Outreach

At Calvary Episcopal Church, we strive to minister to "the sick, the friendless and the needy." As our city grows and becomes more diverse, so do the needs for outreach within our community. Our efforts center on the areas listed below.

Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged to participate in these outreach efforts. Please contact the church office.

Adopt-a-Highway

Calvary has "adopted" a stretch of Bamber Valley Road in southwest Rochester. Twice a year or so, parish volunteers age 11 and older spend a few hours on a Saturday morning cleaning the roadside.

Channel One

Our parish collects food items for the Channel One Food Bank and help box and stock shelves with items for distribution to food shelf clients. From youth to seniors, Calvary volunteers enjoy an opportunity to help with this community service.

Cookie Ministry

In January, Calvary volunteers deliver home-baked treats to the Hope Lodge and Ronald McDonald House. These treats tempt the appetites of those whose normal appetites have been diminished by illness or medical treatments, helping to stimulate their appetites. The recipients at these houses are very grateful for these gifts and look forward to our deliveries.

Dorothy Day House

Alongside other churches in Rochester, Calvary regularly provides meals for residents of Dorothy Day House, a local shelter for homeless people. Various groups within the church (such as the vestry or youth groups) are scheduled in advance to provide dinner for 25 people on the first Wednesday of each month.

Episcopal Pastoral Services

EPS is a hospital visitation ministry conducted jointly with St. Luke's, our sister parish in Rochester. As probably the only church in the world surrounded by a major medical center, we consider this hospital ministry to be a vital part of our outreach efforts. Volunteers visit patients at Rochester hospitals who indicate they are Episcopalian upon admission. These visits generally are an opportunity to chat and arrange for communion or a clergy visit, if desired. Many Mayo patients don't know anyone in Rochester, so visits from EPS are generally very welcome.

Fruitcake

For over 70 years, Calvary has been making and baking 2,000 pounds of fruitcake. This began in the 1930s when 200 cakes were made. We now make over 1,700 fruitcakes, of various sizes. These cakes are sold locally as well as mailed to many states and countries. Over 125 men, women, and youth assist with the various jobs associated with the project: cutting dates, weighing fruit, mixing fruit, and baking the cakes.

Hope Lodge

A primary outreach effort is to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge, a local residence for cancer patients receiving treatment at Mayo Clinic. Volunteers have an opportunity to provide needed household supplies, snacks, meals, activities or entertainment to the Hope Lodge clients.

Migrant Workers Hospitality Ministry

A summer worship service and a light meal or snack is provided to the migrant workers at the Seneca food processing plant in Montgomery, MN. Region 5 parishes share in this intergenerational outreach program. Volunteers have the opportunity to share their faith and a Sunday afternoon - rain or shine.

Pie Patrol

Calvary volunteers provide a freshly baked pie and parish information to visitors and new members at Calvary. Baking skills and a friendly smile are the only prerequisites for this activity - all are welcome.

Refugee Resettlement

Over the past 25 years, Rochester has become increasingly diverse, attracting emigrants from Asia, Africa and eastern Europe. At Calvary we embrace our community's growing diversity, and feel called to minister in particular to refugees who settle in Rochester.

Calvary has sponsored refugees from the Sudan, Ethiopia, Laos and Russia. Parishioners help the refugees find housing, furniture and clothing in Rochester, and generally to get "settled in."

Shut-In Visitation

Volunteers visit with those unable to attend church services. The time commitment is individual; however, the goal is to establish contact once or twice a month.

Stitches-n-Prayer

This intergenerational group meets the first and third Sundays to pray and to stitch, knit, or crochet a variety of items for those in need of prayer support.