“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35-40)
The outreach ministry at St Barnabas is our expression of Christ’s commandment to love one another as He loves us. The parishioners support a number of service organizations in downtown Ottawa and beyond, both through direct donations of money and goods, and through the work of the Outreach Committee.
Organizations that we support directly
Centretown Churches Social Action Committee (CCSAC) (http://centretownchurches.org)
- A collective of twenty-three churches in downtown Ottawa, CCSAC was started in 1967 by nine churches to respond to social needs in the Centretown area. Since 1978, CCSAC’s main project has been oversight of the Centretown Emergency Food Centre (CEFC). CCSAC’s mandate also includes advocacy for social justice, especially for issues relating to poverty.
Centretown Community Food Centre (https://ccfcottawa.ca/)
- Located in the basement of the Centretown United Church at 507 Bank Street. Food donations placed in the barrel in the narthex go to the CEFC.
Centre 507 (http://www.centre507.org/)
- Drop-in centre located at 507 Bank Street, offers meals, health services and counselling.
Ottawa Inner City Ministries (https://www.ottawainnercityministries.ca)
- Located in Centretown, this ministry reaches out to people living on the streets of the city to provide support and help in finding their way.
Community ministries of the Diocese of Ottawa (https://ottawa.anglican.ca/community-ministries)
Every Parish in the Diocese of Ottawa contributes through its annual Parish Fair Share assessment to support the work of the Community Ministries of the Diocese.
Centre 454 (http://www.centre454.ca)
- A community ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa serving people facing homelessness or living in poverty, with a day program based in the basement of St Albans Church at 454 King Edward Avenue.
Multi-faith Housing Initiative (http://multifaithhousing.ca)
- A coalition of over 80 faith communities including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindu, Unitarians, Baha’i and other faiths from across the city of Ottawa, dedicated to creating more affordable housing in Ottawa while promoting tolerance and respect among residents of all faiths.
Cornerstone Housing for Women (https://www.cornerstonewomen.ca/)
- Emergency shelter and safe, affordable, permanent housing for women in Ottawa. St Barnabas has sponsored the furnishing of 7 rooms at Cornerstone.
Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (http://ottawapastoralcounsellingcentre.ca/index.php)
- Provides professional counselling and support for people in the community.
National Church – The General Synod of Canada
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund https://pwrdf.org/ The Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for sustainable development and relief. Through the support of Anglican parishes across Canada, PWRDF makes financial and human resources available to partners around the world working to improve health, food security and livelihoods for vulnerable people.
JMJ Children’s Fund of Canada (http://jmjchildren.ca) This Ottawa-based, volunteer-run organization, which is an NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, works with local groups in India and Africa. For many years St. B’s has sponsored the school fees for 5 children in south India.
Activities
St Barnabas holds a monthly Communitea in the church hall from 2 – 3:30 pm on the third Wednesday of every month, for residents of Centretown neighbourhood. The monthly tea provides a safe and comfortable space for our neighbours to gather for tea, lunch and conversation. We have a diverse group of seniors, people on low incomes and various disability pensions.
Each year the Outreach Committee of the Parish hosts the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper to raise funds to support the various projects and programs of the Parish and the wider community.
The Christmas Basket program seeks to provide a basket to the families and individuals in our Parish who are shut in or due to health reasons unable to be with us over Christmas.
Parishioners have raised funds for a variety of other causes from Ride for Refuge https://rideforrefuge.org/home to Coldest Night of the Year https://cnoy.org/home.
To contribute money or goods, or to get involved, please contact Yvonne Moses or check the bulletin board in the Parish Hall for the latest news, needs and information.