OUTREACH
Immanuel’s Outreach ministry is dedicated to demonstrating “faith in action” through programs enabling us to connect with and serve the needy in Alexandria, the region and abroad.
​
At Immanuel, outreach is not just a budget line — it is a guiding philosophy and one of the keystones of our community. We don’t simply write checks to worthy causes; instead, we leverage our financial resources to support programs in which our parishioners engage actively. We view community involvement as integral to our worship and fellowship.

The Outreach program works through three primary mechanisms: 1) personal involvement by parishioners in organizations that improve others’ lives; 2) direct financial contributions by parishioners to charities or organizations; and 3) financial contributions from the Outreach budget to organizations supported by the parish.

The Outreach budget is funded principally by the proceeds of the Pumpkin Patch, the Immanuel signature event that energizes and engages the parish for the entire month of October.  (If they know we are Christians by our love, they know we are Immanuel by the Patch.)  Our pumpkin patch is a partnership between Navajo farmers in New Mexico who grow the pumpkins, and Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers of North Carolina which handles the shipping of the pumpkins. With community support for over 30 years, thousands of dollars are raised in support of charitable outreach. 
​
The ministry is sustained and led through clergy and the Outreach Committee leaders: Julie Bruns, Jim Wise, and Jim Snow.  If you have any questions or would like to become involved, you may email the Outreach leaders at [email protected].

Causes Supported by Outreach Ministry

March 2025: Bicycles in Tanzania -- an Outreach vignette

There are innumerable worthy causes, but the Outreach Committee and the Vestry try to respond to the promptings that move the hearts of the congregation, and the priorities of the Diocese and the national church. Sometimes the Holy Spirit leads us to far and unexpected places. 

​Last summer, Father Randy met with the Rt. Rev. George Okoth, Bishop of the Diocese of Mara in Tanzania, who was visiting the Seminary. In their conversation, the Bishop mentioned the travel challenges his pastors face and their reliance of bicycles to visit their parishioners. The Diocese of Mara had set up a fund for the purchase of bikes at a cost of about $175 USD each.

In an email to the Outreach Committee, Bishop Okoth described his diocese and the need for transportation:
“Mara Diocese is one of the 28 Dioceses that form the Anglican Church of Tanzania. Mara Diocese is situated in the northwestern part of Tanzania, near the famous Lake Victoria. The Diocese also borders the Serengeti National Park known for its gorgeous wildebeest migration to the neighbouring Kenya every year. . . . Mara Diocese has 92 Pastors in their respective parishes. By God's grace, we ordain Pastors every year for the need of reaching other areas that have not had the opportunity to hear the word of God. At times we have to go slowly due to the lack of resources. But, since it is God's Commission, we feel compelled to continue preaching the gospel to the remote villages and islands that are receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ. … Thanks in advance for supporting our evangelism.”

Indeed, getting around to remote villages in Tanzania is a challenge for priests. A typical road may be narrow and unpaved, but accessible by bike.

On behalf of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, the Outreach Committee sent the Bishop $1,800, enough to purchase 10 bikes. When you think about it, the potential reach of our outreach is amazing, even to the Serengeti.

Thanks be to God!
--Jim Snow

Each year the committee prepares an Outreach budget using a set of guidelines to determine which organizations and projects to support in the coming year: 

• The organization must be tax-exempt,
• its goals must reflect the goals and values of the parish,
• it must have a plan to fulfill a clear need in an effective manner,
• it must provide evidence that funds will be used carefully and directly for the intended use, and
• Immanuel should not be the sole supporter of any program. 

Special consideration is given to organizations that offer opportunities for parish member involvement. 

​Among the more than 30 causes we annually support are the following significant Outreach programs and activities:

• ALIVE!, a coalition of Alexandria faith communities helping low-income families through food distribution, delivery of donated house wares, support of a pre-school daycare program and emergency shelter for women and families. 
•  Alexandria Tutoring Consortium which recruits and trains volunteers to tutor basic reading skills to kindergarten and first grade public school students who are struggling in reading.
• Alexandria Hospital Board of Lady Managers which works to build and strengthen the hospital and provide significant improvements in its medical technology and patient care.
• The American Friends for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem which is dedicated to building peace in the Holy Land by financially supporting education and healthcare. 
• Bishop Walker School in southeast Washington which provides a faith-based educational opportunity for at-risk young men.
• Carpenter’s Shelter - Immanuel supports the Shelter with a financial grant.  We also have a team of cooks and servers who provide an evening meal once a month. 
• Community Lodgings - supporting the transitional housing program for Alexandria's formerly homeless and after-school enrichment programs for Alexandria kids.
•  The Child & Family Network Center, providing caring, high quality, free education and related services to at-risk children and families in order to prepare and empower them for success in school and life. 
• Christ Church Refugee Ministry – support, assistance, and friendship to refugee families in Alexandria city who are seeking safety and freedom from war.
  
• Christmas in August, in which parishioners donate school supplies for low-income Alexandria school children, and Christmas Families, in which parishioners donate gifts, books and toys to needy local families at Christmas. 
• Culmore Clinic, which provides access to high quality health care regardless of ability to pay.
  
• Five Talents USA fights poverty, creates jobs and transforms lives by empowering the poor in developing countries through innovative savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development.
• Friends of Guest House helps women successfully reenter the community from incarceration.  Guest House helps women break the vicious cycle of incarceration, reunite with their families, and reintegrate into their communities.
  
• Grace Episcopal Food Pantry provides supplemental food for the poor of the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria.
  
• Haiti Micah Project, a nonprofit organization to house, feed and educate street children in Mirebalais, Haiti.  Twenty-seven children are provided loving care in the Project’s orphanage, and over 400 children are fed daily through its nutritional programs.   Immanuel Church is one of the affiliated congregations, and our parishioners are active on the Project’s board of directors.
• Heifer International helping fight hunger through sustainable agriculture.
• Interfaith Power and Light - a religious response to climate change
• KRMA-US Partners helps under-resourced rural women in Uganda move toward economic sustainability and send their children to primary, secondary school and beyond. 
• Lazarus Ministry - a counseling and support service for low-income Alexandrians in which Immanuel partners with three other Episcopal parishes
• Offender Aid and Restoration - a community-based restorative justice organization, blends compassion and accountability to assist offenders in leading productive and responsible lives, to the benefit of all.
• Senior Services of Alexandria, an organization dedicated to programs for the elderly. 
• Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, serving the needs of the homeless in the greater Washington, D.C. area
• Stand with Iraqi Christians, a faith-based charity which assists Christian farmers in war torn Iraq. 
• Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.  Morally driven advocates working to advance public policies that better serve low-income, vulnerable, and underrepresented communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

OUTREACH POLICY