OUTREACH MINISTRIES
Angel Tree: A Christmas Project
Coordinators:
Margo Greenfield and Ellen Pluta
Program Description: For a number of years, St. Stephen's has worked with
social service agencies to provide Christmas gifts for needy families in our
area. Last year, the agency was the Family Place, part of a program at
the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark that serves children and
families living with HIV/AIDS and other families from Newark.
Parishioners who
participate in the Angel Tree project may elect to provide gifts to an
individual or to an entire family. Guidelines for appropriate gifts are
provided.
Beginning on the last Sunday in November, members of the parish
are given the opportunity at coffee hour to take paper angels on which the
first names of children and adults are written. Gift collection is at the
coffee hour on a Sunday in mid December. In addition to bringing gifts, parish
members may assist the coordinators with the sorting and distribution of
gifts. In 2009, St. Stephen’s
parishioners provided gifts for 73 people (20 families) in Newark.
Canterbury Village
Coordinators: Alex Cole and Barbara Keller
St. Stephen’s volunteers
regularly spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at this senior center in West
Orange to share activities such as Bingo and enjoy fellowship with the
residents. Parishioner Elie Gural
is often accompanied by her three dogs that offer pet therapy. Ann Reiners plays
the piano for sing-along sessions and segues into musical games, such as “Name
That Tune”. Several times throughout the year young people and their parents
arrange special activities, like providing Christmas caroling, Halloween trick
or treating, and Valentine’s Day sweets.
Christine’s Kitchen
Coordinator: Claas Ehlers
St. Stephen’s,
in partnership with the Islamic Center of Passaic County, shares in the work of
providing meals at the Soup Kitchen housed at Holy Trinity Church in West
Orange. Three or four times a year St.
Stephen’s hosts the meal. This involves
preparing meals and providing all the extras in order for individuals in West
Orange to enjoy nutritious food and warm fellowship. Hosting on a Saturday means
handling set up and preparation from 10:30 am to noon; serving guests at noon;
and then cleaning up after 1 pm. Each
Saturday approximately 80 guests are served.
This is a meaningful activity for families to undertake together. Typically, the children who volunteer are on
the frontlines serving food, and the combination of St. Stephen’s youth
side-by-side with young girls in hijabs and boys from
the mosque is an added testament to the universal power of love, compassion and
good food.
Environmental Subcommittee
Coordinator: Rob Greeley
This group looks at ways to have an impact
on environmental issues. Involvement
ranges from education about issues to offering green alternatives for
parishioners. This past year St.
Stephen’s chose to switch to a “green” electric provider, and then engaged in a
campaign to bring parishioners on board.
Food Barrel
Coordinator: Felder Dorn
St. Stephen's has a food barrel in which we collect non-perishable food items
for distribution to the hungry. We have a basket under the ushers' table
at the entrance of the church, and we ask that you bring food offerings to the
Sunday service that you attend and place them in the barrel. During the week,
the food barrel is located in the narthex. Some appropriate items are
pasta, canned vegetables, canned fruit, dried fruit, soups, cereals, peanut
butter, rice, beans, powdered milk, coffee, tea, and canned tuna. Food is
collected primarily for Apostles' House, a transitional house for the homeless
in Newark, which last year served over 14,000 clients. In 2009 St. Stephen’s
Food Barrel provided more than 2,331 items to the Food Pantry. Some food is also used to serve the needs of
our own community.
Habitat for Humanity
Program Coordinator: Roger Riedel
St. Stephen’s has been an active participant in Newark’s Abraham House. Involvement in Habitat
has been sporadic, depending on the number of projects underway in this area.
At various times our teens have joined Saturday work groups. In late Spring 2010 new projects are expected to launch, which should
mean expanded opportunities for St. Stephen’s members to get involved.
Interfaith Hospitality
Network (IHN)
Program Coordinator: Alex Cole
Meals Coordinator: Sara Ruth Dorn
This is an ecumenical ministry to homeless families of Essex County. The
Director of the Essex County IHN works with churches and synagogues that are
members of the network. Each participating congregation houses three to
four families in their buildings for a week or two each year. The
families move each week to another host church or synagogue until they find
suitable housing. The Network Director screens and selects the families,
who are referred by the Legal Aid Society, Welfare, and other social agencies.
She guides them in their search for housing, job training, and employment.
This outreach project
involves 50 or more parishioners during each hosting week and affords
opportunities for everyone to help. Some volunteers stay in the Parish
Hall overnight with the guest families. Others prepare and serve meals,
move cots and belongings, do laundry, play with
children, and make monetary and food contributions. There also is the
opportunity just to be a friend to another or to offer a listening ear.
St. Stephen's hosts IHN guests twice a year, normally during the
vacation weeks for the Preschool in February and April.
IHN hosting dates are published in SPEAKS and in the Sunday church bulletins.
Volunteers who wish to be alerted when IHN dates are known should
indicate that desire on the attached Time and Talent Bank sheet.
Additional information and volunteer assignments are available by calling
Alex Cole or Sara Ruth Dorn.
North
Porch
Coordinator: Theresa Scharff
The North Porch Women and Infants’ Centers, a project of the Episcopal
Churchwomen in the Diocese of Newark, provide emergency seven-day supplies of
formula, baby food, diapers, clothing, bed linens and other supplies for needy
mothers and infants in the Newark, Paterson, Dover and Clifton areas of
northern New Jersey.
Besides maintaining a
collection box throughout the year for donations of baby supplies, on two
occasions St. Stephen’s held a “Baby Shower at Coffee Hour” to focus attention
on the need for contributions. Parents at St. Stephen’s Preschool also contributed
to this project.
Lindsay McHugh of North Porch was invited to speak to parishioners
about the needs of indigent mothers and to suggest ways that St. Stephen’s
membership could become more involved with North Porch.
Turkey Box Dinners: A Thanksgiving Project
Coordinators: Owen and Patricia Moore
Each year during Thanksgiving season, community agencies in Essex County
distribute box dinners to families in need. For several years, St.
Stephen's has donated box dinners to three community groups, one in Maplewood
and two in Newark. These groups focus on providing assistance and
services to families affected by AIDS.
Parishioners are
encouraged to donate a box dinner containing all t he ingredients needed to
prepare a festive holiday meal for a family.
Parishioners are asked to sign up in advance so that St. Stephen's may
advise the agencies of the number of dinners to be provided. Lists of
menu items to be included in the box and a sign-up sheet are made available to
donors during coffee hour about three weeks before Thanksgiving. Members
that wish to be involved but are unable to shop themselves may make a financial
donation. Youth group members shop for the dinner ingredients and assemble
those boxes. Turkey dinners are
collected in the Parish Hall on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
In addition to donating box dinners, drivers are needed each year
to make deliveries to the agencies. Parishioners may volunteer for
delivery service when signing up to provide a dinner. Last year St. Stephen’s
delivered 42 boxes, which provided Thanksgiving dinner for approximately 255
people.
United
Thank Offering (UTO)
Coordinator: Lynn Batelli
United Thank Offering is
a long standing collection for a variety of social justice ministries within
the Episcopal church