social causes & Justice

Grin & Grow Child Care
We host Grin & Grow Child Care and Preschool in our church building. They are a nonprofit child care seeking to address the needs of parents in obtaining affordable, high quality, and safe child care.  Child care is provided five days a week from 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. for infants through age five. To inquire about registering a child, call the Grin & Grow office (319-236-2063).
Love INC of the Cedar Valley
​Through our partnership with Love INC, we strive to live our faith by serving people in our community. Using local resources, Love INC can provide emergency essentials and offer basic skills classes as a step towards self-sufficiency.
Call if you are in need, or to volunteer: (319)266-1264.
Meals-on-Wheels

Twice a month volunteer drivers from the church deliver hot meals to clients identified by the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging. Meals-on-Wheels is a most important service for the elderly of our community. To volunteer to drive or ride along, contact the church office (319-234-8927).
Community Meals
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On the second Monday of each month we prepare and serve a meal at the Kimball Avenue United Methodist Church. The meal is offered free of charge to anyone from the community who wishes to attend. We serve 100-150 meals on a typical Monday evening. To volunteer to help with the meal, contact Tim (319) 464-6223.
Support Groups

Hosted at First Congregational UCC:

Al-Anon: 10am on Tuesdays

NAMI: Contact the local chapter for the current schedule - namiblackhawkcounty

NA: postponed due to Covid
Pastor's Pantry
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We are now a partner agency with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank! Due to this amazing partnership, we have been able to revive the Pastor's Pantry and we can help feed even more people than before. For information about this service, contact the church office (319-234-8927).

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

The full non-discrimination statement can be found here.
Neighborhood Association

Representatives from our church participate in meetings of the Church Row Historical Neighborhood Association. The Association promotes neighborhood clean-up days, publishes a neighborhood newsletter, and seeks ways to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. To find out more, contact: Laurie (504-3212).
Deacons' Fund

Twice a year, at Christmas and at Easter, we receive a special offering for the Deacons' Fund. These funds are used for local mission: emergency assistance, supplies for our Parson's Pantry, and donations to local service agencies. Money from the Deacons' Fund is also donated to CUE (Chicago/United/Eden) to provide assistance to UCC seminary students.
Job Foundation

  • The Cause: Economic empowerment for financially disadvantaged children in Waterloo, Iowa
  • The Mission: “To promote financial stewardship to students (K-12) in Waterloo, Iowa through education, mentoring, and resources for the cause of economic empowerment”
  • The Vision: “No financially disadvantaged child in Waterloo, Iowa will grow up to be financially disadvantaged, by age 25″
Our Church's Wider Mission

As part of the United Church of Christ (UCC), we support the mission work of the denomination through Our Church's Wider Mission. OCWM giving supports the work of the United Church of Christ national office and of the Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ.
One Great Hour of Sharing

Through One Great Hour of Sharing, United Church of Christ members reach out in the name of Christ to:
  • Build sustainable communities.
  • Respond to disaster.
  • Minister to refugees.
Partners-in-Education
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We have been a Partner-in-Education (PIE) with Bunger Middle School for many years. We sponsor Family Reading Nights, work with groups of students in support of the Character Counts program, display student art, correspond with middle school Journal Buddies, help with school fundraisers, and other related projects. To help with PIE activities, contact the church office (234-8927).
Neighbors in Need
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Neighbors In Need expresses the United Church of Christ's commitment to ministries of justice and compassion in the United States and Puerto Rico, as we speak prophetically to those in power and advocate for the voiceless. In the spirit of Christ, we seek to confront evil in the world and to alleviate suffering through justice advocacy and direct service.
CROP WALK

We participate each fall in the CROP WALK sponsored by Church World Service to raise money for hunger relief.
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Goodrich Endowment Fund

This fund, established through a generous bequest from Lucy Whitney Proctor, is used to provide assistance to elderly members of our own congregation. Requests for assistance may be directed to the church office (234-8927).

Nicaragua 2013

Photos taken by Liz Becker during the Rotary trip to Chinandega, Nicaragua, in fall 2013

other mission orgs