Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA: Community Hands-On Ministries

Hand-on-Outreach-Ministries

Church of the Redeemer provides numerous opportunities for parishioners to participate in outreach ministries in a "hands-on" manner. Below you will find details for, and links to, more information on these enriching programs.

African Children's Mission

The African Children’s Mission at Redeemer funds community-based projects organized by local leaders to benefit infants and children orphaned by AIDS in Malawi. We partner with the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) which not only works with us to identify worthy projects but also provides oversight of the funding to ensure that funds are indeed applied effectively and efficiently.

Blankenburg School

Several years ago members of Redeemer reopened the Library at Blankenburg School in partnership with WEPAC, West Philadelphia Alliance for Children. The Library now offers an art program in addition to loaning books and reading aloud to the little ones. The Library collection has been significantly improved by the gift of hundreds of new and recycled books given by members of Redeemer through the Bazaar. We also have a member of the parish assisting the Middle School science program and have provided programs for assemblies and the gift of new books to Kindergarteners and 1st graders through the Reading is Fundamental Program. Plans are also underway for the creation of a playground which we are undertaking with partners in the West Philadelphia neighborhood. Blankenburg is located at 4600 W. Girard Ave. and serves children in Head Start through 8th Grade. Reading tutors are always needed as are new members of the Library team and supporters of the playground effort.
Parish contact: Carol Chew

Christmas-Baskets-Poster-2012

Christmas Baskets

Each Christmas season, Redeemer families generously contribute over 200 food baskets to local needy families and help bring cheer to our community. This program, supported by our outreach committee, provides food for community groups we work with throughout the year, such as ElderNet and St. Barnabas Mission. Outreach grocery shopping provides an easy, inexpensive way to involve yourself in the joy of bringing a meal to someone who otherwise would not be able to afford traditional holiday food. For parishioners with young children, it provides a chance for kids to go shopping for the groceries, and gives families the opportunity to discuss how rewarding it is to help others.

Beginning the week of Thanksgiving, shopping bags will be available with a recommended list of groceries. (The list is also available on our website.) Please shop, fill the bag and return to the parish house no later than December 17. Only non-perishable items are needed; the church will provide the turkey or ham and fresh produce. The bags will be available for pick-up in the narthex and the church office. Please take as many as you can fill and return!

If you have any questions, or are available to help deliver the food please, contact Carter Williams at Carterw@outlook.com. Volunteers are especially needed the morning of December 19 to deliver the food.

Click here for directions and shopping list for the Christmas Baskets.

Hallway-bags

Episcopal Community Services

The official outreach arm of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, ECS operates or oversees more than 30 outreach projects and programs in the Philadelphia area.

Volunteer needs: tutors in our after-school or evening literacy

programs in Philadelphia; sharing a special skill: family meal planning and cooking; teaching simple budgeting; hosting a kitchen shower among your friends and supplying needed household items to a former homeless client now getting permanent housing.

Parish contact: Rodger McKinney

FforF

Food for Friends

"Food For Friends" meets three Wednesday afternoons each month in The Redeemer Parish House Kitchen, where 89-90 delicious, single serving meals are prepared at each session by a team of 8-10 volunteers. These meals are wrapped, sealed, frozen and delivered on the following Monday to Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, at 48th St. and Lancaster Avenue, where they are sorted, packaged in variety sets of seven meals, and delivered by Aid For Friends volunteers to elderly, indigent shut-ins in the North and West Philadelphia communities.

How can a service as essential and compassionate as this outreach ministry be so much fun for those who assist in it? Please drop by, or call us to find out! Contact David Randolph.

Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line

The mission of IHN is to help momentarily homeless families achieve lasting independence, stability, and self-esteem. In the interim, the local network provides safe, temporary housing; a hot evening meal; and support services. Hosting responsibilities rotate weekly among the 11 currently participating interfaith congregations.

Volunteer needs: Individuals or families to prepare a simple dinner, to spend time with the parents and children after dinner, and to provide comfort and security by spending the night at the church. For more information, click on the links on the IHN page.

Parish contact: Mary Hopkins.

Joyful Giving

The Redeemer’s Joyful Giving Program enables each of us to make special holiday gifts by contributing to parish mission projects and charitable organizations supported by our Outreach Grants Program. These gifts are an ideal way to acknowledge teachers, colleagues, friends, and loved ones during the Christmas season.

We hope that everyone will feel the joy of giving again this year by selecting one or more projects or organizations.

Please click here or on the brochure panel to the left for this year's Joyful Giving brochure listing the projects and organizations and the directions for giving.

St. Gabriel’s Mission

At the invitation of the Rev. Nancy Deming, Vicar of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, located at 101 E Roosevelt Blvd. Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr is now partnering with members of St. Gabriel’s to provide a nourishing lunch to our hungry brothers and sisters on the fourth Saturday of each month. Volunteers meet at church of the Redeemer at 9:30am on the fourth Saturday of every month to prepare a nutritious meal and then take it to St. Gabriel’s where our volunteers eat and interact with those who drop in from the neighborhood.

janc144@verizon.netContact Jan Clarke for more information.

Loaves and Fishes

The Outreach Mission Committee is initiating a new ongoing food collection for Eldernet and St. Gabriel's Food Cupboard. Eldernet of Lower Merion provides a variety of needed services to older and frail members of our community. St. Gabe's provides food for its community in the Olney section of Philadelphia. Our first collection of food was on January 22, 2012 and it was a resounding success.

To make your offering of food you need to do only the following three things:

1. Pick up a food tag from the Outreach Mission Board (the BIG fish) in the Narthex (or Parish House hallway during the week). At this time Eldernet has specific needs for food for their food cupboard. The food tags are labeled with the specific food items which are most needed now.

2. Find the food item on your tag in your larder (pantry) or at the grocery store

3. Bring your donation to church on the Celebrating the Communion of Saints Sundays. During the 9am service please bring your food items along to the Altar rail when you come to receive Communion. Baskets will be available there to receive them.

(Or you can bring it at anytime to the Parish House and deposit it in the bin in the hallway.) We believe this active mission work by our parish is a much needed contribution and another step in community building. If you did not have the opportunity to participate in this collection, this will be an ongoing project of the parish and collections will take place at each of our Celebration of Saints Sundays.