Stewardship at St. Michael's

Stewardship includes a reverence for the creation and right use of God's gifts; the generous and consistent offering of time, talent, and treasure for the mission and ministry of the Church; the biblical standard of the tithe for financial stewardship; and the responsibility of all persons to make a will. Chairing our stewardship program in 2010 are Beth Tucker and Durel Landry.

Support of the Diocese • Ministerial Association • Johnston Place • UTO

Ten per cent of our pledges are contributed quarterly to the Diocesan Covenant. An annual contribution is given to the Fayette Ministerial Association for transients. Three parishioners serve as Board members for Johnston Place, a local facility serving retarded persons, for which our parish was one of the original sponsors. Volunteers from the parish participate in a wide variety of local organizations and community groups. The United Thank Offering is supported twice annually through contributions from the women of the church. 

Alabama Episcopal Foundation
St. Michael's parish is a participating member of The Alabama Episcopal Foundation.  Our current endowment committee members are Beth Tucker, Cece Hale, and Fran Lowe.  We will soon be furnishing every member of the parish with materials relating to how they can ensure the continued ministry of St. Michael's by will and how they can provide for themselves and their loved ones through living wills, medical powers of attorney, and health directives. 

Al-Anon
The Fayette Chapter of Al-Anon has suspended meeting for the time being because of lack of attendance.  Meanwhile, Ala-Anon meets in Winfield, Alabama, at the Community Center at Ivan K. Hill Recreational Park every Sunday and Wednesday at 8 pm. 

Baby Closet Ministry

The Women of the Church have developed a Baby Closet Ministry, to assist new mothers in need with clothing and other items for the newborn.  This ministry was awarded a start-up grant in 2005 by the Diocese, which was renewed in 2006.  This ministry has grown and expanded significantly, and has been blessed with the leadership of Rose Mary Lambert, Valerie Moore, and current chair Sharon Trank.    

Christian Center of Concern
A truly exceptional outreach program of St. Michael's is the Christian Center of Concern, a cooperative nonprofit effort of area churches to provide free food and emergency care to families in need. We share space with the Fayette office of Community Service Programs of West Alabama at 316 Second Avenue, NE, in Fayette, and operate a Food Bank there on the first three Wednesdays of each month. The Center gives away many thousands of dollars in free food and emergency assistance to approximately three thousand families. More than a dozen parishioners work at the Center, interviewing clients and handing our food, loading and unloading shipments, and the parish makes a monthly contribution to the Center.  Our parish received a $20,000 grant from the 2005 Bishops' Easter Fund to assist in paying for an expansion of the Christian Center of Concern Building.  This awarding of this grant led the CCC Board to apply for a faith-based grant.  The application was successful, and the faith-based grant of $250,00 will enabled us to construct a new building on the site, which includes more space for client services, handcapped-accessible public restrooms, and a room for nursing personnel to provide basic services such as checking vital signs and giving nutritional advice.  The nursing program is operated in cooperation with the Bevill State Community College Department of Health Sciences and Nursing. 

Fayette County Schools

St. Michael's is proud to support the Fayette County Schools in many ways, including the purchase of school supplies for needy students.  We cooperate with the Fayette Ministerial Association in sponsoring Education Sunday, a time when area churches solicit tangible support of our local public schools.   

Narcotics Anonymous

The local chapter of Narcotics Anonymous meets in St. Michael's Parish Hall Mondays, Thursdays, and Satudays at 7 pm.  The meetings are open ones, which means that anyone who is interested can attend. "NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We … meet regularly to help each other stay clean. ... We are not interested in what or how much you used ... but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help."  For more information, call Donna J. at 205-451-5641, or just drop in at a meeting any Thursday or Saturday evening.  We welcome you!   

Outreach to the Poor • Rector's Discretionary Fund

At St. Michael's we reach out to share our selves and our resources in the Name of Jesus Christ. St. Matthew 25:40. A major portion of the parish budget is allocated to outreach efforts in the area, and the Rector's Discretionary Fund provides other offerings for the poor. The undesignated plate offering on the first and third Sundays of each month is allocated to that Discretionary Fund. Requests for funds for the payment of utilities must be to and pre-approved by the Fayette Office of Community Services (see link above).  Vouchers for food, gas and lodging for indigent transients are available from the rector thanks to funding from the Fayette Ministerial Association. 

Prayer Shawl Ministry

CeCe Hale is the leader of our Prayer Shawl Ministry, an outreach to the sick, particularly the chronically ill.  If you knit or crochet and are interested in this ministry, contact CeCe at church. On a diocesan level, a needleworks guild, St. Lydia's Guild, is in the process of formation.  Locally, women of various Fayette churches are meeting regularly at St. Michael's to participate in this ministry.  The meetings take place the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Parish Hall, and everyone interested is welcome to attend. 

Stewardship of Creation
St. Michael's has long been committed to the care of the earth, the environment, and all that God has entrusted to us. Genesis 1:26. Our expression of concern ranges from recycling to participation in the diocesan program on Stewardship of Creation.  We ask God to "give us a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory."  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 388.) St. Michael's commitment includes parish and personal support for the Fayette County Recycling Center, a volunteer recycling program begun in 1994 with participation and leadership provided by members of the parish.

Disaster Relief - Episcopal Relief & Development

Our Baby Closet ministry has assisted disaster victims in Lamar County, and we have delivered needed toiletries there as well. The parish has given significant help to many others,  The Rev'd Deacon Dr. Roland Ficken is the Diocesan Disaster Coordinator. He operates out of Tuscaloosa and can be reached at 205-242-8059 or 205-345-3909.  Donations for disaster relief can be made through Episcopal Relief and Development, online at www.er-d.org.

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© 2010 St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Fayette, Alabama