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To spread the love of Christ by caring for and supporting our neighbors in need locally and world wide……
Neighbors in need locally….
Food Ministry
Panera Bread – St. James’ receives bread from Panera in Glastonbury each week. Parishioners pick up the bread and distribute it to the Center City Churches MANNA Food Pantry and Christ Church Cathedral Soup Kitchen in Hartford every Monday. Help picking up and delivering bread always welcome!
Food Banks - Non–perishable food donations are collected every week before Sunday services. Items donated to the food banks are given to working individuals who do not earn enough to provide adequate food for their families. We have designated the non-perishable food donations received on the first and third Sunday of each month to the Glastonbury Food Bank, a project of Glastonbury Social Services. Contact Carol Hilton 633-4115. Donations on subsequent Sundays are delivered to the Center City Churches Food Pantry along with Panera bread.
Christmas Families
For many years, this program has provided gifts and a Christmas feast to families in need in the Glastonbury area. In 2008, eight families including 19 children received bountiful gifts and food provided by the parish. Members of the church look forward to the beginning of Advent season when they are given the opportunity to choose gifts or food items to give the families.
Easter Families
The same families also receive beautiful Easter baskets filled with goodies and food for their Easter feast. Members of the St. James’ clergy make the deliveries.
CROP Walk (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty)
St. James’ sponsors walkers for this important community-wide program to provide interfaith hunger education and fund-raising events sponsored by Church World Service.
Light and Peace
The Light and Peace program is a ministry of evangelism and neighborhood outreach for children 3-11years old at Trinity Church in Hartford . This program provides a hot meal, worship and art activities every Monday night. St. James provides dinner approximately every six weeks.
Camp Washington
In 2008, seven parishioners participated in the Bishop’s 5K Run for Kids, which benefited Camp Washington.
Hastings Open Golf Tournament
This tournament is a favorite among golfers in the congregation in June each year. This also benefits Camp Washington and is in memory of Bishop Brad Hastings. Several foursomes represent St. James’ each year.
And those in need Worldwide…..
Haiti
St. James’ Church has for many years sponsored a student at Holy Trinity Elementary School in Port-au-Prince . Marie Soeurette St.Georges has been our sponsored child for the past four years. The Rev. Fernande S. Pierre-Louis, the only female Episcopal priest in Haiti , is principal of the school.
St. James’ also supports St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children, also in Port-au-Prince, where children who may have missing limbs, be blind or deaf, or otherwise handicapped are cared for and educated. In the past we have collected manual typewriters, medical supplies and other needed items which are sent to Port-au-Prince by land/sea container.
CODEP – Comprehensive Development Project
This is an incentive program that has been established in the very mountainous Southwestern part of Haiti . Besides the direct participants most of the larger communities are benefiting. The program includes soil restoration by means of terracing programs, followed by forest tree planting followed by fruit tree planting. The program includes water cisterns for individual families, agricultural training of young people, teaching vegetable gardening through 4-5 regional schools and demonstration gardens. About 60 fish ponds have been constructed by area cooperatives, growing Tilapia for nutrition and micro business. The ultimate incentive award is the help with obtaining and construction of a family home that is somewhat hurricane safe and cisterns for homes. It is interesting to note that the recent Hurricanes that just passed by Haiti , only caused minor damage in the CODEP project area instead of the major flooding and erosion that would have been experienced in prior years. The program is supported financially by St. James’ and also provides mission opportunities for our parishioners.
Gifts for Life
The Gifts for Life catalog put out by Episcopal Relief and Development contains items that support the Millennium Development Goals such as farm animals, tools and mosquito netting. During the holiday season, the Outreach Committee offered to mach any gift made from the Gifts for Life catalog. Response was so wonderful in 2007 that St. James’ was able to purchase a water buffalo with the matching funds! We hope we will be able to reinstitute the matching program in future years.
Operation Christmas Child
This is a national program to provide underprivileged children around the world with a Christmas gift contained in a colorfully wrapped shoebox. Over 60 shoeboxes full of toys and necessities were lovingly prepared by St. James’ families and distributed by the organization Samaritan’s Purse. This was a fun program for the whole congregation that we plan to continue in future years.
Millennium Development Goals
The Outreach Committee of St. James’ Church supports the UN Millennium Development Goals identified by the UN and endorsed by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in June 2006. The Millennium Development Goals have become part of our Outreach goals. Several programs and donations this past year were directly responsive to them.
St. James’ parish voted to focus on MDG #1.
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
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