IN THE WORLD

Through St. Paul, our members find many ways to serve our neighbors far and near.  Much of this work is led by our Social Ministry Committee.  

VISION STATEMENT

The direction for our committee comes from Christ himself, who has challenged us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner, and heal the sick. The committee’s purpose is to respond to God’s call to help those with needs in our congregation, in our local community, and in the world. Accordingly, we will inform, guide, and support St. Paul’s witness and outreach to our world.

In particular, the committee will:

• Promote awareness, prayer, and action in response to social justice and ministry concerns.
• Inform and encourage the congregation to participate in social ministry opportunities.
• Provide thoughtful and prayerful leadership in the disbursement of available funds.

The Social Ministry Committee receives funding from 2 main sources: private donations and a portion of rents received from the use of our bell tower by cell phone companies.  This money is used to support projects at St. Paul and to support partner organizations in their ministries.

The goal of the Social Ministry Committee is not only to provide financial support but also to involve the St. Paul Congregation in designated activities and to raise awareness among the congregation of opportunities to get involved, including hosting of adult forums during our Sunday morning education hour.

Hands on activities last year included an ongoing food drive for the Arlington Food Pantry, diaper drive for the Gateway Inn families; trips to the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter to serve meals; assembly of Mid Wife Kits which were shipped to Global Health Ministries to promote safe childbirth around the world; collecting “Pennies for Peace”; a BBQ for the Gateway Inn families; volunteering at the New England Seafarers Mission; collection of Christmas Gifts for the LSS Minors living in the parsonage and 2 young women in LSS foster care; and, finally, our first ever Fair Trade Fair where fair trade products were sold.

For examples of the projects we do and support, please see our Partners and Projects page.