Outreach

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Happy are they who consider the poor and needy!;  the Lord will deliver them in the time of trouble.  Psalm 41:1

In our Baptismal Covenant we are called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. We are also called to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. To both of these callings we have answered “We will with God’s help.”

Our committee works to inspire and support the members of our parish community in finding ways as individuals and as a community to make a meaningful difference in serving people who need help.

What we do:

  • We help and support parishioners who are interested in personal, direct involvement with human services agencies to find areas that fit their interests, and respond to requests for volunteers. St. Mary’s responds to local, national and world tragedies by supporting organizations such as Episcopal Relief and Development and joining others in efforts to help those in distress.
  • Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services

St. Mary’s launched and continues to support this comprehensive center for aid to the needy throughout the year with donations from our Outreach funds, in- kind gifts to stock the second-hand shop, food for the weekly food pantry, and by volunteering in many areas.  The clinic also provides medical transportation for low-income, seniors, and disabled residents; case management to assist families at risk; emergency home repairs and financial assistance to prevent homelessness; financial counseling; literacy and GED tutoring; indoor plumbing rehab for homes without indoor plumbing; and emergency temporary housing.St. Mary’s was honored in the Diocese of Virginia with the 2004 Bishop’s Community Outreach Award for its work to establish the free clinic.  You can visit the clinic’s site at www.goochlandfreeclinicandfamilyservices.org

  • We maintain Mary’s Closet as a collection point for the Clothes Closet.
  • We provide dinners at Thanksgiving for families in Goochland.
  • We plant The Giving Tree every year at Christmas to give our families a chance to share their Christmas with others by providing gifts for needy children of Goochland County.
  • We collect canned food at Children’s Chapel each month.
  • We organize the collection of canned & boxed food year ‘round for the Food Pantry, which provides food for 140 families each week. Protein foods, such as canned meat, tuna, peanut butter, and stews are especially needed.  Check out the Collection Bin in the Children’s Activity Room near the Nursery.
  • We support our Summer Vacation Bible School joins hands with a group of inner city children, who come for activities, fun and Bible stories.  This is just a small part of Children’s Ministries at St. Mary’s.
  • We host the CARITAS Wintercots Housing program (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter).  Each winter, the homeless come home to the shelter of St. Mary’s Church for two weeks. Good hearty food, supportive conversation, a warm place to sleep, opportunities for showers and laundering clothes, time for games and movies are found in our parish hall.
  • We support the Goochland Habitat Team.  St. Mary’s parishioners have grabbed their hammers and installed vinyl siding on an entire house built by area churches. Goochland County’s Habitat for Humanity builds houses for those who could not otherwise afford them and St. Mary’s is honored to roll up its sleeves to help.
  • We have a Refugee Resettlement program, through which we have “adopted” two families from war-torn areas of the world and provided housing, clothing, food and help with job placement. Both families now enjoy freedom and independence.
  • We support local departments of social services, church organizations like Area Congregations Together in Service (ACTS) and GCCA (Goochland Christian Churches Association.  These and other groups come to us for emergency assistance for rent, food and utilities. St. Mary’s sets aside the offering from the first Sunday of each month to respond to these requests. (We do not respond for direct calls for assistance.
  • We sponsor an annual Youth Mission Trip.  Last year our youth joined with youth from Peter-Paul Development Center for a mission trip organized with the help of Westview on the James in Goochland County.  Youth participants did home repair, organic gardening, and food service for residents of Goochland County. In the summer of 2011, St. Mary’s and Peter Paul will team up again for an Urban Mission Camp in Petersburg, Virginia.
  • We actively participate in the Goochland Christian Churches Association.  There, we join with other Goochland County churches in projects and efforts to help those in need in Goochland County. One such effort has been the Goochland Housing Improvement Initiative through which St. Mary’s volunteers erected a new roof over a leaky trailer, providing security and a healthier home for someone who was suffering. St. Mary’s partners with several Goochland churches to enable their members to provide hospitality at our church for CARITAS guests during the weeks they are residing at St. Mary’s.
  • We support St. Mary’s Episcopal School.  Our preschool offers financial aid to students otherwise unable to attend a private preschool.
  • We provide outreach grants to charities in the metropolitan Richmond area.

Committee Chair:  Margaret Mickel; (T) 804.285.9502; mmickel@stmarysgoochland.org

Clergy Representative:  Eleanor Wellford; (T) 784.5678; ewellford@stmarysgoochland.org

Staff Representative:  Gina Alexander; (T) 804.784.5678; galexander@stmarysgoochland.org