COMBATING HUNGER
One of the cruelest consequences of the present recession is the growing population of hungry people in our midst. Join St. James’ in helping to feed those in need. Bring canned and boxed food to St. James’ where it will be offered and blessed at our 10:15 service before delivery to the food pantry of the Apostles' House in Newark.
Or help the Renaissance Church feed Newark residents through their weekly distribution of groceries by supporting St. James' ongoing fundraiser on their behalf. When you drop off clothes, toys, and small household items you no longer need in the St. James' basement room marked "Renaissance Church," you'll know that your outgrown belonging will experience a second life of providing sustenance to those in need.
You can help serve a nutritious lunch to nearby hungry residents by participating in one of several soup kitchen lunches that St. James’ hosts each year at Holy Trinity Church in West Orange. Soup kitchen meals are a wonderful team effort and require many hands to help: shopping at Costco, cooking the Friday night before in St. James' kitchen or your own home, transporting food to be heated at the Holy Trinity kitchen Saturday morning, serving the guests, and cleaning up afterwards, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Next date is Saturday, May 29. If you'd like to participate, contact Nina Steadman, (973) 744-6589.
Finally, grocery shopping can become an empowering means of helping the hungry in the greater Montclair community when you purchase grocery cards for ShopRite, Kings, and/or A&P in the Parish Hall during Coffee Hour following the 10:15 service. Grocery cards are sold in $100 denominations (some at $50). Your $100 card buys you a full $100 worth of groceries, can be used at any branch of the participating store, and will not expire. If you spend less than the card's face value, the store receipt will reflect your remaining balance. For every $1,000 worth of cards ordered by St. James’ from the participating grocery store, the store remits $50 to St. James’ — funds that St. James’ is donating to local ministries engaged in feeding the hungry in our midst.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Living out your baptismal vow to "strive for justice and peace among all people" can be as simple as writing a letter. Handwritten political action letters, urging your governmental official to make the nation's laws more fair and compassionate to people in need, help eliminate the conditions that allow poverty to persist. If you'd like to put your faith in action by writing a political action letter, take advantage of the resources of the following Christian organizations dedicated to promoting social justice:
Bread for the World — an interdenominational Christian organization that spearheads annual offerings of letters lobbying Congress on an issue of importance to hungry people
GreenFaith — a NJ interfaith coalition on environmental issues
The Episcopal Public Policy Network — an arm of the Episcopalian Church dedicated to lobbying national lawmakers regarding the social policies of the Episcopal Church.
Consult their websites to discover an array of social policies that you can influence by sending letters to governmental representatives, as well as sample letters to serve as a template for your own. The web addresses for these organizations are: www.bread.org, www.greenfaith.org, and www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn.htm.
We encourage you to get to know the five African women and children that St. James’ is currently sponsoring through Women for Women International and the Kenya Children's Fund more personally by writing them a letter of love and support. If you'd like to encourage their efforts to transform their lives through literacy and the acquisition of job and leadership skills, visit the Outreach bulletin board to pick up a handout containing sample letters and instructions on addressing the letters.
LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE
The Outreach Committee has enthusiastically entered into a year-round mentoring relationship with the children of incarcerated parents who attend the Prison Ministry's Learning by Experience program in the nearby city of Orange. In 2010, Tim Evans and Michelle Wunn will be volunteering at the LBE program on the last Saturday of each month at the Church of the Epiphany from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. We'll be helping 5-13 year-old boys and girls learn to cook, engage in crafts projects, play games, practice reading, celebrate the holidays, and just have fun in a relaxed, nurturing environment. If you'd like to join Tim and Michelle in mentoring on a regular basis or would be willing to fill in occasionally if Tim or Michelle is unavailable, please contact Claudia Sayre, Outreach Co-Chair, at outreachchair@stjamesepiscopal.org. Older teens are welcome too!
JOIN OUR OUTREACH COMMITTEE in the second floor Guild Room on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Help us plan and implement St. James’ volunteer and support efforts. Chairpersons are Jeff Palmer and Claudia Sayre. If you have ideas for us to consider, contact Claudia at (973) 744-3345 or claudcharvot@aim.com. Other committee members are: Cindy Endredy, Jeff Evans, Tim Evans, Joan Griffin, Robin Gurniak, Melissa Kneuer (Vestry advisor). Jennifer Patricio, Jim & Nina Steadman, Lisa Stoeffel, Michelle Wunn,
WHAT WE GAVE AWAY
During 2009, with the generous support of St. James’ parishioners, we provided monetary or in-kind donations to the following. Requests for donations in 2010 will be considered by the Outreach Committee this fall.
Apostles’ House in Newark: for food pantry and "Feed the Solution" hunger advocacy program.
Episcopal Diocese’s Prison Ministry: summer camp supplies and Christmas gifts for children of incarcerated parents who participate in its Learning by Experience mentoring program.
Kenya Children’s Fund: supplies for senior student class; educational, nutrition and medical costs for five kindergartners; food for these children and families over Easter break.
Montclair Counseling Center: to supplement fees of clinicians who provide subsidized psychotherapy to Montclair residents, and educational counseling in public schools.
Montclair Public School Children: backpack supplies, in conjunction with St. John's Episcopal Church, Montclair.
Renaissance Community Development Corporation in Newark: for food pantry operating costs.
St. Paul’s Community Development Corp., Patterson: for food pantry operating costs.
St. Peter’s Haven, Clifton: to help fund salary and provisions for food pantry and homeless shelter; transportation for homeless residents.
Women for Women International: sponsoring five women survivors of war in Nigeria, the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan and Afghanistan with direct aid to their families while they participate in year-long vocational training, rights awareness and leadership classes, and receive micro-loan funding after graduation.
