Community Service

Blood Drives are held at DRCC in collaboration with the American Red Cross. Scheduled drives are on our church calendar.

Our outdoor lending library is available year-round. We invite you to come and see what books we have available to borrow and read at your leisure.

We invite you to rent our church facilities for your next event. Whether you’re looking to utilize our building and/or grounds for a birthday party, retirement celebration, wedding, baptism, or funeral reception, we will graciously host you!

Cards from “our church family” are sent for 80+ birthdays, illness, hospitalization, joys and sorrows in life. Donations of blank cards or money for postage is appreciated. If you can help or know someone who would appreciate a caring card, contact the church office.

The DRCC Memorial Garden was created for the interment of ashes to provide a simple, dignified memorial to place loved ones to rest. It is located within the Congregational Church Cemetery on Essex Street in Deep River, CT.

On the first Sunday of each month DRCC does a collection for our local food pantry. Please drop off non-perishable food items in the Narthex collection bin and we will deliver to the Food Pantry later in the week. Your donations are appreciated any time of the year!

The giving tree helps to make sure all children in our area have a gift on Christmas morning. A Christmas Tree in Fellowship Hall is decorated with “gift wish” ornaments. Anyone may choose an ornament, buy the requested gift, and bring it to church where we will wrap and deliver it before Christmas!

DRCC raises money each year to support Heifer International’s work to end hunger by bringing sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a history of poverty. The animals Heifer International provides bring food, hope and a source of income to families, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market. Contact our office to learn more.

Teens hear first-hand from speakers who have been homeless and discuss what they would carry if they had to squeeze all their possessions into one backpack. Some years, they brave the cold to sleep in their own cardboard box outdoors on church grounds for one night. Adult chaperones and indoor warm sleeping options are available all evening.

Collection starts in September to take advantage of back-to-school sales. A Donation Station is located in the office hallway. Kits are assembled and prepared for shipping by our 7th/8th Grade Sunday School class in the spring. These kits are distributed by CWS throughout the United States and abroad when a disaster strikes.

The DRCC partners with the “Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Food Pantries” to host the Thursday night Soup Kitchen meal each week. All are welcome to enjoy these FREE community meals currently delivered curbside from 5pm – 6pm at Deep River Congregational Church, One Church Street in Deep River.

Deep River Congregational Church welcomes groups from the Shoreline area to use our building and grounds for community programs, support services, and meeting space. To request long or short-term space rental, download the Application for Use of Church Facilities.

In over 1,000 relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission. This project is open to adults and teens from DRCC.

Mission Programs at Deep River Congregational Church are multi-faceted, intergenerational, roll-up-your sleeves opportunities to bring Christ’s love into the world. Our mission workers hand out clothing on the streets of New York City, hammer nails for hurricane relief, and gather items to send to people in need all over the globe. Contact us to learn more about our mission programs.

A yearly offering to support the refugee, relief and development offering of the United Church of Christ. This yearly offering transforms lives through health, education, agricultural, and emergency relief initiatives in 138 countries.

The prayer chain advises church members of those in our community who need healing prayer. Email notifications are sent to group members to enlist prayers of support.

Each year, children of DRCC are encouraged to “Trick or Treat” for UNICEF to add special meaning to Halloween. On the Sunday before Halloween, DRCC youth are invited to dress in their costumes, parade through the sanctuary, and hear how this United Nations Children’s Fund program brings life-saving help and hope to children and families around the world. They go on to enjoy a Halloween celebration where they receive their UNICEF donation boxes.