Will You Be A Mission Sponsor?

For 34 years, The Congregational Church of New Canaan has had a mission to create a community in which youth can experience and share the love of God. All year, we have continued to walk with Christ to create a community for our youth marked by love, covenant, and participation.

This February, 104 of our YG fish will embark on a truly life-changing pilgrimage to Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, to serve our brothers and sisters in need alongside our partners Delta Circles and Together for Hope Arkansas.

Since 2009, Delta Circles has been investing deeply in the Helena–West Helena community through high-impact strategies that promote economic equity and collaboration. Their work meets the region’s current realities with honesty and hope, empowering families to imagine and create a brighter future, especially in the areas of financial stability and entrepreneurship.

Delta Circles believes that every person deserves opportunities to learn, grow, and be connected to strong support networks – that are not necessarily accessible in a rural community. Their approach combines practical learning that fosters self-sufficiency with mentorship, guidance, and navigation tools that help clients and their families move from cycles of poverty toward pathways of prosperity.

Recently, Delta Circles acquired an unused elementary school building, which is an incredible opportunity to expand their dreams and deepen their impact. They have already begun transforming this space into a vibrant community hub, but much work remains to prepare it for vocational, technological, and entrepreneurial training programs. YG will join them in this transformative effort, lending our hands, hearts, and energy to help make this vision a reality. We step into work already grounded in God’s call to dignity, equity, and lasting change.

We will also partner with Together for Hope Arkansas, part of a national coalition of nonprofits dedicated to addressing persistent rural poverty across the United States. Our youth group has partnered with Together for Hope in other communities, and we have seen firsthand how their work equips local leaders to be changemakers in their own neighborhoods.

In Helena–West Helena, Together for Hope Arkansas has a specific mission: running a vital summer swim camp that teaches children a basic life skill they would not otherwise have safe or reliable access to. The pavilion and gathering space where this camp takes place is in urgent need of repair and YG is ready to roll up our sleeves to restore a space that serves so many lives.

Through Together for Hope, we will also be connected with local residents whose homes are in dire need of repairs they are unable to perform themselves – whether due to physical limitations, health issues, or lack of financial means. This partnership allows us to serve our neighbors directly, offering dignity, safety, and hope through compassionate, hands-on work.

Together, these partnerships invite us into a powerful story of justice, empowerment, and community transformation at the heart of the Arkansas Delta. And with the support of volunteer groups like YG, their vital work and mission are strengthened in ways that help dreams become reality.

YG provides a space for the spirit to move and allows our youth the opportunity to foster a deeper relationship with God and one another. We ask you to join us as a mission sponsor. Our YG families pay a fee to participate, but that fee covers only about half the actual cost of this trip. Your donation will not only help provide housing, food, and other needs but, more importantly, make this trip possible for our Mission Fish in need of scholarships.

God’s work can only be accomplished with the help of volunteer groups like YG. And we can’t do it without sponsors like you! Will you be a Mission Sponsor?

To contribute, you can mail a check to the church or donate online at www.godsacre.org/give. Please designate your gift as “YG Mission Sponsors.” Every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to our goal and helps transform lives—both in Helena-West Helena, and within our youth group.