Outreach Ministries
North Broad Street School
This is one of our main outreach efforts. We support this local elementary school throughout the year in a number of ways, from collecting and donating school supplies, to providing Christmas gifts to the children of families in need. We also help to fund the annual 5th grade trip, raising money at our fabulous auctions held three times a year. The chorus from North Broad often comes to our church to sing for us at our annual Mother-Daughter Banquet. It’s a win-win!
Prayer Quilts
We have a dedicated group of sewers who work on designing and making beautiful prayer quilts which are given to anyone in need. During our Sunday services, we use a short liturgy to ask God’s blessing on each quilt as it is selected for a particular individual. Quilts are also given for celebrations such as baptisms. Parishioners tie knots in each quilt as they pray for the person who is to receive it. This is an important ministry which allows us to pray for those facing surgery or illness or other difficult life events.
Other Outreach Ministries:
Karing Kitchen
St. John’s Church is proud to be one of the supporting organizations for this important food ministry in Oneida. Hot, homemade, delicious lunches are cooked and served to the community each day of the last week of each month. A bag supper is also provided for participants to take home with them. These meals are offered to anyone in the community, with no sign up or preregistration needed. St. John’s Church takes our turn every three months to cook and serve for that day. Meanwhile, we support this feeding ministry with donations and prayer.
Occasional Collections
The parishioners of St. John’s are often collecting for various other needs, such as Trees for Troops, an organizations which provides Christmas Trees for families with a loved one who is deployed. We also support United Thank Offering (UTO), which provides grants available to establish outreach ministries. UTO is seen as our individual (and family’s) response to all the many blessings we receive throughout the year, and is one way we can bless others through our gratitude.
Food Pantries
The parishioners of St. John’s Church collect canned and boxed food items each Sunday to support local food pantries in Oneida. The baskets in which these items are collected are brought forward to the altar during the offertory, and recognized as a public testimony of our concern for others.
Women of St. John’s
We have an active group of women who raise money for outreach through the church’s annual Rummage Sale. We support a number of organizations, including the Red Cross, the Police Benevolent Association, the Office of the Aging, and St. Margaret’s House. We also support the Seamen’s Church Institute, an organization which serves mariners through education, pastoral care, and legal advocacy.