Outreach Ministries
For more information about any of the Outreach Ministries-or to volunteer your time, talent and treasure-please contact the church office.
Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, Inc. - Sue Garcia (at the clinic)
Imagine being ill and having to choose food or rent over medical care.
The Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic serves the uninsured and underserved
people of Johns, Wadmalaw and James Islands.
Clinics are held every day of the week and one evening.
Office volunteers are always needed.
Volunteers assist patients with filling out forms and navigating health
care issues as well as make patients feel welcomed and cared for.
Bishop Gadsden - Linda Griseto
Church of Our Saviour has an ongoing relationship with this assisted living
facility where some of our parents and former parishioners are residents.
This year (2010) there will be a quarterly cocktail party which volunteers
from several churches will help with. This year COOS volunteers will also
take over doing birthday cards, "thinking of you" cards and Christmas gifts
for the 14 or so residents who are associated with COOS.
And, for those who love to decorate, COOS decorates the front hallway for Christmas!
"Bring a Can to Church" Sunday - Joan Bullock, Denise Underwood
Church of Our Saviour collects food for "The Blessing Basket",
a monthly food distribution ministry on Johns Island which delivers boxes of
food to those in need in our community. On the first Sunday of the month,
our parishioners are asked to "bring a can to church". The food is taken to
Stono Baptist Church where it is boxed and delivered.
During the growing season, we also collect personal care items for migrant
farm families who come to the island for seasonal work and our Thursday night
Bible study group packages them for Our Lady of Mercy to distribute..
Camp St. Christopher - Susie Keefe
Started as a summer camp for disadvantaged boys more than 70 years ago,
Camp St. Christopher has grown into a full-fledged, year-round conference
and retreat facility. Summer Camp for school children still continues,
and for over twenty-five years the Barrier Island Environmental Education Program
has provided an amazing outdoor educational experience for school children
during the school year. This team seeks to support the staff and mission of
the camp and works with the staff to identify needs and concerns.
ConKerr Cancer Pillowcase Ministry - Shirley Salvo
ConKerr Cancer started when Cindy Kerr's son was diagnosed with cancer in 2002
and she began making pillowcases to brighten up his hospital room and to put a
smile on his face. He loved it, and so she began making pillowcases for other
children on the Oncology Unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The pillowcase project, "A Case for Smiles", seeks to help children feel
special while battling life changing illnesses. Our group at
Church of Our Saviour has a goal of making 400 pillowcases per month for
seriously ill children at MUSC Children's Hospital. We need people to sew,
cut fabric, iron, package, deliver, pray, laugh and enjoy wonderful fellowship
as we share the love of Christ with each other and with these children.
Hebron St. Francis Senior Center - Mary Whyte
Seniors meet here for fellowship, social time and work on needlecrafts such as
quilting throughout the year. At Christmastime, COOS hosts the annual
"Mary Whyte Grandparent's Tea Party", an afternoon event where seniors enjoy
home-baked goodies and tea while they socialize and choose gifts for their
grandchildren from a selection of gifts purchased and donated by members of COOS.
Needed: smiling faces, warm hearts, shoppers, bakers and gift-wrappers.
Island Christian Fellowship - Kathy Smith or Lorrie Gray
Our 15 year covenant partnership with St. James AME Church on Johns Island
makes it possible for two culturally diverse churches to come together several
times a year to build relationship and enjoy fellowship in Christ's love.
Highlights of the partnership are the annual Back to School Rally to provide
school supplies and uniforms for Johns Island students, a summer picnic,
dinners together at each church and a grandparents Christmas party at
St. James. Volunteers are needed to help with events.
Meals to the Homebound - Reda Joost
Bring a nutritious noontime meal and some cheer to a homebound senior
citizen on Johns Island. For some of the recipients it is the only opportunity
for socialization all day. Currently COOS volunteers deliver meals to twelve
to fifteen seniors every Monday through Friday.
All it takes is 2 hours once or twice a month.
Grab a friend/spouse and sign up. It will make your day!
Mission Team - Brad Munday
The Mission Team seeks to extend God's blessing beyond our local area.
In November of 2009 a team from Church of Our Saviour completed its first
mission trip - a Water Missions trip to Chiapas, Mexico.
In September of 2010, a team travelled to Burundi, Africa to work at an
orphanage, building a playground for the children, painting a Noah's Ark
mural on the exterior wall of the elementary school and doing arts and crafts
with the children. The team also brought funding to build 8 homes for the
Batwa(Pygmy) community and had the opportunity to interact with and be blessed
by these beautiful, but marginalized, people. In February of 2011 a team will
travel to Ethiopia to visit several works in progress and assess future
mission opportunities. If you have a passion for mission, this would be a
wonderful opportunity to use your gifts to bring hope and the love of Christ to
our global neighbors in need.
Respite Care Ministries - Laura Stefanelli
This wonderful program, which meets twice a week at COOS, enhances the quality
of life for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer's disease or other
memory related disorders. Caregivers are given a 4-hour respite on Tuesdays
and Thursdays knowing that their loved ones are well-cared for with social
activities, music and art therapy, exercise, lunch and lots of love from the
volunteers. Program volunteers usually serve one day a week, and they all
find it a joy just spending time with these wonderful people. Other volunteer
opportunities might be to bring lunch for the group one day, share a therapy
dog or entertain the group with a particular talent.
Once you meet this group, you'll be hooked!
Rural Mission - Diane McCoy or Mike Todd
The Rural Mission has been serving the very low income families, migrants,
and elderly residents of the rural Sea Islands of Charleston County since 1969.
It offers a helping hand to all in need to allow families and individuals
to overcome crisis and hardship and to help themselves to a better life and a
life of faith. Some volunteer opportunities include being part of a work
team for house rehab and repair, reading to migrant children at the
Migrant Headstart program, cutting wood to provide winter heat for the elderly
and preparing personal care/health kits for migrant workers and the rural poor.
Church of Our Saviour has just formed a new Rural Mission Team in order to
have a more active relationship with this vital ministry.
A servant's heart and a few spare hours are all that's needed.
Scholarship Program - Nancy Fisher, Nancy Hall or Linda Booth
Since 1991, Church of Our Saviour has awarded scholarships each year to deserving
college-bound seniors from Johns Island through an endowment established by
Elizabeth Stringfellow and the generosity of COOS members and the community.
Volunteers review applications, choose recipients and serve as mentors to the
recipients. The team also plans Scholarship Sunday and does periodic fundraising in the community.
Waterproof - Linda Clarkson
This program seeks to reach all the children on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands and
teach them how to swim. The pilot program was a great success last fall at
Friarson Elementary on Wadmalaw Island. .Children have classroom instruction
on water safety and also go to a local swimming pool once a week for swimming
lessons and to practice water safety. If you have a passion for children and
water safety there are many ways you can help.