Supporting Benevolent Organizations

One of the four teams, standing with home owners after a week of rebuilding their hurricane-damaged home in Lake Charles, LA.

FCC serves the community, country, and world through our time, efforts, and financial support.

We participate in two mission trips a year; one is an intergenerational trip to serve in Louisiana, and the other is a high school mission trip to a different location every summer. We also have participated in international mission projects through bed nets and education on malaria and fundraising for water pumps in underdeveloped nations. In addition to national and international efforts, we support a great deal of local organizations as well.

SCRIP Program

List of SCRIP honoring businesses, PDF.

One of the ways we support our missions and outreach efforts is through the SCRIP program.

We have earned over $1500 toward our church mission trip expenses by member’s purchasing scrip cards. A couple from our church planned ahead on purchasing carpeting from a local store, then they ordered several thousand dollars of that store’s SCRIP cards from us, to pay for their purchase; it was a win – win for all of us!! We received 5% of the money they spent on their carpet to benefit FCC mission trips and they got their carpet.

Here’s how it works:
SCRIP gift cards are an alternative form of payment that is much like a personal check or credit card. It is a dollar-to-dollar redemption. In other words, $50 cash or check buys a $50 gift card. The only thing you need to do is plan your purchases and make them with gift cards instead of cash, checks, or credit cards.

The bulk of the discount, from 2%-15% or more is donated by the companies to non-profits like us, and that percentage is then retained by us as revenue for missions. Nancy Sauve and Tamara Schirmer are helping with this program and will be selling SCRIP cards during Middle Ground time (11-12:00) outside of Pilgrim Hall each Sunday.

With the holidays fast approaching, we hope you will participate in this program right away! Please think about the stores where you will be shopping…or just give scrip cards as gift cards! We have a WIDE selection of SCRIP cards in stock for immediate purchase or you can place your very own order. Please pick up a copy, at the SCRIP table, located outside of Pilgrim Hall, that list all of the businesses that currently participate! If you wish, you can go to the SCRIP website.

Let’s give it a try!

To Shop at home on Great Lakes SCRIP Program:
To sign up, Go to ShopWithScrip.
• See “Family Sign Up” (on left side of page), click “Create Account”.
Next screen:
• Create a user name and password
• Enter information requested
• Review and accept
Next screen:
• Enter enrollment code for FCC: 484L973E22819
• Click “Join”
• Do your Shopping with SCRIP!
The next screen confirms that you signed up for First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor.
• Click “Home” (On the upper left side of page)
• Click “My Account”
• See “Presto Pay” tab on lower left
• Click tab
There is a video presentation with instructions for signing up. Presto Pay will charge you $.39 per transaction, no matter how many cards you purchase or what your monetary total is within that transaction.