Outreach and Service
Through St. Elizabeth's Outreach we endeavor to follow Christ's teaching to love and serve one another in our church and beyond. For questions and comments about St. Elizabeth's Outreach programs, please contact Larry Jobson, Outreach Committee Chairman.
Service
Heifer International - St E's has entered into a partnership with
Heifer International to help address world hunger and poverty.
Our outreach team has crafted the best approach for the St E's parishioners to get
involved in Heifer's program of gifting animals and farming know-how to third-world villages. Through our partnership with Heifer, St E's took field trips to Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA to raise our
awareness of the problems and solutions that are Heifer's program. We launched in-house fund-raising and educational program called Filling the Ark that is serving to energize the
whole parish toward helping the Heifer cause.
In 2012 there will be additional programs that will grow from the initial enthusiasm that we hope to generate within our Global Harvest outreach practice. Just like in the times of Noah, the need for a modern-day Ark is pressing. Just like in Noah's time, someone, i.e., Heifer International, is answering God's call to help humanity and its environment. St E's is a part of this modern-day Ark building.
Almost all of you know the Noah's Ark story: God asks Noah to build an
Ark and fill it with two of every kind of living thing so that these living things would survive when the Big Flood came. How many of you know that in today's time there are far more people and animals all
around the world at risk of dying just like in the time of Noah? Many people and animals around the world suffer from a lack of food/potable water and /or the know-how to be self-sufficient (much like many of
the pilgrims who first landed in Massachusetts).
As part of our Heifer International/St Elizabeth’s partnership our Global Harvest Outreach Practice continues to touch the hearts of our parishioners. St E’s parishioners donated around $1,500 and the Outreach Committee matched the donation level so as to be able to request that Heifer International purchase the following animals to give to a needy village: 2 Water Buffalo, 2 Llama, 2 Sheep, 2 Goats, 2 Flocks of Ducks, 1 Camel, 2 Trios of Rabbits, 1 Heifer, 2 Flocks of Chicks, and 2 Pigs. This list of animals was developed by the kids who voted their preferences.
Though there are many thanks to be passed around to all who are supporting our Heifer International/St E’s partnership, one individual, Abby and her extended family, deserve special thanks and praise for her efforts. Abby raised approximately $475 for Heifer International. She became excited about the project when her mom shared with her the moving description of how folks live in the poorest areas of the world that Patty Helsingius from Heifer International presented during a service at St. E's in the Spring. Immediately, Abby started thinking of ideas for gathering funds. She pooled much of her own allowance savings with a jar of coins from her parents and asked for some coin rolls to help sort and count the money. She told her grandparents about the project and they provided a large jug of pennies that had been in their attic for years. Both sets of Abby's grandparents worked together with her brother, her parents and Abby to roll those pennies on Thanksgiving day. For her birthday, she asked friends to provide donations to Heifer in lieu of gifts. Lastly, her mom was inspired by Abby's work and pledged to provide any winnings from her monthly Pokeno game to the project - she then won the "kitty" 2 months in a row! God was right there helping us.
Pictured, Caitlyn Johnson, 10, of Morgan County, Kentucky, in the Appalachian Mountains, with her goat. Caitlyn is part of the East Valley Youth Goat Project. Her family has been mining coal for generations, but coal is becoming less reliable as a source for income so the project teaches life skills to youth while creating opportunities for extra income for farm families in the county. “I feel very happy that I am helping my family and that I can take care of something on my own,” says Caitlyn.
For questions and comments, please contact Larry Jobson, Outreach Committee Chairman.
Appalachia Service Project - Every other year, the high school youth travel to Central Appalachia for a week of service.
As Appalachia Service Project (ASP) volunteers,
the youth, under the supervision of many dedicated adults, have spent a week particpating in ASP,
a home repair ministry through which volunteers and ASP staff repair homes making them warmer, safer and drier for low-income families in rural Central Appalachia.
CROP Walk - St. Elizabeth's promotes the annual CROP Walk in October in Concord. This is a Church World Service activity to raise money to feed the hungry; 25% of the funds raised goes to local food pantries.
Salvation Army Miracle KitchenWe financially support our parish committee that oversees The Miracle Kitchen at the Salvation Army in Framingham where parishioners supply the evening meal once a month throughout the year.
Sudbury Food Pantry - We collect non-perishable items for the Sudbury Food Pantry.
Boston City Mission - In the summers they don't go to Appalachia, St. Elizabeth's youth volunteer in a week-long urban immersion program of mission work in the city of Boston.
The City Mission Society is a social justice organization that promotes a just society for all people by uniting
communities and transforming individuals through service, education, and advocacy. Our programs help youth and adults
achieve their full potential while providing opportunities for congregations and communities to engage in
social action and change.
Sudbury & Metrowest
Students Together Opposing Prejudice (S.T.O.P.) - In its nineteenth year, S.T.O.P. began as a collaborative effort of three
Sudbury congregations. St. E's is now a participating member. There is a seven-week curriculum aimed at seventh and eighth graders with
the goal to help them understand the harm of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.
Friends In Service Helping (F.I.S.H.) - Part of Sudbury's Council on Aging, F.I.S.H. consists of volunteer drivers who provide
rides to medical appointments for Sudbury residents who are in need of transportation. It was established in 1970 at the suggestion
of Sudbury's Ecumenical Council.
Diocese & Massachusetts
Ecclesia Ministries - In December, we sponsor The Giving Tree, an opportunity for parishioners to give Christmas gifts for needy
families in Sudbury and gifts to Ecclesia Ministries for the homeless
people in Boston. Ecclesia Ministries works out of our Diocesan Cathedral on Tremont Street in Boston. Clergy and volunteers have
been actively engaged in daily street ministry in Boston since 1994. They provide outdoor Sunday worship known as common cathedral
at the Boston Common. Pastoral care, teaching, mission, study, recovery, and other aspects of community are offered to mitigate the
isolation experienced by people living in shelters and on the street.
Society of St. John the Evangelist - A monestary located in Cambridge on Memorial Drive, the Society of St. John the Evangelist is the Episcopal religious order for men to which our bishop The Right Reverend Thomas Shaw belongs. They also own Emery House, a retreat center in northeastern Massachusetts. They commit themselves to daily prayer and responsibility to provide God's community with silence and sanctuary, guidance in prayer and spirituality, and a vision for wholeness.
Refugee Immigration Ministry - The Refugee Immigration Ministry is headquartered in Malden, MA. RIM is the ministry that sponsored the Algerian family that occupied our rectory from mid-'06 to mid-‘07 and whom we helped to support with two other Sudbury churches. RIM offers support services and helps to build community with uprooted people through programs and spiritual care.
Beyond
Episcopal Relief & Development - An agency of our national Episcopal Church of the United States,
Episcopal Relief & Development is active in over 40 countries worldwide and the
United States. It works with our global Anglican partners to end extreme poverty, to promote access to healthcare and education, and to
vigorously advocate for gender equality, fairness and opportunity globally.