National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

Support the 2026 Intergenerational Mission Project

Maggie Helmick — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 19:04:12 +0000

We need your help to make the 2026 NACCC Annual Meeting and Conference Intergenerational Mission Project a success! This year, we will be filling hundreds of ditty bags for Seafarers’ Friend.

Seafarers’ Friend is one of the oldest missions of the Congregational Way. Nearly 200 years ago, Seafarers’ Friend was founded with the mission of supporting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the merchant mariners who made life in New England possible. One of the ways they meet those needs is through their ditty bag ministry.

For centuries, sailors have kept small cloth bags known as ditty bags that contain sewing kits, grooming items, spare clothes, and other small personal items. Each year, Seafarers’ Friend collects items from numerous churches and community groups to help stock these bags, and, during the holiday season, they pass them out to the seafarers in their ports. While each ditty bag contains different items, they try to ensure that every seafarer gets a similarly packed bag.

This is where you come in. As part of this Intergenerational Mission Project, we will be filling hundreds of these bags, and we need your support in gathering the items that will make them up. From chapstick to deodorant, socks, playing cards, and much more, there are many items your church can collect in service of this project. Additionally, we would love for the members of your church to write encouraging letters for the mariners or craft colorful pictures to be included in the bags.

So that we’re able to track what is being collected and by whom, we ask that you please sign up for what you’ll be collecting here.

Thank you for participating in this exciting project and helping out our mission partner, Seafarers’ Friend! Questions can be directed to Joanne Simpson.

Thank you for enriching the lives of seafarers worldwide!

Calling All Crafters!

Maggie Helmick — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:15:21 +0000

We need your help to make the 2026 NACCC Annual Meeting and Conference Intergenerational Mission Project a success!

This year, we will be filling hundreds of ditty bags for Seafarers’ Friend, one of the oldest missions of the Congregational Way.

For centuries, sailors have kept small cloth bags known as ditty bags that contain sewing kits, grooming items, spare clothes, and other small personal items. One of the highlights of the ditty bags distributed by Seafarers’ Friend is the handmade hats and scarves that are included in each one.

We need all the knitters, crocheters, and sewists within our community to start making hats, scarves, and bags now so they will be ready to send with your delegations to the conference.

Instructions can be found here, or you can email js2026@gmail.com for more information.

Please sign up for what you’ll be making or collecting here to help us track what is being gathered and by whom.

December 15, 2025 – The Messenger

Maggie Helmick — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:50:17 +0000

In the December 15, 2025, edition of The Messenger, Rev. Dr. Krupp’s shares his thoughts on the nature of change, our Mission and Outreach Ministry Council wishes you a very merry Christmas, and we welcome our new Global Mission Partner, ChildVoice!

We encourage you to contribute to the March 2026 Thresholds edition of The Congregationalist by emailing your submission to Editor Maggie Helmick, support the Intergenerational Mission Project at the 2026 Annual Meeting and Conference by collecting the supplies we’ll need to fill our ditty bags, and to check out the research fellowship opportunities that are available through the Congregational Library & Archives.

As always, we hope you’ll check out this month’s Mission Partner Spotlight on Seafarers’ Friend, explore the December 2025 edition of The Congregationalist, view our recent calls, ordinations, and installations, and take a look at our event calendar to see what 2026 will have in store.

Read the December 15th E-News.

Welcome ChildVoice

Maggie Helmick — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:55:48 +0000

The NACCC’s Mission and Outreach Ministry Council is delighted to share the news that we have a new Global Mission Partner – ChildVoice. Headquartered in Newmarket, New Hampshire, this special ministry serves to address issues of war and child exploitation.

Founded in 2006, ChildVoice acts on the conviction that children silenced by war can be restored in safe, therapeutic settings with loving care, spiritual and emotional counseling, and effective education and vocational training. Their ultimate goal is that every child will be equipped to reintegrate into their community, being self-sufficient as they pursue their goals in life. There are dozens of active conflict zones all around the world. ChildVoice’s vision is to be present in every single one, bringing God’s restoration and hope to all communities affected by war.

ChildVoice pursues its mission through comprehensive spiritual, rehabilitative, and developmental services facilitated through contextually relevant programs run in both their community-based Empowerment Centers and their non-traditional boarding school, the Lukome Center. Their programs and services include psychosocial trauma intervention; comprehensive psychosocial and spiritual counseling; capacity building, life skills training, and vocational skills training; and aftercare to maximize successful post-completion integration through long-term coaching, counseling, business training, and more.

Since its founding, ChildVoice has served 15,373 kids, youths, and families, with a 99% success rate of girls passing vocational training programs, and with 263 adolescent girls having participated in the Lukome Center program. We sincerely hope you will embrace our new ministry outreach through this exceptional organization.

Convoy of Hope – 2025 Thank You

Maggie Helmick — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:02:03 +0000

The NACCC is grateful for our partnership with Convoy of Hope, one of the trusted relief organizations our One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) crisis relief fund works through to support communities in need. Their compassion, experience, and on-the-ground presence help ensure that your gifts reach those who need them most.

This end-of-year “Thank You” video from Convoy of Hope expresses their appreciation for the generosity of NACCC churches and their congregants, and highlights the impact of their relief efforts throughout 2025. We’re thankful to join with them in bringing hope and help where it’s needed most.

December 1, 2025 – Community Connections

Laura Wright — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:27:29 +0000

In the December 1, 2025’s, edition of Community Connections, you’ll find a message from Moderator Jodee Lord, Vice-Moderator Rev. Dr. Martin Hall, and Sandy Leonard, Board of Governors.

We encourage you to explore our December Mission Partner Spotlight on Seafarer’s Friend and to view recent calls, ordinations, and installations of NACCC ministers, and to take advantage of our new Guide for Member Resources.

For information on upcoming NACCC events and webinars, visit our Event Calendar.

Read the December 1st E-News.

Mission Partner Updates: Seafarer’s Friend – December 2025

Laura Wright — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:04:15 +0000

Seafarer’s Friend Mission Partner Spotlight December 2025

November 15, 2025 – The Messenger

Laura Wright — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:01:40 +0000

In the November 15, 2025, edition of The Messenger, Rev. Dr. Krupp’s update on worship travels, tributes to beloved ministers, and Hurricane Melissa information from Julie Robie, Missions and Outreach Coordinator.

We encourage you to view our November Mission Partner Spotlight on Panamerican Institute explore the most recent edition of The Congregationalist, and check in on recent calls, ordinations, and installations of NACCC ministers.

For information on upcoming NACCC events and webinars, visit our Event Calendar.

Read the November 15th E-News.

November 1, 2025 – Community Connections

Laura Wright — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:25:28 +0000

In the November 1, 2025’s, edition of Community Connections, you’ll find a message from Moderator Jodee Lord, Vice-Moderator Rev. Dr. Martin Hall, and Bob Smith, Foundation, Board of Governors.

We encourage you to share the Thanksgiving Proclamation, to explore our November Mission Partner Spotlight on Panamerican Institute, to view recent calls, ordinations, and installations of NACCC ministers, and to take advantage of our new Guide for Member Resources.

For information on upcoming NACCC events and webinars, visit our Event Calendar.

Read the November 1st E-News.

Mission Partner Updates: Panamerican Institute – November 2025

Laura Wright — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:50:11 +0000

Panamerican Institute Mission Partner Spotlight November 2025