SPECIAL OFFERING FOR SEPTEMBERSupport for the People of Haiti For the last month, we have been praying for the people of Haiti and Afghanistan. And the Board of Wider Mission (also known as the Love and Justice in Action Team) has been researching ways to offer support to our siblings in both nations. We don’t […]
The Edwards Church Board of Wider Mission
The Justice and Love in Action Team focuses on social justice issues, in hopes of expanding circles of healing and justice to neighbors near and far. In recent years, we have provided numerous opportunities to respond in love to the crises of changing climate and increased public hatred. Our committee worked to provide the Edwards community concrete ways to engage in acts of compassion and social change on our campus, in the broader local community, and globally.
Preparing ourselves to care for our wider community
In order to positively impact our community, Justice and Love in Action offers educational opportunities to help us learn about issues of justice and the environment. We aim to learn more about systems of oppression in hopes of creating change, and to discover and implement ways of being more environmentally sustainable.
Supporting and promoting justice in our local community
Justice and Love in Action helps our congregation positively impact the lives of people in our local community. We support local folks who are homeless and/or in need of day to day necessities, recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers, and we also look for opportunities to help make our nearby towns more welcoming and just for everyone. These include a Martin Luther King Conference in Framingham; Framingham Comes Together; Palm Sunday Parade with our campus' partnering worship committees; and contributions to A Place to Turn, One Less Gift, and Worcester Fellowship, among many others.
Supporting and promoting justice in the wider world
We also seek to extend care to people nationally and internationally, both in moments of crisis and for building ongoing, sustainable support.
Our 2023 annual report is available, and you will find our latest activities below.
June Special Offering for Tempo
Special Offering for June—Tempo Young Adult Resource Center The Board of Wider Missions has been exploring ways we can be a source of healing in a year that has uncovered a crisis in mental health. In April we invited the congregation to contribute to Advocates, a local organization that supports people of all ages facing […]
Our Commitments for Racial Justice
Voted at our Congregational Meeting, April 18, 2021 Prologue As people of faith, we seek to follow Jesus’ call to listen to the oppressed, fight injustice, confess our sins, and change our lives until justice prevails. We pledge to take measurable and ongoing action to end racism. Recognizing the need for partnership and shared accountability, […]
Our Special Offering: Emergency Housing and Eviction Fund
The Board of Wider Mission invites you to make a gift to support the Emergency Housing and Eviction Fund organized by Metrowest Worker’s Center/CASA. This fund is used to support local immigrants who are facing eviction and homelessness during this pandemic winter. With COVID cases skyrocketing, and area housing/shelter opportunities shrinking, many people turn to […]
Giving Thanks from Wider Mission
Gifts That GiveThank you to everyone who participated in the Gifts that Give auction and party, whether as a donor, a buyer, a bidder, or party attendee. We sent a check to A Place to Turn for $2070.05 and a check to Framingham Community Farm for $327.75. We could not have done this without you! Beyond […]
December Special Offering: Presents for Pathways
Donate online or mail your check by Sunday, December 13During the first two Sundays of December our special offering will be for Pathways Family Shelter in Framingham. We have had a long relationship with Pathways, and most years we invite you to buy items for the children or parents to enjoy as Christmas presents. This […]
Gifts That Give
This year, we can’t gather in Edwards Hall to enjoy good treats and company while we do our holiday shopping. But we can still purchase and give gifts with a conscience and have fun doing so. The Board of Wider Mission has three ways you can give gifts that give this season. Online Auction: December […]
Special Offering November
A Place to Turn During the month of November (beginning on All Saints Day, November 1) our special offering will be for A Place to Turn Food Pantry, located on Hartford Street in Natick. We have had a long relationship with APTT, and the vegetable garden behind our office building brings fresh produce to them […]
Gifts that Give Goes Virtual
Our Gifts that Give event is a cherished tradition that helps us live our values of community, connection and justice. Like everything else this year, it needs to adapt. The Board of Wider Mission is creating three ways to do that. We’ll release a list of nonprofits and businesses where you can buy fair trade items or […]
Statement from the Council
On September 15, 2020, the Edwards Church Council voted unanimously to endorse the following statement of conviction. It was written by members of the Board of Wider Mission and was originally published as a letter to the editor in the Metrowest Daily News on June 28. The deaths of David McAtee, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, […]