OUTREACH COMMITTEE

Outreach is alive and well here at St. Clement’s! The Outreach Committee meets each month with the exception of June, July, and December. There are a small number of faithful attendees at the meetings (more are always welcome to join in), but the entire St. Clement’s family has participated in reaching out to the community and the world in the name of Christ.

Our continuing food donations remain a focus in an effort to meet the immediate need of the increasing number of families in our community who are faced with little or no income. The collection bins in the Narthex see a steady stream of non-perishable food items that were delivered to Crisis Control, The Clemmons Food Pantry, and A Storehouse for Jesus, averaging a grocery bag each week for the Clemmons Food Pantry and a bag once per month for Crisis Control and Storehouse. St. Clement’s also has seen an increase in the number of parishioners who volunteer their time at these agencies, which is especially important because the agencies need additional volunteers to meet the demand of increasing numbers of clients requesting services.

CROP Walk brought out young and not-as-young to support Church World Services internationally and Crisis Control and Sunnyside Ministry locally to help overcome poverty, and thereby eradicate hunger. The congregation supported our walkers as we raised $481 for the cause in October 2009. Everyone had fun with an afternoon at the park, and we hope that our youngsters learned something about poverty in the world and sparked an interest in joining the effort to help others.

We have continued our relationship with Prodigals Community this year. Some of St. Clement’s great cooks provided supper on four Monday nights as we served, enjoyed fellowship, and worshipped with the residents and staff. Our visits to Prodigals always leave us uplifted and inspired. We continue to support Prodigals financially from St. Clement’s Outreach budget, and a number of parishioners have been pleased with the work of the Prodigals Property Services in and around their homes. St. Clement’s continues to have a presence on the Church Relations Council at Prodigals, helping to involve as many of the Churches in the area as possible in supporting Prodigals financially and spiritually in its mission to help people recover from addiction in a loving Christian community.

Christmas 2008 was celebrated at St. Clement’s as we provided gifts to 20 children and 10 special needs adults in Davie County through A Storehouse for Jesus. This tradition is a wonderful way to teach our children about giving, and reminds us adults that it is in giving that we receive.

Our Samaritan Ministry Penny Campaign collection jug netted $245.32 for Samaritan Ministry in December of 2008. We also collected $83.10 in our “Souper Bowl” collection in January of 2009 for Samaritan Ministry, as we support them in providing food and shelter to the homeless.

As we look forward to 2010, Outreach looks forward to some new ideas generated by this caring congregation.

Outreach strives to provide St. Clement’s members and visitors with many opportunities to participate in some way to extend the love of Christ to others in need. An increasing number of area residents are turning to local agencies to sustain their families in these tough economic times, and at the same time many are finding it difficult to financially support these agencies for the same reasons. Outreach tries to convey the importance of each and every small act, whether it is a donation of goods, money, or time, and that the most important part of giving is to give freely of oneself, just as Christ gave of himself.  The miracle of God’s love begins here, with each one of us, and as we move out into the world in the name of Christ.

NOTE: For up-to-date information please see the monthly newsletters available on the home page.

Please click here for the Outreach Committee's list of donation items