Outreach Ministries at Christ Episcopal Church (as of January 2021)
Under the guidance of Lynda Bernays, the Outreach Committee organizes a variety of committees, events and collections which benefit people in Shaker Heights, Greater Cleveland and the world.
Unity in Community
The "Unity in Community" Campaign is an initiative of Shaker Heights interfaith congregations, neighborhood groups, and local residents of the city to respond to emergency hunger and food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Join us to volunteer, while maintaining wellness, safety and social distancing protocols, to assist our neighbors in need. This is a grassroots effort. Heights Christian Church is the primary in-person distribution center, and our parish is where home deliveries are made from. Both locations receive donations, and prepare the bags in advance.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact our Unity In Community Emergency Pantries Coordinator, Matt Mondry: uiccoordinator1@gmail.com OR 216-409-5098.
There is a donation button on our home page if you would like to contribute to this effort.
St. Herman Bag Lunch Ministry
The St. Herman Bag Lunch Ministry provides fifty bag lunches fifty-two weeks a year – no vacations! We have eight teams of workers who fulfill several crucial tasks. These include: filling lunch bags with non-perishable items, preparing meat and cheese sandwiches and placing them in bags, and transporting the boxes of completed lunches to St. Herman's House of Hospitality in Ohio City, usually after worship on Sunday (it can also be done Saturday or Monday).
The faithful and dedicated workers include CEC Youth, individual families, singles of all ages, and vibrant seniors. Their loyalty to this work makes the program a success! New volunteers are always welcome, as are donations to support the purchase of supplies. The Outreach committee provides some financial support for this ministry
Special thanks go to Sarah Gage, Fred Gage, and Ellen Cubberley for taking responsibility for keeping the shelves and freezer stocked with the required lunch supplies.
Christmas Adopt-A-Family
The Christ Church Adopt-A-Family Christmas program begins the first week of November and ended with the distribution of gifts and gift cards in mid-December. The program is chaired by Connie Hill and Jeff Hill, working through Geauga County Job and Family Services agency.
Little Free Pantry: Take what you need. Leave what you can.
The pantry operates like a Little Free Library but it is stocked with food and toiletries instead of book. Our pantry is located at the northeast corner of our building; donations of non-perishable items are welcome. The pantry is maintained by volunteers from Little Free Pantry (see Littlefreepantry.org).
Your Neighbor's Cloak
This year the Daughters of the King at Christ Church initiated a monthly collection to support “Your Neighbor’s Cloak,” a clothing ministry sponsored by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Gordon Square area of Cleveland. This ministry is vital to their near westside neighborhood. In addition to clothing, personal items are distributed every Monday.
Kiva, US
KIVA is a micro loan agency that provides financial loans to people in developing countries who desire to open or grow a business in order to become self-sufficient and support their families. Christ Church maintains a loan fund, seeded by the committee a number of years ago, of several thousand dollars with KIVA to provide micro-loans that help individuals and groups in third-world countries support their small businesses. As loans get repaid, we reinvest the money in new loans.
Other Outreach activity
In addition, we have donated money to the following causes:
Under the guidance of Lynda Bernays, the Outreach Committee organizes a variety of committees, events and collections which benefit people in Shaker Heights, Greater Cleveland and the world.
Unity in Community
The "Unity in Community" Campaign is an initiative of Shaker Heights interfaith congregations, neighborhood groups, and local residents of the city to respond to emergency hunger and food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Join us to volunteer, while maintaining wellness, safety and social distancing protocols, to assist our neighbors in need. This is a grassroots effort. Heights Christian Church is the primary in-person distribution center, and our parish is where home deliveries are made from. Both locations receive donations, and prepare the bags in advance.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact our Unity In Community Emergency Pantries Coordinator, Matt Mondry: uiccoordinator1@gmail.com OR 216-409-5098.
There is a donation button on our home page if you would like to contribute to this effort.
St. Herman Bag Lunch Ministry
The St. Herman Bag Lunch Ministry provides fifty bag lunches fifty-two weeks a year – no vacations! We have eight teams of workers who fulfill several crucial tasks. These include: filling lunch bags with non-perishable items, preparing meat and cheese sandwiches and placing them in bags, and transporting the boxes of completed lunches to St. Herman's House of Hospitality in Ohio City, usually after worship on Sunday (it can also be done Saturday or Monday).
The faithful and dedicated workers include CEC Youth, individual families, singles of all ages, and vibrant seniors. Their loyalty to this work makes the program a success! New volunteers are always welcome, as are donations to support the purchase of supplies. The Outreach committee provides some financial support for this ministry
Special thanks go to Sarah Gage, Fred Gage, and Ellen Cubberley for taking responsibility for keeping the shelves and freezer stocked with the required lunch supplies.
Christmas Adopt-A-Family
The Christ Church Adopt-A-Family Christmas program begins the first week of November and ended with the distribution of gifts and gift cards in mid-December. The program is chaired by Connie Hill and Jeff Hill, working through Geauga County Job and Family Services agency.
Little Free Pantry: Take what you need. Leave what you can.
The pantry operates like a Little Free Library but it is stocked with food and toiletries instead of book. Our pantry is located at the northeast corner of our building; donations of non-perishable items are welcome. The pantry is maintained by volunteers from Little Free Pantry (see Littlefreepantry.org).
Your Neighbor's Cloak
This year the Daughters of the King at Christ Church initiated a monthly collection to support “Your Neighbor’s Cloak,” a clothing ministry sponsored by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Gordon Square area of Cleveland. This ministry is vital to their near westside neighborhood. In addition to clothing, personal items are distributed every Monday.
Kiva, US
KIVA is a micro loan agency that provides financial loans to people in developing countries who desire to open or grow a business in order to become self-sufficient and support their families. Christ Church maintains a loan fund, seeded by the committee a number of years ago, of several thousand dollars with KIVA to provide micro-loans that help individuals and groups in third-world countries support their small businesses. As loans get repaid, we reinvest the money in new loans.
Other Outreach activity
In addition, we have donated money to the following causes:
- Family Promise of Greater Cleveland, which provides emergency and transitional housing for parents (single or couples) and their children.
- Episcopal Relief and Development, dedicated to disaster relief in the US and around the world
- The Bishop’s Annual Appeal, which provides grants to local ministries
- The scholarship fund of Bellwether Camp, the diocese’s summer camp at the camp and conference center in Wakeman OH,
