Outreach
A Theological Framework for Outreach in Inner City Brantford
In Matthew 25: 34-46 Jesus taught us that whenever we give the hungry food; the thirsty something to drink; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; or visit the sick and the prisoner; that, whatever we do to the least of these, we do it for him. In Micah 6 the prophet asks the question, “What does the Lord require of you?” and responds “to seek justice, to love kindness, and to walk softly with our God.”
Throughout scripture, Jesus clearly identifies with those broken and hurting in society. He reveals to us a God who has a special place in His heart for the poor and lowly. Canadian liberation theologian Gregory Baum argues that if we want to truly be God’s hands and feet to the poor we must become one with them – that is achieve solidarity with the poor by entering into their lives and truly achieve empathy with their daily living situations. Theologian Karl Rahner wrote about the two great commandments of Jesus. Some might ask “How do we love God?” He wrote that we obey the commandments to love God and love one another by loving each other. Martin Luther King, in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech issued a clarion call to all people to change the world. He showed us how each one of us can make a difference. God has a dream for society too. At Grace, living out our faith, we strive to align our service with this understanding of God's dream for all his children.
The people of Grace Church understand that we do not exist as a faith community just to serve ourselves. As a church planted in an inner city core we daily meet many of Brantford’s poor who are not sharing in the abundant life of North American society. We feel a duty to act and reach out to all in our city who are on the outside of this abundance looking in. We are regularly evaluating our response to the poor at our doorstep. There is so much to do and we want to do more. We need you to help us in this effort - we are always looking for volunteers for our many outreach ministries.
Rector’s Discretionary Fund
The Rector has a discretionary fund, enabled by generous donors in the parish, to provide assistance to people in crisis that present themselves at the parish office during the week. Food vouchers, occasional overnight lodging, and, transportation vouchers are the most common need. We are always appreciative of any financial support, as there is, of course, a need that is greater than our resources. Please contact the rector if you can help.
As more resources become available, the parish is exploring other anti-poverty initiatives for implementation in the Brantford inner city core.
We have a small food pantry as our parishioners bring groceries to church every Sunday. Every day of the week we get visitors to the Church office in need of basic grocery staples.Hospitality
At Grace Church we make our facilities available for weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Sparks, Brownies, Guides, and Pathfinders in service to the downtown community.Currently we have extended hospitality to house the outreach ministries displaced by the St. Andrew's United Church fire in the last week of January 2006. Programs located at Grace Church include a methadone clinic, and we now host a total of three weekly evening meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Social Justice Links
KAIROS Canadian Social Justice Network
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
Martin Luther King’s I have a dream Speech
