Each year in the Fall, St. Stephen's celebrates with Oktoberfest!  The 2011 Oktoberfest is scheduled for October 8, Starting 6:30 pm in the Parish Hall.  This is our biggest fundraiser for Outreach for the year with 100% of the proceeds going to families and children. Thank you to those that attended or supported the 2010 Oktoberfest!   You gave over $40,000 to help those in our community and around the world.  Please call the office for details or tickets.

OUR MISSION
We strive to serve those in our parish and in the larger community by giving of our time, talents and financial resources.  We believe that our spirituality is activated through service to those in need in the community and the world.

OUR GOALS
The Outreach Committee is dedicated to providing to the parish a variety of direct service or financial support opportunities, which serve the larger community.  Our goals are as follows:

1.   To offer a wide variety of outreach opportunities so as to involve more than half of the parish in outreach activities.
2.   To dedicate for Outreach programs a gift of time, talent and in-kind services and funding equal to 10% of the annual church total operating expenditures. 
3.   To encourage further contributions by the parish, which are in addition to the funds allocated through the annual parish budget.

Please read on to learn about some of our current or recently completed Outreach activities. To become involved or participate in projects, contact the St. Stephen’s and we will direct you to the current Outreach Committee Chair or the appropriate Committee Member.

ST. STEPHEN’S OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES

The Angel Project  At Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, our gifts benefit community families in need.  The parish provides Easter baskets filled with candy and toys with a food card for Easter, food for the Thanksgiving feast and practical gifts for family members at Christmas in addition to the Holiday meal.  Both cash and actual gifts are needed and are presented to these families just before Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas.  This is a parish wide project. Volunteers help with wrapping presents or packaging a family’s gifts together for distribution. 
Mindy Bush: (925) 299-1204 / minbush@comcast.net
Valerie Moret: (925) 946-9496 / moretpg@yahoo.com

Backpack Project  We collect and distribute back to school supplies for the early grades of St. Cornelius School in Richmond, California.  St. Stephen’s is also a drop off site for those in the community who would like to get involved in helping those who need it.  Please contact the office on how to be a part of this project or look for details on this web site.

Birthday/Anniversary Fund  Sunday, members of the parish are invited to celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries with a blessing at the altar and are offered the opportunity to make a special contribution to the Birthday/Anniversary Bank.  Funds raised in this way have for many years been designated for Outreach by the Rector.   

Caring is Sharing  On the third Sunday of every month, you have the opportunity to help those less fortunate than we are by putting cash, or a check made out to St. Stephen’s, in the envelope provided with your monthly bulletin.  Funds go locally to the Pittsburg Food Pantry, to Episcopal Relief & Development or you may designate another non-profit organization for your gift and St. Stephen’s will forward the funds to that agency. 

Common Hope This family development program provides health, education, and housing services to the poor in Antigua, Guatemala, at New Hope Village outside Guatemala City, and at San Rafael El Arado.  St. Stephen’s families have made financial donations, and provided school supplies, arts and crafts materials, and books in Spanish for the children.  A number of St. Stephen’s parishioners have participated in 9-day team visits.  We especially need volunteers willing to sponsor a child with a $60 monthly contribution to Common Hope, and people interested in joining future vision teams to provide hands-on assistance to the project.  www.commonhope.org

Episcopal Charities This agency supports the 16 organizations that are affiliated with the Diocese of California.  St. Stephen’s members support the agency through participation in a variety of events, serving in various roles as well as responding to the annual appeal for funds. www.episcopalcharities.org

eScrip  Please join the people of St. Stephen’s supporting this powerful fundraising program.  It is a hassle-free way for us to support our programs.  Safeway and over 150 merchants have created a system that rewards customer loyalty by contributing a percentage of purchases to St. Stephen’s.  Keep in mind, you need to re-register once a year on the eScript website.  The registration is simple.  Log on to www.eScrip.com and go to “sign up”.  Designate St. Stephen’s to receive the contributions.  Our Group ID is 157506604.  Register your grocery club and other cards that you desire. That’s it!  Questions?  Contact Ned Trippe, 254-3626.  Sign up today. 

Good Friday Offering  Through the office of the Presiding Bishop, this offering provides resources for the province of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.  This support benefits hospitals, schools, orphanages and many other human service programs.

Helping Hands ~ Lemonaides.  If you are able to provide food, caregiver relief and/or a ride, please contact the church office and you will be added to the Helping Hands ~ Loving Hearts call list.  If you are in need of a helping hand, please let us know.

The Henry Ohlhoff House  The Henry Ohlhoff House, one of the Episcopal Charities programs, provides alcohol and drug recovery programs in the Bay Area.  Each year, we collect men’s used clothing for their use.   www.ohlhoff.org

Loaves and Fishes   St. Stephen's is a small part of a large group of volunteers serving meals five days a week to those in need. Our group goes on the 5th Wednesdays, 4-5 times per year. We travel by carpool to Pittsburgh, leaving at 8:30 am, and work at the catering kitchen, then serve the lunch at a nearby church. Usually work is completed by noon. New helpers are always welcome. www.loavesandfishesofcontracosta.org

The Messiah Sing  In early December, members of our church’s choir join with singers and musicians in our community to host at St. Stephen’s this sing-along Messiah opportunity.  This event, has proven to be tremendously successful and has become a part of our Christmas traditions.  Net proceeds from this event, are distributed to homeless shelters and food banks within our local community.  Contact Robert Adams, our Minister of Music with questions.

Shelter Inc.  Shelter, Inc. operates transitional housing and long-term affordable housing, including supportive services and special needs population services. Each year, church members cook and serve dinners and provide food for breakfast and lunch for one week at a shelter in Martinez.  More details here or www.shelterincofccc.org

Sophia Project  Located in a low income neighborhood in West Oakland, the Sophia Project serves children and families who are at risk of recurring homelessness and its effects.  Their programs include infant and toddler care, early childhood education, childcare, a before and after school program, artistic activities, a weekend respite program, parenting education and family support services.  www.sophiaproject.org

Wardrobe for Opportunity  Serving economically disadvantaged jobseekers in Contra Costa and Alameda County, Wardrobe for Opportunity provides vital and often overlooked services, furnishing suitable business attire for both the interview process and the job and support for career advancement. www.wardrobe.org

If your favorite project is not listed above or your special talent is not fully utilized, please contact the Church office at (925) 254-3770 to direct you to the current Outreach Committee Chair or the appropriate Committee Member.

We look forward to providing a rewarding and enriching outreach experience for you!