Outreach Committee News

August 20, 2021: For many years St. Michael’s Mission and Outreach Committee has guided parish support for external charitable organizations. Although we supported many worthy causes, there were no set procedures on selecting charities or for making changes as parish interests changed.

Committee members worked with the Rector to think anew about the direction and substance of St. Michael’s outreach efforts. Below are the key changes that have resulted from that work.

  1. The “Mission and Outreach Committee” is now called the “Outreach Committee”
  2. The parish as a whole has committed to sharpening its identity as a neighborhood church. Part of that entails focusing most of our outreach towards needs in our local community.
  3. The Outreach Committee will use set principles to guide the parish’s role in the community; to determine how charities and volunteer activities are proposed, selected and evaluated; and to determine how new opportunities to engage with needs in our local community will be chosen.
  4. Committee members will be nominated by the Vestry for three-year terms.
  5. Each nonprofit chosen by the Outreach Committee for St. Michael’s support will have one identified church member who will serve as the primary liaison between St. Michael’s and the partner. These liaisons are not expected to be members of the Outreach Committee.
  6. St. Michael’s will establish an opportunity for church members to suggest neighborhood concerns, nonprofit partners and volunteer opportunities via the St. Michael’s website.

Please contact Linda Kelleher if you’d like to volunteer as a liaison with one of our outreach partners. Click here if you’d like to read a detailed outline of all of the committee changes.