Missions & Social Concerns Activity

Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly. (John 10.10) The Bath Church is a congregation blessed with many resources that make an impact in our community and beyond. The Bath Church takes Jesus admonishment to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger and visit the imprisoned. The Bath Church seeks to use all the church’s resources available including financial gifts and volunteer support.

Financial Grants

The annual Bath Church Budget includes an expense line item of $30,000 - $40,000 (in recent years) that is used by the Mission Board to make monthly grants to local, national and international nonprofit organizations. In addition, the Mission Board supports special church outreach with funding for the annual Youth Mission trip and the school Back Pack program.

The grants made by the Mission and Social Concerns Board include financial support to many nonprofits, with local organizations receiving the most emphasis. Recipients include (this is not a complete list):

LOCAL

  • Students With a Goal (SWAG)

  • Family Promise of Summit County

  • The Center for Hope & Healing, Battered Women’s Shelter

  • International Institute of Akron

  • Reaching Above Hopelessness & Brokenness (RAHAB)

  • Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

  • Gennesaret Family Nutrition Center

  • Good Samaritan Hunger Center

  • Broken Chains Prison Ministry

  • Habitat for Humanity of Summit County

  • South Street Ministries (Akron’s Summit Lake neighborhood)

  • Salvation Army

  • OPEN M

  • Akron Area Interfaith Council

  • Care Bags/Forest Hill School - Weekly Food Supply Project

  • Haven of Rest

  • Chapel Hill Homes (Canal Fulton UCC retirement community)

NATIONAL

  • Bread for the World

  • Feed the Children

  • UCC Camps

INTERNATIONAL

  • Soles4Souls

  • Doctors Without Borders

  • Central American Medical Outreach (CAMO)

Special Offering Collections

We also donate to five special funds of the national United Church of Christ, primarily with special offering collections during the year and also with grant allocations. These funds are: “Our Church’s Wider Mission”, “One Great Hour of Sharing”, “Neighbors in Need”, “The Christmas Fund”, and “Strengthen the Church”.

Hands-On Outreach Activities

We feel that Bath Church members need to be given opportunities to share their love and labor by giving volunteer support along with financial support.  Some of these activities include:

  • Souls4Souls – Used shoe collection in 2019 and 2020

  • RAHAB – Used jeans collection in 2020

  • Family Promise of Summit County – Family lodging, transportation and meal support

  • Akron Area Interfaith Council – Annual Spring Hunger Walk

  • Habitat for Humanity of Summit County – House building

  • International Mission Trips – Past adult mission work trips were made to the countries of Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Zimbabwe

  • Salvation Army Holiday Red Kettle – Bell ringing for Christmas donations

  • School Back Pack Program – Creation of backpacks for school-aged children in need

  • Holiday Giving Tree Program – Shopping for families in need in support of a variety of local nonprofit agencies.