Sponsored outreach activities are those brought to the Social Justice/Outreach Ministry by members of the congregation.
They usually arise from a need identified by parishioners who are contributing time and talent in an area of service. The list of sponsored activities demonstrates a balance of local needs, area needs, and global needs.
St. Jude's Social Justice/Outreach Ministry encourages and assists the congregation's response to Christ's call to love and serve. Channeling the hearts, minds, and spirits of the congregation, it represents communal advocacy and action for those in need. With time, talent and treasure, members of the congregation participate in the agencies and concerns which receive budgeted funds as well as a wide variety of individual initiatives. Through all these efforts, we ourselves are transformed as we seek to be Christ's Body in the world today, extending hope with our hearts and hands.
The Social Justice/Outreach Ministry provides a focal point for:
- Prayer for, and awareness of, the needs of others
- Advocacy for those in need, or in pain, who cannot advocate for themselves
- Opportunities for personal contributions of passion, time, and talents
- Stewardship of funds the Parish devotes to social justice and outreach
Mission of St. Jude's Social Justice/Outreach Committee
St. Jude's Soical Justice/Outreach Committee seeks to attain its goals of increasing social justice, sponsoring parish missionaries, recruiting outreach volunteers, and directing parish funds to persons, programs and missions in greatest need. In this endeavor, we are guided and sustained by Christ's commandment to treat our neighbors like ourselves, by our gratitude for the gift of creation, and by our realization that we are stewards of all that we possess.
To raise our own social justice consciousness, we share social justice news from social justice publications, outreach project videos, newspapers and magazines, and charitable organization articles. We discuss outreach program developments and communicate with outreach volunteers.
To raise parishioners' social justice consciousness, we conduct outreach adult forums, post bulletin board articles, participate in social justice forums, announce outreach project events, publish View newsletter articles, and update outreach web-site information.
To determine mission outreach projects in greatest need, we pray for social justice, search for outreach opportunities, review outreach project publications, consider outreach program budgets, interview outreach project leaders, and note alternate funding sources.
To establish outreach committee volunteers recruitment and funds allocation priorities, local, diocesan, national and international, we focus on social justice impact, on parishioner-involved programs, on faith- inspired projects, and on both relief and development.
To maintain committee enthusiasm, we meet together monthly, we express personal concerns, we pray for the poor and oppressed, we share prophetic insights, we discuss project developments, we make budget allocations, and we attend multi-cultural programs and community events.
To maintain parish support and practice responsible stewardship, we write a comprehensive outreach plan for the vestry, discuss the outreach plan with the rector and the vestry, submit an itemized committee budget to the vestry, coordinate budget allocations with the treasurer, and write a segment for the Annual Report for parishioners.
To assist the people of St. Jude's in fulfilling their baptismal covenant to serve Christ in all persons, strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being, we encourage opportunities for active presence, prayer, and liturgical expression.
