Outreach
Outreach plays a very big roll at All Saints and we definitely pride ourselves in this aspect of the church. Being able to give back and help communities, helps us practice looking beyond ourselves and to the people around us and sharing the love of Christ as we serve and connect with our community.
You can find our various Outreach projects below. If you’d like to get involved in any of these please contact the office on: 033 347 3177
Gods Pantry Led by: Wendy Warr God’s Pantry is a food parcel feeding scheme that aims to help out needy families in the greater Pietermaritzburg area. God’s Pantry relies on a friendly group of volunteers who meet once a month to pack parcels that will go out. These small groups make sure that all the parcels are packed properly and that everyone receives their allocated supplies. The more the merrier, as many hands make light work! GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES This ministry aims to relieve the plight of families struggling to put food on their table. We give out a selection of very basic, long lasting, nourishing staple foods to assist them. We pack approximately 140 parcels which then reach an estimated 500 people. We buy the groceries in bulk and have 5 teams of volunteers who pack groceries for specific families. Each team packs at a different time usually on a the 3rd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 9:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. We also have a team that packs on the 3rd Thursday at 2:00 p.m. We have another team that does the hand out of these parcels on the last Wednesday, Thursday annd Friday of the month. On the day of hand out the recipients are greeted with refreshments and are ministered to, with a short message and a time of praise and worship. We also pack parcels for a number of families in Oribi which are distributed through the Oribi outreach. Our main goals are to continue to bring relief and give hope to struggling families and build relationships with these families and individuals through ministry and prayer. This ministry is not without its challenges. Some of the greatest challenges include meeting the needs of the volume of folk arriving in the hope of assistance. Often, new individuals come along in the hopes there might be something extra for them too. We try to make sure that we reach those who are most in need.
Soup and Salvation Led by: Blythe Hobbah-Watson This small but bold ministry involves a small group of volunteers who deliver soup, bread and tea to those living on the streets on our city. Finding those in need means going out in the evening, and meeting the homeless in the places where they will lay their heads to rest for the night. GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES The challenge that Soup and Salvation has is the size of the volunteer group, which is still very small, and of course relies heavily on men for safety reasons. Ideally we would like to be able to have two teams each Thursday night so that we could start at opposite sides of the CBD. That way we could see everyone each week in the limited time we have. We can’t start earlier that 19:00 because the men are not at their sleeping places before this time, and even that is too early on a nice evening. We are usually finished by 22:00. We desperately need to find the next step for some of these men. They are desperate to change their lives but can’t do it on their own. Work, skills and rehabilitation are all part of the dream. At the moment we are focused on making connections and trying to help where we can with basic needs. But we are really just scratching the surface. There is such a huge need all around us.
Save Oribi Outreach Led by: Cathy de Valence Oribi Outreach is a ministry which reaches out to the community and is based at the SAVF Community Centre. The centre is serviced by a social worker, who is there most Wednesdays. On the days she is not there, Gogo Ivy takes care of the centre visitors in the form of serving tea, soup and bread. All Saints provides the centre with a minimum of 20 litres of soup and 20 loaves of bread monthly. All Saints also provides soup to a cancer patient. There are also some people who receive God’s Pantry food parcels monthly. These are delivered to the Centre to help them avoid transport costs. A small pantry of approximately 12 different foodstuffs is supplied and replenished as required. These items are only distributed by the Social Worker at her discretion. She is supplied with a stock sheet with allowances made for items taken, date thereof and by whom. There is a kid’s holiday club which is run in the July and December holidays. It takes place over 2 days and attendance can be anywhere from 70 to 100 children per day. The holiday club has a Christian theme and the day includes a short biblical message, singing, various art activities and games. A lunch of hotdogs, fruit, juice and a treat are enjoyed and the children leave at approximately 1p.m. SAVF assume liability for the children and each child is required to bring a signed indemnity form. In 2019 we held 1 clothes sale and 1 toy sale, these items were generously donated by the congregation, to help raise funds for the SAVF Community Centre. GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES First and foremost our goal is to make the ministry self-sufficient. Through more 2nd hand jumble sales, I envision the bread, pantry and kids holiday club to pay for itself. Funds collected, should ideally be banked in the ASUC Outreach account so that a record and accountability is maintained. Another goal, is to better structure the holiday club. Due to the size and various ages (3 years to 15 years) it can be a bit chaotic due to the variation of abilities, so the goal this year is to still have the 2 days but the 1st day for children up to grade 3 and the 2nd day grade 4 and upwards. Also, this year we aim to take upon the advertising of jumble sales at the centre to increase sales and give everyone the opportunity to purchase goods at a reasonable price. We hope to raise enough funds to reach more people with the Oribi pantry. Food is the greatest need in Oribi, so additional funds would go a long way. We also hope for more trusted volunteers from the community to join us, those who can serve tea, bread and soup on a regular basis. Finally, to help instil a culture of gratitude rather than expectation would be an ideal we will always strive for. Due to the Social Worker not being permanently based at Oribi, it is sometimes challenging to organise events or get things done as the centre is often closed. As she reports to head office and can’t make decisions independently it sometimes takes a while to implement resources or make changes. Reaching the larger community of Oribi with bread and soup and not limited to just a few regulars is also a continuous challenge we face. A huge “thank you” to the ASUC community and the Council for continuing to support this vulnerable community, without whom they might have no hope. Every gesture of generosity is appreciated by someone along the way.
His Little Lambs Led by: Wendy Warr His Little Lambs Orphanage homes 80 children ranging from birth to 22 year olds. All Saints, visited and met Don and Linda McKenzie 5 years ago and prayerfully discerned the need to supply the children with a few basic items monthly. These items being: 3 X 25Kg Mealie Meal 25 Kg sugar 30 Kg rice 20 Kg samp 20 Kg beans 20 Kg washing powder 48 toilet rolls 12 tins of fish are bought monthly from Makro. All Saints funds 1 week’s supply of fresh bread for the orphans a month (42 loaves). Fresh vegetables are also collected from a generous farmer in the Dargle area every 2 weeks, which he kindly donates to the orphans of His Little Lambs. The objective was, and still is, to assist and meet a very real need of His Little Lambs. The heart of this ministry is to “feed my sheep”, to care for the “widows and the orphans” and to “be the hands and feet of Jesus” where He calls us. GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES Some of the goals of this ministry include to continue with this very generous and most needed donation to the children’s home, to increase what we are able to give – possibly by supplying more protein, to be able to buy and donate fresh fruit, to continue sourcing food, clothing and items needed by all at the home and to continue with the birthday presents and Hope Sunday with Christmas presents and treats. These events and gifts are always met with huge appreciation and joy. We have many hopes for this wonderful home, one is that His Little Lambs Orphanage will be blessed by All Saints by doubling our donation. Another hope that we hold close to our hearts is that, with more volunteers, time and opportunity, we become more “hands on” with the Orphanage, and form long lasting relationships with the carers and the children who stay there. The challenges that we have faced and continue to face in this ongoing ministry, is both finances and donations. This ministry relies fully on the careful management of these two things, and so far, generosity has always ensured that we are not overcome by a lack in either of these areas. His Little Lambs is very appreciative for all that they receive from All Saints and often share that we, after God are their HOPE.
Greys Oncology Hope Packs Led by: Ruth Davidge Every 6 weeks, approximately 26 people arrive at Greys hospital for their oncology treatment. They face this frightening and unpleasant experience frequently far from home and without family and friends. They stay in a basic lodging facility within the hospital and many arrive without even basic supplies. In an effort to show them they are loved, and to provide a few basic requirements All Saints provides them each with a care parcel including: a Faith for Daily Living booklet, toothbrush and paste, bath soap, vaseline, a packet of tissues, a small fruit juice (preferably apple or grape), facecloth, socks, sunlight bar soap, a pen and notebook. In addition they receive packets of Morevite to supplement their basic diet provided by the hospital. GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES We want to encourage the congregation to visit these precious people who are receiving treatment during a terrible patch of their lives. Our continual hope is to have more people donate towards the Care pack. Perhaps, with more donations we may even be able to add a small gift or treat to each pack. In the future, we also hope to package these items in a more attractive bag, especially around Easter, Christmas, Women’s Day, Valentines, and other special occasions. Of course, to add more fun and something nice, we would love to be able to add treats to supplement the Morevite, such as canned fruit, nuts, raisins, biscuits/crackers, packets of soup, peanut butter or mints. Our main challenge in this ministry is making sure that there are enough items for the packs every 6 weeks. Thankfully, even with all the other ministries going on, donations still seem to come in when we need them, thank you to the generosity of our All Saints family. We are repeatedly told how gratefully these gifts are received. Thank you to all who contribute faithfully to this outreach.
Greys Feeding Scheme Led by: Wendy Warr Grey’s Feeding Scheme started 7 years ago, realizing the need to feed those that are sick and waiting medical attention, with the making of sandwiches to feed the patients waiting to see the doctors. The auditorium was built and the sandwiches, were swopped for soup 6 years ago when contact was made with Container ministries in Durban who donated soup mix to All Saints. Vegetable soup, is cooked on a Wednesday and Friday morning and decanted into insulated cups with lids and transported to Grey’s along with 2 slices of dry brown bread, by willing volunteers. This delicious meal is handed out to those awaiting medical attention in all clinics. An average of 600 people are fed weekly at Greys. GOALS, HOPES & CHALLENGES The heart of this ministry is to make a difference and to meet a very real need and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. We were once able to provide fruit with the soup and bread, but sadly due to the economic crisis and budget cuts, we have had to remove the fruit. We still hope to once again be able to buy and supply each patient a fresh piece of fruit. This is always very much enjoyed by those who receive it. We are hopeful that with more donations, a better economic situation and more volunteers who can give up their time, we will be able to increase our outreach into Greys to be 3 days of the week. However, this dream is challenged by the availability of finances, which is constantly the main challenge of almost every outreach ministry. Thankfully, our volunteers are so passionate and committed to this ministry, that they are always eager to give of their time and talents every week. This ministry would not be possible without them. The Administrator, Drs, nurses and most of all the patients are grateful for the meals supplied and handed out along with the prayers from the happy and willing teams from All Saints United church.