Service for others is at the heart of the Christian mission and the ethos of this parish.
SRSH Christmas Family
Every year in Advent, our congregation provides Christmas gifts to a family in need. This year our Christmas Family is a single mother and her three pre-teen to teenage children. The family just moved to a new home and has very little; we would like to give them basic needs such as bedding, housewares, and clothing as well as some fun Christmas presents.
On December 1, you’ll find a small Christmas tree in the Parish Hall covered in tags, each tag describing a gift that someone in the family wants or needs. Sizes are included on the tags, and the color of the tag is the person’s favorite color. (Household items are on green tags - but gifts don’t need to be green! We don’t know the house colors, but purple is the mom’s favorite!).
Please choose a tag for a gift you’d like to give. Find the sheet of paper on the table that matches your tag, locate your gift on the list, and write in your name and contact information (phone or email) on the corresponding line. It’s fine to choose more than one gift! Note that for each family member, we’ve included two different tags for outfits. **Early next week a link to an online Google sheet will be sent out, folks who can’t make it to church can sign up.
Please return all gifts, UNWRAPPED, by Sunday December 15 at 1:00 PM. Please include the tag with your gift OR otherwise indicate which family member it is for so the gifts can be sorted. Our goal is to deliver the gifts to Scotts Run Settlement House Monday December 16, and the family will receive them there.
Note: Please call or text Grace Ayscue, at 304-276-8037 with any questions or thoughts. (I won’t be at church December 1 but hope to be reachable by text or phone call - and possibly other folks will be able to answer questions that day.) Also please let me know if you’d like to help sort the gifts after church December 15 or to help with delivery Monday afternoon.
Ministry rooted in our local community
Florita and Grace prepare to deliver hygienic supplies to Health Right.
We donate needed goods such as school supplies, food and baby supplies to Scott’s Run Settlement House; personal care items like shampoo, shower gel, shaving cream, socks and underwear to Milan Puskar Health Right; towels to Bartlett House; and Christmas gifts to a family through the Salvation Army.
Several times a year we prepare lunches and supply work crews to Habitat for Humanity. Monthly, we help to pack weekend food at Scott’s Run Settlement House (SRSH) for hundreds of food-insecure students as part of the Backpack Feeding Program. Many Mondays we help unload items for distribution at the Rock Forge Presbyterian Church Food Pantry.
One of the most anticipated events we support is the Empty Bowls Monongalia’s annual Soup and Bread Luncheon.
Many individuals from our church volunteer with local agencies such as In Touch and Concerned, The Community Kitchen, Sarah’s Kitchen, the Rock Forge Presbyterian Church Food Pantry, and delivering meals for Morgantown Meals on Wheels.
One parishioner collected and published recipes for distribution at local food pantries and others are assisting refugees from Uganda who have re-settled in Morgantown.
One of our largest outreach projects every year is to fill and distribute thirty-five Thanksgiving baskets to the local community.
Outreach Projects
Empty Bowls Monongalia
Each February our parishioners sell tickets, bake cookies and bread, and volunteer at this community event to combat food insecurity.
Backpack Snack Program
Our parishioners volunteer every second and fifth Sunday at Scott’s Run Settlement House, packing backpacks of food for kids to take home over the weekend.
Baby Supplies
We have an ongoing collection for baby supplies, e.g. diapers, Pull-Ups, wipes, ointment, Ivory Snow detergent, etc. for Scott’s Run Settlement House’s baby pantry.
Habitat for Humanity
In April and October we prepare and deliver lunches to Habitat for Humanity volunteers.
Warm Clothes from Warm Hearts
During the winter, we collect coats and other warm clothes in our church narthex to donate to Christian Help.
Rock Forge Food Pantry
On Monday mornings (and as needed), volunteers pick up and deliver bread donations to Rock Forge Food Pantry.
Thanksgiving Baskets
Each November, parishioners donate, sort, and pack 35+ totes of food for local families.
Towel Collection
During the warmer months, we switch out our coat collection for new and gently-used towels, which are donated to Bartlett House.
Angel Tree
We partner with The Salvation Army to provide Christmas gifts for a family each December.
Milan Puskar Health Right
We have an ongoing collection for shower gel, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and other hygiene items for Health Right.
Internationally, we support our companion diocese in Colombia, South America, and sponsor a student in Kenya through the Elewana Education Project. In the past we collected money to build a house in Haiti and funded a Water.org campaign.
We also respond to immediate, one-time needs as they occur, such as earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes through Episcopal Relief and Development.
Several activities are in conjunction with our Sunday School including UNICEF, Heifer International, Animal Friends of North Central WV, and Scott’s Run Settlement House.
People and resources from St. Thomas à Becket can be seen serving throughout the community. Regardless of one’s skill or talent level, anyone can experience the joy and satisfaction of doing something for someone in need.
Reaching out:
National and International
Episcopal Diocese of Columbia