New Ventures for St. Paul's

New Ventures in Community at St. Paul's

Giving to St. Paul’s supports our ever-widening ministry in the neighborhood. This year, we’ve improved our Parish Hall and welcomed children to Vacation Bible School, served over a dozen community wide meals, and strengthened our Spiritual Formation programming for adults and children.  Next year holds great promise!
With the Vestry’s approval, St. Paul's applied for an $11,569 grant from the Diocese of Missouri for our "Outside-In: A Relational Approach to mission in South St. Louis". This grant request reflects the congregation’s desire to widen our impact in the Carondelet community and increase the amount of people coming in our doors. We are confident we will receive these funds; and grant recipients will be announced at diocesan convention on November 17 (at Christ Church Cathedral this year.)
The grant would enable us to:

1. Install and maintain a “Little Free Food Pantry” and “Little Free Resource Library” on either side of our bus bench.  
   
2. Offer hospitality to those in need who are seeking to wash clothes by opening our parish house washer and dryer one to two times a week.
   
3. Provide resources for a youth outreach ministry including laptops, wifi, furniture, and food.  
   
4. Increase the comfort and appeal of our parish hall to include toys for playgroup meetings and lightweight, soft furnishings for gatherings,
   
5. Improve our existing stone sign on the front lawn by Installing a weatherproof LED sign within the current lighted panel
   

   6.  Purchase food for neighborhood events and the Little Free Pantry.

As I look into the future, I see people sitting comfortably in clusters of chairs and couches in our parish hall, I see parents and children coming to the church once or twice a week for playgroup; I imagine folks utilizing the little free pantry to meet some of their immediate needs and someone sitting on the bench reading a magazine pulled from the resource pantry, sheltered by a new bench shelter.

​ We have already identified a candidate to work as our youth outreach coordinator. Many of you met him a few Sundays ago. Tilton Yokley will work for an agreed amount number of hours per week in exchange for free housing on the second floor in the Parish House.  The grant will launch that ministry and begin with resources that can be added to in a second year grant.
I hope, like me, that you are delighted to receive this money and watch what we will do, with God’s help! If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to me.  I am happy to talk!
                                                            --- Pastor Rebecca
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