Outreach Committee
|
General Information:
St. John’s continues to successfully support the annual efforts outlined below on the strength of parishioner’s willingness to contribute money and time to each one. In November of 2008 the committee offered a broader opportunity to contribute to one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) worldwide. Parishioners responded generously as noted below. The Episcopal Relief and Development organization coordinates the efforts of Episcopal parishes and individuals for the MDG worldwide. Detailed information is available at their website www.er-d.org. The Episcopal Church provides other opportunities to support the MDG and other broad human needs through the Episcopal Public Policy Network and the ONE Episcopalian Campaign. Detailed information can be found at www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn and www.episcopalchurch.org/ONE. The committee encourages participation and input relative to the outreach efforts of St. John’s. Contact any of the following committee members; Scott Russell, Amy Jaffe, Susan Jones, Judith Wood, Woodrow Miller, or Jon Meigs.
|
Pastor Bruce and Debra Davenport and Pastor Jerry and Norman Darby of New Orleans cutting the Birthday Cake at our Pentecost Celebration
|
Ongoing Projects
St. Johns Faith Church #5, New Orleans: Love Knows No Bounds (LKNB) organization acts as a conduit for support from many Ithaca organizations to the ministries of Pastor Bruce Davenport and his congregation at St. Johns #5. They have organized trips to New Orleans 7th Ward to assist in rehabilitation of homes and hosted visits from Pastor Bruce, his wife and others to the Ithaca area. We have supported these events and others with cash contributions of over $2,000, gifts of home furnishings and supplies and fellowship with the Davenports when in Ithaca.
Crop Walk: This is the annual fundraising event sponsored by Church World Service to provide funds for feeding the hungry. 25% of the funds raised stay in Ithaca to support the Kitchen Cupboard organizations while the remainder is distributed nationally and worldwide. This year the congregation raised approximately $500.
Salvation Army: Parishioners responded generously with gifts and food for three needy families in Ithaca for the Christmas “Adopt a Family” project.
Kitchen Cupboard: This is the local program that provides foodstuffs to qualifying families in Tompkins County. Parishioners can either participate by contributing money or dry goods each Sunday. In addition you can volunteer to distribute the goods to the individual families. St. John’s provides distribution volunteers once a month at the Salvation Army building on Albany Street. This year we have contributed $1219 plus weekly boxes of dry goods.
Loaves & Fishes: Thanks to those parishioners who give tirelessly of their time to provide this critical feeding and advocacy service to the Ithaca community.
United Thank Offering: Parishioners responded generously with cash gifts to the annual spring and fall campaigns. Our most recent collection in January provided $458 for Diocesan and Episcopal National and World Help projects.
Millennium Development Goals: $319 was raised through ticket raffle sales and $231 provided from the outreach budget to make a total of $550 to contribute to the micro-credit loan to small business projects through the Episcopal Relief and Development organization. These funds go to an area of the world in high need to assist an individual or individuals to begin a business and work out of poverty.
This past June, in conjunction with other Dioceses in Province II, St. John's has raised over $1,200 in support of The “Haiti’s Future” Project a Province II Educational MDG Venture. Money raised will help new seminarians attending seminary in Haiti.
Special Education: Every Sunday volunteers provide a Sunday School Class for adults with special needs.
**The Episcopal Church has recognized St. John's as a Jubilee Center for its ministry to adults with special needs and for its mission of hospitality to Loaves and Fishes for over 25 years.
