This year, Christ Church has made donations to the following organizations in our community and beyond through generous donations to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund.
- Waypoint: Empowering people of all ages through an array of human services and advocacy
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul Exeter: Food pantry and Community Assistance Center
- Cross Roads House Portsmouth: Shelter for the unhoused
- Episcopal Relief and Development: The main relief organization for natural disasters domestically and internationally
- End 68 Hours of Hunger
Christmas Baskets, Gifts, & Clothing Donations Needed
For may years, Christ Church parishioners have prepared Thanksgiving & Christmas.
Christmas 2023:
Sign up HERE
You will find information you need to know to provide all the necessary ingredients for a wonderful Christmas meal and gift guidelines below:
GPlease email Carla Ranks if you are interested in helping with drop-off & distribution.
This ministry helps so many children and families, and our community is made brighter by the continued generosity is shown by members of Christ Church.
Exeter NST: Working to resettle Afghan refugees
In 2021 The Exeter Community welcomed a new family. An Afghan Refugee Family of 5 arrived in Exeter, and shortly after, welcomed twins. We worked with the social work agency Ascentria, to welcome this Afghan family and help them navigate all that comes with their resettlement. We believe that campaigns like this one strengthen our community by serving the needs of others. Opening our doors to people who are under the threat of violence brings hope and peace.
Christ Church Distributed Rental Assistance to Those in Need during the Pandemic.
In 2020 Christ Church was awarded $25,000 by the Hillsborough County Emergency Food and Shelter National Program (EFSP) Board as part of the Phase CARES, a program to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the U.S. by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter. Moratoriums on evictions have come and gone during the Pandemic, but there has been little relief for the total rent that tenants owe. It has been a burden to both tenant and landlord, nationally.
We distributed $25,000 to eligible recipients in Hillsborough County, the state’s most populous county including Manchester and Nashua. Rockingham Country was not allotted funding through this particular grant. Vestry member Deb Fournier was the lead on this program.
St Vincent de Paul Exeter
As part of our mission to serve the local and global community, Christ Church has long supported our local food pantry, St. Vincent de Paul on Lincoln Street. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Exeter relies on the generosity of churches, organizations, and individuals to serve families in need year-round. There are people in need in and around Exeter. SVdP provides healthy and nutritious food and other services. If you can donate any of the following items, please put them in the basket in the entry hall Narthex. To learn more about this organization and what its current needs are, use this link to get to their website: https://www.svdpexeter.com/
We do hope you help us shape the future of local and global mission at Christ Church.
Prison Ministry
Please use this link to read about our Rector Mark Pendleton’s ministry work at the Strafford County Department of Corrections.
Local Opportunities and Organizations:
Seacoast Family Promise
Seacoast Family Promise is Christ Church’s primary outreach ministry. We invite you to join us in answering God’s call to reach out in love to our neighbors in their need so that we can be assured of continuing this vital ministry.
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I, therefore, command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)
Meal deliveries are always welcome.
Our love and support for them during this difficult time allows them to focus on taking care of their families, finding jobs, practicing good health care, and many other important needs.
Contact Barb Cutting to learn more or get involved.
Immigrants and Refugees Mission
Over the last few years, the Rector Mark Pendleton has been working with the New Hampshire Immigrant Visitation Program — a group of local volunteers — at the Strafford County jail in Dover helping to provide “know your legal rights” advice to the immigrant detainees awaiting refugee asylum hearings or deportation. The jail receives considerable funding from the Federal government to house inmates. The jail receives persons arrested by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (I.C.E.) in Vermont, NH and Maine, as well some from Massachusetts. Mark has been asked to make pastoral visitations to Spanish speaking inmates and celebrates the Eucharist – La Misa — each 2nd Wednesday afternoon.
If you would like to get involved in advocacy or accompaniment, please contact Mark.
Use this link to learn more about how the Episcopal Church is addressing Global Migration.
To read about how the Episcopal Church is helping detainees, click here.
