Outreach Ministries and The Treasure Box Ministry
Outreach Committee
Mission: To know Christ and make Christ known by looking beyond our church community and helping those in need.
At Christ Church, Outreach tries to balance its ministry on local, national and international needs.
2011-2012 Program Year Goals:
1) Create opportunities for parishioners to be actively engaged in outreach
2) Share stories from the heart through The Angelus newsletter, the website, and displays in order to communicate Christ’s love to the world
3) Clarify where programs connect among parish committees and with outside organizations
4) Explore possible partnerships with other churches for specific projects
While the committee meets once a month, we seek to have the parish involved in various projects throughout the week, month and year.
Projects that the community of Christ Church has enjoyed in the past include:
Congregational Community Action Project (CCAP)’s food pantry, clothing closet, seasonal food events such as Thanksgiving.
To learn more about CCAP, go to www.ccapwinc.org
Salvation Army dinners for the homeless and food collections
Stop Hunger Now
“Giving Tree” program for 130 families
Relay for Life
Two other large outreach efforts at Christ Church are WATTS and the mission trip:
WATTS: Christ Church is one of the hosting churches for the new Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter (WATTS) program. This helps the homeless in the coldest time of the year by providing a place for them to sleep and get a meal.
Click here for a copy of the 2012 WATTS volunteer schedule
Mission Trip to Bani: Our mission trip is a combined effort of adults and youth to Bani. The trip is ten days long with the team leading two Vacation Bible Schools in missions around Bani. The local mission provides the teachers and VBS curriculum, and the team provides for crafts and supplies, games, and music and drama. The total number of children served is about 180-200 between both locations.
Current Outreach Projects
An Opportunity to Honor our Heroes
Each Sunday we pray for 16 individuals who serve our great nation. We are collecting the following items to put together care packages: tube-socks, t-shirts, toiletries, American candy, magazines, Christmas cards and notes from parishioners. These items need to be collected November 6th. Donations can be left in the box in the parish hall.
Socks Box:
The basic necessities are often the most under realized. CCAP needs items to help people prepare for winter. Through October, we are collecting socks in the socks box in the parish hall. One full box makes for many warm feet.
An Opportunity to Honor our Heroes
Each Sunday we pray for 16 individuals who serve our great nation. We are collecting the following items to put together care packages: tube-socks, t-shirts, toiletries, American candy, magazines, Christmas cards and notes from parishioners. These items need to be collected November 6th. Donations can be left in the box in the parish hall.
Socks Box:
The basic necessities are often the most under realized. CCAP needs items to help people prepare for winter. Through October, we are collecting socks in the socks box in the parish hall. One full box makes for many warm feet.
Treasure Box
The Treasure Box, located on the first floor of the Smith Building, accepts donations of clothing and household items for resale within the community. The proceeds are distributed annually to local agencies and organizations such as C-CAP and the Winchester Day Nursery.
Hours of Operation
Wednesdays & Fridays 10-4 pm unless City of Winchester schools closed due to inclement weather or notices posted at the store.
Mission Statement
As an outreach arm of Christ Episcopal Church, the Treasure Box has been serving the local community for over forty-five years by selling good quality merchandise at affordable prices. The profits are then returned to the community in the form of monetary donations to charitable organizations. Our mission is to continue to serve our community.
A brief history of a little shop
Plans for establishing a church thrift shop got underway in the Spring of 1959 by the women of the parish. The first question: where to locate? It was decided the basement room under the office in the Old Rectory could be renovated for this purpose.
With the Vestry's approval, two rooms were created out of the basement space at a cost of $900. The women of Christ Church advanced $200 to get the shop started. Of this amount $79 was used for paint and decorating to make an attractive shop. Twenty-five dollars was set aside for petty cash to start each day with change.
An appropriate name for the shop was of prime importance. The women of the parish made special trips to other shops seeking ideas, and the name "Treasure Box" was selected after one of the parishioners visited a lovely little shop by the same name in Canada.
The Treasure Box opened on November 18, 1959 and has been in continuous operation ever since. It was moved to its current location in 2000 and continues to provide a vital service to the community. In 2006 donations of $14,000 were made to the local community.
Items we gladly accept
We accept donations any time, but preferably in season due to limited storage space. Clothing, women's/men's/children's, shoes, household items, linens, glassware pictures/framed art, decorative objects, "Smalls", jewelry, books and magazines
Items we do not accept
Large appliances, computers & accessories, furniture, firearms, underwear, prescription glasses, personal hygiene items, cosmetics/bath products (unless unopened), medications.
Join our family of volunteers!
One of the benefits of becoming a volunteer in the Treasure Box is getting to know and working with a great group of gals, also known as the "GGG" factor! You may work as little as one shift per month or as much as once a week, if you like. It's easy and fun. You may choose to be trained either as a cashier or a marker. Shifts are only 3 hours each: You choose: 10-1 or 1-4 pm. Call the Church office: 540-662-5843 or send an email to: admin@christchurchwinchester.org
Baden Outreach Center
Several community groups use this location for meetings, also our Youth & the Men's Group meet here periodically.
The Marie Cooper Trust Fund
In 1967 Nancy O. Cooper died and in her will established a trust in memory of her mother, Marie S. Cooper. The will provided that," One half of the accumulated income be paid to the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church, to be divided equally between home missions and foreign missions." The Marie Cooper Trust Fund Committee meets regularly to consider requests and to recommend to the Vestry disbursements that meet the fund's objectives.
In 2003, these organizations provided approximately $90,000 to a variety of domestic and international agencies. In addition, the youth of the parish perform outreach ministry throughout the year, including taking part in mission trips to West Virginia and South Dakota. In 2004, the parish also provided financial and prayer support for a parishioner who traveled to Honduras to be part of a Diocesan mission team. In 2005 & 2007 the parish supported a medical mission trip to Bani in the Dominican Republic.