OUTREACH
The Outreach Team came into existence in the summer of 2019 as a transformation of the Stewardship and Outreach Committee. Brenda Reimer, Ernie Epp, and Nancy Post agreed to lead the team as an experimental reorganization.
Currently, Doreen Everitt is leading an effort to make Foil Blankets for the Homeless.
This project will continue throughout 2023 with kind donations of empty foil ‘chip’ bags left at the church office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMC93GL7XsA
We launched a Sunflowers for Ukraine project in March of 2022 and raised $2,500 for the United Church of Canada Disaster Relief Fund—Ukraine.
The “sunflowers” added to the flowerpot for each $50 donated are displayed in Lunan Hall
We have long supported the United Church Milk Fund, which supplies milk in our local schools. We strive to reach our minimum $1,000 goal yearly.
We also support Isthmus, both as a church and as individuals within our congregation. Isthmus is a program that provides individually portioned food items for hungry school children to take home on the weekends.
We appreciate Marlene Crago for bringing Isthmus to our attention some years ago and coordinating our weekly food donations with the Isthmus program. St. Paul’s remains very much involved with Thunder Bay’s Inter-Church Refugee Committee with Linda Jarrett-Stewart, Brenda Reimer, and Sandy Mertz as our committed volunteers and some of our congregation members making regular, generous donations to the Inter-Church Refugee Fund.
At Christmas time it has become our custom to help the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre with a $400 donation to buy turkeys for the hampers prepared for elders.
White Gift Sunday is held close to Christmas. “White Gift” envelopes gives us an opportunity to financially support various projects each year which could include the Benevolent Fund or Camp Duncan Fund. It also includes gifts of socks, mitts and hats for various community organizations such as the Elizabeth Fry Society or the Clothing Assistance Centre.
We continue to support the Mission and Service Fund of The United Church of Canada, which sponsors a great array of projects in Canada and other parts of the world. Many members of the congregation donate weekly or monthly to this fund.