service & community outreach
St. John’s has been a leader in community outreach. Manna Meal, a soup kitchen, which feeds more than 200 people two meals a day in the parish hall, was founded by St. John’s. St. John’s has given birth to many agencies which serve the Charleston community such as Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center, Covenant House (serving the poor, the marginalized and the transient), Charleston AIDS Network (located at St. John’s), Women’s Health Center, Kanawha County Hospice, Health Rite (a free medical clinic), Mountaineer Good News Garage, Spokes for Folks (giving bicycles to the poor).
St. John’s Outreach Committee meets at noon on the Third Sunday of each month to plan ministry projects in the community and the world. The Committee gives financial support to community outreach projects as well as our partner agencies Manna Meal, Religious Coalition for Community Renewal and Covenant House.
The following projects have been sponsored by St. John’s and our outreach committee.
Habitat for Humanity
A nonprofit, ecumenical housing organization building simple, decent, affordable housing that bi-annually St. John’s joins with other faith communities to build a Habitat Home in our community. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has built and rehabilitated more than 150,000 houses with families in need, becoming a true world leader in addressing the issues of poverty housing. The concept was born at Koinonia Farm, a small, interracial, Christian farming community founded in 1942 outside of Americus, Ga. Click here to see photos of our local work!
Mission Trips to Belize
In 2005 a group of parishioners traveled to Belize to work with the Anglican Church of Belize in building a computer room for a Church School. A second trips is planned for winter 2007.
Click here to see photos from our latest trip!
Colors of Life Africa
The Outreach Committee has partnered with a small co-operative in Nairobi, Kenya which provides employment for people who are invected with HIV/ AIDs or who lost loved ones to AIDS. The co-operative creates attractive boxes made of banana leaves and fills them with hand made African crafts such as nativity scenes, jewelry or animal carvings. These boxes are sold by St. John’s or other churches to support this project. The Outreach Committee supported an exhibition booth at the 2006 General Convention to promote this ministry. See the African baskets -- click here. And to read more about the program, click here to see a story board (in .pdf format).
Spokes for Folks
Spokes for Folks is a ministry project providing bicycles to those in need of basic transportation around the city. The leader of the project,
Beth Marquart was recently featured in The Living Church for this creative outreach. (Link to Spokes For Folks Making News) Here's an article from the June 4, 2006, edition of The Living Church, the weekly, national Episcopal Magazine. Click here to view the article. Note: The article is in .pdf format. This means you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader
to view them. If you don't have this software on your computer, don't
fret -- it's free! Click
here to download your free copy of the Acrobat Reade
12 Step Schedule
- SUNDAY -- 8:00 p.m. - AA, Room 109
- MONDAY -- 8:00 p.m. - AA, Room 109
- TUESDAY -- 7:30 P.M. - AA, Hunter Hall
- TUESDAY -- 8:00 p.m. - Alanon, Room 104
- WEDNESDAY -- 7:00 p.m. - AA, Room 109
- THURSDAY -- 8:00 p.m. - AA, Hunter Hall
- FRIDAY -- 8:00 p.m. - AA, Room 109
SAGA
SAGA is an inclusive group founded by St. John's Episcopal Church with a mission to advocate the dignity of human sexuality in all of its orientations, genders, and life-enriching relationships in the spirit of God's love. All are welcome to be a part of this organization. Click here for more information. SAGA founder Margaret Lindsay has been honored for her significant contribution. Read the resolution here.
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