Christ Episcopal Church, Needham, MA: Outreach

For those who seek to help humanity, Christ Church has established itself as a community of those who do God’s work in the world. From the Community Concerns Committee, which distributes resources to needy causes on a local, national and international level, to those who volunteer at the Soup Kitchen at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston, the people of Christ Church, from school children to older members, are always there and willing to help.

We live out our lives as Christians, giving with generosity and thankfulness. At Christ Church in Needham we believe in sharing the joy of serving one another in Christ. This sharing may be seen as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” (Fredrick Buechner) We invite you to join in the outreach ministries of Christ Church Needham and “Share Your Joy”.

The following list of outreach ministries highlights the programs we are currently involved in at Christ Church. Following the description, is a list of ways people can become involved. If you would like additional information on a specific ministry, feel free to contact the designated coordinator(s).

B-SAFE, which stands for Bishop's Summer Academic and Fun Enrichment, is a diocese-wide program that provides a safe, fun environment for underprivileged children. Christ Church provides and serves lunch for a one week period, as well as an afternoon snack. On the final day of the week Christ Church volunteers arrange a field trip.

Volunteer Opportunities: Donate materials, sponsor a camper, volunteer as a reader for D.E.A.R. Time (Drop Everything and Read), participate in field trip.

Coordinators: Barbara Baker and Isabel Nickerson

Established in 2008, Circle of Hope, Inc. is a non-profit subsidiary of Christ Church, dedicated to serving people in need. Circle of Hope is headquartered behind the church at 65 Rosemary St. It currently has two human-service programs: The Greater Boston Community Exchange (GBCE) and The International Medical Team (IMT).

GBCE collects, sorts and distributes new and gently used clothing to individuals and families living in homeless shelters, as well as those in transition and struggling for independent lives.

IMT includes a team of dedicated medical professionals who travel yearly to rural Haiti providing hands-on routine medical care including diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Essential medicines, vitamins, eyeglasses, toothbrushes and other items are collected and sorted by volunteers and hand-carried to Haiti.

Volunteer Opportunities: Run a collection drive for both programs, sort and drive donations for GBCE

Coordinator: Barbara Waterhouse, GBCE and Emilie Hitron, IMT

The work of this committee centers around homelessness and the provision of shelter and food through the support of various programs. The group tries to support the organizations doing the most comprehensive work, not only providing food and shelter, but job counseling, training, and help in preparing for job hunting. Members of the Community Concerns Committee research organizations and agencies and develop ongoing relationships with people in these programs. The Community Concerns Committee at Christ Church distributes resources from the church’s budget to smaller organizations, serving in all areas of the world—be it locally or internationally.

Volunteer Opportunities: All parishioners are welcomed to join this committee and share information about organizations. Other ways in which you can help: organize sock or clothing drive, explore new ideas and opportunities for outreach.

Coordinator: Barbara Waterhouse

The "Giving Tree", now a Christ Church Christmas tradition, has been a great joy to many shelter children and families. Every year during Advent, a small Christmas tree stands in the Upper Parish Hall at Christ Church, decorated not with ornaments, but colored tags. Each tag has a person's name and/or a “wish list” item written on it. The item is usually an article of clothing or a toy, given to a resident of a homeless shelter or a very low-income family in Boston. The gifts are collected and blessed at church. Afterwards, they are delivered to homeless shelters in the Boston area.

Volunteer Opportunities: Help make tags, purchase gifts or gift cards, distribute to shelters.

The Knitting Ministry meets monthly to knit prayer/healing shawls for those who are ill, have suffered a loss or who for another reason may need some special comfort. In addition to the shawls in the winter months, many warm hats, scarves and mittens have been knit for guests at the Cathedral Soup Kitchen and various homeless shelters.

Volunteer Opportunities: Make tags for items given to guests at Soup Kitchen

Coordinator: Bea Dagdigian

This ministry, based in Boston, is an ecumenical church community that engages homeless and privileged people, service providers, clergy, seminarians, artists, and professionals of all kinds in activities that work to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of homeless people in Boston.
Each Sunday they hold a Eucharist on the Boston Common. Christ Church prepares lunches, at various times throughout the year, to be served on the Common, and parishioners join the communion service on the Common.

Volunteer Opportunities: People are always welcome to attend Common Cathedral or assist with the preparation of lunch.

Coordinator: Duncan Allen

Adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty in its many dimensions, and ask that individuals and organizations give 0.7% of their annual budget towards any ot these goals. Two of the eight goals are to eradicate poverty and achieve universal primary education. The most successful path out of poverty is through education.

In support of the MDGs, Christ Church has allocated 0.7% ot its’ budget for the past 5 years to support primary education in a small village in Haiti. This focus on primary education includes: teacher salary support, tuition aid for families, and basic school supplies. Currently, a new partnership location in Haiti is being sought, to continue this initiative.

Through the Shelter Cooking ministry, food for up to 150 guests is donated, prepared, delivered and served on the second Monday of each month at the Cathedral Soup Kitchen in Boston. The cooking is done on the Sunday before at 11:30 a.m.

Volunteer Opportunities: The Shelter Cooking Committee needs people to donate food, people to cook, people to transport food on Sunday, and people to serve food on Monday (leave church at 9:00 a.m. and return around 2:30 p.m.).