Outreach ministry in Wilmington and beyond.
Below are some of the ways you can serve the world OUTSIDE the church. On other pages, we list how you can serve during worship services and ways of serving behind the scenes at church.
For details of any of these programs, please contact us.
Click here to learn more about our Community Advocacy Committee and recent outreach efforts.
Local Food Pantries
Click here or the graphic above to learn how you can help stock local food pantries.
VOLUNTEER IN COLD WEATHER!
Code Purple Shelter on Icy Nights
Any time the wind-chill gets to 20ºF or colder, we open the church as a shelter from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., after which time the Salvation Army opens and provides a place for those seeking shelter to sleep. Our guests are offered soup and sandwiches. At least one person from Friendship House provides supervision. Click here to learn more about our Code Purple ministry.
Angel Tree Gifts in Mid-December
The Community Advocacy Committee sponsors the Angel Tree project which provides Christmas gifts for families (mothers with children) who are residing in Friendship House’s transitional housing. As always, you can select a “gift angel” and purchase the gift indicated on the angel. Gift request angels are given out around Thanksgiving and the gifts themselves are due back two weeks later for distribution. Click here to learn more about Angel Tree Gifts at Christmas.
Undee Sunday, Every November
When the winter and cold temperatures approach, our homeless friends need thermal underwear. In response, the Community Advocacy Committee has UNDEE SUNDAY every November. CLICK HERE to learn more about Undee Sunday.
VOLUNTEER IN THE SPRING!
Wilmington Garden Day
- Wilmington Garden Day is an annual tour of gardens and homes to benefit charities in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Wilmington Garden Day began as an Episcopal ministry of this church’s forebears.
Room at the Table Breakfast to support Lutheran Community Services
Our church is an advocate for Lutheran Community Services and encourage you to be part of their annual fund-raising event, Room at the Table. Click here to learn more about this LCS event.
VOLUNTEER YEAR-ROUND!
Apostles in Mission (AIM)
Funds are regularly collected during worship services by our Community Advocacy committee to help people locally.
United Thank Offering
This national program encourages prayers of thanksgiving while depositing spare change into little blue boxes that are then brought to church once a year. CLICK HERE to learn more about the United Thank Offering and the many ministries it funds.
Food Bank Donations
Every Sunday members drop off non-perishable food items to support the St. Patrick’s Food Pantry.
Friendship House
Our church has an active partnership with Friendship House, a Christian ministry committed to making a difference in the lives of the homeless through hospitality, education, empowerment and community. The lower floor of our church building is dedicated to the Empowerment Center, which is a center that has counseling, case management, computer lab and advice during the day. At night, that space becomes Andrew’s Place, where men can find shelter, food and fellowship. For details, visit the Friendship House website.
Sunday Morning Breakfast Ministry
Each Sunday morning between 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., seven local church communities, including SsAM, take turns preparing and serving a hot, healthy breakfast to people who are hungry. This ministry is also managed by Friendship House.
The breakfast we serve on Sundays is an egg casserole dish, called quiche by the members of the community who come to breakfast. They call our church the “Quiche House.”
Community Chapel Program
Each Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. SsAM hosts a nondenominational interactive service in the Chapel immediately following the Sunday Morning Breakfast Ministry. This service is especially designed to minister to the spiritual needs of those who attend the Sunday Morning Breakfast, but is open to everyone. This inspirational gathering includes hymns, prayers, a homily and the sharing of life experiences. Those who wish to participate in this ministry are invited to contact the church office.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Several meetings a week are held at SsAM. Monday-Friday at 7:00 a.m. and noon; Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Look for the steps just before the entrance to the Parish House.
Lesedi School and Clinic, Zimbabwe, Africa
Lesedi School & Clinic provides quality education and health services to communities in a rural area not far from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The project is supported by the Ngoko Charitable Trust, a registered UK-based charity (charity no. 1163965). At SsAM, Chuck Bean is the most active supporter of this ministry. Chuck says, “They are doing great works. These are local initiatives, not colonial pressure projects. Hoping to get back soon. The school manor sponsor is a safari guide par excellence. I have been with them twice and, despite having to eat beetles and participating in antelope poop spitting contests, the thrill of seeing a herd of Cape buffalo and calling Lions out of the bush is excellent.” See: http://lesedizim.org/
Episcopal Relief and Development
Our parish supports the worldwide outreach efforts of the Episcopal Church. We encourage you to visit the website of Episcopal Relief and Development.
Environmental Justice Ministry at SsAM
Environmental Justice advocacy is needed now more than ever. As we go into the world as followers of Christ who care for all, we’d like you to join us. Participation in this ministry is also an excellent way to take SsAM beyond our walls and to get to know some of our neighbors. Click here to learn more about the Environmental Justice Ministry at SsAM and the Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice (DCR4EJ).
Lutheran Community Services
SsAM is a partner-in-mission with Lutheran Community Services. Click here to learn more about LCS and their effort to serve those in need in Wilmington, Delaware.
Network Delaware
SsAM provides office and meeting space for Network Delaware, a citizen led, grassroots organization which build multi-issue community leadership across the state. Click here to learn more about Network Delaware.
Peace Week Delaware
Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative solutions. Peace Week Delaware promotes community solutions. Click here to learn more about Peace Week Delaware.
Delaware Churches for Middle East Peace
SsAM is a member of DCMEP which works by educating, elevating and advocating for justice and peace in the Middle East.
Shipley Lofts Residences and Chris White Art Gallery
The five-story building at 701 N. Shipley Street was a wreck until members of SsAM galvanized the local community and state government to renovate the structure. Now, 23 lofts are rented to artists and others, with a two-level art gallery. Volunteers are always needed at the Chris White Gallery and, because SsAM still owns the land the building sets on, our church has representation on the Chris White Community Development Corporation, which owns the Shipley Lofts.
SsAM Annual Grants To:
- Delaware Futures – this educational program is helping to prepare over one hundred disadvantaged students for college
- Friendship House – for support of the many programs for the homeless
- Sojourners’ Place – transitional housing program to help those recovering from drug or alcohol abuse.
- St. Michael’s School and Nursery – scholarships for children; the school gives out $30,000 per month in scholarship aid.
For details of any of the above ministries, please contact us.
