Outreach

We are called to fulfill the Baptismal promise to strive for justice, peace and dignity of every person; clothing the naked; feeding the hungry; traveling to other countries and helping the less fortunate not only with bricks and mortar, but by living and teaching the good news of Christ.

St. Andrew’s continues its traditional campaigns to help the disadvantaged and develops many new ones, demonstrating one of our many strengths. The following summary of many, but certainly not all, of our parish outreach efforts does not come remotely close to covering all of the good works done by our parishioners, in our local communities and throughout the world in obedience to their baptismal covenant and as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Aid for Friends

For decades, St. Andrew’s parishioners and others have prepared meals once a month for shut ins in the Philadelphia area using the cooking facilities and space in the Parish House and prepared food provided by the parish, parishioners and other generous members of the Yardley community, and which are delivered by parishioners to Aid For Friends in Philadelphia. The time spent cooking and putting together the meals has always been one of the truly fun times at St. Andrew’s, which is in part why there are 25-40 participants on each Aid For Friends Saturday morning

In 2010, St. Andrew’s made over 9,600 meals and ranked third out of 250 organizations providing meals to Aid For Friends, averaging over 870 meals prepared on each of the 11 mornings St. Andrew’s Aid for Friends group “worked” in 2010.

While there is a core group of participants, new faces are more than welcome. It is fun to make new friends, and many hands make light work! If any aspect of this Aid For Friends ministry sparks an interest, contact Marcie White at DWhite213@aol.com or 215-493-5887, or Peace Baxter at pax4pax4@comcast.net or 215-295-1294.

Heifer International

At St. Andrew’s traditional Heifer Living Gift Market during the Christmas season last year, St. Andrew’s parishioners contributed $5,652 to Heifer International, which helps feed hungry people in the United States and throughout the world by providing income-producing and food-producing animals to hungry families. St. Andrew's has been involved with Heifer for nearly two decades. For information on Heifer and how you could become involved, contact Bob Anderson at anderbobsox@gmail.com or 215-968-6216 or Gail Stringer at ggstringer@comcast.net or 215-295-7149. The Vestry has directed that our involvement in Heifer International be a priority for the parish in 2011

Living Gift Market

Each December St. Andrew's hosts a "Living Gift Market" as a way of bringing good news to the poor in villages at Christmas. In 2005 two arks of animals were purchased to send through Heifer, International to poorer villages throughout the world.

Habitat for Humanity

For many years, St. Andrew’s parishioners have participated in local Habitat for Humanity construction projects in order to provide affordable housing for financially disadvantaged families people. Most recently, parishioners participated in the construction of row homes in Bristol, PA, which are identified as Episcopal House, in conjunction with other Bucks County Episcopal parishes. St. Andrew’s contributed $10,000 to Habitat from the proceeds of our recent Capital Campaign, and the Sunday School classes raised over $1,400 for the local Habitat chapter during this school year. If you wish to get involved with Habitat for Humanity through the parish, contact Karen Hunter at sparkyhunter269@yahoo.com or 215-493-2883, or Ann Holland at annholland43@yahoo.com or 215-428-3571.

Bucks County Housing Group

A private non-profit organization set up to help homeless people move into permanent housing. They administer a number of temporary housing units all over Bucks County, provide training and social services to families and offer food assistance to poor working families.

Penndel Food Pantry

Each Sunday donations of food staples are blessed and later transported to the Food Pantry for distribution to needy families.

For many years, St. Andrew’s parishioners have brought cans and packages of food as part of their weekly offering which are then delivered by parishioners to the food pantry in Penndel operated by the Bucks County Housing Group. Many parishioners also help at the pantry to distribute the food to those in need who live in the Penndel area. To volunteer to make deliveries, contact Alisa at usadupuy@yahoo.com or 215-778-9860. To help at the pantry, call Bea Haas at 215-493-6973 or Linda Lowe 215-493-5973.

Meals Ministry

The Meals Ministry involves parishioners volunteering to take meals to other parishioners who have an illness or injury that precludes them from taking care of themselves for a short period of time of one week or less. This would include new baby births, surgery or anything that keeps the person from cooking.

Robert Morris Apartments in Morrisville

The Bucks County Housing Group helps disadvantaged residents of Bucks County make the transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing temporary housing at the Robert Morris Apartments in Morrisville or at other locations and by providing other forms of support. St. Andrew's volunteers have helped BCHG's programs and clients in Morrisville in many different ways. Volunteer opportunities range from tutoring math and teaching computer skills to painting apartments to providing transportation for mothers to get to the grocery store and doctors appointments.

At Christmas for several years, St. Andrew’s parishioners have also provided shoe boxes filled with toys and other age appropriate gifts for all of the 60-plus children living at the Robert Morris Apartments and food baskets for each of the 30-plus families, which have included $30 in grocery store gift cards. If you would like to get involved in any of St. Andrew’s Robert Morris Apartment ministries, contact Ann Holland at 215-428-3571 or annholland43@yahoo.com, or Doug Riblet at lutzriblet@gmail.com or 215-321-7920.

Bucks County Opportunity Council

Three parishioners (Peace Baxter, Adrian Pollock and Bob Anderson) attended a Poverty Simulation organized by the Bucks County Opportunity Council, which works to achieve economic self-sufficiency for low income residents of Bucks County through a case management approach which includes providing education for improved employment and better money management as well as emergency assistance. provides BCOC. The simulation gave participants some small insight into how overwhelming it is to be a single parent trying to live in Bucks County while working in a minimum wage job and going through the hoops imposed to receive whatever governmental assistance is available. As a result of this experience, Peace arranged for David Ford, BCOC’s Director, to come speak at the parish forum following the 9:15 service on Mother’s Day, and it is anticipated that the parish will become more deeply involved in the work of the Bucks County Opportunity Council in the future. If you are interested in working as a volunteer for BCOC through St. Andrew’s, contact Peace Baxter at pax4rpax4@comcast.net or 215-295- 1294 or Bob Anderson (anderbobsox@gmail.com or 215-968-6216).

Episcopal Relief & Development

Episcopal Relief & Development, the international relief organization of the Episcopal Church in the United States, periodically conducts fundraising efforts to support its aid to disaster ravaged areas of the world. St. Andrew’s has supported Episcopal Relief & Development’s campaigns to relieve the victims of the tsunami in Japan and of tornados and flooding in the southern United States. For further information contact Doug Riblet, lutzriblet@gmail.com or 215-321-7920 or www.er-d.org.

KIVA

St. Andrew’s Sunday School Children loaned $775 through 31 loans to assist people throughout the world through the microfinancing program run by Kiva, an international aid organization which specializes in such microfinancing, which can radically changed impoverished people’s lives. The source of the funds for the loans was the annual 0.7 per cent tithe of its stewardship pledge payments to which St. Andrew’s is committed as a One Parish under the United Nations program to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (end poverty and hunger, achieve universal education, establish gender equality, improve child and maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, achieve environmental sustainability, promote global economic partnership). Several adult members of St. Andrew’s are active in making Kiva loans and anyone interested in participating in this program through St. Andrew’s should contact Jean Baur at JeanBaur@yahoo.com or 215-493-4257.

Micah Group

Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking with humility is what God calls us to do (Micah 6:8) The Micah Group seeks to lead our parish in answering this call and discovering the centered, joyous and abundant way of life it offers. The Micah Group has produced valued devotional literature and practical outreach media for the parish including:

Living the Promises

A Compilation of Reflections on living the Baptismal Covenant on a daily basis.

Acts of Mercy:

A flowering of actions taken for the well-being of others on a voluntary basis. This was compiled as a growing tree on the rear bulletin board of the church.

Pray for Peace

A compilation of prayers, poems and reflections on Peace on Earth from the prayer of St. Francis.

Harvest Day

St. Andrew's has participated in the annual Yardley Harvest Day activities. Serving box lunches, face painting, children's activities, flea market items reflecting St. Andrew's engagement with the local community we serve.

El Salvador Trip

Every two years a group engages in the ministry of justice and dignity as they journey to El Salvador for a week to build homes.

Honduras Trip

Every two years St. Andrew's sends a mixed group of adults and teens to Honduras to see Heifer, International in action; to work alongside villagers in rebuilding homes destroyed by disasters; and to mutually exchange the love of Christ with our neighbors.

Trenton Soup Kitchen (TASK)

For several years and throughout 2010 and this year, groups of St. Andrew’s parishioners have gone twice monthly to Trenton’s Trenton Area Soup Kitchen to help serve the evening meal to the homeless and impoverished people in Trenton. We have a pool of about 35 St. Andrew’s volunteers, and on the first Wednesday of every month, we send six to eight parishioners to serve meals at TASK, and on the fourth Tuesday, we send four to six parishioners. Last April, some members of the confirmation class and older siblings also served meals at TASK .

In addition to serving meals, some parishioners tutor and help clients obtain their High School Graduate Equivalency Degrees. During the past year, St. Andrew’s has also been collecting toiletries and books in the bin in back of church for delivery to TASK, and some St. Andrew’s parishioners also supported TASK’s Easter Eggstravaganza by donating chocolates and stuffed animals. If you’d like to get involved with any aspect of our ministries to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, e-mail or call Bob Anderson (anderbobsox@gmail.com or 215-968-6216).

Trenton Rescue Mission

For many years St. Andrew’s has conducted periodic clothing drives to provide used clothing to the clients of The Rescue Mission of Trenton, NJ, a non-profit organization which serves needy men and women living in Trenton. Last year, the Trenton Rescue Mission clothing drive was in October and another clothing drive is planned for October 2011. To learn about our clothing drives for the Mission or to participate in conducting them, contact Jonathan Smith at JJJOSmith@aol.com or 215-321-0651.

Leah French, Marion Harvey, Ann Holland, Nancy Yanushis, Don Conover and Doug Riblet

Other local organizations:

Amnesty International

For the past several years, St. Andrew’s has held an Advent event in which parishioners write letters to those who have been imprisoned, tortured or otherwise abused because they exercised their right to freedom of conscience in religion and political affairs. During Advent 2010, 11 people wrote about 200 cards of support to those who have been oppressed and requests for relief to those who oppress them.

Over the last several years, St. Andrew’s has also sent letters in support of the attempts of Troy Davis, a prisoner on death row in Georgia, to receive a new trial. This year a service was held in which we prayed for Troy, Officer Mark MacPhail whom Troy allegedly killed, and all murder victims and death row inmates.

If you would like to get involved in St. Andrew’s ministry through Amnesty International, contact Bob Anderson (anderbobsox@gmail.com or 215-968-6216).

Alice Parker Ministries:

Alice Parker is a community organizer who provides for the needs of the disadvantaged in Trenton. For many years, St. Andrew’s has worked to help her in her ministries by providing turkeys and food items at Thanksgiving (we provided 80 turkeys last year) and shoe boxes filled with toys at Christmas which she distributes to the families she serves. Peace Baxter is the liaison with Alice Parker for our parish and she can be reached at pax4pax4@comcast.net or 215-295-1294.

Rescue Mission - semi-annual clothing and furniture drives.

Thriftway Food Receipts

AA and Al-Anon - weekly meetings.

Bucks County Motets

Carbo Support Group

St. Andrew's Nursery School:

Founded in 1964 as an outreach of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, St Andrew's Nursery School remains today affiliated but separate. The mission is to provide a warm, nurturing Christian environment for a child to develop self-confidence, and discover that learning is fun. 3,4,5 year old programs, Kindergarten enrichment programs.

www.standrews-nurseryschool.com

Contacts:

Lindsay Vogel, Director: lvogel@standrews-nurseryschool.com

Kim Law, Board President: president@standrewsnurseryschool.com