Serving Others

Through ACS, Arlington Congregational Church, along with over 20 other congregations in the Arlington area, provides food and financial assistance to those in need in the community. Each month, members of ACC bring in food donations, and the church's Missions Core Ministry designates a portion of its annual budget to this mission.

ACC's youth also participates in the Souper Bowl of Caring, the primary fundraiser for ACS.

Arlington Community Services is currently in need of these items (list updated 09/21/09)

• Canned Meats
• Juice
• Snacks
• Dry Beans
• Pork and Beans
• English Peas
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Canned Fruit
• Cereal
• Canned Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes
• Cranberry Sauce
• Cake Mix
• Jiffy Mix
• Jelly
• Dry Milk

• Backpacks
• Notebook Paper
• Crayons
• Binders
• Notebooks
• Spiral Bound Books
• Folders

City Rescue Mission provides overnight shelter and meals to homeless individuals, as well as offering a long-term, life-recovery program at the McDuff site.

ACC supports this mission through financial contributions and, several times a year, members work at the downtown location to prepare and serve meals to those benefiting from the agency's services.

In 2008, ACC was named a Mission Partner and received a certificate of appreciation from City Rescue Mission.

Family Promise of Jacksonville is a non-profit, interfaith hospitality network that provides temporary shelter, meals and case management services to families experiencing homelessness.

Like each of the of more than 12 area congregations in the Family Promise network, ACC welcomes these families for a one week stay, during which time volunteers prepare meals and share friendship with the parents and children who are striving to get their lives back on track.

The Florida-Georgia Blood Alliance is a non-profit blood bank that serves Jacksonville, southeast Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Every nine weeks, the Bloodmobile stages a collection at ACC so that congregation members can help save lives through the gift of blood.

ICARE (Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment) is a network of over 25 churches, congregations and community organizations across faiths working for social justice. ICARE seeks out problems in our community, researches solutions and then seeks to build power by turning out large number of people to hold public officials accountable to implement workable solutions.

Both lay and religious leaders from ACC are active in ICARE, supporting both the organization's goals and educating the membership about its work.

Jacksonville Campus Ministry is a cooperative venture among several community churches that develops peer ministers to provide spiritual support to students at Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida. Its programs include Food for Thought, a weekly discussion and dinner at UNF, Function for God, a lunch and spiritual discussion at JU, and other worship, service and learning opportunities.

ACC provides funding for this program through its annual mission budget and volunteers who donate food and staffing for events at both campuses.

Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida provides a wide variety of services to our wider community, and ACC, in particular, supports the annual "Empty Bowls" fundraiser for the Second Harvest Foodbank. Members of the congregation also participate in the agency's Crop Walk which raises funds for both Arlington Community Services and Second Harvest.

In 2009, ACC hosted the Ninth Annual International Women's Day Celebration, sponsored by LSS and the Women's Center of Jacksonville.

Stephen Ministry is a nationwide, interdenominational ministry founded and developed by Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk that pairs persons who are going through a life crisis with a trained, listening lay person who will meet with them regularly to provide confidential, Christian care. Before working one-on-one, individuals receive 50 hours of training in listening and using traditional Christian resources such as prayer, scripture and spiritual support. These volunteers meet twice a month as a group to continue training and to support each other in their work.

Stephen Ministers are available to both congregation members and nonmembers. This ministry is available to members and nonmembers.

To be connected with a Stephen Minister or to learn about training opportunities, contact Arlington Congregational Church.

Arlington Congregational Church is proud and excited to share in starting new UCC churches where everyone is welcome. In recent years, we have assisted new church starts, including New Vision Congregational Church in Yulee/Fernandina, Riverside UCC in the Riverside area of Jacksonville and Shalom Center Ministries, a church for Haitian residents in Jacksonville.

Through Our Church's Wider Mission, we join with UCC churches around the world in ministries to assist in community development, education, health care, justice for the oppressed, emergency disaster response and compassion for the hurting.

For more information, go to Changing Lives - That's Our Church's Wider Mission.

Empty Bowls is the annual luncheon fundraiser sponsored by Lutheran Social Services. Through our participation, we help overcome hunger in the Jacksonville community.

Safe Harbor Maritime Academy, formerly known as Safe Harbor Boys Home, was founded in 1984 in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a Christian residential educational ministry using the waterfront as a residential and educational facility for teenage boys. Providing a safe, stable, structured, alternative home environment, boys live aboard vessels, learning seamanship and maritime skills as well as studying for a high school diploma.

Each year ACC hosts a "Santa Party" at Christmas time and invites the teens to come for a "pancakes and all - the - fixings" breakfast and then through donations from the congregation we present each teen with a gift card to use for themselves or for gifts for family back home as they choose. We always enjoy meeting these young men and hearing what they are learning and seeing them get their lives on track thanks to the work of Safe Harbor. For more information go to www.boyshome.com