Engaging with our community – also known as Outreach – is a core value for our parish. We are always seeking new opportunities to do God’s work in the world, and to be the body of Christ in motion. During this time of pandemic, the ways in which we help our neighbors may have changed, but the desire and commitment to do so has not! This includes not only supporting those who suffer from economic uncertainty but also working towards racial justice. If you have ideas, questions, or comments, please contact the Office

Crossroads of Michigan

A social service outreach agency of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, Crossroads supports the community by providing emergency assistance and advocating for the poor and homeless. Each week, Christ Church gathers in canned and boxed items to help stock Crossroads’ food pantry.  In addition, we sponsor an “Advent Diaper Drive” for Crossroads clients. In Advent 2022, we expanded our efforts, and we supplied over 18,000 diapers and the equivalent of 6,379 bottles of formula for distribution at Crossroads parenting classes.

Joys of Recovery & Gamblers Anonymous

Joys of Recovery – one of Detroit’s oldest Alcoholics Anonymous groups – meets at Christ Church each Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. A hybrid (Zoom) option is currently available for those who may not be able to meet in person. Gamblers Anonymous meets in person on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m.

Support for New Americans

Christ Church’s support for newly arrived immigrants extends back to the very beginning of the 20th Century and continues to this day. In partnership with the Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit and St. John’s Westland, Christ Church is currently sponsoring an Afghani family. Our support to date includes securing housing and furninshings, and helping getting the family settled in their new home. We will be working with the family to arrange transportation, ESL studies, and providing opportunities to explore their new community.

Green Team Initiatives

The Green Team identifies ways for the church and its members to be good stewards of God’s creation. For example, we have banished Styrofoam cups from our coffee hour in favor of ceramic cups and mugs, supported a service to bless Detroit’s urban gardens, and set up recycling bins in the church for recyclables, including plastic bags.

Homeless Shelter Week

For more than 30 years, Christ Church has housed about 40 homeless men and women for one week, as part of the rotating shelter program sponsored by Cass Community Social Services. This project involves almost 100 church members who prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plan activities, and strive to provide our guests with a measure of dignity and hope. Shelter Week has evolved based on pandemic precautions, and we continue to support in whatever way the leadership of Cass Community Social Services deems best.

Meals on Wheels

Christ Church has been for many years a distribution center for the holiday Meals on Wheels program. On Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter mornings, parishioners gather with others in the wider community to distribute meals to seniors in our area of Detroit.

 

Christ Church Detroit