Outreach and Mission

Matthew 25: 35-36

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,
I was naked and you clothed me,
I was sick and you visited me,
I was in prison and you came to me.

At St. Andrew’s, we embrace these words from the Gospel of Matthew as we seek to serve the marginalized and those in need.  Our outreach efforts includes local, regional and international programs. Support is given in many ways including time, talents and financial contributions. Our service to the community is coordinated by the Outreach Committee, chaired by Harold Moag, who can be reached at 275-1651.

Click on a link below to learn more about outreach programs of each type, or scroll down for greater detail:

Local/Regional Outreach Efforts

St. Nicholas Tree. Each December, our church’s gift tree, located in the Sanctuary, includes Christmas tags with the names of individual foster children and teenagers teenagers who are supported through the Children’s Home Society and the Triad Treatment Center. Parishioners are encouraged to choose a name tag and purchase a gift card for the teenager selected. During the 2010 Christmas season, approximately 40 young people in foster care received gift cards of at least $25 each. Contact person: Marcia Moore

Glory Ridge Mission Trip. 2011 marked the 13th year that our Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) group traveled to the Glory Ridge Camp in Western North Carolina, to participate in a week long experience of work and fellowship. In 2011 our EYC group participated in a variety of work assignments in the Madison County area. Youth and adult supervisors are now planning the next trip to Glory Ridge, scheduled for June of 2012. Contact person: Duana Cisney

Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger Walk. Each October, St. Andrew’s members participate in Greensboro’s annual CROP Walk. Approximately 25% of the funds collected during the 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.

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.

Parents as Teachers (PAT). St. Andrew’s members support 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 and was first housed in the offices of St. Andrew’s.  Contact persons: Patti Learman and Geoff Swann

School Supplies. Each August, church members collect a variety of church supplies to support low income middle and secondary students in the Guilford County School District. Contact person: Debbie Dowd

The Servant Center’s Food Pantry/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. On the last Sunday of each month, we encourage everyone to bring food appropriate for The Servant Center’s International Food Pantry. Additionally, our EYC group schedules periodic work days at The Servant Center.

Winter Emergency Shelter at Grace Community Church. During the winter of 2011, teams of St. Andrew’s parishioners provided hot meals for homeless women who were offered shelter at Grace Community Church, located on West Lee Street. For the third consecutive year, approximately 20 St. Andrew’s parishioners, working in teams of two to four individuals, cooked and served an average of one dinner per week to the 15 homeless women and volunteers at Grace Community. Contact person: Sidney Morton


Dioceses Outreach Efforts

Penick Village. Each year, we provide a special donation to the 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.

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.

United Thank Offering. The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a program of the Episcopal Church that addresses compelling human needs through grants to projects that alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally, within the Anglican provinces, dioceses, and companion dioceses. UTO supports projects that address women and children in poverty that make a significant impact, that demonstrate new and innovative work, and that are part of a planned diocesan/provincial mission strategy. St. Andrew’s members are asked to contribute to UTO in November and in May of each year.


National/International Outreach Efforts

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 Dishner


Financial Support for Selected Activities/Organizations

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:


Outreach Supported by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Women and by Men’s Fellowship

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 Tuesday, 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.

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