Ministries: Outreach & Mission
Mission Vision Statement
The purpose of Outreach Ministry is to lead the people of St. Andrew to be aware of social inequity and human need in the Denver metropolitan area, and throughout the United States and the world. We seek to use our resources to meet needs such as education, homelessness and hunger through engagement locally, nationally and globally. Our goal is to meet critical needs and instill hope in others in ways that make self-sufficiency possible. By doing so, we grow in discipleship, as we are called by Christ to do.
Outreach Ministry Opportunities - Current Needs
Books for Bricks
Do you love books? Want to help Habitat but can’t swing a hammer? Help raise funds for the next Habitat Interfaith Alliance Home build by working a shift at the book sale or attending the sale to buy books. Located at First Universalist Church, 4101 E. Hampden Ave., Denver, CO 80222 on February 6-12, from 10 am – 6 pm daily and open until 9 pm on Wednesday, February 8.
Denver Asset Building Coalition is a newly forming partnership with St. Andrew UMC to assist low-income people such as single moms, parents who have lost their jobs, immigrant families who may not speak English, and people with disabilities file tax returns. Improper filing results in thousands of families leaving millions of dollars on the table. Denver Asset Building Coalition ensures that people keep their hard earned money by properly filing tax returns, ensuring access to all relevant credits, and quick refund receipt as well as encouraging saving a portion of that refund for the future. Volunteers are needed to greet and screen applicants; training (4 hours) is provided but no tax experience necessary. Visit the DABC website or call Karen Black at 720-865-2433 or email: volunteer@DenverABC.org.
Interfaith Hospitality Network
Would you like to take part in a mission, but not leave town? Are you looking for an opportunity to volunteer with your children or other family members, but find yourself too busy to commit much time? Here is your opportunity: The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) at St. Andrew.
Rotating with other churches in our community, we partner to provide room and board for prescreened families who are experiencing homelessness. IHN is a comprehensive program designed to temporarily help families while they "get back on their feet." By volunteering for IHN, you are helping keep families together.
Volunteer opportunities include: contributing a dish for a meal; setting up the guest rooms; providing evening or Saturday entertainment; driving the IHN van to the day site in the morning or evening for guests without transportation; or playing games with the guests' children - just to name a few! St. Andrew’s next rotation is Sundays, February 19-26. We need your help now.
You are integral to the success of this ministry at St. Andrew - Sign up today! Call or e-mail Steffany Toppin, 303-973-2265; Angie Hoffman, 336-307-0775; or Karin Parker, 303-470-2831. Sign up at the Outreach table in Fellowship Hall.
We’re using VolunteerSpot (an online sign up and reminder tool) to schedule our upcoming IHN rotation activities. Please sign up - here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this button to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot:
2) Enter your email address. (No registration required!) Please note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone or send spam emails.
3) Sign Up!
Note: If you have trouble accessing the site or prefer not to enter your email address – please email Steffany Toppin and I can sign you up manually.
JustCare Bag Ministry
JustCare Bags are pre-made bags containing nonperishable food, small hygiene items and crew socks. Every Sunday you can go to Fellowship Hall at the Outreach table to pick up a bag, store it in your car and when you see a homeless person standing on the street corner, pull out a bag and give it to the person while exchanging first names and wishing them a good day. You can also donate supplies for the bags, or serve on a team that assembles bags on Sunday mornings outside Fellowship Hall. Watch for JustCare Bag Ministry needs on the Sign Me Up on the back of the Sunday bulletin. Acting as the disciples did, we can carry JustCARE bags into the entire Metro Denver area to do the work that Jesus calls us to do. RETHINK church by bringing the church to the people. Contact Heidi Parish, 720-206-5733.
Help multiply our gifts of food and toiletry items for the Depot by shopping strategically using coupons. Drop off your intact coupon inserts from the Sunday paper in the Depot. Contact Jacquelynn Pleis
Outreach Depot
Beginning February 1 the Depot is collecting:
- Nonperishable items for food banks
- Cake mixes and clean, plastic containers (like Cool Whip containers) for StreetReach clients to take left-overs with them.
- New thermal underwear for adults and new or gently used boots for adults and children.
New adult wool socks and new or slightly used ski-type gloves and winter head coverings for Stout Street Clinic.
Prison Mentor Ministry
A new program at St. Andrew to connect caring mentors who seek to facilitate the transformation of prisoners and their reconciliation to God, family and community. Working in partnership with Denver Inner City Parish (Project Renew) and the Turnabout and Thresholds programs, our mentors work with recently released felons as they re-enter life after prison. Mentors form helping relationships with mentees to assist them in securing all available services to enable them to become an integrated part of society. Contact Patrick Hellman, 303-807-6990
TLC Meals on Wheels
Enhance the quality of life for the fast-growing senior segment of the population as well as for persons with a wide variety of disabilities. Without the meals provided to them, they would be on public assistance or in a nursing home. At this time TLC is seeking substitute drivers who can fill in when a regular driver is unavailable. Continuity of meal delivery is critical for these folks. An orientation can be arranged when St. Andrew identifies a group of volunteers. www.TLCMealsonWheels.org or contact outreachadminteam@st-andrew-umc.com for more information.
Do you like St. Andrew Outreach?
Outreach Ministry is now on Facebook. Please “like” us on your FB page and encourage your friends to do so as well. The person with the most followers will win a free lunch at Cheesecake Factory! Type: Outreach at St. Andrew in your homepage search box; then click on the thumbs up like/icon. All Outreach happenings are posted regularly to help you stay in the loop.
Out(reach) to Lunch
This is an opportunity to have a high impact experience with low commitment exposure to become aware firsthand of the many ministries that St. Andrew Outreach supports with funds and volunteers.
Do you know where the homeless go to get assistance? That would be DenUM (Denver Urban Ministries). Ever watched Stout Street Clinic in action as they provide healthcare to the poor, seen how Streetreach feeds hundreds of hungry folks a hot, nutritious meal on weekdays? The Out(reach) to Lunch group will visit these agencies and others on Monday mornings, dates to be determined. Merry Monday childcare is available in the Children’s Learning Center for an hourly rate for four hours.
We will have lunch at SAME Café which offers daily selections that are made fresh, using organic ingredients. Instead of a cash register, a donation box is available for customers to pay what they feel their meal was worth, or to leave a little more to allow someone who cannot pay to enjoy a meal. Diners who do not have enough money are encouraged to exchange an hour of service for food. Check out www.soallmayeat.org.
Go one time or visit all the agencies. We guarantee the experience will change the way you view local mission work. Contact Marylou Cate at 303-468-6869 or outreachadminteam@st-andrew-umc.com.
Outreach Ministry Opportunities - Ongoing Needs
Adopt-a-School/East Elementary
There is an ongoing need for volunteers to help tutor students grades 3-5 with reading, spelling, and math homework on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Cheryl Houser at chooser@115@hotmail.com.
Bridgeway
This agency focuses on homeless young women ages 16-21 who are pregnant or parenting. They are looking for people to train to teach life skills, participate in work days, and do general household maintenance. Contact MaryAnn Forman at 303-969-0515 x15. The Depot always accepts donations of diapers for the babies and toddlers.
Colorado Aids Project
CAP works to prevent HIV infection and to improve lives affected by HIV/AIDS. They need volunteers to help with reception support, employment and training center and special events. Contact Ruth Pederson at 303-837-0166 for more information.
Denver Urban Ministries
DenUM needs volunteers to greet clients and provide referral information; do client intakes and be a jobs services receptionist. DenUM receives a fee every time someone uses the website shop@igive.com or the search site Good Search.
Fair Trade Ministry
We sell organic coffee, chocolate, and tea raised by third world farmers to help them be self-supporting. Fair Trade items are sold every third Sunday in Fellowship Hall before and/or after the 9:00 and 10:30 am worship services. Contact Jill Kucera at 303-220-1567.
Inter-faith Community Services
IFCS provides basic human services and enrichment programs to low-income people. They need volunteers to drive seniors to medical appointments and do pickups using their van. Contact Sandra Blythe-Perry, 303-789-0501.
Pay It Forward
You can purchase $10 worth of food for someone who needs help and most likely, someday that person will pass the favor on. Pay It Forward boxes are in Fellowship Hall on 4th Sundays. The food will be delivered to an area food bank for you. This is a convenient way to feed the hungry in our community. Contact Martha Thompson at 303-470-9241.
Urban Peak
Volunteers who care about homelss and runaway youth are needed to help them make the difficult transition from at-risk youth to mature, self-reliant adults. For current volunteer openings, contact Steven Hughes at 303-974-2910.
Outreach Classes
Loaves and Fishes
Help multiply our gifts of food and toiletry items for the Depot by shopping strategically using coupons. Drop off your intact coupon inserts from the Sunday paper in the Depot. Attend a strategic shopping class to learn how to use coupons effectively to assist with your family’s budget. Contact Jacquelynn Pleis
Prison Ministry: Mentoring 101 will be held at the Denver Inner City Parish
Tuesdays, January 24-February 14, 2012; 7:00-8:30 pm. Pastor Richard Lewis, who has worked with ex-offenders and others in his deliverance ministry for ten years, will lead a four-week training program for people wishing to learn about this vulnerable population. If you are interested in exploring mentoring an ex-offender, contact Patrick Hellman, 303 807 6990 or visit the Outreach page on the St. Andrew website.
Engaging Spirituality
Question: How do we live graciously with the holy tension between feeding bodies and tending to our souls?
Answer: We do so by locating our lives in the space between love of God and love for our neighbor.
Engaging Spirituality is the new spiritual deepening program by JustFaith Ministries for small groups to explore the intersection between contemplative presence and social action, as it is lived out in our own lives. It offers daily practices for living deeply (a contemplative life) and loving broadly (a compassionate life). This small-group process includes 21 weekly sessions, two retreats, immersion experiences, a commitment to personal outreach, spiritual practices, reading, journaling and discussion. Engaging Spirituality may be right for you if you are longing for a deeper relationship with God and the world. Six texts will be used throughout the 21 weeks, and will be available in class. For more information contact Jeri Dwyer, 303-468-688.
Second Sunday Speaker in worship – February 12
The Second Sunday Outreach speaker in worship on February 12 is Caroline Schultz, Community Relations Director for Denver Urban Ministries (DenUM). Every day at Denver Urban Ministries, families in CRISIS get emergency food, rent or utility assistance, or infant items to help with basic needs. Through Job Services, they find STABILITY and opportunities to move from dependency to self-sufficiency. They are provided with case management; phone, voicemail, and computer access; uniforms; and transportation assistance. DenUM’s focus on education and advocacy seeks community TRANSFORMATION. Donations of food, volunteer assistance, and financial support are all appreciated. For more information, contact Caroline Schultz, Community Relations Director, 303-350-5066. http:///www.denum.org 1717 E Colfax Ave. Denver CO 80218
Famine Crisis in the Horn of Africa
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is holding conversations with partner organizations working in the Horn of Africa and planning a regional response to the growing hunger crisis provoked by severe drought in the region. Years of drought in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti have escalated in recent weeks, causing widespread hunger and, in two regions of southern Somalia, famine. According to the United Nations, today’s drought is the worst the region has seen in half a century and has left an estimated 11 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. It has provoked acute malnutrition and death, especially among children and other vulnerable populations.
“UMCOR is very concerned about the escalation of the crisis in the Horn of Africa and is talking with ACT Alliance, Church World Service, GlobalMedic, and Muslim Aid to devise a regional response to it,” reported Melissa Crutchfield, UMCOR executive for International Disaster Response.
Somalia, where relief efforts have been hampered by ongoing violence and war, has seen tens of thousands of its weakened citizens flee to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. The Somali population in three refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya, has increased by more than 30 percent in recent weeks, to 400,000 people. Nearly half the Somali population—3.7 million people—is estimated to be in crisis, the UN said; most—2.8 million—can be found in the war-torn southern part of the country, where the violence has impeded the work of food agencies for more than a year.
If the effects of the drought are not checked, famine could spread to the rest of southern Somalia within two months, the UN underscored. “UMCOR is working with our partners to act as quickly and as comprehensively as possible,” Crutchfield said. “While we do, we ask for your continued prayers and support for those affected by this crisis.”
Your help is urgently needed: You may make your check payable to St. Andrew UMC; in the memo write International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450, Horn of Africa, and drop your check in the offering plate or bring it by the Front Office.
The Agencies We Serve
Upcoming Mission Trips
Joplin, MO Mission Trip
We are in the process of organizing a St. Andrew mission trip to Joplin, MO in the fall of 2012. Contact Debbie Pelter to indicate your interest.
Guatemala Mission Trip with St. Luke’s UMC
Join the people of St. Luke’s UMC in building a cinderblock school in the rural area of Lemoa in Guatemala either March 16 – 25 or March 23 – April 4, 2012. Cost is approximately $1750. Contact the Outreach Admin Team for more information.
Haiti Mission Trip with Broomfield UMC
Former intern Elizabeth Jackson has sent us information on the trip her new church is taking to the community of Ouanaminthe, Haiti, a small community near the Dominican border April 13-22, 2012 to work at a K-13 Christian school doing repairs and craft classes. Contact Elizabeth Jackson for more information.
Natural Emergency Disasters
Do natural emergency disasters call you to serve others in their time of need? We are exploring the formation of a team of adults to serve in this way. If you are interested or want additional information, please contact Debbie Pelter to help determine how our congregation can focus our talents and gifts for others.
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) West Depot Mission Trip
United Methodist Women are organizing a mission trip to UMCOR West in Salt Lake City, October 14 – 20, 2012. UMCOR West is a 22,000 square foot depot that stores much needed disaster relief supplies that are sent stateside and abroad in times of disaster and war. Volunteers at UMCOR West are vital to the success of this ministry. At the depot, individuals and groups gather, assemble, package and shelve relief supply kits for future shipping. Moreover, some of the volunteers will be asked to help with other projects at the depot and in the Salt Lake Valley. Please join us to help in this important ministry. Contact Peggy Griffiths, 303-997-8019.
Other St. Andrew mission trip possibilities are still being considered. Contact Erin Swyers at 720-344-2470 for information, with ideas or to help plan future mission trips.
More ways to serve
- Clean up/fix-up projects
- Foreign work teams
- Holiday projects
- Local work teams
- Senior Citizens Luncheon
- Transportation pool
- Wesley Foundation
For more information on opportunities to serve please contact Jeri Dwyer, Outreach Director.
Outreach Ministry Roles and Responsibilities
Click here to view the Outreach Ministry's Roles and Responsibilities