We seek to Live into our Faith with
Mission & Social Justice Work
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Mission and social Justice (MSJ) carries out its responsibilities by promoting social action, by encouraging consideration of Christian principles and issues in social, political, economic, cultural and ecumenical fields, and by keeping the congregation informed about and engaged in the broad mission of the United Church of Christ and Eliot's outreach program. |
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Left: At the June 2016 annual meeting, the MA Conference of the UCC’s Justice and Witness Council presented their Haystack Award to Eliot member Josephine McNeil, in recognition of exemplary work in the area of justice and charity.
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Right: In May 2016, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM) awarded their Congregational Social Action Award to Eliot Church. The award “recognizes a CMM member congregation, partnership, or network that models exemplary commitment to social justice, peacemaking, and cross-cultural understanding.” CMM was founded by former Eliot pastor Rev. Chuck Harper, and is housed in our basement.
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Our Goals
In the past year, to help the congregation live out the Christian mission in the community and in the world, MSJ - working sometimes with the Christian Education Commission - participated in the following social actions: summer cook-outs for families living in motels, putting together kitchen kits for families in motels and welcome kits for City Mission families, organizing a picnic for homeless, families, helping at the Allston-Brighton Community Supper and the Friday Café in Cambridge, volunteering at Cradles to Crayons, and the CROP Walk, singing Christmas Caroling in nursing homes, providing Christmas Gifts for City Mission of Boston, holding a Christmas party at motel for homeless families, collecting household items for families moving from motels to apartments, and participating in the MLK Service Day, Charles River Clean Up, and Walk for Hunger.
While the members of MSJ consider our work in the past year to have been successful, we have many challenges ahead – homeless and helped-less families still exist in our community; refugees and undocumented immigrants reach out to Eliot and other congregations for help and sanctuary; hunger, disease and poverty plague many third world countries and communities across the United States. Climate change is happening, and we must work to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Therefore, we must continue to pledge our financial support and our personal commitment to our neighbors. MSJ will not cease to look for ways to live out our Christian mission in the community and the world.
While the members of MSJ consider our work in the past year to have been successful, we have many challenges ahead – homeless and helped-less families still exist in our community; refugees and undocumented immigrants reach out to Eliot and other congregations for help and sanctuary; hunger, disease and poverty plague many third world countries and communities across the United States. Climate change is happening, and we must work to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Therefore, we must continue to pledge our financial support and our personal commitment to our neighbors. MSJ will not cease to look for ways to live out our Christian mission in the community and the world.
Missions Supported by Eliot Church
Eliot currently supports or has historically supported the following missions -- click on the names to go to their websites:
Our Church's Wider Mission, UCC
Eliot is a strong supporter of the wider ministries of the United Church of Christ. Each year, we contribute half of our Mission and Social Justice budgets to the UCC through Our Church's Wider Mission, (OCWM). For more information on OCWM, see http://ucc.org/ocwm/.