Social Ministries
Taking Action to Affect Public Policy
By Donna Maebori, co-leader of St. John’s Public Policy Team
As Christians, we continually ask what it is that we can do to help others. In the private arena, we take care of family, friends, pets and plants, as well as ourselves. In the public arena we help through civic action and policy action. Examples of civic actions we take as a parish include our support of William Temple House, Western Farm Workers, and Hand Up Project. The other means of helping in the public arena is policy action. Both are vital to building a strong, connected society and important means to upholding democracy. If you are interested in public policy action, or already do so but want to deepen your effort, please read on.
Partner Organizations
Western Farm Workers Association
Our longstanding relationship with WFWA has us working alongside farm workers and their families in Washington County. Members of WFWA visit our parish several times a year to provide us updates on difficulties and injustices they are facing. We support their programs, which include emergency food, clothing, preventative medical care, and job referrals. We also collect school supplies, package and hand-deliver groceries to the farmworkers, help in their office, and advocate for them in city and county meetings. In the summer, we deliver food and clothing to migrant camps in Washington County.
William Temple House
Founded in 1965, William Temple House is a social service organization in Northwest Portland offering a healthy food bank and the Portland area’s only no- to low-cost mental health counseling to people in need. Members of our parish are active on the WTH board and as volunteers. We respond to their requests for donations of food and clothing year-round.
Hand Up Project
The Hand Up Project features a “shopping style” food pantry, which preserves dignity by offering a choice of food staples. This model also caters to the individual’s personal and culturally specific dietary needs as donations allow; all while avoiding food waste from “cookie cutter” style food boxes.
Providing Emergency Food Services allows us to form a bond that turns into friendship and trust, thus more productive interactions with participants.
Our project starts by addressing the most basic human need, food. Taking a hololistic approach, we see food as medicine and good nutrition vital for both our mental and physical health. We literally are what we eat. Without healthy options to build a strong foundation, the stresses of our environment and poor or no food choices soon cause our body and mind to weaken leading to both mental and physical complications.
Outreach Ministries
In the spirit of “I was in prison, and you visited me,” a ministry team visits the women of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville to offer a Saturday evening worship service twice a month. We want them to know they are still a part of the body of Christ and are not forgotten. Parishioners are invited to attend as well to participate in evening prayer, sing songs, share in scriptural reflection, and, if we have a priest, celebrate Holy Eucharist.
Prison Ministry
During Covid, many churches suspended home visits to parishioners, and we learned that many elders in lockdown were isolated. One Sunday afternoon a month, one of our clergy team conducts a Holy Eucharist with a gathering of residents of Mirabella Portland, who come from a variety of churches in the Portland area. After Eucharist, the participants gather for a group dinner every month.
Elder Outreach at Mirabella
When members of our congregation are not able to attend church in person for an extended period, some particularly feel the loss of the Eucharistic rite. In addition to sharing prayer and companionship, our clergy and lay folks trained as Eucharistic ministers can offer the Holy Eucharist at home.
Communion & Home Visits
Volunteer With Us
We’d love to have you join our work. There are lots of opportunities to be involved. If you’d like to learn more, send us an email today.