Outreach @ St. George's Episcopal Church

Outreach

"We pray for the community and for all those who live in it...
And grant that we may serve Christ in them...
And that we may be delivered from hardness of heart and show
forth your glory in all that we do."

-excerpts from "Prayers of the People," Book of Common Prayer

The outreach committee at St. George's has two charges - first, to select projects and programs for parish outreach funding, and second, to help form and encourage direct parish volunteer work.

Grants

In making recommendations for outreach grants, we seek to provide support for a wide variety of human service organizations.

While we see our parish's main responsibility falling close to the Seacoast area, we are also mindful of pressing national and international needs which are of importance to the Church at large.

Given the limited nature of outreach funding, we seek to provide grants to organizations where our small contribution will have a significant impact on the organization's ability to minister.

At present, we are attempting to balance our community's concern for children, senior citizens, the homeless, and Christian education in our outreach grantmaking.

All our recommendations are presented to the Vestry for approval.

St. George's has awarded grants in the last three years to:

The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
AIDS Response Seacoast
Odyssey House
Rockingham County Mediation Program
Cross Roads House
Hebron House for Elder Care
2001 Brain Injury Support Fund
Habitat for Humanity
Danny's Team
New Generation
General Theological Seminary
Episcopal Divinity School
The Seacoast Refugee Resettlement Project

The ECW (Episcopal Church Women) of the parish have given to service organizations as well. Some of their grants have gone in recent years to:

Sexual Support Services
A Safe Place
Oyster River School Nurses Discretionary Fund
Caregivers of the Seacoast
Housing Partnership
My Friend's Place
Cocheco Valley Humaine Society

Volunteer Outreach

"Welcoming Hearts" once called the Seacoast Refugee Resettlement Project, is a ministry which our parish shares with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newington, NH. We have assisted two families from the former Yugoslavia settle in the Seacoast region in the last two years. Involves needed assistance from many people - planners, those who can drive, find housing and employment, teach English, donate goods, help in fundraising and money management, recommend doctors, offer legal advice, help locate schools, etc. We keep in regular contact with our families. Our third family will likely arrive sometime in 2002.

Danny's Team, an organization which builds ramps for the physically challenged, raises money from participatory events like marathon bicycle riding, and assists at area homeless shelters and food banks, is an excellent group to work with as well as being a wonderful model for outreach work St. George's can accomplish on our own.

Cross Roads House, in Portsmouth, is a homeless shelter where volunteers from St. George's help out once a month making and serving a Tuesday night dinner.

National Interfaith Ministry Project is a ministry just starting up in the seacoast area involving numerous parishes of many denominations. Two Episcopal parishes (Trinity, Hampton and Church of the Redeemer, Rochester) are working hard to establish this ministry and have asked for help. The ministry serves homeless families with children who can't find homes - despite (often) an employed parent, NIMP seeks persons who can serve as cooks, hosts, caregivers, etc. Stay tuned...

Caregivers of the Seacoast can always use volunteer help caring for the elderly. Drivers are especially welcome.

Service opportunities abound at all the organizations that St. George's awards grants to. The committee, in general, focuses more on finding available outreach projects first before "getting people excited" rather than to round up interested persons and then try and find something for them to do.

Some of those projects in recent years have included wrapping and delivering toys at Christmas to families of prison inmates in Concord, assisting in food delivery to needy families in Portsmouth, and assisting at a soup kitchen in Dover. In addition, various local walks for causes have attracted St. Georgians, most notably the spring Crop Walk, which raises money for the hungry.

Please feel free to use our Contact page to learn more about how you can serve your God and neighbor. Someone from our Outreach Committee will be delighted to respond to your message.

"Go in peace to serve the Lord."

St. George's Episcopal Church, One Park Court at 16 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824
Telephone: 603.868.2785 FAX: 603.868.6654
Email: officestg@earthlink.net