Veterans Outreach Mission Statement

To provide Christian outreach, engagement, and support to our veterans in the local community.

Our veterans outreach, founded in 2007, was the result of a series during Lent called "Speaking of Faith". It was led by a member of our congregation who works with veterans at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus dealing with P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

We felt as a community of faith there was more we could do.

It began as a program to "Take a Vet Fishing".

We took our first group fishing at Killam's Point, property owned by the church on Long Island Sound. The group consisted of blind veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

In addition to the fishing we provide these veterans a barbecue luncheon and most importantly engagement, all based in a Christian setting. We provided three fishing trips last year and had vets from the Iraq War to WWII. We even had a nurse who served with General Douglas MacArthur when he retook the Philippines.

                 

The program has grown to include working with homeless vets where we have helped to paint transitional housing for them and our youth have provided personal care kits. We have visited the hospital on several occasions and brought pizza for lunch with the vets. Several of the vets have attended services and programs at our church with rides provided by our committee. Our music committee has even made a donation from a Jazz Vespers Concert. This free will offering raised in excess of $700.00. The money was used to provide a satellite music channel for the VA Medical Center.

We are hoping to expand our outreach this year and do even more. If you are interested in helping there is something for everyone to do, from fishing, cooking, painting, providing rides, and most importantly listening. The people who help are from middle school to people in their 70's.

This is not about the war but helping and providing outreach to those that answered the call for all of us.

Click here to see a segment on Fox News about the Veterans' Fishing Program

Click here to read an article on this program from the VA Newsletter

Click here to read New Haven Register Article on Vet's Fishing Program at Killam's Point

Click here to read about the Car Wash which raised funds for our Take a Vet Fishing Program

If you are interested in helping please contact the church office at (203) 488 - 7201. All are welcome.
Thanks to Bill O'Brien for providing some of these photographs