At the Heart
At the heart of silence is prayer.
At the heart of prayer is faith.
At the heart of faith is life.
At the heart of life is service.
The vision of the Social Justice and Outreach Team is twofold:
-
To help raise funds to support charitable organizations, especially those working to improve the lives of marginalized people.
-
To raise the awareness of social and environmental justice issues and provide resources and educational opportunities to help members of our parish community respond in a faithful and hopeful way.
Each month, we highlight the work of a different charitable organization and invite our parish to support that work by making a donation via a “Special Offering Envelope” or online through “Tithe-ly” in the Givings section of our parish website. The last Sunday of every month is “Outreach Sunday,” when all open offerings (non-designated offerings) are donated to that month’s outreach organization. We also try to respond to immediate local needs such as collecting warm clothing and blankets during the winter months for the many homeless people in Victoria.
As a member of our team is St. George’s representative for the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, we are able to provide our parish family with current information on PWRDF’s global initiatives and suggest ways that our community can offer their support. We have made donations to purchase much needed wells in Kenya, as well as promoted the PWRDF World of Gifts as a means of giving to our friends and family.
The Social Justice and Outreach Team meets monthly and new members are always welcome. If you would like to share in this ministry, please contact Colin Millar at 250.472.2090 or by email.
For 2023, the Monthly Outreach Recipients are:
JANUARY - Rainbow Kitchen
FEBRUARY - University of Victoria Food Bank and Free Store [UVSS]
MARCH - Primates World Relief and Development Fund [PWRDF]
APRIL - First Nations Emergency Services and Security of BC [FNESS]
MAY – Anglican Indigenous Healing Fund
JUNE – Shekinah Homes
JULY – Threshold Housing Society
AUGUST - TAPS: Together Against Poverty
SEPTEMBER -
OCTOBER Anglican Awareness: https://www.anglican.ca/
NOVEMBER Backpack Buddies: https://www.backpackbuddies.ca/
DECEMBER Shelbourne Community Kitchen: https://www.shelbournecommunitykitchen.ca/
Page image credit: Grand Valley State University