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At the September Visioning
Retreat we identified ways in which we do Outreach at St Paul=s both at
home and away. It was determined that there are many individuals
who perform many acts of kindnesses on their own - driving
people to church, visiting and delivering flowers and food.
There was some discussion of how St. Paul=s is
perceived in the community and perhaps we could do a better job
of celebrating what we do. Announcements in the bulletin and
press releases to the local paper would increase awareness.
Another suggestion was that we be better at communicating and
co-coordinating within the groups in the church.
At the Retreat participants
were encouraged to discover a better way to find those in need
and to personalize the opportunities for Outreach. We also need
to develop a clearer perception of Outreach work. In an attempt
to discover the needs in Tillsonburg and not duplicate services
I contacted the Community Service Officer for Tillsonburg. Donna
Acre of the Salvation Army was also contacted to inquire about
the services offered there. Their philosophy is to provide a
helping hand up. When emergency food is provided it is
suggested that four hours of volunteer work be given in return.
The Lisgar Resource Centre ( provided through the Salvation
Army) offers cooking classes for young mothers. The Tillsonburg
Ministerial Association would be another resource for existing
projects. With the aging population of the congregation we may
have more members living in isolation and in frailer health so
one suggestion put forward was a parish nurse. St Paul=s also needs
to be very aware of the past contributions made by our elderly
members and their feelings of guilt and frustration in not being
able to contribute physically to the work of the church.
Other suggestions from the
Retreat were to support caregivers who are looking after a
spouse at home and a
Aday out@ for parents
of young children, to provide more transportation for the
Homebound, to provide education and housekeeping skills for
young moms, and to give free meal tickets to some when provide
meals as fund raisers or provide meals at special seasons. We
could give bereavement support and assist groups such as VON to
do their service in the community now that they have reduced
funding. 
St Paul=s needs to
add a Spiritual dimension to our outreach and to share the
Gospel good news.
Rather than duplicating
services which already exist in the Tillsonburg Community we
should try to work with structures which are already in place.
Perhaps a list of the services provided in the area and making
it readily available would assist people in finding the
programme which they require.
We need to look at the
things each of us can do. We all have talents of all kinds -
some are big - some are small. We shouldn't=t wait for
someone to ask before putting our talents to work for Christ.
If a person first gives of
themselves, all other giving is easy!
A review of the number of
Outreach projects within the church would be more than 30. A
partial list of these programmes is attached. (see above)
The Stewardship Committee is
planning an Outreach Fair in May to display some of the
projects which St Paul=s supports.
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Salvation Army
