United Lutheran Church provides support to a diverse array of human needs through its mission of the month program. During 2016 the congregation provided a total of $6535 that was divided among that year's twelve mission of the month recipients. The congregation highlights one specific ministry or organization in each calendar month. The congregation provides financial and/or material offerings to these organizations in the given month (designated "mission of the month" on the memo line of a check or the outside of an envelope), and on occasion someone from the respective organization speaks about that ministry during a moment for mission at Sunday morning worship. A number of United members also contribute to these missions of the month throughout the year as volunteers.
Missions that the congregation is supporting in 2018 include the following:
Missions that the congregation is supporting in 2018 include the following:
January Mission of the Month:
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has worked with migrants and refugees, U.S. Lutherans, and many partners in service and justice for more than seven decades. Refugees are resettled through a network of local organizations in multiple states, most of which are Lutheran social ministry organizations. Many of those organizations also provide immigration legal services. Asylum seekers, survivors of torture and other migrants impacted by detention are served through partners providing legal and social services including visitation ministry. In addition, LIRS works directly with foster care programs at the state level to provide family reunification and foster care services for unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors.
February Mission of the Month:
Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry
Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry provides hunger relief to families from Oak Park, River Forest, and the surrounding communities within Cook County. In 2015 the Food Pantry provided groceries to 15,574 local families, comprised of 48,028 individuals. Your monetary contribution is particularly valuable since the Food Pantry is able to provide $140 worth of groceries at a cost of only $15.87.
2017 Souper Bowl of Caring offering went to Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry
March Mission of the Month:
New Moms
Through its various programs New Moms provides holistic care that surrounds mothers and their children with all the support they need to break out of an ongoing cycle of poverty, homelessness, and dependence. They are designed to embrace and care for each individual as a whole and provide service to two generations—teaching not only our mothers, but also their children the skills needed to lead a stable, secure, and happy life. In 2016 New Moms, Inc. acquired Parenthesis Family Center, an organization that has provided comprehensive programs, workshops, and support groups to families in Oak Park, Forest Park, and River Forest for 37 years. In 2018, New Moms is breaking ground on a new building on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park to provide housing and support to families. The building will include 18 apartments for permanent supportive housing, and program space for community education, parenting support, and offices.
April Mission of the Month:
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois provides a wide range of services for individuals and families through 100 sites across the state. These services include counseling, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, residential treatment for children and adolescents, early childhood education and child care services, programs for adults and children with developmental disabilities, foster care and adoption, nursing care, and programs for prisoners and their families. Each year on the fourth Sunday of Easter (in 2017 it's in May), Lutheran congregations throughout the three ELCA synods in Illinois highlight their relationship with LSSI and make contributions to support its work.
May Mission of the Month:
Double Value Coupon Program/Link Card
Join several congregations in the Oak Park area in providing double value coupons to LINK card holders, who shop at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market. The program helps low-income households purchase fresh and nutritious food, plus it supports a great Saturday tradition! Read more about the double value LINK card program at Shawnash Institute.
June Mission of the Month:
Housing Forward
Housing Forward provides overnight shelter and meals for homeless people in volunteer-staffed shelters in Oak Park, Berwyn, and Forest Park churches and synagogues from mid-September through mid-May. On several Wednesday evenings United members deliver food that is served to people at an emergency housing site in Oak Park the following morning. Once a month a crew of United volunteers serves breakfast and cleans up the site. In the summer Housing Forward serves lunch on weekdays. Year-round, it offers counseling, transitional housing, and other services for the homeless and those in transition to employment and independence. Housing Forward depends on financial support from grants, groups and individuals. Since 2015, United Lutheran Church has provided the location for Housing Forward's transitional housing program for a two-week period of time each summer.
July Mission of the Month:
Lutheran Day Early Childhood Center
Since 1911, Lutheran Day Early Childhood Center has provided high quality childcare services and early childhood education at affordable rates to families in the Logan Square, West-town and Humboldt Park communities of Chicago. Their philosophy is that children learn best by being active participants. They believe that children develop through their play and that a child-centered environment stimulates children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. As a nonprofit organization serving at-risk children and families, the Lutheran Day Nursery depends upon the generous contributions of its partners to fulfill its mission.
August Mission of the Month:
Vital Bridges
Vital Bridges Center on Chronic Care helps people living with HIV/AIDS throughout metropolitan Chicago improve their health and build self-sufficiency by providing housing, case management and counseling services. Vital Bridges is additionally the largest provider of food and nutrition education services in Chicago. By choosing to support Vital Bridges, you are also serving the more than 2,000 clients the agency serves annually.
September Mission of the Month:
Quilt and Kit Shipping Fund
The Quilt and Kit Shipping Fund helps send the school kits, personal care kits, and baby kits that we assemble in September to the places that Lutheran World Relief (LWR) can use them. Material processing and shipping costs are $1.5 million each year. By paying for the shipment of a kit, you can help LWR send comfort to those who need it most.
October Mission of the Month:
Holiday Food and Gift Basket
Holiday Food and Gift Basket (HFGB) seeks to brighten the holidays for those who are suffering from financial hardship. Last year Holiday Food and Gift Basket provided gifts and food cards to approximately 2000 people in our community. For well over a decade United Lutheran Church has served as the single drop-off point for all the gifts that are distributed to people in the community each December. You can participate in the HFGB program in several ways:
Sponsor: Sign up to purchase gifts for a family or single person. You can plan on spending about $50 per person that you sponsor. HFGB will provide you with names and gift wish lists. You shop, wrap, and drop off the gifts in early December at United. For more information, contact HFGB at holidaybasket@hotmail.com or 708-771-6159 x244. Please provide your name, street address, email address, and phone number. Let them know how many individuals you would like to sponsor, and they will mail all the details.
Volunteer: Drivers are needed to deliver the gifts. Please contact HFGB for details.
Donate Money: HFGB relies on donations from congregations, businesses, and private donors to help fund the food cards, which cost the program about $35,000 each year.
Sponsor: Sign up to purchase gifts for a family or single person. You can plan on spending about $50 per person that you sponsor. HFGB will provide you with names and gift wish lists. You shop, wrap, and drop off the gifts in early December at United. For more information, contact HFGB at holidaybasket@hotmail.com or 708-771-6159 x244. Please provide your name, street address, email address, and phone number. Let them know how many individuals you would like to sponsor, and they will mail all the details.
Volunteer: Drivers are needed to deliver the gifts. Please contact HFGB for details.
Donate Money: HFGB relies on donations from congregations, businesses, and private donors to help fund the food cards, which cost the program about $35,000 each year.
November Mission of the Month:
Companions Journeying Together
Companions Journeying Together seeks to reach incarcerated women and men through a variety of programs designed to build healthy relationships and foster positive communication. These programs include Aunt Mary’s storybook Project, Father Read, and Mother Love Parenting classes.
December Mission of the Month:
ELCA World Hunger
ELCA World Hunger is a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses mutliple strategies to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. ELCA World Hunger responds to neighbors around the corner and around the world. In 2016 the combined efforts of ELCA congregations provided over $21.9 million in assistance to hungry people throughout the world.
