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St. Joseph Catholic Church

Missions Outreach

The primary role of Missions Outreach is to create and maintain missionary service opportunities for parishioners.  The “new evangelization” calls each of us to be Christ’s eyes, ears, hands and feet; serving, evangelizing, and ministering to our brothers and sisters in most need.  The approach is to form long-term partnerships with existing organizations that meet certain criteria for Christian service.  A “menu” of local, regional, and international missionary service options are made available for individuals, couples, youth, and families to share their time, talent, and treasure.

The 2020 Missions Outreach Report to the Parish (pdf) is here.

VOLUNTEER LOGIN: stjosephmissionsoutreach.duplie.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

St. Joseph Church Missions Outreach ministry (or "Missions") currently has 13 missions and outreach programs which serve our parishioners and the community. These programs are described below. Most of the service work is performed right here in the Conway area. The Missions is using an online system from Duplie to help manage the programs, volunteers, and for scheduling and signing up for events and service work days. Previous and new volunteers can register onto this system at  stjosephmissionsoutreach.duplie.com. After registering, volunteers (or "Users") will receive a verification email. Please follow the instructions to create a password. Then create a profile, and select the "Groups" (e.g. Missions for Transitions, Handyman Services, etc.) of interest.  Volunteers will then start receiving communications tailored to their unique profile and interests.  In other words, volunteers will only get notices about the programs and events that they are interested in. Volunteers will then use this system to sign-up for specific events and programs that they want to volunteer for. Duplie volunteer registration steps are given here.  User tips and guidelines for registered volunteers can be found here. For assistance with registration, please contact Don Greenland, don.greenland@nabholz.com , 501-472-2453 (cell/text/voicemail) or Celeste Bailey, cbailey@sjparish.org, 501-327-6568.                                                                                 St. Joseph Mission Outreach Volunteer                                                                                                                                                                                                   Registration Form Click Here

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Deer hunters: Please consider donating extra meat or a whole deer to Hunters for the Hungry. Your meat donation will help address hunger in our community. Deliver your meat donation to Cypress Valley processing in Vilonia and designate St Joseph Missions Outreach as the recipient. Call 501-428-0099 for more information.

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The "Appalachia Men of Faith Mission Trip" in Auxier, Kentucky, is scheduled for June 1-5, 2021. Additional information about this mission trip will become available in March 2021.

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Adopt A Meal at Bethlehem House; consider preparing and serving a meal at Bethlehem House. Missions Outreach is looking for volunteers to prepare and serve a meal at Bethlehem House on behalf of St. Joseph's Church for the upcoming year.  This is a great volunteer opportunity for parish families and friends. Bethlehem House, a homeless shelter in Conway, feeds up to 60 people nightly. Anyone who is hungry is invited into this caring home for dinner. Menu ideas include:

Six- 9x13 casserole dishes of: lasagna, spaghetti, chicken or beef fajitas, burritos, meatloaf; or 4-6 large pots of: chicken or/and vegetable soup, chili; any heavy meat/protein dish.

Additional items (nice but not required): breads (rolls, wraps, muffins, crackers); sides (salad, green beans, or corn); desserts (ice-cream, cookies, pies, cakes).

If you are interested in becoming a Team Leader for a group of your family members or friends to adopt a meal, please contact Celeste Bailey at 501-327-5528 or cbailey@sjparish.org for the available dates and additional information.

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OUR MISSION OUTREACH:

Missions for Transitions:  Missions for Transition ("MfT") volunteers collect, deliver, and setup households (furniture/furnishings) for individuals and families transitioning from Conway area shelters into their new homes. These clients are referred by local shelters, charitable organizations, and from members of the parish. This mission work is usually performed on Saturday mornings, and is a great opportunity for families, retirees and students to volunteer and serve our community. Volunteers occasionally pick up furniture donations from parishioners. There is also a "Call Tree" so that volunteers can followup with clients that were served. Photos of this missions can be viewed here.

Handyman Services:  Parish volunteers provide home maintenance, repairs, and disaster response for parishioners and others who need help in the Conway area. Consideration is given to clients who submit Handymen Evangelizing Local Parishioners (HELP) requests (click here), and to referrals submitted by local charitable organizations and parishioners. Projects include refurbishing “recycled” Habitat for Humanity houses; in return, the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Conway donates furniture for our Missions for Transition clients. This group also performs repairs and maintenance tasks on church facilities in depressed communities in Arkansas. Handyman projects are normally performed on Saturdays and some weekdays. This mission offers volunteer opportunities for men & women, families, students and retirees who enjoy working with their hands. Photos of previous projects can be viewed here.

Pack the Pantry:  As St. Joseph Parish's oldest outreach program, more than 4 tons of food are collected and distributed each year to Conway area food pantries such as the Soul Food Café Mission, Bethlehem House, and Last Chance Ministries.  These ministries feed over 500 hungry people each week, and our parish's food and cash donations help keep their food pantries stocked throughout the year. Food donations are requested from parish families during the first weekend Masses each month.

Community Assistance Program: Missions Outreach provides financial support for local families to help pay for utility bills, rent, medical expenses, and other needs.  Potential clients are referred by local agencies and our parishioners. 

Bethlehem House Meals:  Monthly evening meals are scheduled at the Bethlehem House in Conway.  These meals are prepared and served by parish families, friends and organizations. Each year about 800 homeless and hungry in our community are served by this mission.

Assist with Partner Events: Volunteers assist with non-profit events that are sponsored by our local partner organizations, including CACPA food boxes, Project Homeless Connect, CHDC Holiday Events, CoHO’s Gala and Thanksgiving Meal events and more.

Parish Sponsored Events: Volunteers assist with events that are sponsored and organized by our parish. Events include Empty Bowls, Project Encounter, “One Church” fundraisers, and October Missions Month. Tasks may include setup and tear down at the venue, meal preparation and serving, event invitations, church bulletin ads, and fundraising. For example, with Project Encounter, Missions Outreach subsidizes supplies for Blessing Bags for the homeless. Volunteers then assist our parish's youth with organizing and assembling these bags with contents donated by parishioners. Parish families distribute about 400 bags each year to the needy on Conway area streets.

Men of Faith Appalachia Mission TripEach June, men of the parish travel to one of the poorest counties in the United States, Floyd County, Kentucky, to perform 3 days of home repair and maintenance projects which are arranged by Hand-in-Hand Ministries. Projects include replacing roofs, rebuilding porches, building wheel chair ramps, repairing interior floors and walls, plumbing and electrical work. This is an excellent opportunity for fellowship, to make new friends, and to learn new home repair skills. The next trip is June 1-5, 2021; details for this trip will be available in March 2021. Photos from the 2019 trip can be viewed here.  2018 trip photos can be viewed here.

Lending Library:  Religious books & CDs are available to parishioners free of charge at the kiosk located in the chapel vestibule. These are updated regularly during liturgical seasons. 

Family Mission Trip: Missions Outreach subsidizes the Family Mission Trip. During Spring break, parish families with kids work on projects at the St. Joseph Center in North Little Rock.


Interested in volunteering? Check the table below to determine if a specific mission or outreach program is suitable for you, and register as a volunteer at stjosephmissionsoutreach.duplie.comDuplie volunteer registration steps are given here.  User tips and guidelines for registered volunteers can be found here. For assistance with registration, please contact Fred Schulze, fredshulze@gmail.com, 214-207-5320 (cell/text/voicemail). 

 

ACTIVITY ADULTS COUPLES FAMILIES STUDENTS
Missions for Transitions - Deliveries X X X X
Missions for Transitions - Call Tree X      
Pack the Pantry X X X X
Handyman Services X X X X
Bethlehem House Meals X X X X
Community Assistance Program X      
Assist with Partner Events X X X X
Parish Sponsored Events X X X X
Men of Faith Appalachia Mission Trip X     X
Family Mission Trip     X  
International Mission Trip X X X X
Lending Library X X X X
Missions Committee X X    

 



The Missions Committee also performs other administrative functions related to missions on behalf of the parish.

Financial Support to Local Non-Profit Organizations: 

  • City of Hope Outreach (CoHO) Hope Home for Men: This transition house for men in Conway receives monthly donations from Missions Outreach to support their operations.
  • Harbor Home for Women: This Conway residential community for women in crisis receives monthly donations, as well as donations of household supplies, from Missions Outreach.

Missionary Cooperation Plan:  Members of Missions Outreach accept and vet applications from organizations outside of the Diocese of Little Rock that wish to make an appeal to the parish concerning missions. Approved applicants are then coordinated and scheduled on the parish calendar.

Confirmation Service Days:  In cooperation with the Confirmation coordinator, committee members create and schedule opportunities with partner organizations for parish youth preparing for Confirmation to fulfill their “Service Days” requirements.

The 2019 Missions Committee Report to the Parish is available here.
POVERTY AWARENESS PRESENTATION (PDF)
Presented January 12, 2016

For information about St. Joseph Church Missions Outreach, contact: Don Greenland, Missions chairperson, 501-472-2453.