Outreach & Service

“… for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me …” (Matthew 25:35-36)

St. Paul’s participates in an extensive and varied group of outreach programs. A number of them are food-based ministries, such as gathering non-perishable items for the Food Larder of New Britain, or cooking and packing meals to be distributed throughout Greater Philadelphia by Aid for Friends.

Ministry to women and homeless persons also characterizes our outreach efforts. St. Paul’s has formed relationships with A Woman’s Place (for victims of domestic violence) as well as the Women’s Recovery Community Center (for women in recovery from addiction), donating money as well as necessary items. We have a longstanding relationship with the Bucks County Housing Group, to which half the proceeds of our annual Christmas in Doylestown house tour are given; and the money we raise for “the little red house” goes directly toward unhoused families staying in our local shelter. More recently, we have increased our involvement in the Code Blue Project by the Coalition to Shelter and Support the Homeless, which provides nighttime shelter during sub-zero temperatures for homeless men and women in the Central Bucks area.

Collection-based ministries are a common feature throughout the year: food, gift cards, and Christmas gifts for students at a local elementary school; backpacks and Christmas gifts for children through Episcopal Community Services; used bras collected by Free the Girls to help victims of sex trafficking worldwide; the list goes on.

Beyond our local and regional focus, St. Paul’s outreach extends internationally: through a sister-church relationship with St. Mary’s in Sololá, Guatemala, from a companion relationship between the dioceses of Pennsylvania and Guatemala. Our connection to St. Mary’s spans over 20 years; every year we raise scholarship funds used by their students to further their education. And week by week, we remember St. Mary’s in our prayers at mass.

The Church is the mission of God in the world. Through our outreach programs and ministries, St. Paul’s is at work in God’s mission. Prayerfully consider how you can take part in outreach at St. Paul’s, and check out our calendar for a list of upcoming events.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)