Christian Outreach

The Church of the Holy Nativity's mission "reaching out, touching hearts, changing lives" is more than just a fancy slogan. It is a guide for all we do at our church including our Chrisitan Outreach as we work to be the 'hands and heart' of Jesus in the Meridian community, in our State, our country and our world.

LOCAL

Meridian Food Bank - Started by the Church of the Holy Nativity in August, 2002, the Food Bank has grown from distributing food to approximately twenty families once a week to now being open four times a week and serving over sixty families a week. As the Food Bank has expanded, we have sought partnerships with other churches and have joined with the Valley Shepherd Nazarene Church in a joint effort to feed the needy in our community. Valley Shepherd has been kind enough to offer us space in a larger, more centrally located building. The new location of the Food Bank is at 58 E. Idaho and directly across the street from the Meridian City Hall. It is open on Mondays,Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00pm to 4:00pm and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Food and monetary contributions are still welcome and much needed. Please bring food donations to the church and we will transfer them to the Food Bank.

2 cents a Meal - This program started by Deacon Paula Egbert asks members of the congregation to place a jar on their dining room tables (or other places they eat) and each time they sit down for a meal to place two cents in the jar as a thank offering for the blessings God has bestowed on them. On the first Sunday of each month, they are asked to bring those pennies to the Church where they are collected and placed in a special fund. The money usually goes to help needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas to buy food and toys. Two weeks ago, the balance of the fund, $400, was sent to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Angel Tree - This annual event at Christmas helps with the purchase and delivery of toys to the children of men and women incarcerated in Idaho's prisons.

Children and Youth Outreach - Our Children and Youth take part in a monthly outreach project including: collecting donations for, and walking in, the annual Crop Walk; visiting the local nursing home and singing; entertaining the guests at Ronald McDonald house; collecting mittens and hats for the children of Community House; raking leaves of elderly neighbors.

Prayer Shawl Ministry- We have a nice supply of prayer shawls of many colors available for the congregation to give to friends, family members, or anyone they know who is ill, grieving, in treatment, suffering of any kind, new birth, weddings, etc. If you would like one, call Cindy (939-2275) or Alice (345-2542).

DIOCESE AND STATE OF IDAHO

Lillian Vallely School - The Lillian Vallely School, on the Fort Hall Reservation, has been a witness to the Christian faith and is a ministry of education to the children who live on the reservation. Started by the former bishop of Idaho and his wife, John and Jan Thornton and amed for Lillian Vallely, who at 73 was ordained an Episcopal deacon, it is the only Episcopal school for Native Americans in the United States. The school continues to seek prayers and financial gifts as it continues its mission to these children. We are hoping to send a group of parishioners to the school in 2006 to help with the construction of new buildings and to teach summer classes. If you can help this group in any way, please: contact: Jan Thornton, 503-394-3901. For more information go to www.lillianvallelyschool.com

Operation Shoe-Box - Another annual event that includes the whole congregation, especially our youth and children. Small items (those that can fit into a shoe-box) are brought to the church on a weekend evening and shoe-boxes are filled, wrapped with Christmas paper and later taken to a distribution point for shipping overseas to Third World countries.