View to the Alter and Chapel
The Outreach Committee facilitates a variety of ministries including support of the local community with projects such as Back-to-School, Adopt-a-Family and Episcopal Habitat Coalition, as well as globally with financial support to the Grameen Foundation, Heifer International, and Venture International.
Outreach Committee:
Funds for projects are raised through the Outreach Auction held in conjunction with the Feast of Epiphany every January. The Fellowship Committee hosts a spaghetti dinner during which both a live and silent auction are conducted. All monies directly benefit Epiphany’s outreach projects.
Fund-Raising Projects:
Facilitated by the Outreach Committee, members of the congregation purchase clothing, shoes, pajamas and Easter Baskets for children at the East Valley Child Crisis Center. The Center provides a safe environment for children who are victims of child abuse and neglect. The Center also provides counseling and education to parents in the hope the children can be returned to the home. The Crises Center has been in operation for 30 years, and has sheltered over 11,000 children.
Child Crisis Center
This project is planned in conjunction with the Child Crisis Center Easter project. The East Valley Wildlife (EVW) creates beautiful Easter baskets to promote giving stuffed animals for Easter versus live animals, which may later be abandoned. These inexpensive, age-appropriate Easter Baskets are available for purchase for our Child Crisis Center children, as well as family and friends. EVW uses 100% of the money raised to purchase feed, formula, and medication for the rescued wildlife. Outreach also donates funds to EVW out of the revenue from the annual auction.
East Valley Wildlife
The annual Lenten cereal drive provides cereal which is given to Paz de Cristo and the Food Bank at Matthew’s Crossing to be distributed to those in need in our community. The High School Church School members help by making advertising posters.
Cereal Drive
The Church of The Epiphany coordinates with a local organization to provide school clothes, shoes and socks, backpacks, and school supplies for children in need. For the past 2 years COE has partnered with the Greater Phoenix Youth at Risk for this project.
Back-to-School
Lenten Projects:
Members of Church of the Epiphany provide gifts of toys and clothing for children through Prison Ministry Angels. The gifts are purchased for the children on behalf of an incarcerated parent. Parishioners purchase most of the gifts. Additional gifts are purchased by members of the Outreach Committee with funds donated by parishioners.
Angel Tree
By long-standing Epiphany tradition, the children of the Church School make Christmas ornaments for a tree in the Narthex. The ornaments are available for “purchase” with a package of socks. The socks are distributed throughout the year as needed at Paz de Cristo.
Sock Drive for the Homeless
Each Advent items are collected for the Arizona Humane Society. The donations from parishioners include gently used towels and blankets for bedding, food for cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals, toys for sheltered animals, crates for transporting animals to and from the shelter.
Arizona Humane Society
Advent Projects:
For over 20 years Church of the Epiphany has served the needy and homeless in the East Valley through Paz de Cristo. Paz is located at 424 W. Broadway Rd. in Mesa (NW corner of Broadway and Country Club Rd.). From 3:00 p.m. until about 7:00 p.m., volunteers from Epiphany prepare, serve, and clean up from dinner 3 Monday nights each month. There are an average of 250-300 men, women and children each evening. We try to give out treats at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Halloween and white socks throughout the year from your heartfelt generosity. Outreach also donates funds to Paz out of the revenue from the annual auction.
Paz de Cristo
We have an ongoing program for donations of staple food and personal care items to Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank. Re-usable green bags, with a list of most-needed items attached, are available whenever the church is open. Filled bags can be returned to the grocery cart in the Narthex at any time that the church is open. Epiphany donates an average of 480 items each month to help our east valley neighbors in need. Outreach also donates funds to Matthew’s Crossing out of the revenue from the annual auction.
Green Bag Food Donation Program
Continuous Projects:
Members of Epiphany generously provide Christmas wishes for ten families from Flora Thew Elementary School in Tempe. Each of the children receives an outfit, shoes, a stocking of goodies, and a toy. The adults also receive gifts. All of the families receive a $100 gift card to Basha’s. Members of the various ministry groups at Epiphany (Choir, Episcopal Church Women, Men of Epiphany, Sunday School Teachers, High School and Junior High School students, the Outreach Committee) as well as the congregation at large select the names of family members and provide gifts to help the families have a blessed holiday season.
Adopt-a-Family
AIL serves as a bridge between independence and long-term care, keeping individuals integrated with their families and helping them to remain at, or return to, their place of residence. Home Care Aides and Volunteers provide essential, non-medical services to support the dignity and independence of frail older adults, age 55 and over. The Assistance for Independent Living (AIL) provides non-medical in-home support services such as: personal care, respite, light housekeeping, meal preparation, laundry assistance, grocery/essential errands (without the client) provided by home care aides. Medical and grocery shopping transport, companion sitting (informal Respite), visual/paperwork assistance, prescription pick-up, simple home upkeep, cancer patient transportation services, friendly phoning/visiting services provided by volunteers. Outreach also donates funds to AIL out of the revenue from the annual auction.
Assistance for Independent Living
Epiphany sponsors 2-3 blood drives for United Blood Services each year. Parishioners can sign up to donate at scheduled drives in the Narthex or by contacting the COE blood drive coordinator.
Blood Drive
Church of the Epiphany is a member of the Episcopal Habitat Coalition. The Episcopal Habitat Coalition consists of fifteen Episcopal Church’s from the Arizona Diocese that have made annual funding contributions and provided numerous church volunteers for the construction of new homes. Volunteers from Epiphany work on 2 homes each year—one in the spring and one in the fall. Outreach also donates funds to EHC out of the revenue from the annual auction.
Outreach supports additional organizations out of the revenue from the annual auction. These organizations are chosen based on the services they perform in the larger community and have included: camperships to Chapel Rock for 3 children from Epiphany, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Grameen Foundation, Greater Phoenix Youth at Risk, Heifer International, La Mesita Family Center, Tempe Community Council, United Food Bank, Venture International, and EMEU.
As a committee, Outreach works to improve the lives of those around us. We encourage anyone who is interested in what we do to join the Outreach Committee. Meetings are generally held the first Sunday of each month at 9:00 a.m. Please contact Andrea Stewart, Outreach Chairperson at 480-577-2949 with any questions.
Episcopal Habitat Coalition (EHC)
These activities are in addition to outreach performed by the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona and funded, in part, through the Church of the Epiphany’s Mission Share Contribution.
“If being a Christian were a crime,
Would there be enough evidence to convict you?’