Saint Paul's Church, Norfolk, VA

Outreach

Baskets and Blessings

For Thanksgiving we will be collecting non perishable food items to go towards food baskets for those less fortunate.. Beginning October 16th. donations may be placed in the baskets marked “Baskets and Blessings” or you may make a monetary contribution. Checks may be placed in the offering plate on Sundays, make sure to mark on the memo line Baskets and Blessings. A list of suggested items is below.

Canned corn, green beans, or peas
Boxed instant mashed potatoes
Boxed stuffing
Spaghetti sauce and pasta
Macaroni and cheese
Boxed roll/cornbread mix
Peanut butter and jelly
Cranberry sauce/jelly

Annual Christmas Greens Sale

The Outreach Committee will be taking orders for Christmas Greens in October and November. All proceeds will benefit St. Paul’s outreach programs.

Orders may be placed from October 9th through November 6th in the Parish Hall during coffee hour or you may drop your order forms in the collection plate. The pickup date for your orders will be Saturday, December 3rd. Please contact Don Bousman if you have any questions or would like additional order forms for family, friends, or co-workers.

We will need volunteers to take orders on Sundays during the designated time period, to decorate wreaths on Thursday, December 1st, and to help with distribution on Saturday, December 3rd. Please give Don a call if you can help out on any of these days.

Operation Christmas Child 2011

This is Saint Paul’s third year of participation in this worthy outreach project. Operation Christmas Child is so simple and yet can have a profound effect on the children you reach. It’s also a wonderful way to get your family and Saint Paul’s involved this Christmas by sending the true message of Christ to children all around the world. This year we have special boxes all ready for you to fill with gifts. Just choose whether you want your gifts to be for a BOY or a GIRL and select an age category from 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Then, simply fill your box with appropriate toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and gifts that will bring delight to a child. Include an envelope with a $7.00 donation to be placed inside the box which helps cover the cost of shipping and other operation costs. However, if you are able to go online to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ you can make your $7.00 donation on-line which will allow you to “Follow Your Box” around the world and discover its final destination! No matter which method you choose, it’s just important that we get as many families as possible to participate.
We have ordered 100 Operation Christmas Child boxes. Individuals and families can fill more than one box, or take boxes to pass along to family and friends. Once your box is completed you may:

1. Deliver it to the Collection Center at Greenbrier Presbyterian Church located at 1100 Greenbrier
     Parkway, Chesapeake. Please note the following dates and times to drop off your boxes at the
     Collection Center:
· November 14th through Friday the 18th: 10am-12pm or 6pm-8pm.
· November 19: 1pm-4pm.
· November 21st between 9 and 11 am is the last day for you to deliver your boxes.
2. Deliver it to Saint Paul’s. Place your box on the designated table, in the Parish Hall no later than
     Sunday morning, November 20. A volunteer will then deliver them to the Collection Center.
For any further questions, please call Becky Alexander, 410-4995. Thank you in advance for your
participation. In Christ, Becky Alexander

Loose Change for Ghent Area Ministry

The Outreach Committee is collecting loose change for GAM (Ghent Area Ministery). There is an increased need for help coming to GAM and the loose change will go to help meet these requests. The goal of GAM is to offer a hand up, not a hand-out. There will be boxes in the Parish Hall and in the church vestibule. Please contact Amberly Semones ( semonesamberly@yahoo.com) if you have any questions regarding this project.

Outreach For Haiti Relief

St. Paul's is currently sponsoring two sister projects to assist the Episcopal Diocese and the people of Haiti as they continue to recover in Port-au-Prince.

The first is the "Bricks for Haiti" mission for the rebuilding of their Episcopal Cathedral which was completely destroyed during the quake. Haiti is the largest Episcopal diocese in the world and Bishop Hollerith has asked that we rally to help the people in restoring their center of faith. For $10 you can donate a brick towards construction and restoration costs for a once very central and beautiful community gathering place.
The second is the "Waves for Water" project. Due to the lack of infrastructure, clean drinking water is mainly unavailable as most wells and other water sources were contaminated following the quake. These kits provide a simple, cheap solution to offer gallons of clean, safe water to those trying to rebuild and recover. For $25 you can assist an extended family or for $50 you can assist up to 100 people in a village or community.

Displays for both projects are set up in Parish Hall for more information, background, and pictures of the current situation in Haiti. If you have any questions, please contact Bev van Westendorp at 650.8305 or at Behbird@cs.com.

Tidewater Park Elementary School: Opportunity to Serve

Reading Volunteers
If you would be interested in being a reading volunteer at Tidewater Park School, please pick up a volunteer application in the vestibule of the church or in the church office. Volunteers are needed beginning in October. If you have questions, please contact Scott Hennessy (627-4353).

Outreach has always been a vital ministry of Saint Paul’s Church. Numerous members of the congregation participate in a variety of outreach efforts. In addition to financial assistance, many parishioners also contribute their time and talents. We provide funding for several local, national and international ministries. As downtown Norfolk has changed, we have changed our ministries with it. We provide assistance to the homeless through Ghent Area Ministries. The following are our major outreach ministries:

Park Place Methodist Soup Kitchen - At present, approximately 30 parishioners provide Saturday morning staffing at Park Place Methodist Church Soup Kitchen. Working in teams of four Saint Paul parishioners provide sustenance to the disadvantaged and homeless. Newcomers are always welcomed.

Our Sandwich Ministry prepares about 150 sandwiches every other Sunday for the homeless in downtown Norfolk. Volunteers of all ages meet in the Parish House kitchen between the 8:00 and 10:30 am services to assemble these sandwiches.

Tidewater Park School is the local elementary school. Through a diocesan Seeds of Hope grant we are sponsoring a book give away for the children to promote literacy. Several parishioners volunteer as reading mentors in the school.

Backpacks and School Supplies is a parish-wide program to provide backpacks, fully stocked with school supplies, to children served by local homeless shelters and at Tidewater Park Elementary School.

Baskets and Blessings is our Food Baskets ministry to families in need. These baskets are assembled before Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and involve many volunteers in the shopping, assembling, and delivering of these baskets to ForKids and local outreach ministries.

Adult Literacy is a new initiative at St. Paul’s as members tutor adults in reading.

Plumbline Ministry is a joint venture between St. Paul’s and Grace Episcopal Churches to provide affordable homes for low-income families in the Brambleton neighborhood of Norfolk. In 1988 a non-profit [501(c)(3)] corporation was formed between these two churches in order to accomplish this mission and to date have built and sold 59 homes. Representatives from these two churches and from the neighborhood sit on the corporation’s Board of Directors. In 2004 Plumbline Ministry was designated a Jubilee Ministry Site.