“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
At FCC we take seriously this challenge by the prophet Micah. Our ministries of kindness and justice allow us to participate in cultivating a caring community, here at FCC, in Bloomington, and outside of our local community.
Here in Bloomington you will find FCC members providing hospitality and a meal at the Shalom Center (a breakfast ministry that began right here at FCC), welcoming neighbors in from the cold for a warm place to rest at the Interfaith Winter Shelter, and swinging a hammer to build a home with Habitat for Humanity. We have provided foundational and continued support of many community organizations that serve those experiencing hardship or in crisis.
We believe that building connections across all barriers is vital to the health of a caring community, both locally and globally. Since the early 1900s, FCC has supported the work of overseas missions sending our first “Link Missionary” to China in the 1930s. More recently, FCC worked to establish a low cost pharmacy in a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2016 a group from FCC traveled to Cuba for a people-to-people pilgrimage in partnership with Global Ministries, the world mission arm of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Another group traveled to Cuba in 2018 to build on those ties and forge connections while reflecting on what it means to be part of the global church. FCC is also a member of the Circle of Compassion with Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee, and development fund of the church. You can find more information on this important ministry HERE.
FCC is also interested in and actively involved in supporting those who are considering lives of care and service. Our members are the creators of our outreach programs. So it seemed a natural evolution to support the National Benevolent Association’s XPLOR program that provides professional development and vocational discernment opportunities for young adults to live simply in community and engage in direct service and justice work. Plans are underway to host this 10-month residency program at FCC beginning in 2019.
As we offer kindness to our neighbors, we offer care to the Christ himself. As Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)