ministries

campus ministry
community engagement
international ministry

Campus Ministry

Wednesdays, 9PM

Get recharged for the week through fellowship, worship and teaching as we explore faith and life with God together. Come and meet other students, make friends, ask questions about faith. Join us to encounter God through fellowship and the word.

Service Opportunities

Are you a consumer? The moment we first set foot on campus we are bombarded by messages encouraging us to consume. From the "need" to buy UC merchandise to credit card companies promising t-shirts, students find themselves surrounded by enticing opportunities to acquire more stuff. Even the Christian sub-culture, with its own music industry, television stations, and bookstores, echoes a consumer-driven view of the world. But what happens when people start thinking beyond themselves?

Contributors wanted... Do we truly believe it when Jesus says we are to "love God" and "love our neighbor?" We believe in being Jesus' hands and feet. Join us as we explore the call for college students to lead and serve in many ways on our campus, in our church community and in the world. To find a community engagement opportunity, click here or scroll down.

Small Groups

UCC believes that Sunday morning worship is an important time to connect with the body of Christ and hear from God through worship, fellowship and teaching. But we also believe it is vitally important to meet in more intimate settings to grow in faith. Small groups provide just that kind of opportunity for deeper and more personal Bible study, sharing, and prayer. Student-led and non-student led groups meet in houses, apartments, and dorms all over the Uptown area and are open to all students. To find a small group click here.

Community Engagement

Our purpose is simple: to reach out and engage the community in which we live.

The Community of UCC is not just our building and the folks in it. Rather, it is the places where we live, the neighbors we pass by on the street and the city we inhabit. Christ calls us to love one another. We cannot claim to love God and ignore those around us. The UCC community wants to be vehicles for God's transforming work in Uptown. We want to be used to bring hope to the hopeless and dignity to the disgraced - and in that process we pray to be transformed ourselves. This is not our work alone; but the work of the whole community. We welcome partnerships.

Neighborhood Group Initiatives

This is a student led initiative that provides an opportunity for students and residents of Uptown to come together to build relationships and foster community. UCC is partnering with the University of Cincinnati's Engineering Tribunal, CHIA (Clifton Heights Improvement Association) & CUF (Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview Neighborhood Association) in clean-up, park initiatives, & beautification projects on the following dates:
- February 11, 2007 1-4pm
- March 4, 2007 1-4pm
- April 1, 2007 1-4pm
- May 12, 2007 1-4pm
- June 3, 2007

How can you get involved?
Planning: Help with communications, cooking lunch and following up with our partners.
Attend: Just show up and clean.
Recruit: Invite your neighbors or organizations to help out.

Contact for more info: Mike Obringer, obringer@gmail.com

Whiz Kids

Whiz Kids is a nationally recognized tutoring and mentoring program that addresses the effects of poverty on academic performance. Whiz Kids focuses on literacy and the importance of adult relationships. We are partnering with the International College Preparatory Academy located in Mount Auburn to work with first through fourth grade students.

When: Tuesdays
Where: International College Preparatory School
Time: 4-5:30pm

How can you get involved?
Planning: Help with communications and special projects.
Attend: Be a tutor!
Babysit: If you can't commit to every week but love kids, we are looking for babysitters to help watch tutor's children.

Contact for more info: Andrea Fortwendel, afortwendel@cinci.rr.com

City Gospel Mission Partnership

Come join us as we hang out with neighbors in Over the Rhine. Homeless men and women, despondent and under-stimulated, have little activity during the day. The Outlet provides activities that are fun and motivating--providing a sense of anticipation and hope about the day's opportunities. City Gospel Mission is opening its facility to the community, providing the space for men and women to build relationships with other people from all over the city--relationships that will build self-esteem and encourage self-sufficiency.

When: Every 3rd Saturday of the month
Where: City Gospel Mission
Time: 8:15-12:30pm

How can you get involved?
Attend: hang out and play games.
Barista: Make and serve coffee.
Art: Create and help facilitate art projects (bi-monthly).

Contact for more info: Brandie Atkins, brandie_atkins@yahoo.com

International Ministry

Uptown, specifically Clifton, is the most diverse neighborhood of Cincinnati. Scripture likewise describes the Kingdom of God as a place where "every nation, tribe, people and language" are standing before the throne in worship together. At UCC, we recognize that the Kingdom of God is a multi-ethnic, diverse community and we desire to become and develop globally-minded, world Christians, reflecting this Kingdom while we live on earth.

Raising Global Awareness

One of the goals of the International Ministry Team is to develop world Christians simply by raising global awareness. You will notice the Think Globally world map located on the back wall of UCC. Each week the map is updated with top stories from the world news, coupled with prayer points. We hope it encourages you to pray through the news. You may also find photos and bios of some of our own UCC family who are currently serving in different places around the world.

Interested in something deeper? Join us on the first Tuesday of the month in various homes as we learn about and pray for people of a particular region or a certain topic of interest. Complete information is available at the Think Globally table.

Sharing Life with Internationals

Nearly 80% of international students are never invited into an American home, and most of these students have never known a Christian, much less befriended one. But it doesn't have to be that way.

If you want to take the next step, we challenge you to become a friend to someone of another ethnic background than yourself. Some of these relationships may be informal, but we can help by matching Americans up with international students at UC through the campus ministry International Friendships, Inc. Meet with your friendship partner once a month to share life together. They are waiting for a relationship and you'll be glad you said yes. The International Ministry Team at UCC also plans a quarterly event in which we can all gather for fun and friendship.

Global Christians

Think you might be called to use your skills abroad? No matter what your specialty, there is a place for you to serve in global ministry. The International Ministry Team has resources that could help you along the journey of discerning where God is leading you. Most importantly, we are committed to praying for you and with you through every part of it. As UCC sends leaders to different parts of the world, the International Ministry keeps up regular communication, sending encouragement through letters, care packages, phone calls, and certainly prayers.

When: First and Third Tuesday of each month
Where: Various homes, contact Ann below
Time: 7:00 pm

How can you get involved?
Attend: First monthly meeting is focused on praying for a specific country, topic, or world need.
Planning: Second monthly meeting is focused on planning.

Contact for more info: Ann Ellis