Outreach Committee

Our Mission:
To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being.

The Outreach Committee at St. John’s is responsible for organizing efforts to extend support and assistance to those in our local community, nationally and abroad who are in need.

Committee Members: Deb Clark (Chair), George Spear (Co-Chair), Barbara Baraw, Irene Bareau, Elise Braun, Reone Kraemer, Ethel Merwin, Tom Younkman

Community Outreach
The people of St. John’s are deeply committed to serving those in our community who are in need. Whether there is work to be done, financial assistance required, or spiritual support needed, you will find our parishioners willing to use their time, talents, and treasure to serve our neighbors according to God’s will.

Throughout the year, our parish comes together in a spirit of fellowship to support various outreach activities. During the Lenten season, St. John’s hosts a Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday and Simple Soup Suppers each Wednesday. Both events raise money for the Lamoille Community Food Share -- an organization that has been deeply supported by St. John’s for more than a decade. In the fall, St. John’s raises money to provide Thanksgiving meals for needy families through our Turkey Challenge. At Christmastime, our parish makes wishes comes true by providing one or two local families in need with an abundance of gifts that engulf our Dove Tree.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matthew 25:35

We presently support the following important organizations in our community:

• Lamoille Community Food Share
• Meals On Wheels of Lamoille County
• Clarina Howard Nichols Center
• Waterbury Food Shelf
• Waterbury Area Senior Center
• Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
• Vermont Community Fuel Assistance
• Vermont Center for Independent Living

Regional and National Outreach
St. John's supports regional and national outreach efforts through financial contributions to Episcopal Relief and Development, the United Thank Offering, and other church-related agencies.

Global Outreach
St. John’s has been involved in outreach around the world for many years. We have supported and continue to support the construction of an Episcopal school for grades K-12 in Santa Fe, Dominican Republic and members of our parish have traveled to Santa Fe to assist with the construction efforts. In addition, we have provided six children at the school with full-year scholarships for the past three years.

In recent months, we have been discerning what outreach efforts we can and should extend to the people of Haiti. We are working with in partnership with our friends at the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe (JCOGS) to see if we can combine our resources and enthusiasm to maximize our efforts.

Special offerings support global outreach through the United Thank Offering and Episcopal Relief and Development.

Spirituality Group

The Spirituality Group provides a forum for fellowship and sharing of spiritual beliefs, doubts, strengths, questions and needs. We are encouraged to listen to each other and to the messages in our readings. We live in a country of cultural distortion-a world engulfed in conflict. Our group helps us to confront and deal with our feelings about these things within a spiritual context that does not let despair win. We give and receive spiritual support from one another. It is a safe place where we can be honest and direct in expressing our feelings. We love God and our Lord, and we seek to further understand Christian teachings, as well as teachings and truths of our faith.

Our discussions are drawn from books and a variety of current periodicals and writings in print and from the Internet. In 2009, we explored ideas and questions from a number of sources. Three books were prominent in our studies: The Third Jesus by Deepak Chopra, Eternal Life: A New Vision by Bishop John Spong, and The Seven Deadly Sins Sampler.

We meet every Thursday from 10am to noon and all are welcome.

Committee Members: Barbara Baraw, Lynn Baumrind, Bernice Binginot, Elise Braun, Barbara Crawford, Rose Crowley, Jean Gouert, Diane Huber, Diane Irwin, Reone Kraemer, Jane Lowe, Bonnie McDermott, Ethel Merwin, Belle Sanders, Kathleen Schwartz, Bonnie Smith

Foyer Groups

The foyer in a home is a welcoming and inviting place. Foyer Groups are made up of six to eight people who meet in each other's homes once a month for fellowship, food and fun. Foyer Groups are a means of further developing Christian community in small groups. They enable us to make new friends of those who may have been just names or faces in the congregation and to deepen relationships with those we have known for years.

If you are interested in being part of the Foyer Groups at St. John’s, please contact the parish administrator for more information.