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St. John’s, Monroeville, has started a new outreach, one that’s doable for a small church like us, and we wanted to share our joy! We think it may be helpful to other small churches. St. John’s sometimes gets caught up in just keeping the doors open and paying the bills, and we forget to go “out to do the work you have given us to do.”
The outreach idea evolved when the folks at the VA Clinic across the street from our church asked whether they could park their van in our parking lot. The lot is seldom full, so of course, we said yes. We asked what the van was used for, and were told they use it to take veterans to Montgomery to the VA Hospital. Hmmm. We wondered whether the patients would like a little gift basket on the van, maybe with snacks, waters, crossword puzzles, and the like. The answer was a resounding “Yes – yes they would!”
So the Episcopal Churchwomen put out the plea to the people of St. John’s for snacks, books, and other items, and they came in like the flood waters! So much so, that we decided to do another snack basket for the VA Clinic lobby. Both baskets were received with many thanks, and we will keep them filled on a weekly basis. In addition, we attached a little tag to both baskets, thanking the patients for their service to our country and inviting them to church on Sunday. Outreach and evangelism in a basket! God is good!