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St. Peter's Episcopal Church

Outreach Programs

Visit St Peter's Cafe

St. Peter’s church feels strongly the call our Savior made to St. Peter to “feed my people” and our outreach focuses on the various ways that God’s people are fed.  Our outreach ministry feeds our brothers and sisters spiritually by a monthly Eucharist service at the Bridgton Health Care Center.  We provide scholarships for children who wish to attend Camp Bishopswood, the Diocese of Maine’s summer camp.  We also supply a campership so that one young woman from the Lakes Region can attend The Summer Camp in Washington, ME, a camp for at-risk teens. 

Outreach at St. Peter’s also recognizes that people are fed when their physical needs—for shelter, warmth, education, and socialization—are met.  We support two children through the Christian Children’s Fund, an on-going outreach for nearly 20 years.  We collect a monthly basket of items for the Preble Street Resource Center in Portland.  The items, which range from personal care products to pantry items, are destined for people making the transition from the homeless shelter into independent living.  Last winter we joined the Diocesan Office in Portland in collecting warm socks for men in the homeless shelter in Portland, a critical need during the wet cold months of winter.  We participate in the ecumenical Bridgton outreach at Christmas and Thanksgiving for needy families.  Local agencies assisted with outreach monies include the local Senior Transportation Center and the Family Crisis Center.
Feeding God’s people can also mean, of course, literally feeding them.  Our outreach in this area includes support for the Bridgton Food Pantry, a yearly gift to Heifer International (last year our Sunday School students helped us select a heifer and a water buffalo to be provided through Heifer International to impoverished families in the developing world), and perhaps most tangibly, our St. Peter’s Café.  Once a month, in conjunction with a food distribution day for the Food Pantry at the Methodist Church, the members of the congregation provide a nourishing free lunch to anyone who desires one.  On average we serve about 80 meals a month through this program and hope to continue growing this important outreach to those in our community in need of a good meal and some pleasant company.

Outreach is supported by the time, talent, and treasure of our parishioners.  Many opportunities exist for members of the congregation to practice the ministry of all the baptized by collecting goods for donation, cooking meals, serving and interacting with Café participants, and helping to provide the services of our outreach programs.  We attempt to be good stewards, as well, of the riches God has granted us. In addition to individual donations, St. Peter’s tithes (sets aside 10%) all of its operating budget, demonstrating for our community the loving response we should all adopt to the many blessings of this life.    St. Peter’s Café has recently received a generous grant from the Diocesan Foundation for Ministry to help us furnish our new building’s kitchen, allowing us to continue this important outreach and grow in service to our community. 

St. Peter’s Cafe

The Outreach Chairman on the church vestry joined with several members of St. Peter’s, four years ago, to discuss a plan to serve the community. It was decided to offer a free lunch once a month to anyone who wished to come. It was hoped that this would be of particular help to people who were struggling to make ends meet.

The Bridgton Food Pantry was approached to see if a lunch could be provided at the Tuesday Food Pantry. They did not think it would work at the time, with their food distribution, so the committee decided to offer the lunch the third week in the month on Wednesdays. It was hoped that this would fill a need. Lanny Wenthe chaired the committee for St. Peter’s Café and lunches were served with mixed success in spite of the committee’s enthusiastic efforts. After a year the Bridgton Food Pantry was approached again. Their position had changed and the third Tuesday of each month was chosen for St. Peter’s Café lunches. In May of 2007 our first Tuesday’s food pantry lunch was prepared. It met with good success and grew. By the spring of 2008, 80 to 90 lunches were served each month. Some folks were unable to stay for a sit down meal, so take out was made available.

The committee has been headed by Ernestine Bash since 2007 with wonderful support from faithful cooks, bakers and servers. Everyone has been ready to step in to help. Our food preparation location has altered because we have moved into our new church home, 42 Sweden Road in Bridgton. During the summer the committee prepares cold lunches at St. Peter’s kitchen facility and transports them to the food pantry location for take out. Attendees to the food pantry have been eager to pick up an inviting meal. To date 100 plus lunches continue to be distributed every month. A loyal group never falters when called upon to help. As winter approaches the café workers change the menu. Food is prepared in two sessions. On the Friday preceding the Food Pantry soup or another hot entrée is prepared and frozen at St. Peter’s Church kitchen to make sure it will be fresh when it is given out. Then on the day of the pantry cooks gather again to make salad and any accompanying side dish.

Your suggestions in ways to continue this ministry, to our community, would be greatly welcomed. Please send any comments to stpetersbridgton@aol.com, please note in Memo St. Peter’s Café suggestion. Feel free also to call our church at (207) 647-8549 or mail to PO Box 134 Bridgton, Maine 04009.