Outreach Committee

             The Outreach Committee is one of the Saint Christophers communitys primary vehicles for carrying out our vision of Serving Christ in Others.  Supported by church and community volunteers, and funded by individual donations as well as church funds, the Outreach Committee sponsors projects that improve the lives of others right here in Springfield, Virginia, as well as in the surrounding community.  A few of the Committees ongoing projects are discussed below.

Homeless Outreach Ministry (HOMe)

 St. Christophers parishioners respond to the homeless community by partnering with FACETS, Fairfax County, and 17 other faith communities during the winter months through participation in the Hypothermia Response Program.  For an entire week from 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM, we provide shelter, food, and fellowship to single homeless adults.  There are a variety of volunteer opportunities, including team leader, overnight volunteer, meal preparer, activity leader, and evening and morning on-site volunteer.  For more information, please contact Lisa Diana, at jnldiana@att.net.

Nurturing Parent Program 

The Nurturing Parenting Program is part of Child Abuse Prevention Services in the Fairfax County (Virginia) Department of Family Services.  The Program provides an opportunity, once a week, for parents to meet in small groups with counselors and advisors, while their children meet separately with counselors.  Parents and children then come back together for dinner and conversation. 

 Saint Christophers supports the Program by providing counselors and meal preparers.  Between July and December 2007, Saint Christophers will host a weekly meeting of the Program on Tuesday evenings in the Saint Christophers education building.  Volunteers are needed to assist in coordinating the use of the facility, and are always welcome to train for and assume the role of counselor and facilitator.  For more information about this program, or to volunteer, please contact Bill Bruch at bbruch1@cox.net.

School Physicals and School Supplies

 Each year the Saint Christophers community assists in providing school physicals to local students who cannot otherwise afford them.  Volunteer physicians, assisted by many other people performing administrative tasks, provide physicals to several hundred school age children.  This year the physicals will be given on Saturday, August 18^th, from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at the Fairfax County Health Department Offices, on Keene Mill Road. 

Concurrently with the physicals, backpacks containing school supplies are offered to students.  Saint Christophers collects school supplies beginning in mid-July, and assembles the backpacks shortly before the day of the physicals.  For more information, to donate materials, or to volunteer to help with this program please contact Lynn Knox at hdkeak@msn.com. 

ECHO

The Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO) provides food, essential household items and financial assistance to needy families in the Springfield and Burke areas.  More than twenty Springfield and Burke area churches provide material and financial support to ECHO, which is located on Old Keene Mill Road adjacent to Garfield Elementary School.   

Saint Christophers supports ECHO by collecting food and household item donations year round.  Donations are left in or by a large wooden box inside the Saint Christophers fellowship hall.   Outreach Committee members take the donations to ECHO on a regular basis.  During the month of July Saint Christophers makes a special effort to collect donations for ECHO; this is our assigned month for providing substantial support to the program. 

For more information about ECHO, paste the following URL into your browser:  http://www.echo-inc.org/    If you would like to volunteer in Saint Christophers assistance to ECHO, please contact John Quinn at skinsnats@gmail.com.