Reaching Out to Agencies in our Community
The City of San Francisco has created the website below offering opportunities to volunteer during this time. If you are comfortable volunteering, and fulfill the requirements for the volunteer opportunities, we hope you will consider lending a helping hand. It is one way to share Christ’s grace and love throughout the City. Please click HERE for more information on how to be a volunteer.
Giving Tree
This year, our parish giving tree ministry is in partnership with The Diocese of Northern California, who has invited us to partner with other parishes in their diocese and our own in providing essential household and personal goods for victims of wildfire, flooding, and other disasters. Victims often need household and personal items since they are often a long distance from stores providing necessary goods and/or have difficulty shouldering the financial burden. This “restarting" of life for disaster victims can take months while they live in temporary housing until their permanent housing is rebuilt.
Our Giving Tree will be covered with ornaments containing needed items by those in our state recovering from natural disasters. Beginning Sunday, Nov. 27th, we invite parishioners and their families to take ornaments from the Giving Tree, purchase the indicated items, and deposit them into the appropriate bin on the first floor of the parish hall by Dec. 18th. Items do not need to be wrapped.
If you have any questions, please contact Rebekah Hays-Estera - our deacon postulant at 661.964.8120 or [email protected], Susan Barber, Nancy Clark, or Deacon Tim Smith.
Article with St. Mary’s Mention - On December 19, 2019, an article was written about the Gubbio Project detailing the extent of the good work taking place through the nonprofit. In the article, there is mention of St. Mary the Virgin and a quote by our own Rev. David Erickson!
You can read the full article on the SF Chronicle webpage HERE or read the PDF version of the article HERE.
During COVID 19 Shelter in Place, the Gubbio Project’s Sacred Sleep has been suspended.
Eucharists: worshiping with shelter residents - Next Door is a residential shelter managed by Episcopal Community Services on Polk and Geary. Nancy Bryan and Tim Smith serve as deacons at these weekly Eucharistic services for the shelter residents. Please come to serve in the worship service, to share the Holy Spirit and to build community with shelter residents who eagerly await permanent housing. Services are on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Please contact Tim Smith at [email protected] or Nancy Bryan [email protected] to join them at any of the services.
During COVID 19 Shelter in Place, our activities which center around a weekly Eucharistic service have been suspended.
Food Basket and Travel Toiletries
Every week, throughout the year, people donate non-perishable food and toiletry items to the box located in the narthex. Items are distributed to a variety of partner agencies in the city. The Rev. Nancy Bryan coordinates this effort. For more information, contact Nancy at [email protected].
During COVID 19 Shelter in Place, we are not gathering at the church so this service has been suspended.
Open Cathedral: bringing food to an outdoor Eucharist for homeless persons
Open Cathedral is a weekly outdoor Eucharist service held at the Civic Center for unhoused San Francisco residents and those in transition. The service is conducted by clergy of the S.F. Night Ministry with assistance of Open Cathedral volunteers and deacons. Our fifth and sixth graders help to prepare 100 sandwiches and fill the lunch bags on the third Sunday of every third month, help bring the food downtown and participate in the service.
This activity is expected to resume when the COVID-19 Shelter In Place protocols are lifted and the Sunday School meets again in person at the church.
