Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world
You are his hands, you are his feet, you are his eyes, you are his Body
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
-St. Teresa
In our outreach efforts, we seek to follow St. Francis, who instructed his brothers, “Proclaim the Gospel of Christ; use words if you must.” Our ministries both serve the needs of people locally and span the globe. For many years, we have had an ongoing relationship with the Diocese of Northern Malawi, where many parishioners have traveled on missionary trips. Members of the congregation have also made mission trips to Bolivia and Honduras and are planning further efforts in Honduras. We have also supported St. John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and made special contributions for unique projects like Asian tsunami relief.
Closer to home, we have contributed to the Episcopal Relief and Development Agency’s efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and to a number of local churches, fire and rescue squads, and charities. In addition, we sponsor a number of scholarships for young people in the area. Following the spirit of St. Francis, we have served thousands of meals to people in Washington, D.C. over the last eighteen years, preparing food in the Parish Hall kitchen and carrying it to the city. We also operate a food closet out of the Peard House and host and sponsor an ecumenical Thrift Shop that offers clothing at a reasonable cost to people in the community. All proceeds from the shop go to support people in need.
In the past year, we instituted a class, “English as a Second Language”, aimed at the local Latino community (as well as a class called “Spanish for Gringos”). The well-attended class begins with a brief oraci—n, a few hymns in Spanish, and a dinner. We plan to build upon this promising start.
The Community Music School of the Piedmont, which is located in the lower level of the Parish Hall and has a Trinity representative on its board, adds greatly to our presence in the community through educational programs and performances and by offering scholarships to children who otherwise could not afford the joys of learning to play or sing.
In addition to money from our stewardship pledges, we hold two major events each year that raise significant funds for our outreach ministries. The Hunt Country Stable Tour, held every Memorial Day weekend, draws over 3,000 visitors who revel in demonstrations and tours at a dozen or more horse farms in the area. The annual Christmas Auction affords parishioners and friends an opportunity to bid generously on a wide range of goods and services, with the more expensive items sold in an exciting live auction and the rest through a silent one. Both these events have the additional benefit of involving large segments of the congregation, cementing relationships and building community.
An important outreach ministry of Trinity Church is the thrift shop housed in Keith House at the eastern end of the campus. The Thrift Shop is a resource for the greater community, providing clothes, household goods and other items at low cost. All proceeds go to local outreach ministry, focusing particularly on assistance for medical, utilities, and housing needs.
We also operate a food closet out of the Peard House.
Our Outreach Program is concerned with helping those in need. We try to build and strengthen relationships with those in the local community, the Diocese, the national Church and around the world. The committee supervises the distribution of time and money to many causes and sponsors wonderful opportunities for volunteering: such as Habitat for Humanity, an annual Christmas Auction and the annual Hunt Country Stable Tour.
