SOCIAL MINISTRIES    Get involved!

 
Quick Links:

Coffee Hour Ministry and Golf Cart Ministry
Caring Casseroles

Driving Groups
Contemplative Knitting
OES and St. John the Baptist support The Giving Tree
Mission/Social Ministries Annual Report
 

Coffee Hour Ministry and Golf Cart Ministry
Small courtesies can sometimes make a big difference.
The “Coffee Hours” immediately following the church service provide a chance for congregants to greet visitors and share news, over cookies and coffee.
A brief ride in the golf cart from the parking lot to the door on a drizzly day is an extra treat.
Those who want to host these small hospitalities are always welcome to sign up for a date on the kiosk in the narthex.
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Caring Casseroles
St. John’s parishioners care for each other by supplying meals to those whose households are temporarily unable to provide their own. At the Rector’s request a team of capable cooks is ready to deliver dinner to the doorstep. If you need meals from Caring Casseroles or would like to help prepare meals for this loving ministry, please contact the church office or one of the clergy.
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Driving Groups
Parishioners who cannot drive themselves to church or to appointments need not feel homebound. St. John’s has driving teams currently operating and is ready to put together new teams as needed. If you find yourself without wheels or  if you would like to be a volunteer driver for this ministry, please contact the church office.
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Contemplative Knitting
(The Prayer Shawl Ministry)
First Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m.
The experience of a small group of friends, sitting together and knitting with God, is both an activity and a prayer. We call ourselves the “Knit Wits” and we meet at 1:00 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month to knit prayer shawls which are then given to those in need of this special kind of comfort.
Some recipients of our shawls are ill, some bereaved, some celebrating births – or birthdays. Some are parishioners, many are not. Some shawls are created with a special person in mind, and others are stored in wait for just the right person to come along. Every shawl is a union of our skill and God’s grace. When a shawl is ready to be give, it is blessed. Often we gather at the altar on Sunday morning for this prayer, giving the whole congregation an opportunity to participate in the gift.
For more information, contact the church office.
 

Knit a scarf for a Special Olympian!
Details are available below or at http://www.2009worldgames.org/volunteer/scarf-project

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OES and St. John the Baptist support The Giving Tree
Each December a Giving Tree is organized, with the help of the OES Brownie troop, to ensure that Portland's homeless teens receive a present during the holiday season.

We will be collecting and wrapping gifts for the giving tree on Dec 11-12, 2008.

If you would like to help wrap these gifts for people in need, please contact Diane Able at abeld@oesparents.org or by phone at 503-690-2506.

Mission/Social Ministries Annual Report "...Responding to the needs of the world in the power of the Holy Spirit..."

By the Reverend Deacon Julie Jensen

The driving force of my diaconal ministry is Social Ministry and its companion, Social Justice. Social Ministries are all those things we do outside of the church building to aid those who need our help and show Christ’s love in the world. Social Justice aims to change the inequities in the lives of the world’s people.
During Lent of 2009 we used the Hope Chests to collect money to help those around us in need of food, and parishioners gave to the Oregon Food Bank, Western Farm Workers Association, or William Temple House. That effort raised $600. During Earth Week, we had a hands-on project with SOLV, cleaning up non-native species in Baumann Park. Last fall we participated with the Diocese in raising money for malaria-treated mosquito netting and sent $2000 from St. John’s.
During 2009 we also partnered with OES on 3 projects. In the spring we donated food to Western Farm Workers and Neighborhood House as a part of Project Second Wind. Then in the summer we donated school supplies for AASK's summer program. At Christmas we had a Giving Tree, buying gifts for families from Vose whose children are part of those whom OES students tutor. Additionally, funds of $1000 each were allocated to AASK, Friends of Sabeel, Western Farm Workers, and William Temple House.
Our newest Social Ministries project is the joint Community Dinner shared with St. Barnabas and held at St. Barnabas. Our original numbers have been small, but this is a project that brings much joy to the participants and will grow as the word gets out. We are committed, along with St. Barnabas to keeping this project alive this year, at least.
Our Social Ministries effort last spring was a second series of forums about the environment. It seems that most people are eager to help protect our environment. We also had 3 forums last fall on Social Justice: the death penalty, Western Farm Workers Association, and friend of Sabeel. As part of Social Ministries and the environment, we began a program of recycling spent light bulbs and batteries. Later we included a day to recycle household wastes and Styrofoam - that will be continued."
The other main part of my diaconal ministry is my role in the liturgy. To this end, we have added one new acolyte and two new chalice bearers and Eucharistic Visitors. Julie Powers and Linda Zuber have joined the group that assists the clergy in taking communion to those who can’t make it to church.
 

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