Epiphany Outreach Committee
At the Church of the Epiphany our function as a parish church is to
proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. To do this, we draw
strength from fellowship, prayer, and the Breaking of the Bread. We consider
ourselves as a family, a cohesive group working toward the same goals,
contributing our time, talents, and money to insure keeping the doors
open, the roof over our heads, and still having some left over to help
those less fortunate in our community.
A part of our church family, the Outreach Committee, currently has 22
members who plan and lead a variety of service projects, enabling parishioners
to meet Christ in one another and in the poor and needy of our community.
As a committee, we work hard to enable Epiphany's Star to shine a little
brighter and to touch the lives of those around us. We have always felt
that the nicest gifts that we can give to one another are those that have
a little something of us in them.
We encourage any individuals interested in joining the committee to
join us at our monthly meetings, held the first Sunday of every month
at 9:00 a.m. and we hope this booklet will give you a closer insight to
the many projects we are involved in.
Outreach Prayer
May God give us patience, steadiness, and encouragement
in all that we do. Grant us that together we may help others in
need. Thank you for the opportunity to grow in Stewardship, and
to learn caring, patience, loving, and giving by helping others
through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Outreach Activities
Outreach Projects
Heifer Project
CHURCH SCHOOL SUPPORTS THE HEIFER PROJECT - HOPE FOR
THE NEW MOO-LLENIUM!
Raising money to support the Heifer Project is our Church
School's Lenten service project. Heifer Project International
helps hungry people worldwide produce food for themselves
by providing animals and the training to manage them. Students
from Kindergarten through High School are collecting money
by doing extra chores or giving up a treat and bringing
it to Church each Sunday during Lent. Epiphany's own, Miss
Moo (Senior Warden, Leslie Evans) visits the classrooms
to collect the money. Check out the bulletin board in the
breezeway to see our progress. Watch our rainbow grow more
colorful each week and watch the contributions add up. Hi
Yo Heifer! To learn more about Heifer Project International,
check out their web site at www.heifer.org.
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East Valley Wildlife
Rehabilitation League
Volunteers work with injured orphaned and displaced wildlife,
including birds, ducks, rabbits, squirrels and reptiles.
The goal is to rehabilitate each animal to health, then
release it in a safe area where it can lead a natural life.
With all that nature has provide for us, if we can return
just one little "gift", we have met our goal.
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Angel Tree
This project provides Christmas gifts to families of prisoners.
The prisoners write and let us know what their child(ren)
want for Christmas. Then the members of the parish are asked
to get something as close as possible to what the child
wants. The gifts are then delivered to the families.
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Toy Drive for Chandler
Headstart and Child Crises Nursery
A collection of new, unwrapped toys for children in the
Chandler Head Start program and their brothers and sisters,
(in a migrant farming community) and those residing at the
Child Crises Nursery. The gifts brighten their Christmas.
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Save the Family
This is a comprehensive assistance program that includes
transitional housing, case management and life skills
training for homeless families with children.
We coordinate people for work-days to prepare housing
for the families, support children's programs with evening
brown-bag meals, volunteer to baby-sit during adult classes
or other projects of interest to parishioners.
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Cereal Drive
Each Lent we collect boxes of breakfast cereal to stock
the food pantries at Paz de Cristo and the
Tempe Community Action Agency. Cereal is a "daily bread"
for many. It is nutritious and requires no preparation and
can be easily eaten at anytime of the day. That's why its
always in demand at the food banks where it ends up in emergency
food boxes given to those in need in the community having
trouble making ends meets. This project is done each Spring.
It is hoped that every year more boxes of cereal will be
collected. Last year our goal was to collect 390 boxes and
we exceeded it.
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East
Valley Habitat for Humanity
This is an ecumenical organization committed to assisting
people in need of adequate, affordable shelter. In partnership
with a family, East Valley Habitat for Humanity builds basic
decent homes that are sold to the family under a no interest
loan program. East Valley Habitat for Humanity seeks to
assist its neighbors by addressing the need for decent housing
and responsible home ownership.
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Paz de Cristo
An on-going project to feed 150-200 East Valley hungry/homeless
people on Monday nights, 40 weeks of the year. Paz de
Cristo is located at 424 E. Broadway, Mesa, AZ. The
meal preparation begins at 3:30 pm. The meal is served
from 5:45 pm. to 6:45 pm.
We need ten to twelve volunteers each week to prepare,
cook, and serve the evening meal and clean up.
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East
Valley Caring Corps
An on-going project to supply aid and essential services
unmet by government agencies to individuals in need, no
matter what their church affiliation, in the East Valley.
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East
Valley Transitional Living and Training Center
This project provides temporary housing and counseling
for homeless men throughout the year. Epiphany sponsors
one week, providing dinner for seven nights for 50 men,
and sack lunches for the next day. We need volunteers to
provide food for the dinners and sack lunches; five or six
individuals to serve the evening meal at the facility.
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Paz de
Cristo Food Pantry
An on-going project to provide staple food-items, personal
care products and clothing for those in need.
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Blood Drive
A project supported by the church usually occurring at
least three times a year. Donate a pint of blood; we reserve
space in the parish hall for donor headquarters; we encourage
parishioners to donate a pint of blood per drive.
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Adopt-A-Family
Do you want to help others less fortunate in Tempe? Do
you like shopping for Christmas presents, wrapping Christmas
presents or delivering Christmas presents? Then this is
the ministry for you. Each Advent we 'adopt' ten families
that have been pre-screened by the Tempe Community Action
Agency. Often times the gifts we assemble and give are the
only gifts the family receives. We routinely provide a new
toy and clothing item for each child, a stocking filled
with goodies, a new item for each adult and the ingredients
for a full Christmas dinner. We also provide wish list items
such as soaps and paper goods, household items, furniture
and help with utilities or rent! This project is great fun
and we guarantee your Christmas will be enriched if you
personally deliver the items to the joyful faces of the
children in these families! If you'd like more information,
please contract Linda Lyman at 480-820-4264.
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Sock Ministry
This ministry is an institution at Epiphany. There's a
great need, its easy to do and it makes others very happy.
There is a critical need for clean socks in the homeless
community. During Advent parishioners bring in new pairs
of white tube socks in exchange for a Christmas ornament
made by the children in the church school. The socks are
distributed at Paz de Cristo for their clients. If you'd
like more information, please contract Linda Lyman at 480-820-4264.
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Teen Shop-A-Thon
This ministry gathers the youth of various Episcopal churches
in the East Valley for an afternoon of service and un! Funded
by various churches and Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
we gather the youth ages 10 - 17, divide into teams and
then transport them to a local outlet mall to shop for a
needy child. The children's names are provided by Tempe
Community Action Agency. Each team purchases a new outfit,
shoes, socks, backpack and school supplies. There is an
overwhelming sense of community in this ministry the youth
look forward to this activity. If you'd like more information,
please contract Linda Lyman at 480-820-4264.
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Back to School
Adopt a Child
This ministry grew out of our Christmas Outreach efforts
and has now expanded community-wide. In July and August,
we once again 'adopt' the children we helped at Christmas
by providing new school clothes, socks, hoes, backpacks
and school supplies. Everyone loves new things for the start
of school and you can help make it possible by supporting
this ministry. If you'd like more information, please contract
Linda Lyman at 480-820-4264.
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Child Crisis
Nursery
This is an emergency shelter program for children who need
placement while their parents are seeking a solution to
their crises. To date over 7000 little ones, birth through
11, have found security through living in this large, busy
home.
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Tempe
Community Action Agency
The Tempe Community Action Agency is a local, non-profit,
social service provider serving elderly and low income community
members. The Agency is located at 2150 E. Orange St., Tempe.
For more information call 480-350-5880. A number of Epiphany's
outreach programs interact with the agency.
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