Outreach

St. Peter’s church feels strongly the call our Savior made to St. Peter to “feed my people” and our outreach focuses on the various ways that God’s people are fed. Our outreach ministry feeds our brothers and sisters spiritually by a monthly Eucharist service at the Bridgton Health Care Center. We provide scholarships for children who wish to attend Camp Bishopswood, the Diocese of Maine’s summer camp. We also supply a campership so that one young woman from the Lakes Region can attend The Summer Camp in Washington, ME, a camp for at-risk teens.

Outreach at St. Peter’s also recognizes that people are fed when their physical needs—for shelter, warmth, education, and socialization—are met. We support two children through the Christian Children’s Fund, an on-going outreach for nearly 20 years. We collect a monthly basket of items for the Preble Street Resource Center in Portland. The items, which range from personal care products to pantry items, are destined for people making the transition from the homeless shelter into independent living. Last winter we joined the Diocesan Office in Portland in collecting warm socks for men in the homeless shelter in Portland, a critical need during the wet cold months of winter. We participate in the ecumenical Bridgton outreach at Christmas and Thanksgiving for needy families. Local agencies assisted with outreach monies include the local Senior Transportation Center and the Family Crisis Center.

Feeding God’s people can also mean, of course, literally feeding them. Our outreach in this area includes support for the Bridgton Food Pantry, a yearly gift to Heifer International (last year our Sunday School students helped us select a heifer and a water buffalo to be provided through Heifer International to impoverished families in the developing world), and perhaps most tangibly, our St. Peter’s Café. Once a month, in conjunction with a food distribution day for the Food Pantry at the Methodist Church, the members of the congregation provide a nourishing free lunch to anyone who desires one. On average we serve about 80 meals a month through this program and hope to continue growing this important outreach to those in our community in need of a good meal and some pleasant company.

Outreach is supported by the time, talent, and treasure of our parishioners. Many opportunities exist for members of the congregation to practice the ministry of all the baptized by collecting goods for donation, cooking meals, serving and interacting with Café participants, and helping to provide the services of our outreach programs. We attempt to be good stewards, as well, of the riches God has granted us. In addition to individual donations, St. Peter’s tithes (sets aside 10%) all of its operating budget, demonstrating for our community the loving response we should all adopt to the many blessings of this life. In addition to the regular outreach, St. Peter's has provided emergency aid with special offerings throughout the year and raised over $5000 for flood victims in the west, earthquakes in China and Haiti and oil spill relief in the Gulf. St. Peter’s Café has recently received a generous grant from the Diocesan Foundation for Ministry to help us furnish our new building’s kitchen, allowing us to continue this important outreach and grow in service to our community.

St. Peter's Cafe

Once a month, in conjunction with a food distribution day for the Food Pantry at the Methodist Church, the members of the congregation provide a nourishing free lunch to anyone who desires one. On average we serve about 100 meals a month through this program and hope to continue growing this important outreach to those in our community in need of a good meal and some pleasant company.

Children's Outreach Garden

2011 Christmas luncheon at the
Bridgton Community Center

Fr Hacker meeting the
community one at a time

Haiti Relief Walk in Portland