Outreach

Free Friday Friendship Lunch and Community Outreach:

“It’s in giving that we receive. Learning to give is what makes us happy and that’s what’s happened here. I think we’ve learned to give.” - Jo Johnson

We have been serving a free meal at noon every Friday since 2006. It includes a hot entree, vegetables, bread, and dessert. We also provide sleeping bags, toiletries and warm showers for people who are homeless or in need.

For the past 5 years we have had St. Joseph County Agencies available on Fridays to meet with the homeless and those in need. Additionally showers are available from 9am-noon. Some of those agencies are Keystone Homeless Shelter, Covered Bridge Health, Pivotal (Mental Health Services), Cricket Phone, Area Agency on Aging and others as needed.

Lunch is served from 11:30-12:30 in the Great Hall and is open to anyone who needs a meal or some friendly conversation.

Donations to Friday Lunch from the Sturgis Community

1800 pair of Bombas socks donated to the Friday Lunch.
Gateway Village donated 40 pounds of green beans.
People in the community donated many toiletries.
Gateway Village donated bags of apples.

Food Box:

The outdoor food box is located by the bell tower. Dry food and canned goods are available any time. Take what you need; leave what you can.

Fiber Arts:

Our Fiber Arts group meets the first Thursday of each month, at 6:30pm-8:00pm. You are welcome to bring a project you are working on, or if you would like, help us with our “Prayer Shawls” and “Scarf Ministry”. We have needles, hooks and yarn.

Prayer Shawls:

The prayer shawls are then blessed during a church service. Shawls are given to those individuals experiencing challenges in their lives, like chronic illness, surgery, death of a loved one, cancer treatments, etc. The individual is wrapped in the comfort and warmth of the prayer filled shawl as a reminder of God’s love.

Blood Drive:

St. John’s parish supports our community by hosting Red Cross Blood Drives on a regular schedule. See the Calendar tab for dates and times.

12-Step Programs:

St. John’s hosts various 12-step support groups including AA, Al-Anon, and NA. Check the church office or the outside display case to locate meeting times and places.

Schaffer Counseling Program:

One of St. John’s outreach programs is its partnership with the Schaeffer Counseling Center (SCC). SCC is a not-for-profit counseling center run by a volunteer Board of Directors and staffed by licensed therapists. SCC’s major focus is to provide low and no cost preventive counseling services to those in the community who could not otherwise afford them, with a special emphasis on children and families.

St. John’s has supported those in the community needing these services since 2019 by providing space in the church facility for counseling offices. St. John’s also partners with SCC in offering special programs to support the health and well-being of the community. These important contributions along with grants and financial contributions from the community allow SCC to offer low and no cost counseling services. SCC’s first grant was for computer equipment allowing it to offer telehealth services during the COVID pandemic.

Another important SCC partner has been Sturgis Public Schools who worked with SCC on a special grant program through St. Joseph County to offer free preventive counseling services to those impacted by COVID. Most recently SCC’s important work has been recognized by the awarding of a special grant from the Michigan School Counselor’s Association to support students and parents in our community.

Additional information about SCC and its services can be found at www.SchaefferCounselingCenter.com. Those in need of counseling services can contact SCC Clinical Director Connie Martindale at 269-651-9579. Those interested in making a contribution are asked to contact SCC Board President Sara Sue Schaeffer at 269-327-6030.