All Saints Episcopal Church

The mission of All Saints Outreach Commission is to provide members of All Saints Parish with on-going opportunities to serve God by reaching out with compassionate assistance to those in need.

All Saints has a long history of community outreach which not only supports our own parish but serves the communities in which we live. In 2007 All Saints members took the lead in creating a new interfaith organization, Interfaith Outreach of Carmel , to work with other faith communities in the area to coordinate efforts on behalf of those in need. Traditionally unfunded by the vestry, the Outreach Commission has supported its programs by an annual rummage sale, a FEMA grant and by designated donations. No part of the parish pledge income or trust fund income is used to support these activities.

The largest part of our annual Outreach budget is devoted to providing food to needy persons in Monterey County. Volunteers coordinate the stocking of the Arthur McEwen Food Pantry, and the packing of food bags that are distributed free of charge in the parish office throughout the week. Most of this comes from the Food Bank for Monterey County. We have been receiving a FEMA grant to purchase food, based on successful inspection of our process and maintenance of donation records; in 2008, our grant went up to $1500. On the second Sunday of the month we take food donations up to the altar as part of our offering. We believe that this is an especially good way for our children to join in outreach activities. In addition to weekly food bags, All Saints provided 118 food boxes for Easter and 120 for Christmas, packed by parishioners, Cub Scout Pack 48 and the MPC nurses. Boxes were distributed to San Pablo Church in Salinas, Nancy Costello’s ministry to Salinas Valley farmworkers, MPC nurses, MPC Women’s Reentry, St. Matthias Church in Seaside and to Father Daniel.

Another way we enlist volunteers from our parish in preparing and serving meals for homeless men is as a part of our parish’s participation in the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP). This is a community-wide network of churches and other religious groups which collectively provides temporary shelter each night of the month for men who are seeking work or who are employed but cannot yet afford housing. Our Outreach Commission organizes our parish’s commitment to this program, which involves providing shelter in Seccombe Hall and a meal for approximately 25 men at least once per month. At Christmas, parishioners adopt a family and provide gifts to these children who otherwise would have none. 24 families from MPC Nurses, San Pablo Church, and the Monterey County Department of Health were paired with parish families who purchased and wrapped gifts for each child in the family. After some years, the parish is again supporting the United Thank Offering (UTO)ministry of the Episcopal Church. Offering boxes are collected to support mission projects at home and around the world.

In 2007, the Outreach Commission reviewed traditional non-profit recipients of our cash donations and recommended to the Vestry where our 2007 outreach donation monies should go. The Vestry concurred with: $6000 to Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church, $600 to John XXIII AIDS Ministry, $1600 to Shelter Outreach Plus, $600 to I-HELP, $400 to the Community Partnership for Youth, $600 to the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, $1000 to the All Saints Clergy Discretionary Fund, $650 to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) and $350 to widows in Africa, called the Spinners and Weavers of Nanyuki. Though we have a local emphasis, we also give to the national church for Episcopal programs that include international causes. Finally, through ERD, your Outreach Commission will recommend using its remaining funds for the year to help those who lost their homes in the Southern California fires.

Every year, our biggest Outreach income source is the annual Rummage Sale. We cleared almost $10,000 on last year’s event, led by Hans Lehmann and featuring Eldon Dedini’s personal book collection. In 2007 we added a Sunday Free Day to the Friday preview party and the Saturday main sale. Leftover clothes were given to our mission church in Marina, Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church, and to the Shelter Outreach Plus Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP). 70 people worked 1000 hours on the sale.

As evidenced by the 2006 parish survey, All Saints parishioners consider our Outreach program as an extremely important aspect of our spiritual commitment as a parish. Outreach was identified as one of the two things All Saints does best in more surveys than any other single activity.