Outreach at
St. Luke's
Seeking and serving Christ in all persons
Why outreach is important
to us
As Christians, we take outreach to those in need very
seriously. Jesus reminded his disciples that those who feed the hungry,
aid the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the weak, and
visit the imprisoned are serving Christ himself (Matthew
25:31-46). Jesus then suggested that those who fail to do so will not enter
the Kingdom of Heaven. The Jewish tradition, out of which Christianity
developed, values tzedakah, the practice of doing something daily
to aid the less fortunate. The Apostle Paul was constantly collecting alms
for the poor in Jerusalem when he was in his missionary journeys.
What we do
At St. Luke's, our primary financial outreach is to
support the work of the Diocese of
New Jersey, but we are a community of people whose efforts reach globally
and locally. Here are some of things we do.
Global
Outreach: Episcopal Relief &
Development is the outreach organization of the Episcopal Church. ERD
provides emergency assistance in times of disaster; rebuilds devastated
communities and offers long-term program solutions fight poverty. All
contributions to the Rector's Discretionary Fund in January, 2005 were sent to
ERD's Southeast Asia Fund for relief to victims of the earthquake and tsunamis
in December. For more information, or to contribute directly, click on
Episcopal Relief & Development or their logo.
You can also learn more by contacting Matthew Gazda, our parish ER-D
representative. Click here to
email the parish and we will forward your questions and comments to Matthew.
Food
Ministry. Each week, we collect non-perishable food items for
the food bank at the Ewing Neighborhood Center. Baskets for the
contributions are placed by the Baptismal Font at the rear of the church.
During the service, the contributions are blessed when they are brought to the
altar with the bread and wine for the Eucharist. We invite all worshippers
to contribute regularly from the following list: peanut butter, baked beans,
rice, diced tomatoes, yams, juice & drinks, coffee, any pasta, dried or canned
soup, potato flakes, green vegetables, pancake mix & syrup, sugar, carrots.
Perishable items such as eggs, cheese, butter or margarine, and any kinds of
meat are also welcome, but should be donated directly to the Center by calling
882-0856.
The Ewing Neighborhood Center offers programs
for people of all ages. Those seeking services can contact them at
609-883-1009. They are located at 320 Hollowbrook Drive, Ewing, NJ.
Caps for Newborn Infants: Knitters
get together and knit baby caps for newborns at the Helene Fuld Hospital Campus
of Capital Health System in Trenton. This ministry has reached as far as
Mother Teresa's orphanage in Calcutta, India where we donated some of our caps.
Mother Teresa herself even sent us a letter in thanksgiving for the contribution.
Do you knit? Let us know and we'll help you
add your contributions to this important ministry.
Giving
Tree for Christo Rey/Christ the King Episcopal Church: Each
Christmas, we join with Christo Rey/Christ the King Episcopal Church in Trenton
in collecting Christmas gifts for children in their school who would not have
Christmas otherwise. Gifts are presented at a festive party on the Feast
of the Epiphany (January 6).
Even More
These are some of our ongoing outreach projects.
We've also taken on one-time collections for special causes such as the Trenton
Backpack Challenge (teddy bears and backpacks filled with school supplies for
at-risk children) and collections for New Jersey National Guard service
personnel serving in combat zones. But there is always more we can be doing.
If you would like to participate in any of these ministries or would like to
exercise leadership in strengthening our outreach, you may send an
email to the parish office and we
will help you get involved.