Community Outreach
Outreach is important to us! Our belief that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ motivates us, with God’s help, to respond to the needs of others. Parishioners of all ages commit their time, talents and treasure to a wide range of outreach projects that address issues such as hunger, shelter, health care, and evangelism. St. John’s Outreach Committee meets regularly to consider requests, approve contributions and coordinate our involvement with charitable organizations.
Outreach involves both People, Facilities and Funds for ongoing programs for Local and Global Mission and Outreach.
We also support the following local ministries by providing facilities and volunteers: AA, Al-Anon, Job Hunters, Bible Study Fellowship, American Red Cross Blood Drive, several Girl Scout troops, Cub Scout dens, and a Boy Scout troop.
Outreach Committee:
Being an Outreach Committee member is about service. Members serve a three-year term and sit on one of three
committees: Service, Selection or Promotion. Members seek out and rally St. John's members‘ time, talent and treasure toward ministries guided by Christian principles that focus on serving the community and that have a history
of or a potential for active commitment and support from our parishioners. We meet up to six times per year in committee form, and up to six times per year in our subcommittees to organize support and disperse Vestry-allocated funding to various ministries we are passionate about. We are more about doing than meeting.
Contact: Jack Conlan 704-366-8276
jackconlan@hotmail.com
Diocese of Costa Rica Partnership:
St. John‘s has enjoyed a 12-year history of mission work with the Diocese of Costa Rica and is an active member of the Diocese of North Carolina‘s Costa Rica Companion Relationship Committee. The Bishop of Costa Rica, Bishop Hector Monterosso, has a three-fold vision for his Diocese -- expansion of the church, theological formation, and education and Christian testimony through service. St. John‘s, along with the committee, is fully engaged in making this vision a reality. Volunteers are invited to become involved, either through teaching Vacation Bible School or helping with construction of new churches and preschools in various communities of Costa Rica.
The rewards are great!
Contact: Cindy Winslow 704-366-3034
cindy@saintjohns-charlotte.org
Cathy Harrison 704-366-3034
charrison@saintjohns-charlotte.org
Episcopal Relief & Development:
Episcopal Relief & Development is the compassionate response of our Church to human suffering around the world. The agency works with Anglican and ecumenical partners to save lives and build hope in many communities around the world by responding to emergencies and by implementing life-saving food and health programs in the poorest areas. St. John‘s members can help by praying for our afflicted brothers and sisters and by providing aid and donating to Episcopal Relief & Development through St. John's or online at www.er-d.org.
Contact: Reid Joyner 704-554-6359
erd-nc@hotmail.com
Family Promise:
Family Promise of Charlotte is a network of churches in the Charlotte area that provide food, shelter, and support for families in need of shelter. This program utilizes existing community resources to address the needs of homeless families. By doing so, we provide a cost-effective way to address family homelessness and increase the involvement of the community in the issues and solutions.
Volunteers from local churches and various community agencies are the heart of the Network; without them, it cannot exist. They provide a variety of services: cooking and serving meals, playing with children or helping them with homework, and staying overnight. Beyond providing lodging and meals, volunteers interact with the guests, treating them with respect and responding with compassion. St. John‘s hosts families for one week, four times each year in non-winter months. The program defines families as one of the following: Single mother with child(ren), single father with child(ren), a couple with child(ren), legal guardian with child(ren).
Contact: Chris Smith 704 366-9634
csmith63@carolina.rr.com
Guild of St. Margaret:
The Guild of St. Margaret is a service group for the women of St. John‘s that focuses on helping homeless children
at A Child‘s Place. We work closely with Billingsville Elementary School and welcome all members of the church to join us in supporting the children there.
Contact: Stephanie Green 704-341-7754
green@carolina.rr.com
Habitat for Humanity:
Volunteers from St. John‘s help build houses for low-income families who currently live in inadequate housing and
want to own their own home and are enrolled in the Habitat for Humanity program. All skill levels are needed to paint, put up drywall, finish carpentry and other tasks associated with this ministry. As a bonus, the family who will move into the home works alongside the volunteers, contributing sweat equity towards the purchase of their home.
Contact: Christ Koconis 704-366-7600
ckoconis@bellsouth.net
Hospitality House:
Hospitality House provides a "home away from home" for out-of-town family members of patients in local hospitals. The house is located directly across from Carolinas Medical Center and is staffed by volunteers from 9am to 1pm, 1 to 5pm, and 5 to 9pm daily. The house has 44 beds in semi-private rooms with baths. As a nonprofit organization Hospitality House relies primarily on donations from the guests and the community in the form of casseroles for dinners, food supplies so guests may cook for themselves, and gift cards for super-stores for the purchase of linens and cleaning supplies.
Contact: Carolyn Morris 704-541-6591
mimimorris@bellsouth.net
Job Hunters:
The Job Hunters Support Group has been in continuous operation since 1987. We meet Tuesdays from 7 to 9pm. We provide a speaker the first hour who provides information related to the job search process (preparing resumes,
interviewing, networking, etc.) During the second hour job seekers are provided an opportunity to expand their networks by sharing their situation and goals with the group. Additional services include a resume and cover letter
review and critique, and a mock interview program to help hone interviewing skills. There are no fees or registration requirements (just show up). Volunteers are welcome to facilitate meetings, recruit speakers, review resumes, etc.
Contact: Jeff Searcy 704-341-2255
jeffsearcy@carolina.rr.com
Kanuga Kids:
Each year, St. John‘s partners with several local agencies to send disadvantaged children to Camp Bob at Kanuga. St. John‘s raises the money and sends volunteers to help supervise at camp; the agencies (afterschool programs and church/social-service organizations) select children from within their programs. The camp at Kanuga is fully staffed
with trained counselors, and runs on a Monday through Friday schedule, usually in mid-July.
There are many opportunities to help in this ministry. A couple of leaders are needed to organize all the pre-camp logistics: arranging for bus transportation for the kids, recruiting adult volunteers from church for the camp, coordinating the kids‘ applications from the agencies, and acting as the fund-raising contact. Additionally, volunteers are needed to help at check-in as the kids are loaded on the bus, to travel to camp to mentor the children there, and to prepare lunches for the bus ride up. There are many ways, big and small, to help out.
Contact: John Mattox 704-904-8378
john.mattox.vt@gmail.com
Loaves and Fishes:
Since 1975, Loaves and Fishes has provided emergency food to individuals and families in need throughout Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Last year, over 70,000 clients were served, almost double the number from five years ago. Clients are referred to Loaves and Fishes by Charlotte-Mecklenburg human services agencies, hospitals, home health care providers, school counselors, and local clergy. Clients receive a week‘s worth of nutritionally balanced meals, including nonperishable foods such as canned fruits, vegetables, soups, peanut butter, rice, macaroni and cheese, and such fresh foods as meat, eggs, margarine and bread.
There are several opportunities for volunteering: at the phone center, at one of the 18 pantries in the area, and as part of the delivery crew. Several St. John‘s members work during the year at the St. Andrew‘s Episcopal Church pantry on Central Avenue, the busiest of all the pantries!
Contacts: Debby Stoudenmire, Volunteer Coordinator 704-553-2612
slnk5@carolina.rr.com
Meredith McGough, Donation Collection and Delivery 704-541-4850
meredithmcgough@bellsouth.net
Men's Shelter of Charlotte:
Volunteers provide dinner for up to 300 men on the second Saturday of every other month - beginning in February. Jo Brock provides the delicious main course, which is food she sets aside from the Wednesday night dinners. We then prepare the remainder of the meal at the Men‘s Shelter. Our team of 5 or 6 individuals begins food preparation
on the appointed Saturday at 3:30 pm, serves dinner at 5:15, and leaves around 6 pm (with men from the Men‘s Shelter taking care of clean up.)
Contact: Tim Comin 704-552-0708
btcomin@mindspring.com
Red Cross Blood Program:
At St. John‘s, we hold four blood drives per year. Donating blood is an amazing gift that you can give and help to
save a life. Each unit of blood that is donated can save as many as three lives. Volunteers are needed to help with recruiting blood donors about one month before each blood drive. On the day of the blood drive we need volunteers to sign people up for blood donation. Each blood drive has a goal of 23 donors but we would like to increase this to 30! Please consider giving the gift of life through blood donation.
Contact: Emily Tucker 704-544-6789
ehtucker@bellsouth.net
Room in the Inn:
Since 1996 Urban Ministries of Charlotte has been working with congregations to open their facilities during the winter months to provide shelter and food for the homeless. The Room in the Inn Program began with 20 shelter sites and has grown today to almost 100 congregations providing 14, 750 beds for 1,247 neighbors.
On Thursday nights , December through March, St. John‘s provides a warm, safe place to sleep and two meals (dinner and breakfast) for 12 homeless guests. A van driver picks up the guests downtown at the Urban Ministry Center and returns them the next morning. We have five areas of volunteer opportunities: van driving, bed set-up, meal preparation, laundry, and overnight hosting. This ministry is not only a necessity for our neighbors in Charlotte but also a very rewarding experience for the volunteers. There is an opportunity for everyone to help.
Contact: Judy Russo 704-752-3537
judyrusso@hotmail.com
Supporting our Troops Outreach:
The goals and mission of this ministry are to communicate, pray for and support our military personnel, those who are members of St. John‘s and those in the larger community. In Tilson Hall we have five boards, one for each branch of the military, where names can be found of service men and women. Volunteers send cards and packages
to these troops and pray for their safety and safe return. Special initiatives are held during the year to benefit the troops as well as members of our Military Reserve Training location in Charlotte.
Contact: Susan Bramlett 704-759-8818
susanbramlett@bellsouth.net
Thompson Child and Family Focus:
Volunteers play a wonderful and critical role at Thompson Child & Family Focus through offerings of their time, talents, and experiences. Individuals and groups can get involved in a variety of ways. Volunteers help create safe, nurturing environments and provide special attention and support for the children of Thompson.
Contact: Toinette Wilkinson 704-644-4371
twilkinson@thompsoncff.org
World Vision's 30 Hour Famine:
Every year, St. John‘s youth lead the parish in "Doing the Famine." We go without food for 30 hours to know what it means to be hungry; we sleep outside in cardboard boxes to know what it means to be homeless; we raise funds to help feed and care for thousands of people all over the world to know what it means to save lives and change the world. Since 2000, St. John‘s has raised significant awareness of world hunger throughout our community and over $500,000 towards worldwide famine relief. Look for ways to get involved and "Do the Famine" with us the last weekend in February.
Contact: Matt Williams 704-366-3034
matt@saintjohns-charlotte.org
To get involved, complete our online Opportunities for Ministry Form.
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40