Justice & Social Action
Justice requires a fair and inclusive public policy in pursuit of the public good. People ask for justice not charity because charity is humiliating. Everyone needs to experience the joy of giving to maintain dignity. Justice is a mutual relationship – a respect for one another.
Effective social action aims to build capacity in individuals and communities. It calls for the development of individual capabilities and it means fostering individual and community action for justice, compassion and the overall betterment of social life.
The life of Jesus focused on social ethics: the poor, women, the mentally ill and other oppressed groups. The St. Andrew’s-Wesley Justice and Social Action Ministry seeks justice for all and is committed to advocacy and social action within our community and the world. Our involvement includes: local, national and international projects.
Local Projects
Empty Suitcase
The purpose of the annual
Christmas
project, The Empty Suitcase, is to assist women
and
children who, due
to domestic
violence, are forced to
flee their
homes at Christmas time
to seek
shelter in safe
houses in
Vancouver’s West End. Most
often, they arrive with
nothing
but
the clothes on their
backs.
Many donate new items of pajamas, nightgowns, robes, slippers, socks, underwear, hats, gloves, scarves and toiletries. Others donate cash. Volunteers take the cash to Sears downtown store where management and enthusiastic staff help to make these funds stretch by seeking out the very best bargains. All of the donated and purchased articles are then distributed to Kate Booth House, Esther’s Place, and Vancouver Rape Relief Shelter well in time for Christmas morning, thus making the holiday season for the women and children in these shelters a little brighter.
Due to the caring and generous congregation of St. Andrew’s-Wesley and Sears downtown store, the Empty Suitcase project has been increasingly successful. The campaign is once again underway in November/December 2009. Tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more.
End Homelessness Now Action Group
The goal of St. Andrew's-Wesley End Homelessness Now Action Group is to take a proactive role in educating the public, business and community leaders and governments regarding the issues of homelessness and mental health. To that end, the outcomes of the Group are to:
- • arrange Supported Housing to stop homelessness
- • seek effective care and support for the homeless
- • spur our governments and our citizens to action
- • practice kindness and compassion
- • maintain a current website to inform the community
The group has organized and participated in the following public events on homelessness and mental health
- • Concert and CD Launch Fundraiser for First United Church Mission
- • Mayoral Candidates Debate
- • Public Forums on Homelessness
- • The Portland Experience
- • A Dialogue Towards Solutions
- • Stands for Housing
For more information visit our website at www.endhomelessnessnow.ca.
First United Mission
First
United Church on East Hastings near Pender Street has been
a
part of
Vancouver
since its
beginnings in the
1880’s, and
has filled
a need as a
provider
of care to the
needy
ever since the
great
depression
of the
1930’s.
St. Andrews-Wesley is committed to assisting First United which is on the front lines of Vancouver’s Homeless people. It runs programs such as crisis intervention, housing referrals, health and wellness, advocacy, and community programs for residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It also acts as a shelter providing a warm place to sleep and provide three meals a day seven days a week.
Food for First
St.
Andrews –Wesley congregation and Church School
support First United
Mission by collecting
nonperishable food every
Sunday, and conducting
four
food drives a
year on
the Sundays near
Thanksgiving,
Christmas, Easter,
and
Canada Day.
Suggested canned food includes the following:
- Protein: tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, ham, meat and peanut butter
- Protein and Starch: pasta, macaroni and cheese, chucky soups, stew, pork and beans, chili, ravioli and oatmeal cereal
- Fruit and Vegetables: vitaminized fruit juice, peaches, fruit cocktail, apple sauce, peas, carrots or green beans
Watch for announcements in the Church Bullet for information and dates for the four major food drives. Thank you for your ongoing generous support.
First United Thrift Store
St. Andrew’s – Wesley supports the First United Thrift Store. We provide volunteers on Thursdays 10am-2pm and 1pm-5pm. More volunteers are needed for: selling, sorting (heavier work) and tagging. Both men and women are welcome to join us for this very important and rewarding experience.
St. Andrew’s – Wesley also collects: men’s and women’s, gently used seasonally appropriate clothing and accessories; house wares including dishes, linens, blankets and seasonal items. Items can be dropped off at the church office at 100 – 1022 Nelson Street or First United Thrift Store. Call the store manager, Leona, at 604-569-1117 to arrange a time for any drop off.
Contact Sharon MacKenzie (604-408-8426) for information about volunteering in the store.
Homes To Heal
Homes
to Heal is designed to
raise
funds
to
supplement
rent for young
adults
suffering
mental
illness. It is
a safe
place to call
‘home’
and
work for a ‘future’ Watch
for more
information
and
opportunities to volunteer
in January,
2010
when
the project
will
be
officially
launched.more...
Seniors Luncheon
Seniors’ Lunch is offered free on the Third Wednesday of each month.
Our
mandate is to
reach out to seniors in the West
End
community around
St.
Andrew’s-Wesley Church by
offering physical and spiritual sustenance. The
church provides the meal, the space
and the
energetic
volunteers who serve.
Along with food for the body, we also share the joy and food for the soul. Our team of twelve to fifteen volunteers bring warmth and welcome to our guests. Rev. Gary Paterson comes to uplift the senior guests as he visits, prays and speaks. We also offer wonderful live music or a sing along as the guests finish their meal with tea and coffee. Several of our own seniors contribute a lot by visiting with our guests.
The program has been in operation since May 2004, under the direction of John and Mae Pratt-Johnson. At present we are serving about 80 meals each month. Funding comes from the Rogers Fund and from a significant community donation.
WISH and BOYS R US - a joint project
W.I.S.H. (Women's Information Safe Haven) a shelter for women sex
trade
workers is open
from 6 to 11 P.M six
evenings a
week. The
women served
range
in age from 19
to 65
years of age. At WISH they
have
access
to a warm
caring
environment, showers,
laundry, an
evening
meal,
skills
training
courses and
other supports. The
majority of the women helped by WISH
have been the
victims
of some form of assault and were on
the
street
from an
average
age of
fourteen.
St. Andrew’s – Wesley supports this project by collecting and donating items as requested. At this time we are collecting: toiletries, cosmetics (new and gently used), mitts, socks and underwear.
Boys
R Us is a Drop-in centre for male and transgendered sex
trade
workers
in
Vancouver.
It provides a safe,
confidential
place for
connecting
with
others and
accessing
resources such as health
care, housing
and
other
community services.
It
operates
Tues-Thurs
7pm-9pm.
St. Andrew’s – Wesley supports this project year round by collecting and donating warm thick socks to help prevent foot infections and jelly beans which help curb the alcohol and drug cravings.
Collection baskets for these items are available in the hallway between the church sanctuary and the elevator. Thank you for your support.
National Projects
United for Peace
The
United for Peace Campaign is one expression of The
United Church of
Canada’s commitment to pursuing a
just peace with
dignity for all God’s
people. The focus is on
education, action and donations to support
Canadian
and global
partners as they work for
peace with
justice for
all people.
St Andrew’s-Wesley Church participates in the United for Peace campaign through the Remembrance Sunday special services as well as in a three part study session called ‘Holy Ground’. In these sessions, participants discussed personal ‘holy ground’ and learned, from a visiting Rabbi, about the complex situation in Israel and Palestine.
Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada
The
United Church has a vision of how to participate in God’s
mission
in
the world.
The
vision involves ministering in
our
own United
Churches and in
working with partners
across the country and around the
globe. It is
dedicated
to emergency–response and development
around world
and is
funded by the
Mission
and Service
Fund.
St Andrew’s-Wesley contributes to the United Church of Canada’s Mission and Service Fund. This fund cooperates with others in national and overseas partnerships. It is a people–centred fund serving projects for social action around the world as well as in our local community. The fund helps to support First United Church Mission as well as the Longhouse Native Ministry in Vancouver
International Projects
Children Helping Children - A Lenten Project
Hi, my name is Emily. I am
10
years old and I want to
reach out to children and
make
poverty a thing of the
past.
So, mum
and I packed our
bags
and
headed to
a school called, Safe
Passage
which
is
located on the edge
of
the slums
of Guatemala City.
I
only
carried a
small
backpack of
clothes, because
my big case
was full of
medical
supplies. My
visit to the
school was
incredible
and I felt
connected to
the kids.
When I
returned to
Vancouver, I felt
so fortunate to
have so much.
These
children need
us
to
reach
out and educate them so
they
can
move away
from a
life of
poverty. I
will return to Safe
Passage with
my mum every summer,
because I want
to make a
positive
change in the
world.
Hi, my name is Russell. I am 12 years old and I have joined a group called Free the Children (FTC), the largest organization of children helping children throughout the world. FTC works to end child labour in lots of ways. One important thing they do is to help build schools that help kids get an education. Education is a job. A job is money. Money is what breaks the poverty cycle that makes people send their kids to work in the first place.
I want to make a change in this world by making sure everyone has access to the basic right of a good education. The goal I have set for myself is to help raise $8,500 which is enough to build and equip a school in the poorest parts of the world.
We ask for your help! Click on ‘Donate Now’ below and make a donation to Children Helping Children.
Emily and Russell Click Here to hear an update from Emily & Russel
We welcome your donations to Children Helping Children. A tax receipt will be issued to you for donations of more than $20.00.
Support for Guatemala
Free Trade Coffee
Guatemala Free Trade Coffee, an organic coffee from worker owned
cooperatives in Guatemala, is available at the
information table in the church
lobby every
Sunday.
Monies raised are donated to the projects in
Guatemala
supported by
St. Andrew’s-Wesley.
Donations
We welcome donations from the public to support our outreach projects. A tax donation will be issued for donations of more than $20.00