St. Pauls Almonte

Submitted by Ron Ayling, Chair, Mission & Outreach

The month of May is designated as “Mission & Outreach Month” … a celebration and recognition of the work of our Mission Partners, those local, national and international organizations that the Parish has committed to support on an on-going basis, both financially and in our prayers. Our major Mission Partners are listed at the right.

The Mission & Outreach Committee has a modest budget of
$ 5,000, which enables us to provide meaningful support to not only our major Mission Partners, but also provides some flexibility to respond to the unexpected and to support the local outreach initiatives identified at right.

Thanks to the generosity of folks in our Parish, we received over $ 28,000 last year in designated funds for our Mission Partners. This is in addition to regular offerings and is quite remarkable for a small Parish.

We have set aside two Sundays to mark this month.

• On Sunday May 9th, the Aventura Nica Youth Group will make a presentation on their recent mission to SchoolBox in Nicaragua. They will present to the 8 AM service, and again at a joint service at 10 AM.

• And on the last Sunday of the month, May 30th, the Rev. Canon Bill Prentice, Director of Parish & Diocesan services for the Diocese of Ottawa will speak on Diocesan Outreach Ministries such as Centre 454, The Well/La Source and others. There will be a major coffee hour between the 9:15 and 11 AM services, hosted by the Mission & Outreach Committee.
o Also on this Sunday, we hope to receive donations for the Lanark County Food Bank. This is a small but important mission we are encouraging for the last Sunday of the month throughout the year.

There is much to celebrate in our Mission & Outreach programs. The work of our Mission Partners continues with our blessings and our financial support. If you would like to contribute to any of our Mission Partners or local charities at anytime, envelopes are available at the back of the church or please see a Warden.

If you would like to learn more about our Mission & Outreach activities or would like to contribute to our efforts, please speak to Reverend Pat Martin.