Loaves and Fishes Sunday – August 3

You can help our local community food pantry, MetroCareRing, fulfill increasing requests for assistance by participating in our Diocesan Loaves and Fishes drive.  MetroCareRing serves over 10,000 households each year assisting families with household incomes below $15,000. More than half of the requests for assistance come from families with children.

On Sunday, August 3, we will mark Loaves and Fishes Sunday in Episcopal churches throughout the Diocese of Colorado.  Please plan on bringing suggested grocery items to Holy Redeemer on August 3 and place near the pulpit at the front of the church. If you are not able to be in church on August 3, please bring your donated food to Holy Redeemer on Sunday, July 27 or deliver directly to Metro CareRing during the week. All groceries collected by St. Andrew’s Church will be given to Metro CareRing, located at E. 18th Avenue and Downing.

For your convenience, the list of suggested items can be found here, and will be attached to grocery sacks which will be distributed by members of the St. Andrew’s Outreach Ministry at the Holy Redeemer main church door and courtyard door immediately following our services on  July 20 and 27. Thank you.  Contact:  Deacon Sally Brown, 303-296-1712.

Thank you for your generous contributions to the Colorado Episcopal Foundation’s More-than-a-Match campaign. St. Andrew’s raised $1,065 towards the support of the Millennium Development Goals.

Join the Episcopal Public Policy Network
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. – Acts 5:31
Like the disciples who went out and spread the good news after the Holy Spirit’s anointing, we celebrate our renewal of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people during this season after Pentecost.

The Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) is a nationwide grassroots network of Episcopalians who call and write their members of Congress and the Administration to advocate positions of the Church. Members of the EPPN receive policy alerts updating them on what is happening in Washington, the Church’s position on public policies, and techniques and information on contacting their government leaders. EPPN members also receive a congressional directory and action guide, legislative updates and newsletters, training in advocacy methods, online resources and sample letters.

We need more Spirit-filled voices to speak the Church’s mission boldly and to act on the global climate crisis, fight deadly poverty and HIV/AIDS, cancel debt for poor countries, promote the Millennium Development Goals, and support the critical justice work carried out by the EPPN. To join the Episcopal Public Policy Network, go to http://www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) responds to disasters and crises worldwide with emergency relief and humanitarian assistance. To make a donation to Episcopal Relief & Development’s general or specific* funds, go to http://www.er-d.org/ , or call 800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Also, gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief & Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

China , still reeling from the massive earthquake that shook its southwest provinces on May 12 – ERD is providing ongoing support to the Amity Foundation, its local partner, to distribute 240,000 kilos of rice to 16,000 people, and plastic sheeting and quilts to provide shelter and warmth to 8,000 families impacted by the disaster. The Amity Foundation is targeting areas in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces where many people continue to suffer from harsh conditions, cold weather, and the loss of their homes, furniture, and all their personal belongings. Episcopal Relief & Development will continue to work with local partners on long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation of the devastated areas. Housing, hospitals, clinics, schools, and water systems all need to be rebuilt. If you so choose, you may designate a donation to ERD’s “Emergency Relief Fund”.

Myanmar (Burma) – ERD continues to provide emergency assistance to families impacted by Cyclone Nargis. In response to the disaster, Episcopal Relief & Development’s local partners formed a relief committee and immediately sent out four teams to survey the affected areas in the Irrawaddy Delta. The full extent of the damage in the Delta region is still emerging, but the team that was sent to what appears to be the worst affected area has confirmed widespread damage and extensive loss of life. A medical team has been sent to some parts of the most affected area, meeting medical needs and distributing relief supplies. Nearly a million people are still in need of food, clean water, medical supplies and shelter. *If you so choose, you may designate a donation to ERD’s “Myanmar & Cyclone Response Fund”.

Sudan – In light of rising violence and the potential threat of renewed civil war, ERD is working with the Episcopal Church of Sudan’s Support Office to assist victims of violence and the estimated 100,000 people who have fled their homes. The emergency aid includes water, food, shelter and basic necessities. *If you so choose, you may designate a donation to ERD’s “Sudan Fund”.

Iowa - ERD is providing emergency assistance to communities devastated by ongoing flooding in Iowa.  So far the flood waters are responsible for the deaths of five people, the displacement of 38,000 others and have inflicted up to $1 billion in damage to Iowa’s agricultural sector.  Working with its partner the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, ERD is providing emergency assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes. Families will be given temporary shelter and provided with food, clothing, first aid and other basic necessities.  *If you so choose, you may designate a donation to ERD’s “Disaster Response Fund” for Iowa.

Outreach Collecting Used Cell Phones and Eyeglasses
Beginning Sunday, June 22, there will be collection bins in the undercroft for used cell phones and eyeglasses. The Outreach ministry is facilitating these collections for the following organizations:

Donated used cell phones will benefit SafeHouse Denver, serving victims of domestic violence and their children through both an emergency shelter and a non-residential Counseling and Advocacy Center.

And your donated used eyeglasses will be passed on to any of three organizations, the Saint Francis Center, the Episcopal Church of St. Peter & St. Mary, and Unite for Sight. All three organizations recycle the eyeglasses so that others in need – here in Denver, and also in Sierra Leone, West Africa – can use them.

Save Our Youth - Save Our Youth transforms the lives of at-risk youth through mentor relationships, which provide skills for success in educational, emotional and spiritual development. If you are interested in being a mentor for a young person in the metro Denver community, contact Save Our Youth at 303-455-1126 or www.saveouryouth.org