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Dear Heavenly Rest,
March has been an exciting month for our Outreach Ministries! Our connection to Grassroots Grocery continues to grow, and we are building relationships with our New Neighbors at El Barrio Angels. Raising My Voice has begun a new cycle in our Parish Hall; our Photo Prison Ministry has a busy schedule ahead, and we continue supporting LSA Health Services Education Programs in our Undercroft! All of this would not be possible without the support, dedication, and giving from our volunteers and congregation. Thank you for all you do! Please take a moment to read below for how Heavenly Rest is Being With the world - our neighborhood and community.
Blessings,
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Lucas Thorpe, Director of Outreach and Adult Formation | |
Hannah Nolen, Pastoral Care and Outreach Coordinator | |
Our Outreach efforts are focused in five areas: prison re-entry, education, food and nourishment, migrants and asylum seekers, and housing and the unhoused. We also respond to the moment that the world is living in and crises that erupt. Our work isn't static, and we are thinking about what other initiatives and ministries we should take on-- one of those being responding to the migrant crisis our city is facing. | |
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El Barrio Angels
This month, three volunteers, Elsie Vance, Jacob Sierra, and Yvonne Noradunghian, joined El Barrio Angels' efforts to support migrants and asylum seekers in the city!
El Barrio Angels is a drop-in center run by The Church of St. Edward the Martyr that provides legal assistance, essential social services, and English classes.
They are always looking for more volunteers! This is an excellent opportunity for people with language skills (French, Spanish, Arabic), legal skills, admin skills, etc., to help welcome our newest neighbors to our city.
Please contact Hannah and Lucas if you are interested in getting involved. El Barrio Angels will train volunteers on what to do, and there are various time commitments. God calls us to welcome the stranger, and we invite you to join us in this work.
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Grassroots Grocery
Food insecurity is rampant in our city and state—one in four adults is food insecure in the state of New York. Grassroots Grocery and its community fridges are working to combat that. The community fridge belongs to all of us, and we all have the opportunity to contribute to it.
We are collecting non-perishable food for the fridge, and you can drop off donations at the church from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Sunday. We are also looking for volunteers to help deliver the groceries! If you are interested in delivering food, please get in touch with Hannah and Lucas.
We host a monthly meal prep, and this month, it falls during Holy Week! On March 27th, all are invited to an Agape meal with our church community before we cook. We will gather at 5:45 in the Chapel for our Wednesday Evening Prayer Service, share a meal together, and then cook! The event is for teens and adults—please sign up here. Questions or concerns? Please reach out to Hannah or Vi.
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New York Common Pantry: Volunteers Needed
We are excited to rekindle our long-standing relationship with NY Common Pantry. Their Manhattan distribution site is right up the street (109th and 5th), and they work to reduce hunger in NYC.
New York Common Pantry needs volunteers to help serve hot meals, and to help with the on-site packing, organizing, and distributing bags of food for individuals and families from our community.
Three-hour morning or afternoon shifts are available from Monday to Saturday at either 8 East 109th Street or 1285 Oak Point Avenue in the Bronx. You can pick the place and times that suit your schedule by clicking the following link.
Questions can be directed to [email protected]
and [email protected].
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Collecting Diapers for LSA Family Health Services
We are collecting diapers for migrants and asylum seekers supported by our partner LSA Family Health Services. Please drop of diapers, size 1-5, at the front desk Sunday- Monday, 9am-6pm. Please reach out to Lucas or Hannah with any questions! Thank you so much for your support!
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Raising My Voice
Cycle 35 of Raising My Voice is in full swing! Thank you to Richard Buonomo and all our coaches, including Tina Tsing-Shorr, Christine Gleason, and Louisa Young, for their time and dedication to the program.
Participants tell their stories, sometimes for the first time, refine them, and find pathways for healing and truth. We are excited about the future of RMV and how it'll continue to grow and impact lives in the city and beyond.
Check out more photos here!
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Prison Photo Ministry
Spring marks the time that men and women graduating from college programs managed by CHR's partner Hudson Link will be reaching two milestones:
- Getting their Headshots in cap and gown
- Receiving their Diploma on Commencement Day from the college president.
CHR will support students with a headshot taken in the prison library against a book stack - very academic. This photo will be placed in a frame welcoming the graduates' families to commencement. At graduation, the college President and Provost award each graduate their diploma. There's not a dry eye in the house when the Valedictorian speaks.
If you are interested in helping out with the headshots at a facility or attending a commencement, please contact Angela James or Hannah Nolen.
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Sunday Forum: Work of Easter- Outreach Programs and Partnerships
This spring, we will showcase four different outreach partners in our Sunday forum series. Join us downstairs in the Undercroft at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning starting April 21st to hear from our partners about the critical work they are doing and how you can get more involved. You can also join us online!
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Share your impact with us! | |
We are amazed by all the ways that our community members step forward. We want to hear what you're doing to make a difference in New York and beyond. Share your story! | |
We’d love to have you involved in any of our outreach programs! You can check out our newly redesigned outreach website to learn more and/or email [email protected] for more information, to ask questions, or get connected to any of the things we’re doing. | | | | |
