Care for the World

You matter. And you can make a difference in the world.

Ready to get involved in making things better for our Winnetka and Chicagoland neighbors and our neighbors across the globe? Along with our annual Rummage Sale, here are some ways you can join us in doing that. Have other ideas of how we can help make this a more just and equitable, inclusive and beautiful world? Let us know.

A Just Harvest

WCC has partnered with A Just Harvest for many years. Their mission is to reduce poverty and hunger in the Rogers Park neighborhood and the greater Chicago community by providing nutritious meals daily while building a just society through advocacy and collaborative relationships across racial, cultural and socioeconomic lines to promote the well-being of patrons served.

In addition to the financial grants we provide, our ministry also includes serving dinner on the first Monday of every month.

Mission Trips

Our mission trips are definitely not “mission trips as usual.” Rather than “church tourism” or excursions to take care of the “less fortunate,” all the trips we take, whether with our youth or intergenerationally, are designed to be experiences where we can connect with God and our neighbors (and by the way, we’re all neighbors on this planet) in a deeper way –  face to face, as human beings. They are opportunities for us to respond in faith to the challenges being dealt with by people in places way outside of our own zip code and life experiences, to listen to and learn from each other and to reimagine how we can be God’s hands and feet in the world, together. These are eye – mind – and heart-opening opportunities for, as one author puts it, “encountering and participating in the presence of God in the life of the world.”

Some of our most powerful recent trips have been multifaith mission trips, where we’ve joined with  Jewish, and  Muslim congregations to work together on projects of social justice — one rebuilding homes after a hurricane, another feeding asylum seekers at the border in Texas. To learn more about any of our upcoming trips, get in touch.

New Trier Multi-Faith Alliance

We believe God’s truth is everywhere and in erasing the divisions between us versus drawing lines in the sand. That’s why, since its inception in 1967, Winnetka Congregational Church has been a member of The New Trier Multifaith Alliance which fosters interfaith understanding and sensitivity. Each Thanksgiving, the affiliated congregations join together to host an Interfaith Thanksgiving service for the community. Join us for interfaith dialogue and by participating in programs that provide service to the community at large.

The Night Ministry

Through the Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Bus, Youth Outreach Van and Youth Shelter Network, they work on the ground in Chicago neighborhoods to reach adults, teens, pregnant and new moms who have nowhere else to go.

WCC partners with The Night Ministry by providing gifts through our Wish Tree at Christmas time, serving dinners at the Health Outreach Bus and breakfast at The Crib.

Food Drives/Grocery Cart Ministry

Each month we collect things like food and cleaning products to support the needs of clients in the agencies funded by the church. So, along with our church’s financial contributions to these social service agencies, the donations from church families make these monetary gifts go even further while helping all of us feel more personally connected to the needs of the community. Our youth are often very involved in the  collection, organization, and distribution of what is collected, which has proven to be a great way for them to learn the importance of caring for others.

Souper Bowl of Caring

A national youth-inspired and youth-led movement, Souper Bowl of Caring is  something our church has been participating in for several years.  Developed as a way to tackle hunger in local communities during the weeks leading up to football’s biggest weekend – Super Bowl – our Winnetka Congregational youth lead this effort at the church, collecting donations and choosing what charity the donations will be distributed to.

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It's is the kind of church that honors the other world religions. Not in spite of our belief in Jesus. But because of it.

Andrew, member since 2014