Over and over again, scripture calls us to "bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2) and "provoke one another to bold acts of love" (Hebrews 10:24), for "faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26).

At Federated Church, there are many different ways we empower our community to love our neighbors: from acts of service and generosity to acts of compassion and justice.

Through our highly regarded Preschool Ministry, we empower you to support a safe, stable, and creative play-based pre-K learning envrionment that reflects the rich diversity of our world as we help grow compassionate, successful, justice-oriented children. (Learn more here!)

Through our partnership with the Spartan Food Pantry, we empower you to help ensure that our neighbors have the essentials they need.

Through our Backpack Ministry, we partner with trusted DeKalb County agencies such as Safe Passage, Hope Haven, and the Salvation Army to empower you to help students obtain the supplies needed to thrive. Over the years, this ministry has helped hundreds of youth throughout the county in need of financial assistance to shape their destiny!

There are also several annual fundraisers at which you can volunteer, which raise funds to support a variety of ministries and area non-profits: from our annual Thrift Sale each spring with an array of used household goods and clothing; to our much-loved Sue Lyon Book Sale each June, providing hundreds of affordable used adult, youth and children's books; to our Drive-Thru Pork Chop Dinner each fall.

As a church committed to putting faith into action, we are always open to new ideas, partnerships, and opportunities that empower people to give back and serve the community.

Two recent examples were a "Queers and Allies" Blood Drive, which was a partnership with Safe Passage and the Queer-Oriented Rural Resource Network. This event empowered us to both raise awareness about discriminatory restrictions against certain queer blood donors, as well as raise donations during a historic blood shortage, and have some fun as we built a boldly inclusive and affirming community! Check out some photos here!).

Another example is from when the shutdowns were first implemented in response to the covid-19 pandemic. When many of our neighbors were being fired or furloughed amidst the chaos and uncertainty, we initiatied an emergency community mutual aid fund that raised $20,000, as we empowered our community to "pay forward" all or part of their stimulus checks.

Through partnerships with trusted community leaders and social workers we distributed 100% of this money to help our hardest-hit neighbors with: emergency rental assistance, utility bills, groceries and crushing medical bills; together, we made 30 distributions to help neighbors find safety and stability as they fled domestic violence, struggled to feed and support their children, and were threatened with losing their housing. (Read Pastor Eric's annual report on this ministry here).

We would love nothing more than to hear your ideas and help them grow from possibility into reality—so join us as together we seek to change the world!