Servicesgoods - St. David's Episcopal Church

Outreach is focused to serve the world more effectively in Christ’s name.
Mission Imperative, Episcopal Diocese of Spokane

Services & Goods Ministries

CARITAS CENTER

Caritas Center is an ecumenical neighborhood ministry supported by 15 northwest Spokane churches, including St. David's, which serves people living in northwest Spokane. The program, located in the Immanuel Baptist Church at 5109 N. Adams, provides emergency help for food, utilities, travel, and other necessities as funds are available. Volunteers do light chores including housework, yard work and driving for clients. Over 350 volunteers currently assist with this outreach, including about 20 from St. David’s.

The annual Caritas Center Rummage Sale, sponsored by the 15 northwest Spokane churches, was organized by St. David’s and has been held in our building and outside grounds since 1997. St. David’s donates the building for one week (the first or second week in May). Volunteers from the various churches assist with planning, sorting, pricing, selling and cleanup. The sale raises approximately $4,000 to $5,000 per year for Caritas.

Our church members have also been very generous with their time, volunteering to help those in need with such tasks as house cleaning, yard work, driving to doctor's appointments, etc.

For Lent 2006, our Sunday School children participated in "Coins for Caritas," bring their coins each week with a goal of filling a large jar before Easter. They challenged the adults to join them by filling a similar jar, labeled "Checks for Caritas."

AFRICAN TEAM MINISTRIES

St. David's designates two or three Sundays a year when lovely jewelry, arts and crafts, made mostly by the natives of Kenya, are available for sale. The purchase of these crafts provides:

Help in the care and education of African orphans in eight Anglican dioceses.
Jobs for unemployed women as they make crafts, enabling them to take care of their children and parents.
Resources for projects of refugee relief, health education, clergy and lay education and building and repair as needed.

For more information: African Team Ministries web site

EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT

Episcopal Relief and Development is a program of the national church that responds to human suffering around the world. They provide emergency assistance after disasters, rebuild communities, and help children and families climb out of poverty.

For instance, In the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, ERD provided critical supplies including food, water, and medicine to people affected by the hurricanes. In the following weeks, ERD aided the resettlement of displaced people and evacuees through their partnership with Episcopal Migration Ministries. They will continue to offer long-term support particularly in the areas of psychosocial care, livelihood, health and housing recovery, case management services, and other unmet needs.
St. David's collects contributions made by parishioners, and forwards them to ERD.

For more information: ERD web site

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF

In March 2006, Pastor Stephy Nobles-Beans of Whitworth College spoke to St. David's parishioners about her experience leading a group of college students from Whitworth to Mississippi. She gave a moving presentation highlighting the long term rebuilding needs of the Gulf Coast.

Pastor Stephy’s refrain of “fill the box” gave many of us ideas for how we as individuals can personally help people in the region. She suggested that NEW items of sheets, towels, personal products, small household items be boxed and sent to the following reliable organization. We were told that they could be trusted to deliver the items mailed to people in need. That organization is: Greg Porter, Director; God's Katrina Kitchen; 1501 E. Beach Blvd.; Pass Christian, MS 39571.

Sarah Anne Holland suggests that individuals may also wish to be involved in helping the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi directly. There continue to be many needs, and there are several ways in which the needed aid can be channeled through the Episcopal Church. Go directly to the Diocese of Mississippi web site and then click on Katrina Relief.

For more information:
God's Katrina Kitchen web site
Diocese of Mississippi web site

HEARTS AND HANDS NEEDLECRAFTERS

The Hearts and Hands Needlecrafters formed in 1996, to learn more about quilting and to enjoy fellowship while working on outreach projects. Over the years, we have donated children's quilts and blankets to the Wishing Star Foundation and to Caritas. We have also made raffle quilts for fundraising projects such as the Pond Family Mission, Habitat for Humanity, and the church organ. Recently, several prayer shawls were completed, and blessed at a Sunday service before being distributed.

We meet the third Monday of the month in Stretch Hall from 9:30 AM until mid-afternoon. The meetings are very informal and open-ended with members arriving and leaving at their convenience. Those who wish bring a sack lunch with them. We have a short meeting during our lunch break. We do not meet over the summer months.

Along with our group outreach projects, we also enjoy working on individual projects like rug braiding, rug hooking, embroidery, cross-stitch, needlepoint, crocheting, knitting and quilting. We enjoy fellowship as we share ideas, learn from and help each other. We encourage anyone interested in out group to come and join us!

EASTERN STATE HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

Back in the '60s, the annual budget of Eastern State Hospital was stretched to buy Christmas presents for their patients. Then in 1963, there was a budget crunch. No money for presents, so the staff enlisted help from the community.

Members of key organizations from each county served by the hospital were invited to a Christmas-In-July party and the need was explained. Patients who would probably not receive gifts from friends or relatives, would feel that they had been forgotten at Christmas. Each group committed to take a specified number of patients and to provide them with personalized gifts. The ward staff provided information about each patient, giving their first name and last initial, clothing, shoe, and sock sizes, and a selection of items, which they felt that person might like to have.

On Christmas Day, both staff and patients were amazed and delighted with the presents. A nurse on a ward where most of the patients just sat - rarely speaking to the staff, let alone to each other -- said, "It was amazing! They all had so much. They were actually checking each other to be sure everyone had things, because they had so much they felt they could share!”

Since then the program has continued and St. David's takes 20-30 names each year!

UNITED THANK OFFERING

The United Thank Offering is a program of the Episcopal Church USA for the mission of the whole Church, founded by and administered by women since 1889. Bishops within the Episcopal Church USA and/or Anglican Communion, or groups within dioceses having the bishop’s approval, may submit grant requests. In 2005, the UTO awarded 131 grants to fund projects and programs around the world, for a total of $2,710,247.22.

St. David's parishioners contribute money to UTO during both the spring and fall Ingatherings.

For more information: UTO web site