Outreach Ministries

Groups and individuals at St. John’s have always been involved in proactive projects outside the parish. These are being supported by funds from the general operating budget and special fundraisers.

Deanery/Diocesan Delegates represent St. John’s in the Alameda County Deanery and at the annual Diocesan Convention. Delegates are elected at the Annual Meeting in January and serve for a one year term that is renewable. Frank Sterling fms425@comcast.net

Ecology Group is a spiritually inspired place for those who want to work on environmental concerns, projects and/or causes. They sponsor all the recycling programs at St. John's and keep abreast of current ecological thinking by reading and research, and also by taking periodic field trips to outstanding local ecological sites. They meet once a month, generally on Monday evenings. Following development of a "carbon footprint" for the church operation, they are currently working to improve the environmental efficiency of our facilities and operation. Bonnie Moran or Robert Davidson  robertdavidson@earthlink.net

Episcopal Charities supports new and existing nonprofit agencies in their effort to make a crucial difference in the lives of poor, oppressed and endangered individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area, regardless of their religious affiliation or practice. It offers a wide range of services to donors, such as providing grants and technical assistance to organizations reaching out to those in need. www.episcopalcharities.org

Genesis Project is a new regional interfaith community action in the East Bay Region. It includes St. John’s as a founding member and currently is comprised of fourteen churches, labor unions and public advocacy organizations. In addition to giving money to this organization, members of St. John’s serve in leadership positions. Scott Denman scott@stjohnsoakland.org

Rebuilding Together is a national charity that addresses maintenance needs of houses owned by elderly persons living below the poverty line. This work usually takes place over several week-ends in April. St. John’s contributes both money and many volunteer laborers at a different local project each year. Dave Brown dab4141gmail.com

School for Deacons is the preeminent school for the formation of deacons in the United States. Located at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, St. John’s contributes to the operation of the school and parishioners serve on its Board of Trustees. Frank Sterling fms425@comcast.net

African Partners Committee - An active group formed in 2007 to enhance our long standing relationships with three grass roots ministries taking place in Uganda and Tanzania. Members of St. John’s have visited all three ministries and maintain communication. You can help support all three ministries by buying fair trade coffee from the Mirembe Kawaomera coffee company, a Ugandan cooperative of Jewish, Muslim and Christian coffee farmers. This coffee is imported by the Thanksgiving Coffee Company and is available for sale at St. John’s on the first Sunday of every month.

Youth Encouragement Services – Y.E.S. Uganda - Located in Fort Portal, Y.E.S. is a Christian based non-profit established in 1996 by American Carol Adams to address the crisis of the 2 million children who have lost parents to AIDS. Many of these children live without an adult in the house. Y.E.S. Uganda provides:

  • Primary, secondary and vocational training to nearly 600 children. A donation of $35 dollars a month can send a child to school and provide for basic needs.
  • Immunizations, removal of parasites, treatment for malaria, testing for AIDS.
  • Housing, or improvements in housing for children who live alone.
  • MANNA Rescue Center, a home to 30 children with AIDS who would otherwise be homeless or living alone. Carol is currently trying to raise $10,000 for a much needed van.

Carol Adams Ministries constructed a Hostel two years ago to provide lodgings for visitors and tourists and to provide some economic support for the programs. For more information on Y.E.S., please contact Martha Helms at martha750@comcast.net.

KIDA – Kitojo Integrated Development Association - Directed by Rev. Ezra and Marjorie Musobozi, KIDA is located in the Ruwenzori foothills of Western Uganda, near the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This area is rural and very poor.

  • Medical Programs
    • Voluntary HIV testing and counseling. – the only HIV testing resource in this part of Uganda.
    • Access to anti-retroviral and prophylactic drugs of HIV positive clients – children, their caregivers, women and men.
  • Educational Programs
    • School fees and supplies for children orphaned by AIDS. Just $150 sends a student to high school for an entire year
    • Drama troupes. Using African dance and skits, KIDA educates people in remote villages about how AIDS is transmitted, how to avoid its spread, and the importance of voluntary testing.
    • Positive Living Seminars. These provide emotional support, information about good nutrition and hygiene for HIV positive clients and job training for youth and adults.

Friends of Ruwenzori, founded by Karen and Gil Gleason, have pledged to cover all administrative expenses. For more information, please contact Karen at Gilgleason@comcast.net.

Grand Circle Foundation - Tanzania is one of the few countries in Africa that has made the peaceful transition to democracy. However, it struggles to educate its students since the unemployment rate is close to 60%. Three primary schools in northern Tanzania now have a secondary school to feed into and an opportunity for higher education that did not exist before individuals on safari fell in love with the children. Donations to Banjeka Secondary School help pay for:

  • Teachers’ supplies
  • Dormitories
  • Student textbooks
  • Kitchen
  • Laboratory supplies
  • Restrooms
  • Computers

There are now almost 600 students in this secondary school, which was started just 4 years ago with donations from safari visitors through Susan Rickert of San Francisco. The first money donated went to the construction of three classrooms. The first class will graduate in September, 2008. For more information, please contact Sandra Davidson at sjdson@earthlink.net

The Samaritan Project is a grouping of separate projects that are served by donations of money, contributions of hours of service, and/or collecting food and materials. Committee members meet twice a year to decide which projects to fund. Anyone may join this group. Carolyn Calhoon 653-7642. There are currently these projects:

  • St. James Food Pantry – Supplies food to those in need at St. James Episcopal Church in Oakland. St. John’s has collection baskets in the hall leading to the restrooms. Robert Ferguson tinapop@earthlink.net
  • Bay Area Seafarers’ Service (International Maritime Center) – An ecumenical partnership of the American Baptist, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, Korean Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches, the IMC operates a hospitality center at Berth 40 in the Port of Oakland. Spiritual and practical help are offered to seafarer and port workers at no cost and regardless of religion or nationality. This center provides phones and computers so seafarers can check in with families and friends. It also provides a chapel, a snack bar, many types of games, and transportation for those who need to visit stores, clinics or offices outside the port area. Volunteers are needed and welcome. Even though your volunteer hours will be the same, the number of clients will vary each time from dozens to zero; winds, tides and equipment problems all conspire against consistent arrival and departure times. Bob Middleton robtachapl@aol.com Jerry Moran bjmoran@pacbell.net
  • St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach, Mississippi was totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. It was a beautiful building, right on the coast highway, facing the Gulf of Mexico. Reverent David Knight, soon after the disaster, set up a “recovery center” in the gym of a private school that had not been badly damaged along with a Lutheran Church Minister that became known as “Camp Coast Care.” Twelve members of St. John’s flew to Mississippi and stayed at the Camp Coast Care facilities to participate in the rebuilding of the Long Beach area. Several others (including Molly Darling) had been there on an earlier mission of mercy. The St. John’s Outreach ministry has been providing monetary assistance to Camp Coast Care and St. Patrick’s Church since the hurricane hit in 2005. St. Patrick’s Church has listed our church on their web-site: www.stpatrickslongbeach.org as one of “Our Adopting Churches”. Bonnie Moran 531-0980
  • Arab Evangelical Home and School in Ramallah– Supported by the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the school is located 10 miles north of Jerusalem that has been in operation since 1954. It serves 650 Muslim and Christian students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school, which receives the highest educational ratings, includes the empowerment of women as an important component in the curriculum. Most students go on to universities and prepare to be the future leaders of Palestine . www.americanfriends-jerusalem.org
  • An Episcopal Ministry to Convalescent Hospitals – The mission of AEMCH is to provide a supportive presence to convalescent hospitals in the Alameda and Southern Alameda deaneries, their residents, their caregivers and their families. AEMCH members visit residents, organize worship opportunities for them, hold educational workshops, and offer training classes for volunteers. It also sponsors special events, such as picnics, both on and off-site. AEMCH respects the beliefs of all residents and tries to keep them connected to local parishes. Volunteers are always needed and welcome. Ray Riess rayriess@lmi.net www.aemch.org
  • Harbor House, Oakland – Located in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, this organization has served more than 1,000 people in spiritual, economic, and educational development. Among other things, it offers tutoring, emergency food and clothing, a thrift store, after-school programs and organized sports. Volunteers are always needed and welcome. www.hhministries.org
  • Episcopal Relief & Development – a yearly contribution plus more as emergencies arise. Last year, this fund provided support to Haiti.
  • KIVA Loans – An international project lending small amounts to the working poor throughout the world. Laura Toepfer, an expert on Kiva, is helping St. John’s get organized. www.kiva.org
    Katherine Schaffer katherineschaffer@ymail.com
  • Towne House Christmas party - We help to gather and deliver presents for this party, often providing the only gift for these mentally challenged individuals. Towne House is part of BASC--the Bay Area Social services Community.
  • Henry Ohloff House - a facility which supports those with chemical dependency issues, and on whose board, Cynthia Whitsell and Michael Helms currently serve.