Mission and Outreach
Mission and outreach are important at St. Anne's. We are part of a larger community
and we believe that we must help serve the needs of that community.
- Serve meals at the Sunrise Village homeless shelter
- Raise environmental awareness
- Support Episcopal Relief and Development
- Bring meals, prayers and communion to the sick and shut-in
- Knit and distribute prayer shawls
- Participate in Aids Walk International
- Raise money for Abode Services
- Support Corazon by assisting in a home building project each year
- Collect back-to-school shoes and backpacks for local children
- Bereavement Support Group
Outreach Opportunities at St. Anne’s
Meal Teams
For over 20 years, St. Anne’s has had two teams that each provide dinners once a month at the Abode’s Sunrise Village Homeless shelter. Both teams are made up of St. Anne’s parishioners who purchase, prepare and serve the food for up to 70 people. Team One is responsible for dinner on the 2nd Friday of each month and Team Two for the 4th Friday.
There are many ways congregation members (including children) can become involved in this very important outreach ministry. We welcome anyone who want to help shop for, prepare, serve the meal, or donate money for purchasing the food. This is a wonderful way to connect with our greater community and know that we can make a difference by sharing our blessings with others that are going through difficult times. It is a very rewarding ministry and the participants truly have a great time doing it.
Eucharistic Ministers and Visitors
Serve as a chalice bearer during church or bring church to those who can’t come to us. Pray together with those we visit and see how much they enjoy having the sacraments brought to them. Diocesan training is available for those who are interested in being part of this ministry.
Prayer Shawls
A Prayer Shawl is a wonderful way of letting others know that they are loved and thought of. This past year, we had two services where prayer shawls were blessed. During those services about 8 or 9 shawls (total) were blessed. We gave away at least 11 shawls this past year. They went all over the country; some staying locally here at Saint Anne’s, and others as far away as New York.
A Prayer Shawl is a really nice way of letting others know that they are loved and thought of. We have heard many wonderful stories from the people who have received the shawls. Everyone seems to be deeply touched to receive one. However, I think the people who have been touched the most are the people who make them. We have talked together about how when the Ministry started we thought it would just be a nice thing to do. No one expected to be so touched by making the shawls. The letters we have received and the comments people have made have changed the way we view the shawls ourselves. The making of a shawl has become deeply personal. How wonderful is it when a Ministry that was started to help and encourage others, ends up encouraging and enriching the lives of those involved in it!
Comfort Care
We provide meals and comfort during times of need to other parishioners. New baby, surgery, illness, or some other situation, we are there to lend comfort and care.
Corazon House Build
Each year St. Anne’s, along with other churches in our area, supports a house build in Mexico for a family in need. We provide both financial support and our physical help - in one weekend we build a house. Adults and children 14 and over are invited to participate on site.
Berevement Support Group
This group offers comfort and support to anyone in the community who is grieving the death of a loved one. The group is run in conjunction with Pathways Home Health and Hospice and facilitated by our deacon, Robert Partanen and his wife Diana Miller. The group meets on Monday nights from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM from September through May.