Stuff a Soldier's Stocking Details

The Outreach Ministry of St. Luke's Episcopal Church exists to encourage the members of St. Luke's to" be doers of the word and not mere hearers." (James 1:22) The organizations which we support and the projects we undertake help meet the physical needs of the poor, hungry, homeless, hopeless, and imprisoned in San Antonio. While attending to these needs, we seek opportunities to share our faith, offering the nourishment of the Gospel and the hope of freedom in Jesus Christ.

The St. Luke's community in carrying out Christ's Commission and his mandate to care for his people is involved in the following programs in and around San Antonio.

Bexar County Detention Ministries  This umbrella organization provides educational, social, and religious services, including pastoral care and counseling to incarcerated adult and juvenile offenders in local detention facilities. The Ministries facilitate the transformation of offenders into productive individuals with new direction and meaning to their lives and assists in their successful reintegration from incarceration back into society. There are also programs which help the family members cope with the hardship of having a loved one incarcerated. St. Luke's sponsors a collection of toys for the Children's Christmas Party.

Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM)  This ecumenical ministry of over fifty congregations and fraternal organizations provides emergency assistance in the form of groceries, sack lunches, clothing, linens, and small appliances, as well as financial assistance for rent, mortgage payments, utilities, medical, and transportation expenses. Classes on nutrition and budgeting are mandatory for aid recipients. Non-denominational Sunday services are held in the CAM Chapel. The program helps clients to discover the root causes for their problems and to become self-sufficient. CAM has recently opened a daytime shelter for the homeless. As a member Church, St. Luke's provides support to CAM in the form of a regular quarterly donation to the operating fund and monthly donations of food and clothing. A special food drive is held at Thanksgiving.

Good Samaritan Center  This facility has been the primary resource for its neighborhood since 1951, enabling residents to become whole in body, mind and spirit and to live in harmony with one another. Located in the heart of San Antonio's most violent section, the Center has been the catalyst for positive change and direction in a community desperate for hope and healing. The neighborhood center offers programs for children from six weeks to five years old, a variety of programs for children at risk to drug and gang activity, and a full range of adult programs. St. Luke's provides camp supplies for children from the Good Samaritan Center who attend Camp Capers in the summer. We also take part in the annual Christmas Dinner program.

Habitat for Humanity/Episcopal Diocese of West Texas  In 1994, the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and Habitat for Humanity International began a cooperative program to provide affordable homes for low-income families in the Diocese. Under Phase II of the joint program, the Diocese of West Texas will finance and provide volunteer labor for fourteen homes, one in each community of our Diocese, where there is both an Episcopal Church and a Habitat for Humanity affiliate. A tithe of the funds for each home will enable the construction of a Habitat home in a third world country. St. Luke's supports the Habitat program through their financial contributions. Volunteers provide leadership on the Diocesan task force and on the building sites. In 2002, over 25 St. Luke's volunteers helped build the first home for Phase II in Converse, Texas.

Northeast San Antonio Community Outreach for Older People (NESA Co-op)  This ministry helps the elderly remain independent. Volunteers provided escorted medical transportation, grocery shopping services, and minor home repairs for clients as well as providing assistance in the co-op office. Professionals provide in-home assessment and referral services.

San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries (SAMMinistries) This is an interfaith Ministry, the mission of which is to help the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless attain self-sufficiency by offering with dignity and compassion, shelter and services through educational classes in G.E.D., parenting, budgeting and life skills. The SAMM Shelter provides overnight lodging for the homeless. A long-term program through the Transitional Living and Learning Center helps families and singles return to the community with housing and a source of income. For nine years, St. Luke's has provided a team of volunteers for a monthly visit to the SAMM homeless shelter. This team provides administrative oversight for the shelter on the second Sunday of the month. The highlight of St. Luke's Ministry is the prayer and praise service which provides spiritual food and hope. Visitors to the shelter also serve refreshments to the overnight guests. Volunteers from St. Luke's act as sponsors for families at the Transitional Living and Learning Center.

Year-round projects We collect: non-perishable food items for the CAM food bank; new and slightly used clothing and linen to be distributed by CAM and SAMM; Campbell Soup labels and used greeting card fronts for St. Jude's Ranch for Youth in Bulverde; and eyeglasses and hearing aids for redistribution by the Lion's Club;

If you wish to donate items to any of these causes, you may put them in the donation baskets located the Narthex or in the Donations Closet in the South Parlor.