Outreach

Support for the Newton Food Pantry

Mustard Seed Project -- South Africa

For many years people at Messiah have prayed for and contributed to the work of Joan Reeve.  Joan is a member of All Saints Church, the Anglican parish in Winterton, a small town in the southwestern farmlands of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.  A longtime opponent of apartheid, she has played a leading role within her parish to address the economic and social difficulties of their community.

One of her efforts, the Mustard Seed Project, supports the education of children who otherwise would not be able to attend school.  The project is on a small scale intentionally, as Joan hopes to support these children until they graduate from high school.  She feels the best results are achieved when support starts at the beginning of a child’s education.

In one of her letters, Joan says, “Pray for the lives of these kids so that they’re not dropped halfway.  I really would like the whole thing to become funded by South Africa rather than us asking people overseas to fund it.  We need to build a culture here in this country of trying to sort ourselves out, but our congregations are small.  And everyone is involved.  Everybody is doing something in some way or another.”

Gifts in support of her work can be made at any time of year.  Make checks payable to the Parish of the Messiah, with “Reeve Fund” written on the memo line.

Hildebrand Shelter

Each Advent, we collect Christmas gifts for the women who live at the Hildebrand Shelter for homeless families in Cambridge. Gifts for children are also welcome, but as so few mothers receive gifts that is the area of greatest need.  Parishioners are asked to donate personal items such as toiletries, slippers, nightgowns, or socks as well as gift cards from local stores such as Target and Marshalls.  Gifts do not need to be wrapped, but if the gift is wrapped, please tag the package with a content label (eg, slippers, size 8).  Several collection boxes are located within the church or gift card donations marked "Hildebrand" may be placed in the offering plate.  

The beginning of the school is another time when items can be donated.  Anything that a young person needs for going back to school on the first day are welcome such as back packs, spiral notebooks, pads of paper, pens, pencils, markers, and rulers.

Additional gifts may be made to the Hildebrand Shelter any time during the year by sending or bringing them to the church office at 1900 Commonwealth Avenue, Auburndale MA 02466.

Episcopal Relief and Development      

Parish of the Messiah supports the world-wide relief and development work being done by Episcopal Relief and Development or ERD.  ERD provides emergency assistance in times of disaster by saving lives and building hope in communities around the world.  When the immediate crisis is over, ERD rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.
 

ERD saves lives after an emergency:
Disasters, whether man-made or natural, happen all the time.  When they strike, ERD helps people by supplying food, water, and medicine immediately.  ERD prevents vulnerable people from further suffering, especially women, children, and the elderly.

ERD helps communities rebuild when the crisis is over:
Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other catastrophes leave people with nothing.  ERD works hand-in-hand with local communities to build new homes, plant crops, create clean water systems, construct clinics and schools, and offer critical post-trauma counseling.

ERD creates opportunities for people living in poverty:
In many places in the world, people can't feed their families or give them basic health care. Through ERD's food security and primary health care program, ERD provides farming and business training, health care services, and HIV/AIDS programs in communities where families are struggling to survive.  ERD gives people the tools to earn an income and create opportunities for their children.

To learn more about ERD, just click on the button below, or go to www.er-d.org