Matthew 25: Verses 35 and 36
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me,
I was sick and you visited me,
I was in prison and you came to me.
Across the front of the St. Andrew's Episcopal Church's campus are a series of signs that capture these two important verses from the Book of Matthew. Our Church's parishioners embrace these words and regularly seek to serve those who are less fortunate. St. Andrew's is actively involved in the local/regional community and has provided strong support to outreach ministries sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. The Church's Outreach Committee coordinates and facilitates outreach projects within the Greensboro community, the Diocese, and beyond. Currently, Harold Moag serves as the chair of our Outreach Committee.
Past outreach activities have included involvement in Housing Assistance through Volunteer Effort (HAVE), a joint ministry of the eight Episcopal congregations in the 1980's and early 1990's; the establishment of a food pantry at St. Andrew's (now operated by The Servant Center); and participation in the Yokefellow Prison Ministry. More recently, parishioners supported the Soles4Souls program, the collection and shipment of books for a new library in Iraq, and home construction through the Habitat for Humanity program.
Below are brief descriptions of the various outreach/service activities currently supported by St. Andrew's. If you are interested in becoming involved in one or more of these outreach efforts, please feel free to discuss your interest with the individual listed as the contact person.
Angel Tree. Each December, our church's Christmas tree, located in the Parish Hall, includes Christmas tags with the names of individual foster teenagers who are supported through the Triad Treatment Center. Parishioners are encouraged to choose a name tag and purchase a gift card for the teenager selected. During the 2009 Christmas season, almost 40 young people in foster care received gift cards of at least $25 each. Contact person: Marcia Moore
Glory Ridge Mission Trip. 2010 marked the 12th year that our Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) group travelled to the Glory Ridge Camp in Western North Carolina to participate in a week long experience of work and fellowship. During their time at Glory Ridge, our young church members complete various work assignments, for example, building a wall and door to make a women's shelter handicap accessible, building a ramp for a recent stroke victim, building walker accessible steps for a woman with arthritis, and repairing a porch for a disadvantaged family. Contact person: Duana Cisney
Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger Walk. Each October, St. Andrew's members participate in the annual Greensboro CROP Walk. Approximately 25% of the funds collected during the annual CROP Walk support Greensboro Urban Ministry Potter's House Community Kitchen, which feeds over 450 individuals each day, and the remaining 75% goes to Church World Service, an international organization that works to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. Contact person: Rob Moore
Greensboro Urban Ministry/Weaver House Breakfast Program. From approximately 6:00 until 8:00 a.m. each Tuesday morning, a team of 5-8 volunteers from St. Andrew's joins parishioners from other Greensboro area Episcopal congregations to prepare and serve a hot breakfast at the Greensboro Urban Ministry's Weaver House, a year round facility that provides shelter for homeless adult men and women. Currently, approximately 20 parishioners participate on a rotating basis in this outreach activity, and others are encouraged to join one of our teams. Contact person: Bob Mills
Housing Greensboro. St. Andrew's, along with other Episcopal churches in the city (i.e., the G8 Episcopal Partnership), has participated in building two Habitat for Humanity homes for families in the Greensboro area. More recently, the G8 Episcopal Partnership churches have partnered with Housing Greensboro, a nonprofit organization that completes home repairs for low-income Greensboro residents. Contact person: To be determined
Parents as Teachers Faith Community Network (PATFCN). St. Andrew's supports the local Faith Community Network's Parents as Teachers program, which provides a free family education and support program designed to empower parents of young children to be the best parents they can be. This program is based on the belief that parents are their children's first and most influential teachers and that the early years lay the foundation for children's success in school and in life. The program's mission is to touch hearts with God's love through parenting education and support, encouraging healthy parenting practices for generations to come, one family at a time. The local program is part of the national Parents as Teachers program and is housed free of charge in Stonehaven, a St. Andrew's facility located adjacent to the church at 1901 W. Market Street. Contact persons: Patti Learman or Carol Simpson (691-0024).
Red Cross Blood Drives. St. Andrew's partners with the local American Red Cross chapter and our neighbors at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church to sponsor regular blood drives for the greater Greensboro community. In addition to providing our facility, church members volunteer to assist with the scheduling of donors, to provide snacks and juices for blood donors, to register donors, and to help with the set up and clean up. During 2010, St. Andrew's will host blood drives in January, May, and September, and blood drives will be held at Our Lady of Grace in March, July, and November. Contact person: Kathi Lester
Refugee Family Sponsorship. Over a period of several years, St. Andrew's has co-sponsored refugee families who have settled in Greensboro. Volunteers from St. Andrew's have provided support for three Montagnard families, and several St. Andrew's parishioners continue a supportive relationship with these Montagnard families. Contact person: Betty Atwell
School Supplies. Each August, church members collect a variety of school supplies to support middle and high school students who are placed in foster homes and who are supported by the Triad Treatment Homes. Contact person: Marcia Moore
The Servant Center/Grocery Assistance Program. An ongoing outreach activity is our weekly collection of food for The Servant Center of Greensboro. Parishioners are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items each Sunday and place them in the collection boxes in the narthex. Additionally, fresh vegetables from our Children's Garden are donated to The Servant Center during the summer months, and our EYC group schedules periodic work days at The Servant Center. Contact person: Bob Mills
To Do Justice Project. During the fall of 2008, a team of seven St. Andrew's Church members, along with representatives from 17 additional Greensboro area churches, participated in a 14-week book study project, organized by Dr. Rebecca Todd (Toddie) Peters, co-editor of the book To Do Justice and the chair of the Religious Studies Department at Elon University. As a follow-up to the book study, a To Do Justice Project Steering Committee, which includes three St. Andrew's parishioners, was formed to explore "next steps" that might be considered for the larger group. Currently, the Steering Committee, with the assistance of our Assisting Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Alfred C. "Chip" Marble, Jr., is exploring a more coordinated approach to interfaith support of social justice issues in the Greensboro area. Contact person: Ernie Dishner
Winter Emergency Shelter at Grace Community Church. 2010 marked the second year that teams of St. Andrew's parishioners provided hot meals for homeless women who were offered shelter during the winter months at Grace Community Church, located on West Lee Street. During this past winter, approximately 20 St. Andrew's parishioners, working in teams of two to four individuals, provided an average of one dinner per week to the 15 homeless women and other volunteers at Grace Community. Contact person: Sidney Morton
Penick Village. In May of each year, we collect a special offering on Mother's Day Sunday for Penick Village's Benevolent Assistance Fund, which is used for those retirees who have outlived their resources. Penick Village, a continuing care retirement community located in Southern Pines, NC, is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Contact person: John Frizzell
Support of Missionaries. Special donations received on Epiphany Sunday in early January are collected by our ECW group and forwarded to the Diocese of North Carolina to support, on a rotating basis, one of the missionaries or missionary couples sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Our ECW group also makes contributions to the Diocese's Missionaries Christmas Fund. Contact person: Carolyn Allen
United Thank Offering. The United Thank Offering (UTO), a program of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole Church, was founded by and administered by women since 1889. The United Thank Offering addresses compelling human needs through grants to projects that alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally, within the Anglican provinces, dioceses, and companion dioceses. UTO primarily supports projects that address poverty of women and children, make a significant impact, demonstrate new and innovative work, and are part of a planned diocesan/provincial mission strategy. A generous gift to UTO is a tangible way to express thanks to God for his bountiful blessings to us. Our thankful prayers and gifts help to meet human needs in this country and around the world and to expand the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church. St. Andrew's Church members are asked to contribute to UTO each year in November and in May. Contact person: Carolyn Ritchie
Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). St. Andrew's parishioners are encouraged to provide special donations to Episcopal Relief and Development, the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States, during the months of February and September. Additional contributions are encouraged at any time there is a major disaster in this country or any where in the world. Contact person: Ernie Dishne
In addition to the projects/activities described above, the Outreach Committee recommends each year that a limited amount of funds, when available, from the Church's regular operating budget go to a variety of local non-profit organizations. Over the past couple of years, Church funds have been used to support the following activities/organizations:
- FaithAction International House
- Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger Walk
- Greensboro Urban Ministry's Weaver House Breakfast Program
- Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network
- Habitat for Humanity
- Shepherd's Center of Greensboro
- Thompson Child & Family Focus (formerly Thompson Children's Home)
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Women (ECW) and the Men's Fellowship also regularly provide financial assistance to a number of organizations/activities within the local community and the state.
Our Episcopal Church Women support several projects/activities promoted by the Episcopal Church Women of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. One such project is the Lex Mathews Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to women of the diocese, age 23 and older, who are seeking either specialized training in vocational or technical skills; a degree or certification below the masters or doctorate level; or continuing education courses for upgrading job skills. Another is the Miles of Pennies program, which provides books, magazines, tapes, videos and computer programs free of charge for children who cannot otherwise obtain them. Still another program supported by our ECW group is the Migrant Workers Day Care Center.
Additionally, there are three ECW Chapters at St. Andrew's - the Chapman Chapter, the Donnell/St. Anne's Chapter, and the Sts. Agatha and Mary Chapter - and individual chapters may choose to support other outreach activities. For example, the Chapman Chapter recently donated food and clothing to Mary's House, a transitional housing facility for women in recovery from substance abuse and their minor children.
St. Andrew's Men's Fellowship, utilizing funds raised primarily through the annual Pancake Supper they host at the Church on Shrove Tuesdays, regularly donates funds to several local and regional groups. In recent years, donations have been provided to outside organizations such as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina; Habitat for Humanity; The Servant Center; and the Greensboro Urban Ministry's Weaver House.
In addition to the activities described above, our church facilities were made available to the following groups/organizations during the past year:
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- American Red Cross
- Greensboro Chapter Boy Scout Troop
- Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
- First Christian Church
- Girl Scout Troop
- Guilford County Board of Elections
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church - Bible Study Group
- Parents as Teachers Program
- Piedmont Bird Club
- To Do Justice Project Steering Committee
- Triad Early Music Society
- U.S. Census Bureau
- "Writing from the Heart" Group