This September, your Board of Mission and Social Concerns is shifting our food-drive focus to all things soap—bar soap, shampoo, laundry, dish detergent, body wash—all the important personal products people use in their daily lives for cleaning up. These items are in demand at HOPE’s community pantry, especially for those without steady housing. Please join us for act one of this soap opera on Sunday, September 3, when we will have our monthly grocery-cart collection at the 10 a.m. worship service. If you would rather donate food, please do so. We're still collecting all kinds of nonperishable food items as well.

UPDATE: We're rounding the 3,000-pound mark on our way to collecting two tons of food this year. This ambitious goal is only possible thanks to your generosity. Please know that your giving is helping alleviate hunger and food insecurity in our community.

The Ladies’ Lunch will be held at Mr. Ups on September 21st at 11:30 am. Please sign up to attend by Wednesday, September 20th at 9:00 am so we can let Mr. Ups know how many people to expect. Questions can be directed to Erika Garner at garnersvt@gmail.com.  

Sign up link

The Men's Lunch Bunch will be held at Rosie’s Restaurant on September 21st at noon. If you plan to attend the lunch or have questions, please contact Mal Chase at patandmalchase@gmail.com.

All are welcome and invited to attend these lunches! The Ladies’ Lunch group and the Men’s Lunch Bunch both meet the third Thursday of the Month. The cost of lunch depends on what you order. Financial assistance is available by contacting Pastor Andy or Pastor Elizabeth.

Hitting, Spocking, Pointing: Meet the Peace Rollers!

It's way more collegial than it sounds—four of our friends will represent our congregation at the upcoming annual CSAC Bocce Tournament, a fundraiser to support the Counseling Service of Addison County. Our very own Middlebury UCC “Peace Rollers” will be one of several teams joining in a spirit of friendly competition on Saturday, September 30, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Middlebury Recreation Field. It's all good fun and for a great cause. 

Our intrepid team includes Pastor Andy Nagy-Benson, Wendy Warren, Ruth Penfield, and Ian Phair. To support the team and the important mission of CSAC, you can donate online at https://runsignup.com/PeaceRollers or write a check to the church with "bocce" in the memo. And if you're in the neighborhood, come cheer them on in-person on September 30. 

The tournament will be held in the field flanked by the town pool, teen center, Pavilion, Rec Center (Rink) and Elementary School playground. CSAC provides essential mental health, substance abuse, and developmental services to improve the quality of life for all in our community.

Mark your calendars for the annual Addison County CROP Hunger Walk, which will take place on Sunday, October 1, at 1 p.m. More details will be available soon, including how you can register for the Middlebury UCC team. Keep an eye out for CROP Walk information and donation tables hosted by the Board of Mission and Social Concerns during Fellowship Hour following the Sunday service on September 17 and 24, and October 1.

CROP Hunger Walks are community-based walk fundraising events held in cities and towns across the United States, created to support the global mission of Church World Service, a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. After a CROP Hunger Walk ends, 25% of the funds raised is returned to the host community to support local hunger fighting efforts.