First Church, Bedford has been accepted into Luke 10 Congregations: Equipping Churches to Do Justice, a national cohort-based training program for Christian churches! Nancy Asbedian, Sharon Bonnell-Bradley, Kate Byers, Sarah Castricum and Lisa Sackett represent our congregation in this 9-month program, which began with a retreat in Baltimore Sept. 11-13.
Luke 10 equips congregations to engage in ministries to address poverty, racism, and Christian Nationalism and live out the gospel call for justice and abundant life for all people. The program is co-sponsored by SURJ (Showing up for Racial Justice) and the Kairos Center. Read more about Luke 10 at kairoscenter.org/projects.
First Church has a long history of engagement in efforts to address the insecurities of poverty. Luke 10 could help us build on that strength, and focus our individual and collective efforts where we see the greatest need and feel called to act. The Luke 10 Cohort will work with the Transformation Working Group to explore how this vision could inform our ongoing process of discerning future directions for First Church. The team will also be seeking input and involvement from the whole congregation. First Church participation is funded through the First Church Board of Outreach.
Our annual mission trip is a weeklong service project working with the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, WV. Each year, we assist families in need with home repairs and community service. So far, the teams have refurbished homes and a church, worked with a school and an Arts center. It's a rewarding experience for all.
Thousands of chidren do not have beds to sleep on. "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" builds bed frames, supplies mattresses and bedding to hundreds of children children in eastn Massachusetts each year. In addition to financial support, we have work days each year to build bed frames.
Started many years ago by a bowling group, each year in the Fall about 50 to 80 new coats are given out to those in need through the City Missionary Society along with numerous other Christmas gifts.