Ministries Inside Our Walls
St. John’s Ministers to those who need a safe place to host AA meetings, NA meetings and other groups hosted by outside entities.
AA Meetings: Currently AA meetings are held on Fridays at 7:30pm
NA Meetings: Currently NA meetings are held on Tuesdays at 10:30 am
StayWell Meetings: Currently Staywell Meetings are held at 1 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
The Naugatuck Valley Project also rents the third floor.
The Labyrinth is open for use during daylight hours.
Ministries Outside Our Walls
Outreach Committee Major Projects
- Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries – We are proud supporters of the GWIM soup kitchen and food pantry. In addition to food collections during the year, we also make monetary donations to help feed the members of our Waterbury community who need help. The Director, Barbara Dublin, does not hesitate to reach out to us when there are special needs as she knows there will be a positive response.
- CT Department of Children and Family – We have worked with social workers from this agency for many years. We participate as a parish in three main projects. At Easter we have provided age specific Easter baskets for children who otherwise might not receive one. We have participated in Back-to-School projects to provide back packs filled with supplies or sometimes gift certificates for individuals to shop. The parish especially enthusiastically responds to provide gifts for children for Christmas. A Christmas tree is placed in the foyer decorated with gift tags that include the age and gender of the child. The tags just about fly off the tree as parishioners pick their Christmas child. It is wonderful to see all the gifts that are given.
- Swords to Plowshares – Swords to Plowshares is an organization, affiliated with the Episcopal Church, which melts down guns which have been collected by local police departments and makes them into tools. The tools are then donated to agricultural programs. They also sell items on their website. Our Outreach Committee has supported generous donations to this project. One of the founders of this organization is Retired Suffragan Bishop James Curry. On May 22,2022, Bishop Curry preached at our 9:30 service and following the service did a blacksmithing demonstration in the Close. We invited our neighbors, First Congregational Church to join us. It was a great experience, especially for those who were chosen to participate. We hope to make this an annual event to promote the reduction of gun violence. Please visit the Swords to Plowshares website s2pnortheast.org.
- IRIS – Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services is the ECCT affiliate of the National Church Episcopal Migration Ministries. The CT affiliate has processed 310 Afghan refugees in our state. They provide a wide range of services including housing, employment, health, legal, education, and case management. They have sixty-four paid employees and over three hundred volunteers. Their 17 Board Members serve without compensation. Our Outreach Committee has supported generous donations to this project. One of the principal participants in the effort is Retired Bishop Andrew D. Smith, who served as an assistant at St. John’s before becoming the Rector of St. Michael’s in Naugatuck. Please visit the IRISCT website irisct.org.
Lay Eucharistic Visitors
This is an important part of our ministry, especially as our congregation ages. LEVs are lay persons who, after the Celebration of the Eucharist, visit members of the parish who are unable to attend church. We presently are very much in need of more volunteers to serve in this ministry.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
This ministry was originated by two graduates of the Women’s Leadership Institute of the Hartford Seminary in 1996. At St. John’s. members of the parish prayerfully knit or crochet shawls to be blessed at a service and distributed to those in need of comfort. They also can be distributed for a celebration of joy, as in the birth of a child.