Our Outreach ministries have been busy at work this spring! The organizations St. Barnabas serves inspire us all to take action in our community.
Want to get involved? See the volunteer opportunities listed below these stories, or contact Outreach Ministry Council Leader Lisa Elmendorf (or reach out to us online) and we'll get you connected.
St. Barnabas Ladies Support Operation Give Back
St. Barnabas supported Operation Give Back (OGB’s) Annual Ladies Lunch on May 5 by sponsoring a table, and the attendees helped out by spending freely on raffle tickets-- Charlotte Salay and Martha Seagram took home prizes!
OGB is a non-profit that assists families living in Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sharonville, Sycamore Township and Symmes Township with a food pantry, backpacks and school supplies, a holiday toy store and food baskets, as well as tutoring support for Sycamore students.
Matthew 25 Hosts St. Barnabas Work Crew
Approximately 30 St. Barnabas parishioners ranging in age from 5 to 85 gathered and completed simple tasks for humanitarian efforts at Matthew 25 Ministries. The products we compiled and organized will be shipped throughout the world to help those in need.
This is always a fun, family-friendly way to help our neighbors near and far. We have more work dates in 2022, including September 10 and November 19, both from 9-11 a.m. You're invited to join us!
Habitat Dedicates West End Houses
On May 13, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati dedicated three renovated houses on Baymiller Street in Cincinnati’s West End. Habitat will turn two of the units over to the new homeowners in June. Seven Hills Neighborhood House owns the other unit and plans to rent it out, at least initially.
The Baymiller Houses have a special connection to Episcopal churches of Cincinnati and St. Barnabas! Read more in this special article by John Nolan and retired St. Barnabas rector Rev. Nancy Turner Jones.
If you didn't make the dedication, you are welcome to watch the recording below. It features Ed Lee, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, and Alexis Kidd, Executive Director of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses (the parent organization of Findlay Street Neighborhood House). Some of the recording lost due to technical issues, but most of the ceremony is captured.
Habitat Holds ‘Rock the Block’ Event
St. Barnabas volunteers provided new plantings, mulching and yard cleanup to a church in Cincinnati's West End as part of Habitat for Humanity's latest Rock the Block neighborhood revitalization effort.
Eleven of our parishioners did the work on Saturday, May 14, at St. Mark's Fellowship Church of God and Christ on Ezzard Charles Drive. Habitat provided the tools and materials, along with lunches for all volunteers.
In all, approximately 300 volunteers participated at 22 locations where Habitat provided repair, rebuilding, painting and yard cleanup work to spruce up the West End. The beneficiaries included homeowners, playgrounds, churches and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul service organization.
It was Habitat's 10th Rock the Block, focusing on various neighborhoods in and near Cincinnati. Habitat's leadership is already discussing plans for another Rock the Block this fall. Stay tuned.
We are grateful for our Habitat volunteers and their talents!
St. Barnabas Feeds the Homeless
On Sunday, May 15, St. Barnabas volunteers cooked food and then packed and delivered it to where Found House: IHN families are currently residing at an Extended Care America in Covington.
Goody bags with snacks and small toys were assembled for all the children. This was our last meal delivery to Covington, as the families will be moving back into church-based housing around June 1. Our next dinner event will be Sunday, July 17.
IHN Has a New Name: Found House
Last year, after much deliberation and for a variety of reasons, IHN of Cincinnati decided to separate itself from the national organization.
They are still committed to their mission of helping homeless families find affordable housing, but felt they weren't getting enough value from the national office to justify the associated constraints and costs.
The new name is Found House: Interfaith Housing Network (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network).
It still encapsulates their primary mission (finding housing), as well as their interfaith, inter-denominational structure. And the good news is, if you really want to say IHN, you won't be wrong.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
NEEDS Looking for Volunteers
North East Emergency Distribution Systems (NEEDS) provides emergency food and financial assistance to families in northeast Hamilton County. And it could use some helping hands in its food pantry this summer.
Specifically, they need people willing to work a four-hour shift (9 a.m. -1 p.m.) one Tuesday or Thursday per month. The work could include greeting and taking orders from clients, maintaining client computer records, an easy process requiring a small amount of training, or packing food orders received from the clients.
Anyone who might be interested is invited to take a tour to see which tasks/areas interest them the most. Contact Fern Ketchum for more information or to take a tour.
Findlay Street Summer Program - Volunteers Needed
Findlay Street Neighborhood House, part of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, a non-profit providing vital services to West End families, is restarting its summer program to help kids stay engaged and needs volunteers to help with crafts, bingo, field trips etc.
Ideally, volunteers would sign up for a morning or afternoon once or twice per month to assist with activities, games or crafts, or to accompany kids on a field trip. If you're interested, please reach out to Betsy May or Lisa Elmendorf for more information.
Kairos Ministry Upcoming Events
Kairos Prison Ministries is planning a retreat day for July 23. A retreat is a gathering of Kairos men from the inside and outside. Volunteer speakers will focus on the St. Paul and will speak of personal experiences as they relate to his writings.
Another Kairos Weekend is being planned for October 13-16, and the team will be looking for cookies, prayers and support for that event. In the meantime, the group continues to meet every Saturday morning for prayer and fellowship.