In its 26 years of existence, St. Anne Episcopal Church has consistently reached out to those in need. In 2004 alone, our church's Outreach Service Commission has offered up resources - both financial and in kind - to support over 20 different groups in need ranging from tsunami and hurricane relief efforts to The National Cathedral in Washington DC.

St. Anne members have been directly involved in numerous outreach projects including:

Navajoland: St. Anne's has supported a yearly mission trip to the Navajo Reservation in conjunction with other local Episcopal churches. Thirty St. Anne parishioners have taken part in this effort since 1996, and each team helps members of the Navajo nation in a variety of ways to promote God's love and understanding. Fundraising for this project is driven largely through a parish mulch sale held every spring.

Appalachian Service Project:  For years, St. Anne's has formed teams of five students and two advisors to assist residents in Appalachia with home repair projects. St. Anne's intends to end three teams to the Appalachian Service Project in June of 2006.

Reach Out Lakota: This non-profit, ecumenical organization gives eligible families in West Chester and Liberty Township food and clothing, as well as personal care items and household goods. St. Anne parishioners have donated money, food and winter coats and have participated in Christmas gift donations to needy residents in our community through this organization.

Community support:  St. Anne reaches out to the community and our facilities host many diverse service organizations and groups. These include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kindervelt of Children's Hospital Medical Center, Home Delivered Meals for Seniors and B'nai Tikvah Congregation.

 

St. Anne's charters Boy Scout Troop 941, which meets at the church on Monday nights.

Boy Scout Troop 941

The Craft Group is an informal group with a tradition of raising funds for St. Anne. A tithe donation is always made to the Episcopal Church Women Outreach group before any other projects are funded. While sharing their passion for crafts, this group has been instrumental in the raising of funds and recent purchases of a new dishwasher and two stoves for the kitchen, new doormats, commemoration plaques by the trees, microphones for the sound system, and a floor polisher. The group has also made contributions to the Choir Director's Fund and funded a new stained glass window recently installed over the nave of the church.

Positive Proactive Parenting is St. Anne's parenting support group. This gathering consists of discussion, sharing, learning, and (what most parents need a lot of) praying. Guest speakers are occasionally featured. PPP meets once a month (generally the third Sunday of the month) from 6 to 8 pm at St. Anne's.

The Parish Health Ministry started in 1998 and provides a healing ministry with a holistic approach, promoting wholeness of body, mind and spirit. We offer blood pressure screenings monthly. Recently we offered a blood draw through one of our physicians to check cholesterol, renal panel and other chemistries. We have also offered flu shots and diabetic screenings. Periodically we have programs that encourage positive health changes with a spiritual emphasis.

St. Anne is one of eight area churches participating in the Upward Flag Football/Cheerleading ministry. This faith based sports ministry is open to boys and girls in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. Evaluations are held in August, practices and games are held through mid-November.

Upward website