The Outreach Ministry Committee is continuing to offer an opportunity to assist GoochlandCARES in their Clothes Closet. Depending on the size of the group (ideally need about 5 to 6 people), it only takes about an hour or two. The next volunteer opportunity at GoochlandCARES is scheduled for this Sunday, July 10 at 11:30 a.m. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Dick Thomas at nvvserv@icloud.com or (804)-432-4158, and then simply head out to GoochlandCARES (2999 River Road W).

"The YMCA makes strengthening our communities our cause. We strongly believe that children who have the necessities they need to succeed can focus on learning rather than worrying about having shoes to wear on the playground and crayons to color their assignments. Though our 2021 program will look different, the Y is bringing Bright Beginnings to our families who need it most to make for confident and prepared kids on the first day of school." Goochland Family YMCA, one of our Outreach Community Partners, has the opportunity to provide a Bright Beginning for children in Goochland County. 

For a donation of $150, a child will receive the “full kit” of back-to-school readiness items mentioned above. Financial donations can be made through this link: https://www.ymcarichmond.org/donate. Please include "YMCA Bright Beginnings" in the comment section.

In addition, beginning in the next couple of weeks, you can pick up a backpack tag with a list of supplies in the Narthex. Attach the tag to the backpack filled with supplies and return it by Monday, July 18, 2022.

Or, contact Jan Kenney, Goochland YMCA Executive Director at kennyj@ymcarichmond.org or (804) 556-9887 to learn about others ways you can participate by volunteering or filling a backpack.

St. Mary’s Outreach Committee is excited to announce they are bringing BBQ & Brews back this fall! Save the date for Friday, November 4, 2022 (and pray for warmer weather)! All funds raised at this event entirely support the Outreach Ministry. If you are interested in being a member of the planning committee, please reach out to Ashley Cameron at acameron@stmarysgoochland.org.

To all rising 4th through 8th Graders - don't miss an amazing opportunity to go out into our wider community, partner with local non-profits, and serve!

Throughout the week of August 1-5, you will visit local organizations to learn, serve, and grow in your relationship with God and each other. We will learn about loving our neighbors and being the hands and feet of Christ with a particular interest in food ministries. The week ends with a fun and refreshing water day!

St. Mary's Local Mission Week runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, August 1 - Friday, August 5 and is for rising 4th Graders through rising 8th Graders. Registration is open now through July 26. There is a registration limit of 15 participants, so sign up soon! The cost is $100 per child to help cover transportation and supplies. Scholarships are available to anyone who needs assistance.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Kilpy Singer at ksinger@stmarysgoochland.org or (804) 784-5678. Register here.

Consider joining the Hope on the Ground Short-Term Mission Experience with Education Equals Hope (E=H) to Quito, Ecuador this Spring. A Hope on the Ground experience gives you the opportunity to become the “hands and feet” of Education Equals Hope. As E=H says, “On our Short-Term Missions Experiences, you’ll meet and serve with some of the most impoverished children in the world. All our Short-Term Missions Experiences give participants a chance to develop a deeper level of compassion and servant hearts.”

The dates are November 9-16, 2022. Learn more by watching a beautiful highlight video of the January 2020 experience. If you would like to say 'yes!' to this experience, email Ashley Cameron to learn about next steps and more details.

Thank you to everyone who donated items for the GoochlandCARES Food Pantry. St. Mary's 4th & 5th graders participating in VBS On-the-Go sorted and delivered the food to GoochlandCARES on Tuesday, June 28. It was over 1,000 pounds of items! And the Food Pantry Manager said, "this couldn't have come at a better time." Thank you so much for supporting our neighbors in Goochland County!

During the last week in June, a group of St. Mary's 4th & 5th graders participated in VBS On-the-Go. It's a program for those who have aged out of "traditional" VBS but still provides them an opportunity to grow closer to God by learning who their neighbor is by serving others in our community.

Each day they partnered with a different local non-profit in the larger community. They packed "Bags of Hope" for kids "in crisis" and visited the Caring Clothes Closet. They sorted and delivered donated food to GoochlandCARES and cleaned up trash along the James River. They visited Sophia Farms and helped harvest vegetables for CSA boxes. And finally, they baked homemade dog treats and visited the Goochland Animal Rescue. It was an incredible week for St. Mary's young people to be ours and Christ's hands and feet out in the world!

Are you interested in learning more about St. Mary's Outreach Partner CrossOver Healthcare Ministry? Or perhaps you've been away for awhile and want to find out what's new? 

Whether you've never been to either of their clinics or you visit them regularly, they hope you'll join them for a virtual tour. Participants will hear from the CEO Julie Bilodeau about CrossOver's work in the community, virtually visit each of the clinics, and hear about the programs. This month, you will also hear from family advocate social worker Melissa Ellison, MSW, who will share about CrossOver's social work program.

This is a no-charge, no-ask, live event. Register here to join them. 

Outreach Partner Peter Paul Development Center sends out a monthly volunteer newsletter. They recently wrote, “Volunteers are vital to Peter Paul- whether working one-on-one with a student, or helping at a community event, your support helps turn our mission into a tangible reality for the students, families, and community members we serve.” Since the pandemic, a number of volunteer opportunities were on pause but are now resuming. Ongoing opportunities include food distribution workers, Children’s Garden volunteer, senior citizens program assistant, tutoring, and much more. Check out their newsletter and website to learn more! Or email their volunteer coordinator, Joy Gilchrist, to learn more or volunteer.