Outreach Ministries

Saint Mary’s impact on the community is continually growing. Our Outreach ministries support a number of initiatives:

  • BLESSING BOX: A mini food pantry that provides food anonymously for anyone who might need it 24 hours a day. Members of the community may add to it when they can, and the Outreach Members fill it 3 times per week from a stocked pantry in the church. “Leave what you can. Take what you need. Above all be blessed.” Parish Coordinator: Louise Deahl
  • EDUCATION = HOPE: A non-profit organization that we partner with to provide HOPE to nearly 400 students in the South of Haiti each year. We help support two ministry sites: LES CAYES where 100-150 students receive tuition assistance sponsorship and CAVAILLON where 250 students attend Ecole St. Esprit, an Episcopal school. Parish Coordinator: Joyce Pipkin
  • KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY: A weekend retreat with the mission to share the message of Jesus Christ and develop a Christian community inside the prisons. It impacts the hearts and lives of incarcerated, encouraging them to become loving and productive citizens of their communities. St. Mary’s hosts the volunteer staff twice each year providing the facility for preparation activities to conduct the Kairos weekend. We also provide thousands of cookies and prayers for inmates and volunteers. Parish Coordinator: Marion Spruill
  •  LOL/ LUNCH ON LAWN: Serves a meal and donated items to folks who live on the street and others in need at HOPE PLAZA on Main and Elmwood Streets in downtown Columbia. Twice a year St. Mary’s volunteers serve a meal and provide clothing and toiletries to 100+ very appreciative people. Everyone is welcome to serve! Parish Coordinator: Larry Nichols
  •  MISSION LEXINGTON: A social services agency serving residents of Lexington County. It was begun by a coalition of local churches and provides food, clothing, and some financial services for our neighbors in need. It also operates a thrift store to generate funds for services. Located at 216 Harmon St. in Lexington, there are many opportunities to volunteer. Call (803) 785-6900 for information. Parish Coordinator: Diana Cannon
  • MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP (MAF): A faith-based non-profit organization providing pilots, mechanics, teachers, and technology workers who partner with hundreds of missionary organization, global non-profits and local church leaders to meet the spiritual and physical needs of people in isolated places around the world. Parish Coordinator: Joyce Pipkin
  • SNS—Serving Neighborhood Schools: Our partnership with two neighborhood schools: Leaphart Elementary and Seven Oaks Elementary. Each school has approximately 500 students, with about 100 teachers and staff. We support them by contributing school supply items, books, and teacher appreciation treats. We also work with the school guidance counselor and social workers to provide Christmas gifts for selected students through our Angel Tree project. Each activity requires many volunteers to be successful. Parish Coordinator: Diana Cannon
  • SHARING GOD’S LOVE (SGL): A local cooperative ministry established in 1984 that works with the community’s families and individuals facing emergencies related to their basic living needs. SGL operates as an extension of the churches in the Seven Oaks, Irmo, St. Andrews and Ballentine areas and is committed to the call of Jesus Christ to serve the poor and needy. Parish Coordinator: June Mackie
  • THE SILVER LINING CLUB: Leeza’s Care Connection, our neighbor across the street, helps families cope with chronic illness, such as Alzheimer’s.  Their Silver Lining Club respite care program provides caregivers with a partial day out to give them some respite from caregiving 24/7. St. Mary’s provides space for this group to meet each week in our Hospitality Hall. For more information, please contact our Rector.
  • SNACK PACK – We assemble and deliver bags of healthy snack foods to children at local schools. We feed around 40 children every week who otherwise would not have adequate food on the weekends. Snack Packs are packed each week by volunteer parishioners and distributed to children at their schools. The packs are returned and refilled each week. Parish Coordinator: Tracy Mathews
  • TRUNK OR TREAT: St. Mary’s hosts a Trunk or Treat event each October to provide a neighborhood Halloween celebration. Costumed parish volunteers decorate their vehicles, hand out treats, and serve hot snacks to very thankful neighborhood families. We receive hundreds of smiles, thanks, and blessings from excited, happy children from our community. Parish Coordinator: Amanda Mulalley
  • WEEKEND OF HOPE: A spiritual weekend retreat sponsored by His Hands Ministries, Inc., a local non-profit organization, offered twice a year for up to 15 individuals experiencing homelessness. Participants are selected and interviewed with recommendations of various individuals who work with ministries to the homeless on a regular basis. Each year we provide scholarships for two participants to attend the retreat. Parish Coordinator: Joyce Pipkin

IMPORTANT NOTE: St. Mary’s love and generosity reaches beyond our local communities to distant areas suffering from crises and disasters.

During the recent past, Outreach has given financial support for EMERGENCY AID to the victims of floods in Kentucky, hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico, war in the Ukraine, earthquakes in Turkey, tornados in Mississippi and wildfires in Hawaii.

For more information, contact Sarah Edwards, Outreach Chair OR any of our Parish Outreach
Ministry Coordinators