 britches and Children display the dresses and britches dresses to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Emmanuel’s congregation during the dedication. in 2015. The pattern to sew the britches was simple and the fabric to be sewn was gently used t-shirts. Members and friends of the congregation donated t-shirts of all sizes and elastic. Again, the sewing team went to work on the project and the goal was met in another few months. These shorts were earmarked Britches for Boys for orphaned African boys. During the January 11th worship service, Rev. Uble Frost, interim pastor at Emmanuel dedicated the britches and dresses. At the dedication, Rev. Frost said: “My friends, over the past year many of our members and friends have worked. No that’s wrong; it wasn’t work! It was much more—an offering of their time and talent to make these gifts for children who have so much less than we have right now. They are children in Africa where living conditions torn apart by war, famine, and disease are devastating. They and we, on behalf of this faith community, the congregation of Emmanuel, would like to dedicate these dresses and britches to their intended purpose.” Then he invited all who participated, as well as our much more cared for young children of the congregation, to come forward and place them on the altar. To learn how to implement this project at your church, contact the church office at 717-632-8281.
What are your stories? How is your local church changing lives? Have you started something in your church that is attracting new people? Is the mission work of your church changing your community? How are you changing lives in your part of Penn Central Conference? We want to hear from you. We’ll feature some of these stories in this publication “Changing Lives or on our website. Contact Brenda Waleff, Minister of Communications with your stories and ideas. [email protected] or 717-652-1560.
Changing Lives What if You Couldn’t Give to Help Others? Have you imagined what it would be like not to be able to give? Sure we sometimes complain about all the phone calls, mailers and special appeals for donations. But have you ever thought how it would feel if it was impossible for you to give? The ability to give allows us to connect to other people. Giving enables us to help those in need, assist those in disaster, help the wider community. Imagine if you saw pictures of children in need, heard the reports of communities wiped out by flood or earthquake, watched news clips of families displaced by war and you could do nothing. Not to be able to give would be frustrating and isolating. We would feel less human. Something valuable about us would be lost. The good news is we can share. We can give in ways that truly benefit people with real needs in our own country and around the world.
Through the UCC, you can give and change lives. Is your church 5 for 5? Being 5 for 5 is one sign of congregational vitality in UCC churches that fully support Our Church's Wider Mission. 5 for 5 churches give to Basic Support and all four Special Mission Offerings. Special Mission Offerings are: Neighbors in Need, The Christmas Fund, One Great Hour of Sharing and Strengthen the Church.
Zero Waste Coffee Fellowship
Penbrook, Harrisburg’s Green Justice Committee recently hosted this Zero-waste Coffee Fellowship. Ruth Dunnewold reports that they used glass plates, cups and punch bowl, put out cloth napkins and tablecloths and served fair trade coffee and tea. They either avoided, recycled, or composted any waste. Leftover coffee grounds, for example, were spread on their Memorial Garden to enrich the soil. It was a great success!
www.pccucc.org
Little Dresses for Africa & Britches for Boys A year ago, Emmanuel, Hanover member Madge Armstrong suggested a mission project to the congregation. She promoted Little Dresses for Africa as a simple sewing project and made a pattern available to those who expressed interest. Soon after she initiated the project, she asked for donations of pillowcases or a yard of cotton fabric suitable for girls, elastic, and bias tape. In just a short time, she received enough materials to begin preparing and cutting the fabric; machine sewing seams and hems; sewing in elastic and finishing armhole seams with bias tape/binding. Volunteers stepped forward to sew the little dresses and as they were displayed after Sunday services, several more people became interested. Little Dresses for Africa is a nonprofit organization providing clothing to orphaned children in remote villages of Africa; girl orphans are the most devalued and abused in the culture. The dresses are distributed through missionaries who take them to orphanages, churches, and schools in Africa. For more information about this mission project go to http://www.littledressesforafrica.org. Six months later, Madge launched Britches for Boys, the male counterpart to “Little Dresses”, and set a total goal of 250 britches and Children display the dresses and britches dresses to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Emmanuel’s congregation during the dedication. in 2015. The pattern to sew the britches was simple and the fabric to be sewn was gently used t-shirts. Members and friends of the congregation donated t-shirts of all sizes and elastic. Again, the sewing team went to work on the project and the goal was met in another few months. These shorts were earmarked Britches for Boys for orphaned African boys. During the January 11th worship service, Rev. Uble Frost, interim pastor at Emmanuel dedicated the britches and dresses. At the dedication, Rev. Frost said: “My friends, over the past year many of our members and friends have worked. No that’s wrong; it wasn’t work! It was much more—an offering of their time and talent to make these gifts for children who have so much less than we have right now. They are children in Africa where living conditions torn apart by war, famine, and disease are devastating. They and we, on behalf of this faith community, the congregation of Emmanuel, would like to dedicate these dresses and britches to their intended purpose.” Then he invited all who participated, as well as our much more cared for young children of the congregation, to come forward and place them on the altar. To learn how to implement this project at your church, contact the church office at 717-632-8281.
What are your stories? How is your local church changing lives? Have you started something in your church that is attracting new people? Is the mission work of your church changing your community? How are you changing lives in your part of Penn Central Conference? We want to hear from you. We’ll feature some of these stories in this publication “Changing Lives or on our website. Contact Brenda Waleff, Minister of Communications with your stories and ideas. [email protected] or 717-652-1560.
Changing Lives What if You Couldn’t Give to Help Others? Have you imagined what it would be like not to be able to give? Sure we sometimes complain about all the phone calls, mailers and special appeals for donations. But have you ever thought how it would feel if it was impossible for you to give? The ability to give allows us to connect to other people. Giving enables us to help those in need, assist those in disaster, help the wider community. Imagine if you saw pictures of children in need, heard the reports of communities wiped out by flood or earthquake, watched news clips of families displaced by war and you could do nothing. Not to be able to give would be frustrating and isolating. We would feel less human. Something valuable about us would be lost. The good news is we can share. We can give in ways that truly benefit people with real needs in our own country and around the world.
Through the UCC, you can give and change lives. Is your church 5 for 5? Being 5 for 5 is one sign of congregational vitality in UCC churches that fully support Our Church's Wider Mission. 5 for 5 churches give to Basic Support and all four Special Mission Offerings. Special Mission Offerings are: Neighbors in Need, The Christmas Fund, One Great Hour of Sharing and Strengthen the Church.
Zero Waste Coffee Fellowship
Penbrook, Harrisburg’s Green Justice Committee recently hosted this Zero-waste Coffee Fellowship. Ruth Dunnewold reports that they used glass plates, cups and punch bowl, put out cloth napkins and tablecloths and served fair trade coffee and tea. They either avoided, recycled, or composted any waste. Leftover coffee grounds, for example, were spread on their Memorial Garden to enrich the soil. It was a great success!
