Stewardship Ministry
The fall stewardship season is upon us. This is the time when we reflect on God’s grace and abundance in our lives and offer that back to God through the ministry of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.
Pastoral Care Ministry
Pastoral care at St. Alban’s combines the work of our clergy with the special talents of a professional therapist and a caring team of parishioners in serving the needs of our church family. Assistance is offered during times of illness, death, birth, hospital stays and other special needs as they arise.
The work of the clergy is at the centre of pastoral care. But in addition, lay members of the church help by taking communion to those who are ill or homebound, taking meals if a family is dealing with a death or other major event, offering help when a baby arrives, and performing countless other planned and random acts of kindness.
St. Alban’s Pastoral Care Committee – “Alban’s Angels”
At St. Alban’s, pastoral care for our parishioners and their families is provided by the Pastoral Care Committee – “Alban’s Angels” – a group of clergy members and parishioners dedicated to serving our parishioners and their families with compassion and care.
Our Mission:
The mission of “Alban’s Angels” is to care for the needs within our parish.
Importance of Communication – “We Need to Know So We Can Serve”:
We rely on parishioners to let “Alban’s Angels” know when they have a need, or know of another parishioner who may need pastoral, meal, or other support in times of illness, surgery, convalescence, bereavement, or other personal or family situations. We also aim to support parishioners who may need a ride to church, desire Eucharistic outreach in the home, need errands run or small home repairs done. And we want to be made aware of celebrations in the lives of our parishioners as well, such as graduations, new jobs or career transitions, and other joyful events! Once “Alban’s Angels” are aware of parishioner needs and events, we will work to provide “the right service, at the right time, by the right people” to meet our parishioners’ needs and celebrate life events.
Importance of Confidentiality:
We recognize and respect our parishioners’ rights to privacy, and will hold strictly confidential any information that is requested by our parishioners to be kept private.
Seeds Community Garden at St. Alban’s Ministry
One of the joys of life is planting a seed, then waiting and watching as it turns into a glorious profusion of blossoms. The Seeds Community Garden began with the seed of an idea and is joyfully coming into full bloom. Thanks be to God!
It began when some parishioners who share a love of gardening chatted about digging and planting together. One idea led to lots of others, but the seed was still on the table. Then one gardener remembered a discussion about using the pipeline right-of-way adjacent to St. Alban’s as a community garden, and the focus turned to that nondescript patch of land.
Currently we have 41 garden beds with fruits, vegetables and flowers. We are using organic practices, so all the food that comes from our garden is healthy, and we are helping gardeners adopt practices that will keep the beds themselves healthy for years to come.
We have experienced a true sense of community in this community garden. Some families are giving all the fruits (and vegetables!) of their labor to the Loaves and Fishes pantry at Ada Jenkins. Indeed, we have said that at least 10 percent of all produce from the garden will go to local food banks or soup kitchens.