Outreach takes several forms. As Christians we seek to carry the Gospel to every person we encounter, through our words, our prayers, and our actions. Happily, we had to build a larger church in 2006 to accommodate all those who answered our invitation!
Outreach also means being active in meeting the needs of the community. Hickory Neck’s Parish 2007 Visioning Process indicated a strong desire on the part of the congregation to be a city on the hill, shining forth the light of Christ. The Outreach Council guides us in fulfilling these desires, but it is the many parishioners who participate in these programs who make the light shine brightly.
In 2007 Hickory Neck strengthened its commitment in several areas we support. Our annual
raised more than $14,000 in support of several charities. For a full report of programs supported and our financial committments, see "Charity Details" below.
are available for your review. The Outreach Council generally meets at 7:00 p.m. on the 4th Monday of each month in the parish house. Contact Chuck Jundt for details.
African Team Ministries: This annual jewelry and craft display is usually held in early May--just in time for Mother's Day gifts! Barbara Laroche coordinates this exhibit of beautiful handcrafted jewelry and accessories to benefit African Team Ministries. These items are one of a kind, and the money goes directly to support mission work for some of the world's poorest people. We bypass the wholesalers so that the artisans receive a fair price for their work.
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Angels of Mercy is striving to achieve both growth and stability. They have established an advisory
board that is attempting to improve their management and business practices. A Hickory Neck
parishioner, Rick Garfield, is a member of this board. They also have a paid office manager. Angels of
Mercy has also doubled their floor space by adding adjacent offices and hired a part-time Nurse
Practitioner to increase the number of patients they can serve. Last year Hickory Neck donated $4,000 to
AOM; this year we will give $450 per month for a total of $5,400.
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Eastern State Hospital was given $500 toward the establishment of a chapel/meditation room in the new
Eastern State facility.
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Food for the Poor: Fr. Mike Casell is a retired Episcopal priest who visited Hickory Neck on May 20th and
talked about the "Food for the Poor". This is a program that provides food, housing, health care,
education, water projects, micro-enterprise development assistance and emergency relief to the poorest of the poor in 16 different countries. Food for the Poor reported that Hickory Neck parishioners contributed
$3,659.
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FISH: Hickory Neck has been a long time provider to FISH. However, the program was just a basket at
church where people could place food items to be delivered to FISH. To restructure the program it was
decided to call attention to the requirements of FISH with our program called Gone FISHn. Therefore, on
the second Sunday of each month members of the congregation could take home a paper fish with a list of
needed items. The third Sunday of month each is Gone FISHn Sunday when parishioners bring in their
donations. In the first two months (October and November), 86 bags of groceries were collected and
delivered to FISH.
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From His Hands is a new program this year that provides meals to the unfortunate in the Grove area.
Using a canteen truck provided by The Salvation Army, churches and charitable groups provide hot meals
at The Grove Christian Outreach Center: Our first night in action was November 8th. Using the kitchen
facilities at St. Martin’s, people from Hickory Neck prepared and delivered over 100 meals. Each
participating church is asked to provide meals once each quarter. It requires about 14 –16 volunteers to
prepare and deliver the food. We are looking for those who would like to help with this truly hands on
ministry and/or would like to contribute to this effort to reach out to others.
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Grove Christian Outreach Center provides food, clothes, school supplies and support in many forms to
the people in the Grove area. Last year we provided $500 which enabled them to purchase over 200 pairs
of gloves to be included in Christmas gift boxes for children.
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Kairos: The mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to bring Christ's love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them, and to assist in the transition of becoming a productive citizen.
- Nearly 3 million Americans are incarcerated.
- The average age of the inmate is 21.
- Almost 50 percent of inmates are there for drug violations.
- By some estimates, 90 percent of all inmates are there due to drugs and/or alcohol.
- The recidivism rate nationally is close to 85 percent, but the recidivism rate for Kairos graduates who stay faithful to the program is 15 percent.
You can support this ministry by baking cookies for the next weekend. Homebaked cookies are a tangible expression of Christian love and an indication of God's concern to a group of people who seldom encounter either in the course of their daily lives. Your loving sacrifice will provide the "bread" that will shine the light of God's grace into the darkest corners of the prison.
Suggested cookie recipes and instructions are available via parishioners who have served on Kairos teams. (Due to prison regulations, the recipes and instructions must be followed precisely.)
Those who've made Cursillo weekends are encouraged to attend the weekend closing. Want to learn more? Talk to some of our parishioners who have been involved with Kairos: Alison Bailes, Bunky Garfield, Joan Forrest, Dave Forrest, Tom Martin, Carol Hearn, Judy Wetta, and Joy Tanner.
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Relay for Life for the benefit of the American Cancer Society was held June 8th and 9th at Jamestown
High school. This was a record year for our youth as they raised $5,500 for Relay for Life. Hickory Neck
youth and adults participated in both walking and support. There were 24 "official" relay members and
about 25 others who helped in many ways. Money was raised from both sales of spaghetti to go and a car
wash. There were also 20 people who signed up to be “Prayer Partners” who prayed for more than 80
people.
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Salvation Army Angel Tree: Forty tags with the names of children and
their Christmas wishes were on the tree in the Narthex. By December 2nd, all tags were taken and gifts were delivered to the charity.
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SpiritWorks Foundation: The mission of SpiritWorks Foundation is to help individuals live free from the intergenerational cycle of addiction in their families. They deliver peer-to-peer programs and services for children, youth, and adults living in recovery from the disease of addiction. Their programs and services build resilience in children, inspire youth to live drug free, and support, educate and empower adults who live in recovery. Hickory Neck donated
$500 for scholarships to the children's program.
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Vibrant Life Ministries went through a major change in its ability to care for the homeless in the area.
Earlier in the year it appeared that VLM would be able to house homeless men at Camp Mericle in
Charles City County. Hickory Neck aided VLM with funds, drivers to transport men to their jobs and
individuals who helped with the management of the program. However, as has happened many times
before, the people in the area did not want such a facility in their neighborhood, despite the fact there had
been absolutely no trouble from the clients the camp was closed.
To avoid any such problem in the future Vibrant Life Ministries purchased four houses to serve as
transitional homes. One of the houses is for a family and there are groups of three men in each of the other
three homes. Hickory Neck has furnished and equipped one of the homes for the men, and Hickory Neck
in conjunction with Bruton Parish and St. Martins believes the three churches can pay the mortgage on the
house.
In 2007 VLM was given $5,000 for 2008 The Outreach Council is allocating $450 per month. ($5,400)
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Williamsburg Faith in Action is an established charity that helps people who need help remaining in
their homes. Williamsburg Faith In Action coordinates volunteers who provide transportation, help with
chores or respite to those who are homebound or care for homebound. A member of our congregation is
the Executive Director of Williamsburg Faith in Action. Last year Hickory Neck donated $1,000 and for
this coming year we will be giving $175 per month ($2,100).
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