MISSIONS SUPPORTED BY
SOUTHPORT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Alpha Community Services
Alpha Community Services is a shelter, located in the basement of First Baptist Church in Bridgeport; and a transitional housing program, comprising 6 family-size apartments, which bridges the gap between shelter and independent living for homeless families.
Andover Newton Theological School
Historically a Congregational/UCC seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, Andover Newton Theological School is the alma mater of Rev. Paul Whitmore and Rev. Laura Whitmore.
Bridgeport Council of Churches
Bridgeport Council of Churches is an ecumenical organization committed to serving those in need in the Greater Bridgeport area. They are the umbrella organization initiating and supporting several worthwhile causes: Project Learn, Bridge Building, Co-op Center, and Safe Places, to name a few.
Bridgeport Rescue Mission
Bridgeport Rescue Mission offers assistance to the desperately poor, this mission provides food, clothing and shelter to renew the body, education, rehabilitation, counseling and prayer to stimulate the mind and restore the soul.
Builders Beyond Borders
B3 offers high school students the opportunity to experience humanitarian service by participating in the construction of structures, internationally, to benefit impoverished communities. Recent trips/projects include Guayquil, Ecuador, Havana, Cuba, and El Jicarito, Honduras. Founded by church members John and Jeri Skinner, who are now retired, B3 serves the youth of Fairfield County.
Center for Women and Families
The Center for Women and Families provides a network of services that address the urgent and challenging issues of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and community awareness of these issues, this center, created in 1895 as the Young Women’s Christian Association, continues a tradition of support and services to women and families in the Greater Bridgeport area.
Eagle Hill Scholarship Fund
Located in the heart of Southport, Eagle Hill School provides an environment dedicated to helping children overcome their learning problems. The Southport Congregational Endowment Scholarship Fund helps those students who would otherwise be unable to attend.
Emerge
A local shelter for physically and emotionally abused women and children.
Grasmere Eldercare
A certified medical adult day health center, Grasmere Eldercare Center offers a program of social and recreational activities for older adults who are physically or mentally frail and unable to remain at home alone during the day.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat of Bridgeport built 16 homes last year. Families help build the homes with volunteers from the community, take up residence, and then pay a mortgage to purchase the home from Habitat.
Horizons
A multi-faceted summer enrichment program for children of low-income families form Lower Fairfield County in Connecticut. Horizons encourages children and gives them a chance to improve their academic and social skills to help them reach their full potential.
Janus House
A project of the Bridgeport Council of Churches, the Janus Center assists youth facing serious problems with their families, schools or the juvenile court. Our mobile intervention team supports the program’s Safe Place network, responds to the 24-hour Youth In Crisis Hotline, and provides counseling and referrals to necessary services. If a youth cannot return home and is not under state care, Janus House Center provides short-term respite care.
Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center is a not-for-profit rehabilitation agency supporting more than 1,500 children and adults with disabilities with vocational, residential, educational, therapeutic, social and recreational programs throughout the State of Connecticut.
Missionary Society of Connecticut
The mission arm of our Connecticut state conference of the United Church of Christ, it is a resource for both ministers and lay people in matters relating to the church. Our annual donation is split between the Connecticut Conference (1/3) and the UCC National Organization (2/3).
National Council of Churches
The National Council of Churches is a national organization of churches with which the United Church of Christ is affiliated, that helps address the mission of the Church,
Operation Hope
Operation Hope is provides a variety of helpful services to people who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness. A majority of program participants first contact Operation Hope when they are in need of assistance with housing or shelter and food. Often, they are already homeless. The Shelter and Food programs offer emergency assistance. We operate an 18-bed Shelter for Men, a 5-bed Shelter for Women and a 2-unit Shelter for Families, a Community Kitchen and a Food Pantry.
Project Learn
Project Learn, one of the programs of the Bridgeport Council of Churches, is an after-school organization that provides after school care for sixth graders.
Prospect House
Prospect House is an emergency shelter which provides support services to people who are homeless in the Bridgeport Community.
Simply Smiles
Simply Smiles Inc. is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing bright futures for impoverished children. It was founded in 2003 when we began work on our inaugural project, The Casa Hogar Children’s Home in Oaxaca City, Mexico. Based out of a donated office space in central Connecticut, and relying heavily on an extremely dedicated network of donors and volunteers, Simply Smiles has become a highly respected, and rapidly growing organization.
St. George’s Community Supper
Hosted by St. George’s Episcopal Church on Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport, this program offers hot meals to the hungry every Monday night. We provide and serve the meal for them on the fifth Monday of every month.
United Visiting Nurse Services
United Visiting Nurse Services provides reliable, comprehensive home health care services to under-funded patients and their families with excellence, experience and compassion.
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a global organization of churches with which the UCC is affiliated. This organization helps people in times of tragedy, with sites in Turkey, Kosovo and Honduras to name a few. It is also committed to mission work in the third world.
Yale Divinity School
Also founded as a Congregational Church institution, Yale Divinity is the alma mater of our Minister Emeritus, Rev. Loring Ensign and Rev. Sharon Blackburn.