Volunteerism/Outreach/Ministries
Volunteers Needed!
Do you like to go to the mall? Are you a night owl? Do you want to learn flower arranging? Do you want to make a difference in a child’s life? There is a short-term volunteer opportunity waiting for you at St. Mark’s. Parishioners can learn about the different groups that make a difference at St. Mark’s and its community. New volunteers are invited to join established groups for short term commitments that will begin in the fall. Training will be provided at a later date. Some of the Outreach opportunities that are available are:
· United Community Ministries Food Pantry
· Send a Kid to Camp
· Adopt a Family
· Loaves and Fishes (meals at the Mondloch and
Kennedy homeless shelters)
· Hypothermia Overflow Shelter
· CROP walk
· Christmas in April
· Cooking & serving participants in Fairfax County’s
Parenting Class
Some of the Worship Committee guilds and groups that will be on display will be:
· Choir
· Altar Guild
· Flower Guild
· Tellers
· Ushers
· Greeters
· Lay Eucharistic Ministers
· Readers
· Acolytes
· Intercessors
· Nursery assistants
Volunteer! You’ll make new friends and learn more about how we serve the Lord at St. Mark’s and try to meet the needs of people in our community. You will find a rewarding opportunity just right for you.
Outreach Notes:
The May meeting of VIC featured an overview of the County budget, the “new normal”, with 11 million in proposed
cuts to Human Services. Reviewed were plans to prioritize and integrate services in different ways, utilizing schools and
Senior Centers as central to community efforts. Much concern is being addressed to the issues of youth in the Rt. 1 corridor.
New Co-facilitators elected are the Rev. Tuck Bowerfind, Rector, St. Luke’s, and Cristina Schoendorf, Executive
Director of Progreso Hispano.
VOICE News:
On April 14, area VOICE members joined IAF from many states on Capitol Hill, urging US Senators to pass the
Interest Rate Reduction Act. It will protect consumers by capping interest rates on all consumer loans at 15%, the same
level as that imposed on Credit Unions in 1980. Banks themselves are charged with hindering economic recovery by
their policies including excessive interest rates, overdraft fees, payday loans, etc. Among others, the Lutheran Church,
Missouri Synod, has pledged to remove their funds from banks which do not change their current policies. On April 25, VOICE and Rising Hope jointly sponsored an event to hear four student stories: each have walked up Rte. 1 from Miami, Florida to Washington DC to illustrate their plight. They were all raised in this country, but are UNdocumented and live in fear of deportation to their native countries, of which they know little. They plead for Immigration Law reform. Some 65,000 immigrant students graduate each year and wait as long as 10 years for resident status so they can pursue further education.
Affordable Housing: the North Hill property, purchased in 1981 with Redevelopment funds is still in contention 30 years later. Environmentalists object to the tree cutting; the housing advocates differ on type of housing, location and timing. A staff report is due soon to ascertain feasibility of developing North Hill versus purchasing existing vacant properties. There are no current funds for either.
VIC-HOP:
It was a great season, with 17 churches and organizations providing 400 volunteers, staying open 4 (24 hour) days
during the blizzards. 129 unduplicated residents were served. Hispanic numbers were higher than a year ago; there were an
average of 6 women per night. There were fewer police and EMT visits than in previous years, and no one was lost!
Rising Hope serves as an overflow for the County-run Eleanor Kennedy shelter.
Rosemary Kley
