LOCAL OUTREACH

St. Wilfrid's believes in reaching out to our community and our world with expressions of the love of Christ in a variety of forms. Our ongoing sponsorship of Beach Cities Interfaith Services touches the lives of the homeless and underprivileged in Orange County. 


We also support and host S.H.I.P (Self Help Interfaith Services) on campus bi-annually. They are assisted in regaining employment and becoming self sustaining members of society.


In other efforts to support our local community, we have regularly supported AIDS Walk Orange County, the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County’s “Walk 4 ALZ,” and recently partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a family in need, as well as, hundreds of planter boxes for home gardens. 


This parish family has also responded in a big way to natural disasters around the world, giving through Episcopal Relief and Development to assist with tsunami relief and the combined hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast and northeast Region of the United States. 


You can visit the Beach Cities Interfaith Services’ website
at www.bcis-hb.org

Office: (714) 375-6400 • Fax: (714) 375-6404

Email: bcishb@verizon.net


Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 8307, Huntington Beach, CA  92615-8307

GLOBAL OUTREACH

Missions with AMOS (A Ministry of Service) to Nicaragua

Read more about this trip in the Lent 2018 issue of The Clarion, our parish magazine


On Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, 18 caring members from St. Wilfrid’s, Faith Lutheran Church in Meadow Vista, California, and Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana, bolstered by the support and prayers of parishioners, friends and family, departed for a 10-day trip to Nicaragua where they would help support the work of AMOS International. AMOS stands for “A Ministry of Sharing” and that is indeed what this amazing organization does. The whole model for their work is based on the mutual responsibility of AMOS, the delegations that come to serve and the communities that are served. The point is sustainable change. Communities must request AMOS assistance and commit to a long-range plan for improving health conditions and education in order to receive AMOS support. Once AMOS and a community reach a mutual understanding and agreement and begin working with consejeras, or health promoters then plans are launched to send a delegation to install water-filtration systems, set up health stations to get a baseline for the health of the community, and promote early child development.


On this trip, our delegation operated in two different locations in Nicaragua with a little more than half going to the rural community of La Majada and the remaining members of the delegation staying on the AMOS campus to support a construction project on-site and serve the local community of Nejapa.


Many of us from St. Wilfrid’s had never been on a mission trip before, let alone in another country. We did not know what to expect and were wary of the unknown. In spite of our anxiety and fear, we held on to the stories and experiences that other members of our team had on their prior trips. We all worked hard to manage our expectations and prepare for the unexpected as best as we could.


But how can you prepare for the unexpected work of God? You can’t, really, and it was clear that God was at work behind the scenes with an agenda that belonged to God alone. It is an understatement to say our mission trip was extraordinary and amazing.


Many members of the team have already expressed a desire to go back! However, we are all grateful that we went and were able to have had an impact on the communities we served. Of course, it is really the impact the communities had on us that will be the most lasting impression. For 10 days, we all felt the nearness of the Holy Spirit and saw the light of Christ burning in the faces of some many and that is indeed a God blessing!


The members of the delegation want to express heartfelt thanks to all those who supported this trip with prayers as well as, material and financial donations. Your support helped us and AMOS help so many others!

For more information about AMOS and how you can help please visit www.AMOShealth.org