Outreach and Mission
At Trinity Episcopal Church, outreach and mission are very important components of our ministry to our communities in Lawrence and Mercer Counties, our Southwest Deanery and the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
Nationally and internationally, we support Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD, formerly the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief), the United Thank Offering of Episcopal Church Women (ECW), and the Church Periodical Club. As a parish we have a partnership with a Spanish Partnership Family in Vizvaya, Spain.
Our Spanish partnership is associated with the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania’s companion diocese, the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church.At our Annual Parish Meeting in January, 2005, we established an Outreach Committee to work with Patty Hathaway, NW Pennsylvania’s Diocesan Missioner to begin to discern the unmet needs in our communities, and especially our immediate neighborhoods. The members of the Outreach Committee met with Patty on Saturday, June 11, among other things, reviewing the data from the Percept Study of New Castle. We generated a number of ideas for outreach that our parish itself could undertake and considered several other mission projects that would involve working in cooperation with other civic and church organizations. Above all, the attendees gained a greater awareness of the needs and sociological patterns in the communities we serve.
The Outreach Committee challenged the congregation to join with them on their “maiden flght” as they presented their first organized outreach ministry for the community, hosting a “Back-to-School” collection for students in Lawrence County. Backpacks, pens/pencils, 3-ring binders/paper, markers/crayons, glue/scissors were collected from July 31-August 14. On August 14, committee members packed the school supplies into the backpacks -- 60 in all to be distributed through Barnstone Ministries, an ecumenical outreach program that services needy people in New Castle and the surrounding area. Trinity's response was so great that Pastor Beck invited us to distribute the filled backpacks to the children as "special gifts" on Sunday evening, September 27. Ten members of the Outreach Committee gathered with the Barnstone Ministries team to participate -- a truly rewarding and enlightening experience.
You will be hearing much more about special ministries as we “stretch our wings.” The next collection for Barnstone Ministries begins September 11 for winter coats, hats,and mittens. Please check your closets or look for sale items as you shop for gently-used or new garments for all ages and sizes.
Eleven 12-Step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous) use the meeting rooms on the upper level of the Canon Hovencamp Parish House. The American Red Cross uses our parish hall in the undercroft of the main church building for its weekly blood drives. These uses of our facilities are part of our mission to our larger communities and cost the groups themselves nothing.Many of our parishioners volunteer with area social service agencies and programs as varied as Meals on Wheels, the nursing homes and the Lawrence County Humane Society. Support for our Rector’s Discretionary Fund is generous. Many, many ‘pilgrims’ in need come to our office door where they are able to get emergency assistance.
Our young people are actively involved in outreach and mission as well. Trinity was the host parish for the SW Deanery’s 30 Hour Famine. These high school aged youth spent a weekend without food while helping with Habitat for Humanity and raising $1307.66 for World Vision
The weekend wasn’t all work and no play. The youth took on roles as
children in Kenya and played a game call TRIBE, which raised awareness through various activities of how many people in developing countries
live every day.
Our younger children, Christ Crusaders, collect food and other essential commodities for Christ Mission, a way-station a few blocks away for homeless and needy men.
Outreach and mission are meaningful ministries in our lives at Trinity.
We really do try to go forth into the world to love and serve our neighbors
as we are charged at the end of every Holy Eucharist.
