Outreach

The outreach ministry for St. Francis Anglican Church in 2010 was once again focused on two primary areas: Baraka and The Storehouse.

As you know, Baraka is a sister congregation of the EMC under the leadership of Father Peter N’gan’ga. For the last several years we have assisted them financially and with many of the practical needs. These needs are primarily in two areas, transportation for their members to and from their Sunday afternoon services, and assisting them with English language skills. Mike Ready is in charge of the transportation detail and Claire Ducker assists some of their members with English. (I recently learned that Claire is also trying to learn some Swahili). Amy Crandell conducts Sunday School classes during the Sunday afternoon services for the younger Baraka members.

I also recently learned that some of the members of Baraka have expressed some interest in being a part of a larger congregation. That would probably be St. Francis. This is a great sign of progress. We know that only by assimilation to their new culture do they have a chance to make progress in this society. Our outreach to them has been and will continue to be a major factor in having that happen. If you wish to assist Baraka in these efforts, please contact Mike or Claire. If you would like to help Father Peter in some other way, please contact him directly

In 2010, there were two very successful food drives that benefited The Storehouse in Pflugerville. In addition to nearly 1700 pounds of food that were collected in these two drives, our October food drive contained a matching funds component. The Vestry of the parish pledged to match whatever funds were donated to the Storehouse. The total amount of our monetary gift to them was $2250. I am grateful for the kindness and generosity shown by our members in these efforts to help the poor in our area. As I have mentioned before, The Storehouse is not just a food pantry, but also a Christian ministry that shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their clients. We are a part of that ministry as well.

Fr. Len Giacolone