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Outreach
Chaired by the Vestryperson for Outreach, this committee coordinates the mission work taking place outside the church building with the primary objective to help our congregation put our Christian faith into action. The Outreach Committee meets on the third Monday of every month in the evening and all parishioners are invited to attend and participate. Volunteers: Come to monthly meetings, sign up for one-time or ongoing commitments. Outreach information is generally available in the Sunday leaflet, on the Outreach bulletin board (staircase by the parish hall), and through an online newsletter (St. Andrew’s in Action). Read this brochure to identify appropriate opportunities for you and your family.
To receive Outreach email updates and the newsletter St. Andrew’s In Action send a note to StAsOutreach@verizon.net.
Ongoing
Opportunities:
Partnership with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church—Boston, MA: St. Andrew’s has supported St. Stephen’s church in many ways over the years—Food Pantry, Summer B-SAFE Program, after-school programs, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas gifts for seniors, among other efforts. There are many volunteer opportunities with St. Stephen’s, both weekly and occasionally, as well as the need for financial support. Please visit www.ststephensbos.org to learn more.
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Cooking for Rosie’s Place: St. Andrew’s provides about 150 meals a month to Rosie’s place; a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in the city of Boston. All are invited to join fellow parishioners in the St. Andrew’s kitchen on every third Thursday of the month at 8:30 a.m. to prepare a meal which is delivered to Rosie’s. |
Salvation Army, Framingham: On the fourth Tuesday of every month from 5:15 – 7:00 St. Andrew’s prepares and serves dinner for those in need at the Salvation Army in Framingham. This ministry takes only a few hours and is a wonderful opportunity for families to work together to help the less fortunate. The simplified sign-up process can be found online at :http://www1.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=miraclekitchen9
Ministry to the Homeless: St. Andrew’s sponsors a variety of service projects with the homeless through two diocesan programs, CityReach and Ecclesia Ministries in Boston. These programs provide opportunities to worship with and minister to the homeless through the common cathedral. St. Andrew’s travels to Boston Common one Sunday a year to support this ministry and provide lunches. More information about common cathedral and Ecclesia Ministries can be found at www.ecclesia-ministries.org
Metrowest Interfaith Hospitality Network (MIHN): A partnership of more than three dozen congregations from Wellesley and surrounding towns combine their time and resources to provide housing accommodations for families on a week-by-week basis in their house of worship. Supporting this ministry requires volunteers to provide food for all meals during the hosting week, people to stay overnight with the guests, and help with other small but vital tasks. These families also require assistance with clothing, some basic personal supplies, and other various needs. Volunteers are also occasionally needed for light office duty.
Our Little Roses & El Hogar Mission Projects: St. Andrew’s sponsors several girls (Our Little Roses) and boys (El Hogar) in Honduras. These two missions provide a safe and supportive environment for children, providing them with clothing, shelter, an education, and vocational training.
Wellesley Food Pantry: This vital ministry is an interfaith effort in our town to support those in need of basic food items. Housed in the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, the pantry needs food donations and financial contributions to assist the hundreds of clients it serves each week. St. Andrew’s provides time and money to support to this effort. www.wellesleyfoodpantry.org
Walk for Hunger: For the first Sunday in May we organize a group of walkers from St. Andrew’s to participate in a sponsored 20-mile walk to support Project Bread, which helps to feed the homeless in the greater Boston area.
Metrowest Interfaith Hospitality Network (MIHN): A partnership of more than three dozen congregations from Wellesley and surrounding towns combine their time and resources to provide housing accommodations for families on a week-by-week basis in their house of worship. Supporting this ministry requires volunteers to provide food for all meals during the hosting week, people to stay overnight with the guests, and help with other small but vital tasks. These families also require assistance with clothing, some basic personal supplies, and other various needs. Volunteers are also occasionally needed for light office duty.
Knitting Ministry: The Knitting Ministry has knit over 5,000 items to be distributed to those in need. Knitters have sent infant and “mommie” hats to Haiti, hand-knit dolls to Roas Mina Diegue Orphanage in Port au Prince, and at Christmas, knitted hats/scarves/mitts are given to seniors at St. Stephen’s. St. Andrew’s offers a Shawl Ministry, as a gesture of compassion and caring to those in need.
Alternative Giving Fair (Christmas Market): This annual fair offers parishioners the opportunity to buy holiday “gifts” in the form of contributions to selected charitable organizations that focus on a wide variety of needs (for example: Heifer International, MIHN, El Hogar, St. Stephens). In 2011, this fair will be held in the parish hall on Sunday, December 4th.
St. Andrew's also Supports:
Blue Mountain Project (BMP): BMP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing basic services—such as clean water and medical care—and sustainable solutions to Hagley Gap, Jamaica since 2004. BMP believes in a holistic community development approach and support environmental, engineering and economic development projects. www.bluemountainproject.org
Heifer Project: Every year during Lent, the church school children collect money to contribute to the Heifer Project, which supports people around the world by giving them livestock to establish a sustainable way of life www.heifer.org
On the Rise: Based in Cambridge, On The Rise’s mission is to support the initiative and strength of women living in crisis or homelessness by building relationships and providing tools that each woman needs to rise to her potential. The program annually reaches and assists nearly 300 of the most highly marginalized and socially isolated women. www.ontherise.org
Christmas Party for Children: Every December
St. Andrew’s gives a Christmas party for children living in
Wellesley's subsidized housing. Many volunteers from the parish,
along with their children, help with planning and giving this party.
Epiphany School in Dorchester: This tuition-free
middle school offers a full range of support services to children
from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school provides a safe, nurturing
environment which allows the students to thrive academically and
personally. St. Andrew’s contributes resources – both
financial and time commitments – to support this school based
on Episcopal prinicples.
Other Projects: The Outreach Committee
also supports a number of other initiatives for the church. Among
these projects are: the Christmas Mitten Tree (warm mittens and
hats for children); Germaine Lawrence School in Arlington (holiday
gifts for 11 - 17 year old girls); Episcopal Relief and Development
(ERD offers emergency assistance in times of disaster; rebuilds
devastated communities and offers long-term program development
solutions to fight poverty); Refugee Immigration Ministry (RlM addresses
issues and education initiatives in the immigrant community).
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