BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

DRCC IS "GOING GREEN"ER!!!
“Help us care for God’s World!”

The United Church of Christ has implemented action steps for congregations to be recognized as "Green Churches". We at DRCC are very close to achieving the first level. The Sunday School has been instrumental in leading the way with reducing printing church wide, introducing the recycling program, and for Lent we are asking the congregation to participate in the Meatless Monday Movement. Lent reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert preparing himself for his ministry. Lent is a traditional time for Christians to sacrifice something meaningful to themselves in solidarity with Jesus and in preparation for the Easter celebration. The Sunday School is asking that the congregation not only to consider joining the Meatless Monday Movement for the Lenten season, but possibly continuing the movement pass the Lenten season.

Going Meatless one day a week saves a significant amount of energy. Note the table below where 54 calories of fuel are needed to create one calorie of beef protein as apposed to 3 calories of fuel needed to create one calorie of plant protein. Calories of fossil fuel used to make 1 calorie of protein for various foods.

You can learn more about this national movement by clicking the Meatless Monday link.

Also visit 24 Vegetarian Recipes To Make Meatless Mondays Go Down Easier

“Help us care for God’s World!”

DRCC is ONE STEP CLOSER to achieving Level 1 Green Church Recognition! 

DRCC challenged itself to be "Better Stewards of Creation". With the help of the United Church of Christ Green Congregation Action Steps, we formed a plan to start the process to reach the Level 1 status. Working with the Sunday School and the congregation we continue to pursue our quest to become a greener church. 

There are many ways for our Church to continue to be “Better Stewards of Creation”. Small changes by many of us make a large impact! Some of the steps we are working at are to reduce our amount of junk mail and re-examining our energy use. These are also steps that we can make at home.  

February Green Tip:  Green Pets!!  We often concentrate on making our homes and ourselves Green…but our fuzzy friends can be part of our commitment to take care of God’s creations!  One of the best ways for us to help is to adopt a pet from a local shelter! Giving a home to one of the thousands of unwanted animals is a great way to show how much we care about all of the special creatures that share our world with us!  Rescuing an animal for your family to protect and care for is also an important way for our children to learn about helping something that is less fortunate than ourselves!  Don’t forget to spay or neuter your new friend…be a responsible pet owner and don’t add to the overpopulation of pets! Feeding your pet with organic foods can help them to live healthier lives…just remember to check with your vet to make sure your animal is getting the correct nutrition! In the winter, be careful about spreading salt to “de-ice” your sidewalks and driveways…salt is dangerous for their paws…. look for safe alternatives that are environmentally friendly! Of course, one of the best ways to enjoy your favorite four-legged friend is to curl up together and keep each other warm!  Enjoy!

Room Partners Needed

Room Partners are still needed for Kindergarten & 2nd Grade. Please see Sybil if you can help! You would be responsible for reminding Class Aides of the date they signed up for and if per chance the aide can’t make it, organizing a substitute. You would also be sending out "MissYou" cards to children who have been absent. Postcards and stamps are provided.

Deep River Spread Your Light for Rice on www.freerice.com.

In November the 5th/6th Grade introduced a way you can fight hunger. Free Rice allows you to participate in computer generated quizzes to earn rice for the World Food Program. And, just like it’s name, it’s free! It only take a little bit of time to make a difference. It’s an excellent way to study up on geography, foreign language, math facts, vocabulary, literature, and chemistry. You work at your own level, and advance as your knowledge expands. It’s a win, win! It takes 2,000 grains of rice to feed one person, so we need your help. And by joining our Deep River Spread Your Light for Rice group, we can keep track of how much food we collectively raise for the world food program. 

Sign up today @ www.freerice.com and join our group! Please don't make your user name your real name and those under 18 need to sign up with their parents.

Contact one of our DRCC 5th/6th Graders on how to join our Sunday School group or Sybil @ christianed.drcc@snet.net. 

WWW.FREERICE.COM YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
 
TOTAL RICE GRAINS: 40,630
PEOPLE FED: 21
TOP RICE EARNER: MA KETTLE
TOTAL GROUP MEMBERS: 16

Please join our group and make a difference!

UCC Green Action Steps

The UCC has developed Action Steps to be recognized as a Green Congregation!! With the blessing of the Council, the Sunday School, with the guidance of the Board of Christian Education, is striving to achieve Level 1. Click here to view the various levels and tasks associated with each step.

SUNDAY SCHOOL OPEN REGISTRATION

We always have open registration at DRCC. If you still need to register your child or would like to be part of our Sunday School program, please stop in and see Sybil. Family registration forms are available in her office or on the Sunday School bulletin boards located near the Nellie Prann Room and in the Fellowship Hall. Be sure to pick up children's offering envelopes in the office and the Sunday School Hand-out sheet. All forms are available for downloading below.

Safe Church Guidelines and Policies:

First Congregational Church of Deep River is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children and youth entrusted into this church’s care in order to foster a positive Christian learning experience. Our Safe Church Policy is a pro-active means of ensuring we continue as much as possible to engage capable and nurturing individuals in the care of our children and youth. During this digital age, we have also set forth guidelines for the internet for the adults of our congregation as well as our youth.

Safe Church Brochure - trifold format; print double sided and fold
Prevention Policy - set up to print double sided
Internet Guidelines - set up to print double sided
Volunteer Application - please print double sided only

For more information on our Sunday School program, contact Sybil Higgins, Director of Christian Education at ChristianEd.drcc@snet.net.

Board of Christian Education Members

Jennifer Dobbs (Chairperson)
Kari Petrovic
Laurie Eriksson
Gay Sherman Weintz
Lynn Butkus
Andrea Bednarz
(vacancy)