Outreach and Help for Those in Need  

"I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the afflictedand executes justice for the needy."- Psalm 140:12    

As part of its Christian witness, St. Paul United Church of Christ has long been active in service to the community.  The Penrickton Center for the Blind, now located on Eureka Road in Taylor, originally began at St. Paul United Church as a cooperative nursery for blind children.  Much more recently, St. Paul United Church members were instrumental in starting the ChristNet Warming Center, an emergency shelter for the homeless which rotates among approximately 45 Protestant and Catholic churches.  For more than a decade, our church has served as the administrative headquarters for ChristNet which has become the largest ecumenical or inter-church ministry in the Downriver communities.  On an annual basis we also host the ChristNet Warming Center and up to 22 homeless guests for a week.  Currently, we also involved in partnership with other local churches and the Gleaners Food Bank in organizing a "Fish & Loaves" community client choice food pantry so that families can "shop" for food they need at no cost in their time of need.

Every day our church continues to emphasize service as an important aspect of our Christian discipleship.  Young and old at St. Paul United Church are regularly asked to donate food to those in need as part of our congregation's commitment to Fish & Loaves.  Canned goods collected in this way are contributed by St. Paul United Church to local food pantries and shelters.  In addition, a portion of the clothing and household items gathered at our semi-annual rummage sales goes to Wayne County organizations that work with the needy throughout the year.  Our church school gets involved with such varied mission and outreach efforts as the Heifer Project, World Vision Famine Relief, the Downriver CROP Walk, the American Heart Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Association, and the St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center for children and youth.  Our church's Cancer Pad Sewing Group and Dorcas Society support the work of the American Cancer Society, Paws for a Cause (training leader dogs for the blind), and First Step, a domestic violence shelter serving western Wayne County.  On the recommendation of church members, our congregation as a whole also annually adopts a different mission and project for an entire year.  

Of course, as a congregation of the United Church of Christ, the members of St. Paul financially support many different specialized ministries organized and coordinated by the national and state offices of our denominational family.  At the national and international level, these specialized ministries include hospitals, retirement communities, colleges, special education schools, and a wide variety of overseas mission projects.  More locally, our assistance to the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ lends help to the Evangelical Homes, serving the young and the elderly, and Olivet College, a U.C.C. related school in Olivet, Michigan. 

Information about all of our church's mission-related activities are posted on a bulletin board in the West Lobby.  To learn how you can get directly involved in Christian mission and service outreach at St. Paul United Church, speak with our church or church staff members.