Tool Box for Ministry Conference LBCCC presents this program for newly appointed clergy and lay leaders in the area to discover community resources and information to assist in their ministries. It also provides an opportunity for clergy to get aquainted. See information about our last Tool Box event. Christian Unity Events and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity LBCCC schedules events to mark this important ecumenical moment in the community. We seek to bring communities together to witness to our life together. Our main event is our Christian Unity Breakfast and worship service.  See more about our Christian Unity ministry. Children's Sabbath LBCCC promotes the national Children’s Sabbath of the Children’s Defense Fund each year in October, mobilizing congregations to act on the critical needs of America’s children. See the flyer for the Children's Sabbath Interfaith Service which took place in October 2007. Ecumenical Festival of Music The Ecumenical Festival of Music is held annually and encourages participation from local churches, meeting houses and centers of all denominations to perform music for the Glory of God through singing, dancing, miming and playing instruments. The Festival is a joyful and spirit filled celebration for all ages by all ages. There are many different styles of worship music performed by soloists and ensembles, from traditional to contemporary and from gospel to praise. In 2010, the 19th Festival of Music will be held on Sunday, April 18th, at 3:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2631 Durham Rd, Buckingham, PA. The theme will be “God is Love.” Come and celebrate God’s greatness with us on this glorious occasion. If you or your choir is interested in participating in this festival or in future festivals, please contact us as soon as possible by contacting Belinda Ash (215-860-3330; BelindaGAsh@aol.com). Please come & join us on Sunday, April 18th 2010. Save the date now! See flyer for the Ecumenical Festival of Music   Ongoing Service Projects of LBCCC: Advocates for Homeless and Those in Need (AHTN) AHTN is a recently formed (Autumn 2009) interfaith ministry of Lower Bucks Center for Church and Community. The mission of AHTN is to help homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless attain self-sufficiency by offering, with dignity and compassion, food, clothing, and resources for shelter, housing, employment, medical aid, and other services. AHTN has initiated and is currently coordinating the Code Blue Shelter Program for Homeless People in Bucks County, which brings the efforts of churches and the community together to provide overnight shelter for homeless people on nights that have been declared Code Blue. Four churches have committed to provide shelter, and many other congregations, organizations, and individuals are serving as or recruiting volunteers and by donating funds and supplies. Click here to volunteer or to learn more about AHTN and the Code Blue Shelters: http://sites.google.com/site/advocates4homeless/home. AHTN wants you to know that you may be able to get your taxes done for free! BUCK$ BACK is a free IRS TAX PREPARATION SERVICE for low and moderate-income families. If your income is less than $49,000, the IRS certified Buck$ Back volunteer preparers may be able to help you. Local tax sites are available at the Grundy Library in Bristol, Foxwood Manor and Career Link in Levittown, St. Andrews in Warminster, St. Ephrem in Bensalem, and the Bucks County Opportunity Council office in Doylestown For more information, call BCOC at 215-345-8175 x 201. Welcoming the Stranger (WTS) www.welcomingthestranger.org LBCCC and Welcoming the Stranger Now Two Independent Organizations After ten years under the careful parenting of the Lower Bucks Center for Church and Community, Welcoming the Stranger has come of age! Welcoming the Stranger, with the full blessing of LBCCC, is now a fully independent, IRS approved, 501 ( c ) (3) non-profit corporation. See LBCCC and Welcoming the Stranger Separation Statement Begun in 1999 and led by the Rev. Sturgis Poorman, this program reaches out to the large number of immigrants and refugees in the lower part of Bucks county, offering friendship, English lessons, computer training, and citizenship education. For Love Of Children [FLOC] A volunteer task force that advocates with elected and appointed officials – county, state, and federal – on issues that impact on children, especially on needy children. Among current FLOC issues are early education programs in Pennsylvania , child care, violence, children's medical and dental care, tooth fairy kits, and welfare funding and reform. FLOC also has an electronic advocacy team, the FLOC Advocates, who get email alerts on current issues . Individuals can join the advocates by emailing maben730@aol.com . Please click on the For Love of Children page  more information! Caring for Creation Task Force Helping congregations and individual Christians become better stewards of God's creation. Caring for Creation, the Lower Bucks Center for Church and Community task force on the environment, is ready to help you with resources or programs! We can provide speakers, programs, information, practical action steps - and more - on ways to conserve energy and walk more lightly on the planet. Talk with us about how your congregation and members can cut your carbon footprint by signing up for green energy, or by using compact flourescent light bulbs. Let us tell you about energy audits for congregations that help them save energy and money. Sign up for our Ecology Tidbits, emailed weekly to anyone who requests them. These eco-tips can help you make the small steps that add up for our environment. They are ideal for church bulletins, too, to get the whole congregation on the right path ecologically. Contact Mary Ann Bentz, maben730@aol.com, to subscribe.) To join the Caring for Creation Task Force or to get more information, contact Mary Ann Bentz (215-295-2076), maben730@aol.com).