submitted to St Paul=s Council on Tuesday, March 20,2007

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.

ST PAUL'S IS A COMMUNITY MINDED CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
CALLED TO SERVE GOD BY SERVING OTHERS.