Outreach
At St. Michael's we reach out to share our selves and our resources in the Name of Jesus Christ. A major portion of the parish budget is allocated to Outreach efforts in the area, and the vicar's discretionary fund provides other offerings of the poor. At the 1998 Leadership Retreat the Vestry reviewed a long list of programs first identified by the Outreach Commission... 10% of pledges are contributed quarterly to the Diocesan Covenant. An annual contribution is given to the Fayette Ministerial Association for transients. Support for the Gideons International. Three parishioners serve as Board members for Johnston Place, a local facility serving retarded persons. St. Michael's was one of the original sponsors of Johnston Place, named for a former rector, Mark Johnston. Volunteers from the parish participate in a wide variety of local organizations and community groups. The children of the church make an annual visit to Wilmer Hall, a church orphanage. Support is given for John Gordon's Ukranian Mission Fund. The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief is supported annually. The United Thank Offering is suppored twice annually. In 1997, St. Michael's received a UTO grant award of $20,000 for the Christian Center of Concern.

The Christian Center of Concern.

A truly exceptional Outreach program of St. Michael's is the Christian Center of Concern, a cooperative nonprofit effort of area churches to provide free food and emergency care in families in need.

In 1998, the Center gave away almost $12,000.00 in free food and emergency assistance to 2,898 families. More than a dozen parishioners have worked at the Center, interviewing clients and handing our food, loading and unloading shipments. The vicar conducts an annual business donation campaign which has brought in over $2,000 a year, and the parish makes a monthly contribution of $50 to the Center.

In 1997, the Year of the Small Parish, a $20,000 UTO grant was awarded to St. Michael's for the Center. The money was used to purchase a permanent facility for the Christian Center of Concern, and was the only UTO grant awarded in 1997 in the Diocese of Alabama.

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