Volunteer & Serve in God’s Mission for the World
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me….As you have done it for these, the least of these, you have done it to me.” –Matthew 25:35-40
Who is my neighbor?
Mission and Outreach are “churchspeak” for service and volunteering. Mission at St. John’s is our way to be present WITH the people and the communities in which we participate. It is our way to be Jesus here and now, seeing need, responding lovingly, creatively. It is our journey toward internalizing the Divine Invitation: “Love one another, as I have loved you.”
At St. John’s we strive to do this in our ministries in Georgetown and the wider DC area.
How do we do Mission at St. John’s?
At St. John’s we focus on personal volunteer service.
We have adopted a missional attitude of “being with” as opposed to “doing for.” Our hope is to be Jesus Christ in the community—through engagement, direct contact, and personal relationship.
While we still support other ministries with outreach grants, most of these monies are used to fund nonprofit organizations in which committed St. John’s teams provide ongoing service.
Which ministry calls to you?
GRATE PATROL – Between services on the 2nd Sunday of every month families volunteer to make sandwiches for 150 suppers. On Monday, suppers are packed by parishioners who then staff the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol Van to feed those in need on downtown Capitol streets.
GEORGETOWN MINISTRY CENTER – For two weeks every winter St. John’s parish hall becomes a shelter for those in need. We set out 10-12 cots and teams of families & friends prepare and serve hot dinners for 14 evenings, sitting at table with our guests.
GEORGETOWN SATURDAY SUPPERS – On the first Saturday of every month, our volunteers prepare and serve a hot meal to 50-60 at-risk people who are without homes or sufficient food in the Georgetown area. In this ministry we team with an ecumenical, interracial group of Georgetown parishes to serve a full supper every Saturday night of the year.
Jesus taught us that eating with one another is the most important way we can relate with each other. Join us.
THE GEORGETOWN SENIOR CENTER LUNCH – If you are a senior who would like to expand your circle of friends please join us in Blake Hall for yoga, a hot lunch provided by parish and community volunteers, and entertainment on Mondays and Fridays 11:30-2:00.
Transportation is available to members living in Georgetown and NW Washington.
New members are always welcome and volunteer cooks are always needed. For more information on becoming a member or volunteer, visit www.georgetownseniorcenter.org or contact Cathy Applin.
JUBILEE JOBS – Parish members lead job readiness workshops, partner in mock interviews, provide employment counseling, and serve as “move up mentors” during the first year of employment.
THREE-PARISH REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT – Saint John’s extends God’s mission to the least of these by working together with our sister-parishes, Christ Church Georgetown, and All Souls Memorial in a Three Parish Ministry for Refugee Support, partnering with our full-communion partners at Lutheran Social Services.
We are currently sponsoring an Afghan refugee family whose displacement came after the father worked with the US Military in Kabul. The family arrived in September along with the wonderful news that a new baby will soon become a natural-born US Citizen! We welcomed them with food, clothes, and a fully furnished apartment.
St. John’s is committed to the success of the entire family. Volunteers from three parishes are helping to find a preschool, provide practice with English, procuring health insurance and assisting the father in his job search. St. John’s has committed a grant of $10,000 to be provided over the next couple of years to help the family settle-in to their new life in America.
For more information on any of these programs, contact Jocelyn Dyer.