Community Care

We believe that real love shows up and rolls up its sleeves.

Through our outreach efforts and partnerships, we give life to the faith we talk about. 

From the very beginning, FCCOL has been dedicated to a faith that extends beyond the walls of our building and reaches into the community around us with generosity, support, and committed action.

Service to others turns our nice ideas and good intentions into real, meaningful impact for our neighbors, both here in Old Lyme and around the world.

Across the nation and in our own backyard, our community members work together to provide food and shelter to families in need, to help refugees and immigrants find home, stability, and guidance in a new land, and cultivate vibrant spiritual partnerships with justice-oriented nonprofit organizations and other churches.

Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service.

– Mother Teresa

Our local Community Care efforts include:

Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen

A weekly partnership that makes sure our immediate neighbors have plenty of food for their tables.

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Immigration Assistance Committee

Free and low-cost legal aid for families and individuals facing deportation.

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Refugee Resettlement Project

Supporting families fleeing dangerous conditions with housing, employment, education, and community connections.

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The Benevolent Society (and their locally famous White Elephant Sale)

Our dedicated fundraising committee, whose efforts fund all of our charitable endeavors.

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Affordable Housing

Our commitment to supporting those working to make housing accessible here in Old Lyme and around the world.

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Spiritual Partnerships

Working with those whose faith we share—and those whose faith is different from ours—to create a better future for all of us.

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Some of the local charitable organizations we support:

  • The New London Community Soup Kitchen
  • FRESH New London
  • Midnight Run (NYC)
  • The Homeless Hospitality Center of New London
  • The Covenant Shelter (New London)
  • The Thames River Housing Project (Norwich)
  • Martin House (Norwich)
  • Safe Futures (New London)
  • York Prison Ministry

If you are interested in participating in any of our local community care efforts, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the contact listed on their page. We’d love to have you working alongside us!

We also care for communities through United Church of Christ mission projects and special offerings.

The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme is a member of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC). Delegates from member congregations elect representatives to run the various UCC mission projects. Our annual gift of “Basic Support” to the UCC is the most significant item in the budget of our Mission Board, as the work accomplished through UCC projects undergirds much of the mission work we do beyond our immediate local area.

Funds and materials are raised and donated through a number of annual “special offerings” such as One Great Hour of Sharing and the CWS blanket program. Monies and items collected through these efforts are forwarded and distributed in times of emergency to field locations around the world by the Church World Service, an arm of the National Council of Churches.