Fall is upon us, and the children are back in school. Many of these children - including those in our community - come from families finding it difficult to afford even necessities like food and clothing. The Board of Missions has an ongoing charge to look for ways our church can help these people in need. One way we do that is by working with the CAP Agency of Scott County to collect food for their food shelf. For the month of October we will be collecting rice at the church. Rice is a staple in diets of people around the globe, and is used in virtually all cultures as a basis for many meals. Bring your gifts of rice to church with you during October and leave them in the Target shopping cart in the upper hallway. Be creative! Brown rice, long-grain rice, jasmine rice, wild rice...the possibilities are nearly endless!

Our special offering focus during October is a nationwide offering taken by the UCC: Neighbors in Need. This is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion thoughout the United States.  One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. Look for inserts in your bulletin for more information.

Keep tuned to your church bulletin and email in-boxes: the Board of Missions is planning another "Cinema Night" on Monday, October 26 at 7:00pm. Tentative plans are to view "The Story of Stuff." This is a short, catchy, hard-hitting (and partly animated!) movie about how we produce and consume "stuff", and explores the moral, societal, and environmental concerns surrounding that. This is a great film to generate thought and discussion about how we live as world citizens; please come - and bring a friend! - to watch and discuss. There will be snacks!