Outreach at St. Paul’s provides opportunities for members to reach out to our local and international neighbors in different ways: by giving (donating items, contributing to collection ‘drives’ which reach out to different members of the community) and by doing (hands-on activities working directly with people on-site). Watch for updates on outreach projects in the bulletin, parish updates, and website. St. Paul’s also contributes financially and materially to a number of local and global outreach ministries. Look for various ways to get involved below.
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista
Associate Rector
javier@stpaulscary.org
919-467-1477, ext. 12
Outreach Ministries
Appalachia Service Project (ASP)
ASP is a home repair ministry to needy families of Central Appalachia. Youth and adult participants grow spiritually, gain self confidence, and build and bridge communities. Real, honest work and relationship building are part of the experience.
Volunteers must prepare lunches and water coolers for the day, they spend several hours a day at their work site with their team, and then they have chores to do to maintain the center or help with dinner when they return from their work site. The hours spent at the site provide needed time for repairs, as well as necessary time to build relationships with their family and with each other.
Evenings are spent in fellowship and learning about the Appalachian culture. ASP can truly be a life-changing experience. Adult chaperons have not only been blown away by the experience of helping the families of Appalachia, but by the incredible dedication of the young people who participate.
Contact: Kevin Swann, 919-607-5913, swann.kev@gmail.com
ASP website: www.asphome.org.
Dorcas Ministries
Donate & Volunteer: There are several opportunities for individuals to become involved with Dorcas Ministries by volunteering in the Thrift Shop, Warehouse, Food Pantry, Training Center, or Crisis Ministry. Thrift Shop proceeds and donations support the efforts of Crisis Ministries which provides crisis relief to area residents who seek stability and self-sufficiency through food and financial assistance, scholarships, training programs, referrals and an affordable thrift shop.
To understand the Ministry, watch this video from the 2019 Thanksgiving Breakfast: Click HERE.
Dorcas Shop: The Dorcas Shop offers a wide variety of merchandise at affordable prices for the whole family including clothing, shoes, coats, small appliances, books, toys, furniture and more.
Contact: Dorcas Ministries is located at 187 High House Road, near the intersection of High House and Old Apex Roads in Cary.
Crisis Ministry: The Dorcas Crisis Ministry exists to serve local residents who find themselves in a temporary financial crisis, using proceeds from the Dorcas Thrift Shop
Food Pantry: The Dorcas Food Pantry is run by volunteers who spend their time sorting, organizing, and assisting clients as they shop for their groceries. To volunteer to help staff the Food Pantry on the 2nd or 4th Saturday of the month sign up HERE.
St. Paul’s has adopted the “Toilet Paper” shelf in the food pantry. This is one of the many items that can’t be purchased with food stamps. Our goal is to collect 200 rolls a month. Please let Gail Cowper know if you drop off toilet paper at Dorcas or at the church for delivery to Dorcas. Her email is gcowper@bellsouth.net
Medical Clinic: In partnership with Advance Community Health, a medical clinic opened January 3, 2017, and now provides services to the community. Payment for services is on a sliding scale to accommodate all income levels. The clinic is located next to the Dorcas facility at 173 High House Road in Cary. Click HERE for more.
Dorcas Training Center: For information on Dorcas Job Training Center, including Training Center Calendar, click HERE.
Contact: Nancy Fierke, 919-467-8807, nancy.fierke@gmail.com
Episcopal Campus Ministry
Each month during the school year, St. Paul’s provides a home cooked meal for the Episcopal Campus Ministry at NC State. This is a little bit of home for students who are missing that “Sunday dinner.”
Any parent who has sent a child off to college does so with the hope that they’ll find friends to share their interests and support their goals. Anyone who has ever sat on the thin mattress of a dormitory extra-long twin bed knows at least a twinge of the loneliness that comes from those first moments on their own.
In Raleigh, one place students from NC State, Meredith, Shaw, and Wake Tech can turn to feel closer to home is the Episcopal Campus Ministry. Located in Cheshire House near the heart of NC State’s campus, ECM offers a Eucharist on Sundays and a regular gathering for discussion on Wednesday evenings as well as a place to hang out during exams or get a hot, home-cooked meal following the weekly service.
Under the leadership of Mother Deborah Fox, the ministry has expanded in recent years to include a broad swath of students, ranging from cradle Episcopalians to young people who don’t always identify themselves as Christian but feel drawn to the fellowship ECM offers. Mother Deborah leads services, provides pastoral care, and participates in retreats and community service projects with the students. St. Paul’s is represented on the ministry’s advisory board by Mark Mosley and Aleta McClenney.
ECM participants regularly volunteer at the Salvation Army soup kitchen and in support of the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry at Newton Grove. For the last several years, a group of them have also taken an alternative Spring Break trip to Church of the Saviour in Washington, D.C. which provides a number of helping ministries to those living in need, include housing and hospice care.
While Mother Deborah gives structure to the program, the young people also take great ownership, and the reward is reflected in their words. Eliza Marth, a recent graduate of State, gave the 2013 Transfiguration Sunday homily at ECM. She spoke about the impact her senior year Spring Break trip had on her life, prompting a change in career paths:
The last call I’ll reflect on is my call to Discipleship Year (at Church of the Savior). This was one that I really didn’t want to hear. I had an opportunity to stay in Raleigh and do good work-giving back to the community that had so transformed me. But on the Church of the Savior trip my senior year, the call came from the community. Ben, Josh, Justin, Joseph and Mo Deb: “Eliza, I could totally see you here.” I was afraid-giving up everything I knew to live with strangers, in a new city, away from the partner I love, doing work with poor urban people, away from the ECM community that had so faithfully loved and transformed me. With the grace of God and the support of the ECM community, I said yes-and believe you me, I said yes to something better.
While portions of the good work done through ECM are funded by the Diocese, operating expenses beyond salaries are not. The mission relies on support from Raleigh-area parishes like ours for ongoing costs – from insulating the Cheshire House attic to replacing the dishwasher when it breaks down. The money St. Paul’s sends to ECM is truly an investment in the future of these young people and the future of the Episcopal Church.
Learn more about the young people we are helping building into their faith at www.ecm-raleigh.org. In addition, if you would like to join with the wonderful team of St. Paul’s cooks who prepare a hot Sunday supper for the students once each month during the school year, please contact Aleta at aleta@att.net or Jill Cole at bradleye_cole@bellsouth.net.
Family Promise of Wake County (formerly Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network), Ministry to the Homeless
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat… Isaiah 25:4
NOTE: Due to the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, all host weeks have been canceled. There are other ways to help, however. Click HERE for more.
This coalition of faith communities helps families without homes achieve independence by providing temporary housing, lodging, meals, case management & educational services. St. Paul’s serves as a host congregation, providing meals, supplies, & volunteer support to families temporarily residing at White Plains United Methodist Church in Cary several times each year.
For three or four weeks each year, St. Paul’s partners with White Plains Methodist on SE Maynard Road in Cary to host four to five homeless families through Family Promise of Wake County. Family Promise (formerly Wake Interface Hospitality Network or WIHN) is one of the few programs in Wake County that keeps the family unit intact. On Sundays of our weeks we transform traditional class rooms at White Plains into private accommodations for temporarily homeless families. The families spend seven nights at the church, arriving about 6:00 PM each evening. Volunteers provide dinner each night, breakfast, supplies for packed lunches, activities for the children, and sleeping arrangements. The families leave by 6:45 AM the next morning to go back to the Day Center on Method Road in Raleigh.
The day center is staffed by paid social workers and is equipped with individual lockers, showers, laundry facilities, and fax machines and computers so people can work on their resumes and do job searches. Some of the individuals have jobs; some are looking for jobs. The school-aged children take buses from the day center to their school.
Please check your calendar and sign up early to help make the coordination easier. If you provide your email address, we’ll email a reminder. Here’s your chance to help make a safe place for people who really need it and a friendly assurance that they are cared for.
This is an opportunity for the whole family to participate.
Contacts at St. Paul’s: Kathleen Neff, kathleen@trioptimum.com, and Myrna Belingon, tmb.jersey@gmail.com
Food Security Action Group
St. Paul’s Food Security Action Group works in partnership with local municipalities and other Cary area churches to address food insecurity right here in our immediate community. Our neighbors who are hungry can’t always take time off to go to food pantries, and the bus system here in Cary doesn’t always meet those needs either, so we bring food to these families by going out into the community. We have a designated neighborhood where we distribute different resources (groceries, vegetables, milk, etc.) on a few weekends per month, or more than that when the need arises. Contact Katie Bricio (katiebricio13@gmail.com) to be added to the email list for volunteer opportunities.
GoDo
The GoDo Service Ministry endeavors to serve the community and local areas in need of our helpful hands. GoDo looks for and finds ways to help. This may involve a one-time project such as helping to build a playground or may involve being a part of an ongoing mission.
Contact: Kevin Swann, 919-607-5913, swann.kev@gmail.com
Mission Statement for GoDo:
GoDo is a church-wide ministry led by youth that strives to build spiritual relationships with our parish and community through hands-on service.
Core Values for GoDo:
- Church-wide
- Youth-run
- GoDo leadership as brokers for service – user to resource; ministry to people
- GoDo can be a liaison from the church to the spectrum of need in the community
- Inclusivity – all are welcome
- Desire for person-to-person interaction
- Commitment to organizations – build relationships; be a reliable partner so more helpful to the ministry/program
- Service is a priority over fundraising or advocacy
- Intergenerational
Heifer International
Every Sunday morning during worship services, St. Paul’s parishioners are invited to donate to Heifer International by placing money in a small ark in remembrance of important times, events, and people in their lives. Heifer International is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. With donated funds, Heifer International sends farm animals to individuals and communities around the world, along with the necessary training and resources. Each family receiving an animal agrees to “pass on the gift” and donate the female offspring to another family, so that the cycle of hope, sustainability and enhanced self-esteem continues. Heifer International has helped over seven million families in over 125 countries since it began nearly seventy years ago.
St. Paul’s annual goal is to donate at least $5000, which purchases a “Gift Ark” comprised of many pairs of animals. Heifer International sends the animals wherever they are most needed in the world to fight hunger and poverty. During the month of December, St. Paul’s participates in an “Alternate Gift Giving” opportunity. Parishioners can give Christmas gifts to family members and friends in the form of Heifer donations, and inform their loved ones of their gift by sending them a Heifer greeting card. Through Heifer International, “we can change the world, one family, one community, at a time.”
Donate here:
https://fundraise.heifer.org/campaign/st-pauls-episcopal-church-virtual-living-gift-market/c453858
Contact: Alison Arnold, alisonearnold@gmail.com
Heifer International website: www.heifer.org
Hermano Day (Farmworker) Day
St. Paul’s participates in the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, a joint ministry of our Diocese and the Diocese of East Carolina) through an annual ‘Hermano Day’ collection for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Each year during Lent, St. Paul’s assists the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Dunn, NC, by donating men’s clothes and bedding. These items are distributed to the farmworkers in 47 labor camps which are served by the ministry.
Migrant farmworkers typically come to North Carolina in the spring to work in the fields. The majority are from Mexico. They arrive in North Carolina with very few possessions. They live and work under the harshest of conditions in great isolation, far from their loved ones.
Through the work of the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry the workers receive clothing, food and emergency medical attention. They are given transportation to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at EFwM’s mission church, La Sagrada Familia. St. Paul’s assists EFwM by providing monetary donations along with donated work clothes, blankets, sheets and towels, which are distributed, as needed, to ‘Our Brothers in Christ, the farmworkers.
Contact: Katie Bricio, katiebricio13@gmail.com
Kairos Prison Ministry
Through this international prison ministry, trained volunteers from St. Paul’s build relationships with women and men incarcerated at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) and Central Prison, Raleigh. St. Paul’s supports Kairos three-day retreats with prayer, encouraging notes and handmade greeting cards. Those from children are especially appreciated!
The purpose of Kairos is to build strong Christian communities inside prison walls. It is a Christian, lay-led, ecumenical continuing ministry to the incarcerated and their loved ones. Kairos has been called the best example of the early church in existence today.
Kairos Inside men’s and women’s ministries address the spiritual needs of prisoners. Kairos volunteers go into prisons in teams of 30 to 60 to pray, share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and share meals and fellowship with the incarcerated on a one-to-one basis. The first visit, an inmate’s introduction to Kairos, is a three-day event; the team teaches about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness and shows how to begin living a life in Christ. Subsequent visits are primarily weekly attendance at Prayer and Share sessions where the Kairos community examines an ongoing Christian life, one- or two-day retreats for all Kairos alumni, and monthly reunions led by the inside Kairos community.
Kairos Torch, a second facet of the Kairos Ministry, holds weekends for incarcerated youth, similar to those for adults, but tailored specifically to the needs and interests of young people ages 12-17.
Kairos Outside, the third facet, provides spiritual healing to female family members of the incarcerated, women who often feel that they, too, are “doing time”.
Nationally 30,000 Kairos volunteers annually donate 3 milliion hours in 472 institutions and communities in 36 states. Kairos is also active in 9 foreign countries. Please visit the Kairos website to learn more about the national and international aspects of this ministry.
There are a variety of Kairos ministries in North Carolina:
- Ministry in 12 men’s and 3 women’s prisons.
- Kairos Outside (East and West) for female family and loved ones of the incarcerated.
- Kairos Torch formerly at C.A. Dillon youth facility.
- Learn more about North Carolina Kairos.
Contact: Dave Moon, williamdmoon@gmail.com
Meals on Wheels
Volunteer teams or individuals deliver meals to elderly and home-bound local residents on a regular basis throughout the year. One hour of service each month is typical.
Meals On Wheels volunteers from St. Paul’s Church help deliver meals from Resurrection Lutheran Church on Kildaire Farm Road to the homes of elderly and shut-ins in the Cary area. The food is prepared in the kitchen of the Food Runners Collaborative Inc. Organization of Raleigh, of which Meals On Wheels of Wake County is a partner. About sixteen volunteers from St. Paul’s are actively involved in this ministry.
Wake Meals on Wheels website: www.wakemow.org
Contact: Bob Petersen, 919-552-9088, bpetersen@nc.rr.com
ONE Wake
St. Paul’s is participating with a collaborative group of faith-based institutions from across Wake County. The group plans to address various community issues though policy and advocacy. Issues may include: affordable housing, education, immigration enforcement, community policing, environment, jobs, hunger, and homelessness. For more information, including upcoming meetings and events, please visit ONE Wake’s website.
Contact: Mary Kintz and Christina Myers, onewake@stpaulscary.org
Refuge for Refugees
This ministry – affectionately called R4R – assists families who have been granted refugee status as they resettle in our community.
What is a refugee? The US Refugee Act of 1980 adopted the United Nations definition of a refugee as “a person with a well-founded fear of persecutions for reasons of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.”
Every year, thousands of refugees find a home in the United States. In 2021, North Carolina was ranked 6th among states accepting the most refugees for resettlement. Non-government agencies in the Triangle receive names of refugees from the Department of Homeland Security. These agencies are then charged with the tasks of finding a home for the refugee, connecting the refugee to English classes (if needed), and assisting the refugee in finding a job.
Generally, refugees have fled their country of origin to a relatively safe neighboring country or refugee camp. They apply to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for protection and resettlement. The UNHCR distributes the names of qualified refugees to countries such as the United States. For names referred to the United States, a case file is started, and the Department of Homeland Security determines the legitimacy of the refugee status and then refers the names of such vetted individuals to one of nine agencies. This refugee journey can take up to ten years from the time they leave their country to the time they arrive in the United States.
Currently working with the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants-North Carolina (USCRI-NC), St. Paul’s has provided support to more than nine refugee families since the ministry began in 2016 .
How can I help?
Some of the ways St. Paul’s can help refugees are:
- Donating and collecting items for their new apartment.
- Being a part of the welcoming committee at the airport and their first day at their apartment.
- Being involved with the family, mentoring, providing transportation, shopping, teaching English.
- Making financial donations.
Some history from the early days of the Refuge for Refugees Ministry:
Letter in Support of Immigrants and Refugees (posted Feb 21, 2017)
A Word About Refugees (posted Feb 1, 2017)
Welcome Party for Refugee Family (Feb 26, 2017)
New Refugee Family from Somalia (Nov 16, 2016).
Refugee Welcome Home Party (Sep 25, 2016).
Refuge for Refugees Update (Sep 3, 2016).
Refugee Family Update (July 28, 2016).
Refuge for Refugees Ministry to Sponsor Second Family (Jun 25, 2016).
Refugee Family from Afghanistan to Arrive Feb 26, 2016.
Refugee Ministry update (Mar 10, 2016).
If you are interested in “hands on” outreach through working with refugee resettlement, please contact Deb Richard (debrakrichard@gmail.com) or Linda Lytvinenko (lindajane0424@gmail.com), R4R Co-leaders.
Links:
Rise Against Hunger
Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. Their mission is to end hunger by 2030 by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources. At just 34 cents per meal, Rise Against Hunger meals are distributed through global partners that administer school feeding programs, orphanages, health clinics, vocational training and a growing focus on the education and empowerment of women as a key in the pursuit of zero hunger.
Rise Against Hunger meals are nutritiously sound. Every dehydrated rice/soy meal is fortified with 23 essential vitamins and nutrients. Research has shown that one in three people in developing countries are adversely affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
At each meal packaging event, St. Paul’s commits to packaging 10,000 meals. Volunteers from 4 years of age and up commit their time and money to both packaging the meals and paying for the food ingredients used in these meals. This is a wonderful ministry where people of all ages learn there is something impactful they can do to make this world a better place for all.
Questions? Contact: Brooke Mautz or Ramsey McIntire, riseagainsthunger@stpaulscary.org
Sign up for the next St. Paul’s Rise Against Hunger event here: http://events.stophungernow.org/StPaulsCary
St. Nicholas: Share in the Joy of Christmas Giving
Each December, parishioners reach out to families in need by contributing hundreds of Christmas gifts for distribution to families in need. St. Paul’s provides gifts to children served by a variety of ministries and organizations. Agencies include: CommWell Health, which supports the healthcare of seasonal farmworkers in Dunn, NC; West Haven, formerly under the Episcopal Housing Ministry which provided affordable housing in our diocese; The Healing Place, a non-profit recovery and rehabilitation facility for homeless people with alcohol and drug dependency in Raleigh; The refugee families of of St. Paul’s called R4R – assists families who have been granted refugee status as they resettle in our community; Coats, backpacks, and toiletries are provided to homeless downtown residents on Christmas Eve.
In late November, an “Advent Tree” is set up in the Narthex (Lobby) and decorated with tags containing information about these children. Parishioners select tags from the tree and, on St. Nicholas Sunday, bring presents for the child on their tag.
Help us share the love of Christ by providing gifts for these incredible children who endure many hardships. Your generosity in support of this ministry shows these children that they are loved in a very special way, by Christ and by his community here at St. Paul’s. We are looking forward to the day when the faces of our children light up with the love of Christ given and received. The members of the St. Nicholas Ministry really appreciate contributions of money to the ministry: Such donations allow us to look for after-Christmas bargains for next year’s gifts and to be prepared with gifts for any child whose tag may be lost. Checks should be made payable to St. Paul’s and designated “St. Nicholas Fund.”
Contact: Colette Hibberd (hibberdfamily@yahoo.com).
Urban Ministries
Urban Ministries is a non-profit organization that provides essential basic services to approximately 20,000 families and individuals in Wake County every year. The services include emergency and transitional housing, medical care, prescription medications, financial assistance, food assistance and other support services to promote self-sufficiency and a stable home environment for those in need. St. Paul’s organizes collections of food for Urban Ministries.
Urban Ministries Food Pantry Help Wanted: at Urban ministries as a volunteer, either in the food pantry or in the medical clinic
Contact: Joe Ryan, jryan23@nc.rr.com
Urban Ministries website: www.urbanmin.org
USO: “Until Every One Comes Home”
The Outreach Committee collects & delivers items to the USO at RDU Airport on a quarterly basis. A collection bin is placed in the Narthex. The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families as they transit through RDU Airport.
Website for USO at RDU: uso-nc.org/our-centers/raleigh-durham-international-airport-center/
USO website: www.uso.org
Contact: Sheila Reilly, skreilly7@gmail.com and Nicole Griffin Gatchalian, nicole.griffin@gmail.com