OUTREACH
Reaching
out to
people around us is an essential part
of Ste-Genny's ministry. Many of our outreach projects were started
because someone had an idea, someone took on a cause. Some of these
projects are small and involve few people, others are large and may
involve the whole congregation. Many of our committees also include
outreach projects as part of their activities.
Here
are some
of our
outreach projects
- Over a period of
several weeks at the end of summer we collect school supplies which are
donated to Saint Columba
House to be given to the children in their
community.
- Every fall
Ste-Genny's organizes a Food Drive. Our 2012
Food Drive started October 7. Over a
period of 10 weeks non-perishable foods,
household items, etc. are collected. A few days before Christmas, all
the food collected was put on tables in McNevan Hall and Christmas
Baskets were prepared for delivery and delivered to needy families
in our
neighbourhood.
- Every
year our Sunday
School
has a special Lenten Jar project,
where money is collected in a lenten jar and the funds raised are
donated to
a local organization, Saint Columba
House in 2013. We have a special lenten
calendar to support this
project, see our 2013 calendar here.
- We
have a large
building, which is available for others to use as well (see details here). Various community
groups as well as
another congregation already use our facilities. Groups that have used
or currently use our facilities include 7th Day Adventists, Scouts,
Recovery Groups, Choirs, Dance Groups and the West Montreal
Readaptation Centre.
- Our United
Church Women (UCW)
have monthly visits to Ste.
Anne's Veterans' Hospital and have, in the
past, provided financial contributions to, for example, Montreal City
Mission, Mission
and Service, Caring and Helping Hands, Cheshire
Foundation, Saint Columba
House, West-Island
Women's
Shelter and West
Island
Palliative Care Residence. They have also catered a number of
banquets.
- Our Healing
Pathways
team not only serves our own
congregation, but also people from the wider community.
- Our minister, Rev.
Ian Smith, together with one of our parishioners, continues to make
visits to Château
Dollard to lead in Communion Services with a small group of
appreciative Seniors there.
- Our minister, Rev.
Ian Smith, as part of his community outreach, continues in his role as
the Pastoral Coordinator of the West
Island
Palliative Care Residence.
This outreach ministry has led to many opportunities to network with -
and minister to - people in the West Island community and beyond in
both
spiritual and secular contexts. It has also led to invitations to speak
at functions sponsored by other church communities and at training
workshop events sponsored by community-based organizations. In 2008
Rev. Ian Smith was invited to lead a workshop for the ecumenical
Pastoral Care Team of the Lakeshore
General Hospital and was also asked to facilitate an event about
the "Spiritual Dimensions of Whole-life Care" held by the Montreal Presbyterian Women's Missionary
Society.
- In December 2007 we
started about twice a month interpretation of our worship services in sign
language. This lasted for three year; we currently don't have
deaf people taking part in our activities.
- Our Community
Band
organizes at least once a
year a Coffeehouse. Part of the proceeds are distributed to a local
charitable organization. Groups that have received funding include West
Island
Palliative Care Residence, Old Brewery
Mission, West
Island
Citizen Advocacy, AVATIL, VOBOC,
West-Island
Women's
Shelter, The
Shriner's Hospital for Children and Big
Brothers Big
Sisters of
West-Island. Our Community
Band also regularly
performs at other
venues. In the past they have played at the Ecumenical Picnic, Norma
Mc-Alister Senior Home, Side
Door Coffee House, Château
Dollard, Purcell
Academy and
the
Annual Meeting of Montreal
and Ottawa Conference, as well as at other churches, Roxboro United
Church and Lakeside
Heights Baptist Church.
- Our many Caribbean
parishioners have organized several Caribbean
Extravaganzas, where all could enjoy Caribbean food, music and
hospitality.
- Many of our
parishioners, as well as our minister, are active in Cursillo.
- In the past, our Youth and Young
Adults
(YAYA) GROUP sponsored the placement of
a collection box in the
church hall to collect donations for Dans
La Rue. All donations of
toiletries, jackets, mittens, blankets, socks, hats, etc. were
gratefully
appreciated!
- In 2009 our SG YAYA GROUP
started a new project with Invisible
Children, raising funds and increasing
awareness of the plight of child soldiers in Uganda.
- Saint Columba House
–
Over the past several years, we have received a request from Saint Columba
House to help out with school supplies for children in the
community.
Unfortunately normally the request comes at a point in time that many
of the children only receive their supplies after the start of the
school season. With this in mind, we are looking for donations and
hoping to distribute them to the children before the beginning of the
school year. Donations of the following would be greatly appreciated:
Hilroy copy books, Hilroy loose leaf, Three-hole binders, Duo-Tangs,
Pencils, Coloured Pencils (Laurentian), Blue pens, Red pens, Rulers,
Erasers, Scotch tape, Yellow-highlighters, Liquid paper, Spiral
Notebooks, Lunch Boxes, Geometry sets, Scissors, Glue Sticks, Lepages
white glue, Kleenex boxes. Watch for sales beginning in July. Please
bring your donations to the church office prior to August 3 so that
we can deliver your donations. A box has been placed in the church for
your donations. We will make sure Saint Columba
House gets them,
even when supplies are brought in after the school year has started.
- CANADIAN
TIRE MONEY: The UCW is
collecting Canadian Tire
Money to to help the UCW
purchase Jam /
Preserve
Jars. Please drop off your
contribution in the designated envelope on
the
bulletin board.
- UCW
from the Montreal Presbytery area collect Campbell's soup labels
for a program entitled "Labels For Education". Campbell's soup labels
are collected and sent to the Pathways Health Center in Sarnia,
Ontario. Please bring in your contributions and drop them in the
designated envelope on the bulletin board.
- The LIONS
CLUB
collects your old prescription eyeglasses. If you have
any collecting dust in a drawer around the house, bring them in and
drop them in the designated box in the corridor.
- The MIRA
FOUNDATION
is looking for your old used towels. If you have
any towels that you are thinking of throwing away, please bring them to
the church and drop them in the designated box in the corridor.
- SHRINERS
HOSPITAL collects aluminum tabs for recycling into money to
purchase wheelchairs, etc. Please save the tabs off your cans and drop
them off in the designated
envelope on the bulletin
board.