The Outreach Commission at St. Aidan’s has a long history of being supportive and active in a number of local ministries, including the Mission of the Holy Spirit (the dioceses’ mission in Norfolk), Habitat for Humanity, Seton House (located adjacent to the church), and the Shawl Ministry.  In addition we are active in Meals on Wheels, Soup Kitchen, Blood Drives, and several recurring fund raising activities – primarily for cancer, which has affected many families in the parish.  The parish provides holiday support to a few local families at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Historically we have sponsored immigrant families, supported the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Norfolk Urban Outreach, Episcopal Boys Home and various prison ministries. 
The Outreach Commission has set a goal of having every member of the parish participate in at least one outreach activity this year.  To that end, we are targeting activities that allow people to become personally involved in the community.  Through this approach we hope to increase personal commitment to spreading the gospel in the community outside of St. Aidan’s.

The following ministries are currently active at St. Aidan’s:

Mission of the Holy Spirit

Provides dinner for about 30 children at least one night
every month for the Mission, not located in St. Stephen’s in Norfolk near the Norfolk
Airport. Our “night” is usually the second Sunday of the month. We also occasionally
provide mid-week dinners. Joe and Mary Lou Miller have been coordinating this for
years, but Mary Lou’s recent surgery is requiring some changes. We typically have 3 to 5 volunteers to help with the serving, but need help coordinating and cooking.

JCOC Soup Kitchen – Provides dinner for the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center. Dates
are picked at an annual lottery, with St. Aidan’s currently having 4 dates in 2008. Two dates remain (12/27 and 12/30) this year. Melissa Waide has taken over coordinating this year, but needs help with cooking and delivery. In the past, St. Aidan’s has attended the annual fund raising dinner.

Food Bank –

St. Aidan’s feeds needy families for the City of Virginia Beach about 6
times per year. On our appointed week, we are responsible for providing groceries for
families referred to us by Social Services on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Non-
perishable food items are normally stockpiled in advance, but on the day of distribution
we have to buy perishable items (meats, milk, cheese, etc), and distribute them to families
who arrive at the church by appointment. Anne Agnew, Carol Masters, Rae Gordner, and
Bob Moore are involved in this effort.

Seaton House

Our next-door neighbor, Seaton House provides temporary shelter to
teen-agers in crisis. Susan Summerlin serves on the Board, and is St. Aidan’s
representative. We haven’t done much formally of late, but we are currently collecting
toiletries and sundries for the use of the girls. Some years back, St. Aidan’s would buy a
table at their annual fund-raising dinner.

Faith Works Coalition

This is a successor to the Covenant of Virginia Beach (our
former vehicle for supporting Habitat for Humanity) that specializes in repairs for
homeowners in Virginia Beach that could not otherwise afford to maintain their homes.
We volunteer to perform minor repairs on an as-needed basis. Fred Parkinson and Rae
Gordner are Board members.

Habitat for Humanity

St. Aidan’s belonged to the Covenant of Virginia Beach, an association of Virginia Beach churches that acted as a building partner for the local Habitat chapter. When Habitat decided it wanted to deal with churches directly, the Covenant dissolved, and most of the churches (including St. Aidan’s) formed Faith Works Coalition to allow them to continue to partner on local building projects. Since then, we have not had a relationship with Habitat, although they still have good programs, particularly the “Brush with Kindness” program that does small projects and repairs locally. Habitat builds in Virginia Beach have slowed dramatically in recent years as land has been unavailable.

Men’s Group

St. Aidan’s Men’s Group is more than just cooking lunch once a month. Their major outreach functions are providing scholarships for the youth to attend various church youth gatherings, as well as to sponsor a few boys at Boys Town. Don Beaman, Joe Miller, Tom Metz, Fred Boze, and Bill Jordan, among others, are active in the group.

Samaritan House

A shelter and counseling facility for women and children who are
victims of domestic violence. Linda Olds volunteers for Samaritan House.

Holiday Ministry

Under the direction of MaryAnne Russell and Mary Whittaker, St.
Aidan’s provides Christmas meals and gifts for families and institutionalized adults.
Through sign-up boards, all parishioners can participate in giving to those in need during
Advent and Christmas.

Shawl Ministry

St. Aidan’s women knit shawls for cancer patients and others in need
to provide warmth and comfort. Alice Meinicke and Sarah Seeley help coordinate this
effort.

Seaman’s House

Claude Turner, our retired Deacon, was a tireless advocate for this
ministry to visiting seaman at the Port of Hampton Roads. St. Aidan’s used to provide
support through donations of toiletries and magazines, but this has tapered off since
Claude left.

ECW (Episcopal Church Women)

Under the leadership of Nancy Smith, ECW has
recently undertaken to raise funds for an orphanage and school in Belize.

Our Little Roses

A girl’s school in Honduras that we have supported by sending our
youth to over spring break to provide clothing, repairs, and fellowship. One of our
former members, Nan Mercer (now if Florida, but still involved!) spearheads this effort.


What interests you? We’ve done things for Heifer International in the past, and have
been approached to help with several organizations that provide meals for the poor in our
country as well as overseas. The Outreach Commission is here to serve you in finding
your own mission to our community. Contact Fred Parkinson (631-9429, or
fredparkinson@verizon.net) with any questions, comments, or ideas.