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Word was recently received of the death of ACCA pioneer Emily Ruffing's son Peter during a family trip to New Jersey. For those who want to send condolences, Emily's address is 5013 Lincoln Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22312.

At a time of increased economic stress, many homeowners are faced with difficult choices between making necessary home repairs or paying for health care, food or utilities. They need our help.

ACCA has participated in Rebuilding Together, the largest volunteer housing repair program in the United States, since 1990. In those 21 years, we have repaired and rehabilitated 109 homes and nonprofit facilities and provided more than 30,000 volunteer hours to ensure that low-income seniors, persons with disabilities, and families with children have safe and decent places to live.

In 2012, we hope to continue this ministry with ACCA churches providing the volunteer workers and sponsorship of two or three houses. Several churches have made this an annual mission project; they sign up volunteers and/or donate partial funding toward the sponsorship of a house. Many volunteers find the work so re-warding that they return year after year.

Although the workday on April 28 is five months away, the Rebuilding Together staff is hard at work identifying houses needing repairs and lining up funding and materials. The cost of sponsoring a house is $3,500, which covers supplies and materials, insurance coverage for the volunteers, a T-shirt, publicity, and administrative expenses.

Please keep your eyes open for homeowners who would benefit from our help. We also need volunteers who want to make a difference and individual contributions. (Checks should be made out to ACCA with Rebuilding Together written on the notation line.) For more information or to recommend a house, please contact Marie Monsen at mamonsen@verizon.net or 703-354-9408 as soon as possible. 

Teams from Providence and John Calvin Presbyterian, St. Barnabas Episcopal, Cornerstone Evangelical, Latter Day Saints, and Peace Lutheran completed 29 pick-ups of donated furniture last month and made deliveries to 24 households.  

At this time, the greatest needs are for chests of drawers, double beds, and and queen-sized mattresses to match with a donation of 35 box springs from Comfort Inn-Dulles Gateway. Call 703-256-9513 if you can help.

In November, assistance amounting to $38,000 was provided to 66 households including 169 individuals for rent, utilities, medical and miscellaneous needs. Most of this was spent to prevent evictions or to allow families to move from shelters to affordable housing. However, ACCA also helped a client who had lost his home to move his possessions into storage, a client who needed emergency dental care to halt infection that prevented her working, as well as a mother and daughter, both of whom are disabled, with their gas utility bill.

Last month, ACCA's Transportation ministry provided 40 rides to and from medical appointments and therapy sessions for 25 mostly elderly clients. Substitute drivers are needed in cases when a church team is not available. If you can help, call Madeline Crytzer at 703-256-2342.

Last week, children from the CDC participated in a Christmas Market at Lincolnia United Methodist Church, where they had opportunities to choose gifts for family members and have them wrapped.

For the third year, the CDC has received grant funding for continuation of the Al's Pals program, which trains teachers in methods for encouraging positive behaviors among young children.

Remember to use your Harris Teeter VIC cards to direct funding to the CDC (#8684).

Hundreds of ACCA supporters gathered on two evenings in November for traditional services thanking God through joyous prayer, music, preaching and almsgiving, followed by time for fellowship and feasting. Special thanks to our host churches: Peace Lutheran and First Presbyterian and to all of the pastors, clergy, choir leaders, singers and musicians for these uplifting ecumenical celebrations. At both services, the thought-provoking sermons focused on the only leper who returned to thank Jesus for being cured. The collections amounted to almost $4,000 for ACCA (supplemented by a Thrivent for Lutherans grant of $900) and $444 for the Child Development Center.