Pastoral Charge
Each year we support a Lenten Project that goes beyond our community as we are a church that cares. We not only support these projects and our own community we help to support the greater world through this organization and the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada where last year we gave $3,470.64 from the congregation plus $500 from our UCW.
Through the donations of our congregation and our young children, $400.00 was raised and sent to the Arms of Jesus Guatemala Project that will help purchase uniforms so children can attend school. A few years ago through the Arms of Jesus Guatemala Project which is located in Pickering, ON, our church along with the community raised funds to help build 3 homes for families who lost everything during the devasting earthquake in Haiti. Since then our Sunday School children helped to raise money for a young child to get much needed medications. The purchase of Bicycles was another effort which allowed children to ride to school instead of walking the 2 miles or more. Money was also raised money to help purchase socks & shoes for the children in Haiti.
To learn more about this project, please visit : Arms of Jesus Guatemala Project website.
Each June, St. Andrew's Church provides lunches for the annual Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. With monies raised from this event and others, we support the ongoing expenses of our church as well as our United Church of Canada Mission and Service Fund and its many projects in Canada and around the world. We also strive to direct monies toward local charities and are quick to respond to world tragedies such as floods, fires and the plight of refugees.
For many years we have sponsored a child in Africa through Children Believe (formerly Christian Children's Fund). Special fundraisers such as bake sales enable us to also support other charities such as the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund - which helps Indigenous people and promotes reconciliation and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank which addresses world hunger.
St. Andrew's United collects food monthly for the Athens Food Bank, and we have organized clothing drives for local agencies that support low-income and unhoused people. At Christmas, we provide gifts, mitts, socks and grocery store gift cards that are taken to families in need as well as the Salvation Army and Interval House. Another Christmas tradition is to support Canadian Aid for Chernobyl by filling shoeboxes for seniors or raising money for their orphanage.
On or near December 10th, which is International Human Rights Day, we hold an Amnesty International 'Write For Rights' event where we write letters in support of people whose human rights have been violated. These letters, combined with millions from around the world, can bring justice and change a life.