Outreach
Saint Stephen’s Outreach Values:
Outreach is something we do because we are followers of Jesus. We believe that God’s love was made tangible in Jesus and that it is our privilege and responsibility to make God’s love tangible in service to others. To that end, we have several ongoing partnerships that we support with time, energy, money and gifts.
Ongoing Outreach Programs
What can one person do? Saint Stephen’s offers a variety of opportunities to make a difference. Opportunities range from one-time donations to mission opportunities that can become a life focus.
Loaves and Fishes Food Cupboard:
The Need: Jesus said, “If you have fed the least of my brothers and sisters, you have fed me.” Hunger is always among us, especially when the economy is shaky. The summer months are particularly difficult for many people whose electricity and gas is cut off.
What we do: We support Loaves and Fishes with ongoing collections of non-perishables throughout the year. During the summer, we collect large amounts of Spam™ and peanut butter; these are especially useful for those without electricity or gas. For the children, we collect coloring books and crayons for Christmas, and jelly beans and appropriate candy for Easter. Super Bowl weekend, our SouperBowl™ offering of canned goods and loose cash is designated for Loaves and Fishes. The food cupboard is provides numerous opportunities to volunteer on an occasional or ongoing basis.
Seamen’s Church Institute:
The Need: Merchant Seafarers from all over the world serve the ports of Philadelphia and Camden. They are away from their families for months on end, living aboard ship (often under terrible conditions.) Off-duty hours can seem endless at sea and especially when the crew is restricted to the ship in port.
What we do: We gather clean and serviceable men’s clothing, especially warm coats and hats for wear aboard ship. We gather books, CDs, VCRs and DVDs, and board games to help them while away the hours and work on English language skills. SCI handles the logistics of distribution, particularly to ships where the crew is not allowed to disembark.
DELCO Housing Coalition:
The Need: Advancing age and declining physical condition make it difficult for some home-owners to adequately care for their property. This deterioration diminishes their quality of life and can accelerate the decline in their neighborhood.
What we do: DELCO Housing Coalition schedules periodic Saturday-morning work-days to paint, spruce-up and provide minor repairs. Parish members and friends volunteer to help on these workdays.
Organizations Sponsored
Girl Scouts: Saint Stephen’s sponsors four Girl Scout troops. We are committed to developing young people into leaders. Sponsoring the scouting program is one way we do this.
Junior Troop #57082: Mondays 6:30-8:00
Junior Troop #5320: Mondays 7:00-8:00
Brownie Troop #5462: Fridays 7:00-8:00
Brownie Troop #5092: Wednesdays 7:00-8:00
Click Here for St. Stephen’s Girl Scout Web Page
Saint Stephen’s Stitchers: Free and open to the community. Knit and Crochet for Charity. All skill levels welcome. Coaching and lessons given. Meetings are held in the Preschool Building
2011/2012 Meeting Schedule - 1-2:30PM (Select Mondays - see below Schedule)
October 17, 2011
November 7 & 28, 2011
January 9 & 23, 2012
February 6 & 20, 2012
March 5 & 19, 2012
April 2, 16, 30, 2012
May 14 & 28, 2012Click Here to download the St Stephen’s Stitchers’ Project Guide
Saint Stephen’s Christian Preschool: We offer Saint Stephen’s Christian Preschool at our cost as an ongoing gift to the future of our community and our community’s children. Click Here to go to the preschool page.
Other Outreach Opportunities
Lions’ Club Eyeglasses Collection: We collect people’s unused eyeglasses in support of the Lions’ Club’s ongoing effort on behalf of people who need but cannot afford glasses.
“TBD”s: (To Be Determined.) Outreach is part of the parish’s DNA. Opportunities for making a difference abound and Saint Stephen’s people are drawn to them.
