St John’s is a small church with a large sense of outreach to the community.
■ Blessings in a Bag. Parishioners leaving church fill brown lunch bags specially decorated by the church youth with various non-perishable food items. The bags are put in their cars and passed out to the homeless when they encounter them in their daily life.
■ Maundy Thursday Foot Washing. This is a diocesan event in Ocean Beach, ministering to the homeless in conjunction with the Interfaith Community. Twelve members of our congregation supported this event by providing monitors to patrol parking, directing people to the event, and washing the feet of the homeless. A veterinary team from St. John’s was on hand to check homeless pets. Members also donated 20 pairs of new shoes for the homeless.
■ Wounded Warriors. This is a monthly outreach program. Our ministry delivers healthful snacks to the wounded and injured at the wounded warrior center at Camp Pendleton.
■ Fallbrook Food Pantry. St. John’s makes weekly food collections for the needful.
■ Back to School Backpack Project. This was a diocesan wide outreach project the previous year. This year St. John’s brought the program to Fallbrook and outfitted over 300 children with backpacks complete with school supplies, dictionaries, and new shoes and socks. We attended a group party where the backpacks were handed out to the children. In 2015 we hope to expand this ministry to invite other Fallbrook area churches and organizations to join St. John’s to outfit up to 300 plus children.
■ Fallbrook Scarecrow Festival. In October we made a Scarecrow as part of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce project.
■ Senior Outreach. This continuing senior outreach ministry started the year off by creating a raised box garden for the residents of Sierra Heights Senior Apartment complex. They are utilizing the garden to grow their own fresh vegetables and herbs. We also host bingo for the residents on several occasions and in November we prepare and served a Thanksgiving dinner to 40 seniors in their club house at the complex.
■ Christmas Outreach. In December we will again hold the “Peggy Johnson Christmas Adopt-a-Family” project. This year we plan to adopt 20 children from 10 needy families s here in Fallbrook to make their Christmas wishes come true, gifting clothes and toys and other gifts, including a gift certificate for a Christmas dinner turkey or ham.
If you feel that you would like to support outreach activities such as these please come to St John’s and help with these wonderful service opportunities.
Sincerely,
Michael McCormick, Outreach Chair, mikemosaic@aol.com
■ Blessings in a Bag. Parishioners leaving church fill brown lunch bags specially decorated by the church youth with various non-perishable food items. The bags are put in their cars and passed out to the homeless when they encounter them in their daily life.
■ Maundy Thursday Foot Washing. This is a diocesan event in Ocean Beach, ministering to the homeless in conjunction with the Interfaith Community. Twelve members of our congregation supported this event by providing monitors to patrol parking, directing people to the event, and washing the feet of the homeless. A veterinary team from St. John’s was on hand to check homeless pets. Members also donated 20 pairs of new shoes for the homeless.
■ Wounded Warriors. This is a monthly outreach program. Our ministry delivers healthful snacks to the wounded and injured at the wounded warrior center at Camp Pendleton.
■ Fallbrook Food Pantry. St. John’s makes weekly food collections for the needful.
■ Back to School Backpack Project. This was a diocesan wide outreach project the previous year. This year St. John’s brought the program to Fallbrook and outfitted over 300 children with backpacks complete with school supplies, dictionaries, and new shoes and socks. We attended a group party where the backpacks were handed out to the children. In 2015 we hope to expand this ministry to invite other Fallbrook area churches and organizations to join St. John’s to outfit up to 300 plus children.
■ Fallbrook Scarecrow Festival. In October we made a Scarecrow as part of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce project.
■ Senior Outreach. This continuing senior outreach ministry started the year off by creating a raised box garden for the residents of Sierra Heights Senior Apartment complex. They are utilizing the garden to grow their own fresh vegetables and herbs. We also host bingo for the residents on several occasions and in November we prepare and served a Thanksgiving dinner to 40 seniors in their club house at the complex.
■ Christmas Outreach. In December we will again hold the “Peggy Johnson Christmas Adopt-a-Family” project. This year we plan to adopt 20 children from 10 needy families s here in Fallbrook to make their Christmas wishes come true, gifting clothes and toys and other gifts, including a gift certificate for a Christmas dinner turkey or ham.
If you feel that you would like to support outreach activities such as these please come to St John’s and help with these wonderful service opportunities.
Sincerely,
Michael McCormick, Outreach Chair, mikemosaic@aol.com
