Community Outreach

The Anaheim Congregation is working to be a part of our neighborhood and larger world. We host an annual Trunk n Treat event and support other charitable causes throughout the year.

Trunk N Treat

Trunk n Treat is a community Halloween celebration that takes place in our parking lot. People from the church and the community park their cars around the parking lot. The car trunks are decorated with Halloween themes (along with some of their owners). Treats are readied for the neighborhood children. And then the children and parents are welcomed to "trick or treat" at each of the cars in a safe and fun environment. This year, more than 200 children plus their parents moved through the parking lot shouting “trick or treat” and stopping at each car. In addition to the treats at the cars, donuts, coffee, and apple cider were available throughout the evening for volunteers and parents. Several games were also available for the children to play.

H.O.P.E. Family Support Center

H.O.P.E. Family Support Center is a non-profit organization that assists disadvantage families, particularly those comprised of single mothers and their children. Many of these families come from abusive environments. Families receive food, clothing, furniture, personal hygiene products, household goods, baby products, and diapers. In addition, financial literacy, health education, parenting classes, and youth mentoring programs are provided. H.O.P.E. is a volunteer-based and operates without paid staff.

Each week, a "Pennies for the Children" offering is collected during our worship service to support H.O.P.E. Family Support Center. Our young children receive this offering of pennies or pocket change. Everyone in the congregation participates. The children as well as the rest of the congregation share in the joy of being a generous community that helps others in need.

For more information about H.O.P.E. Family Support Center, please visit their web site at http://www.hopebiz.org/.

Outreach International

Outreach International has been working with the world’s most marginalized people living in poverty since 1979, helping each person create new and brighter futures for themselves. They don’t give handouts, or believe in short-term fixes. Their mission is simple: they believe in long-term investments that bring about sustainable solutions and long-lasting change for the better. They call it Sustainable Good. Outreach International is a humanitarian organization that currently works in 13 impoverished countries around the world, assisting hundreds of thousands of children, women and men to overcome the effects of poverty each year.

The Anaheim Congregation has partnered with Outreach International for several years, supporting their Haiti Schools project. Congregation members also make individual contributions to sustain the work of Outreach International. For more information, please visit http://www.outreach-international.org/.

L'Arche

Since 2009, the Anaheim Congregation has been a support of Abraham House, the first L’Arche community in Southern California. L’Arche communities nurture and support persons with developmental disabilities and allows them to reach their full potential as members of society. L’Arche focuses on the importance of relationships, respect for each individual, and celebration of each person’s gifts. L’Arche is faith-based and ecumenical, and welcomes and respects each person’s individual faith.

For more information about L’Arche Wavecrest (Orange California), please click on the following link: http://www.larchewavecrest.org/.

Project Hope School

In 1989, a schoolteacher began teaching local homeless children from the back of her car. This personal outreach program soon became an organized undertaking called Project HOPE, which stands for “Homeless Outreach Program in Education.” It is a county-run school designed to help children without permanent homes transition into the mainstream educational system.

Our congregation got involved with Project Hope School in 2011 after we became aware of the number of “motel kids” living in the vacinity of our church. More information about the school and their work can be found at http://www.projecthopeschool.com/.