Outreach Committee - Trinity Cathedral's Outreach Committee works to coordinate the many external missions of our parish. One of the committee’s goals is to raise our congregation’s awareness about the wide range of opportunities to serve others in the community, both nearby and far away.
Contacts:
Virginia Ravenel, Committee Chair (255-8599, vcravenel@yahoo.com)
The Rev'd Canon Joye Cantrell, Canon for Outreach and Adult Education (771-7300, jcantrell@trinitysc.org)
Listed below are Trinity's outreach ministries. We invite you to become a part of our parish's community outreach efforts.
OUTREACH MINISTRIES
Camp Bob - Camp Bob is a Christian summer camp held at Kanuga for children who are financially unable to attend summer camp. Each June, through generosity of Trinity parishioners, Dean Philip and Ellen Linder lead a trip to Camp Bob with two busloads of Columbia children ages 8 to 14. Members of the congregation and others in the community serve as counselors. Financial contributions help pay for children to attend.
Contact: Ellen Linder, Parish Nurse (771-7300, elinder@trinitysc.org)
Community Outreach Grants - Each year, the Trinity Outreach Committee selects local agencies that serve those in need to receive community grants. The congregation is invited to nominate agencies. The following agencies were selected as the 2010 grant recipients: The Nurturing Center, Parenting Partners, and Sister Care.
Contact: Edgar Maxwell, Coordinator (787-3508, edgarmax@me.com)
Cooperative Ministry - In 1982, Trinity joined four other downtown churches to establish The Cooperative Ministry, in order to verify need and coordinate assistance for those who came to their doors needing help. Serving the working poor, TCM has evolved into an exceptional program to those on the brink of homelessness. Volunteers and staff provide rent, utility, prescription assistance, and budget counseling, as well as providing links to other agencies which support those in need. The Cooperative Ministry also serves as the Clothing Bank for Richland County. For more information about volunteer opportunities and how to make a donation, contact The Cooperative Ministry directly.
Contacts:
The Cooperative Ministry, (799-3853, info@coopmin.org, http://www.coopmin.org)
Joye Cantrell, Canon for Outreach and Adult Education, (771-7300, jcantrell@trinitysc.org)
Morne Michel - Trinity became linked to Morne Michel through the "Adopt-a-Village" program of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, which has been involved in Haiti's Upper Plateau for some 30 years. Our congregation has been blessed with the opportunity to effect real change in this rural community. Trinity has committed to fund the construction of a school in one of the poorest parts of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. No roads lead to Morne Michel, and everything - sand, iron, cinderblock materials - must be carried by hand or mule on the narrow paths through the rocky hills. Trinity sends mission trips to Morne Michel, the most recent in June 2009.
Contacts:
Joye Cantrell, Canon for Outreach and Adult Education (771-7300, jcantrell@trinitysc.org)
Rhett Wolfe, Participant (782-0133)
St. Lawrence Place - St. Lawrence Place is a transitional housing community that was founded by Trinity Cathedral more than two decades ago. Thirty units provide housing to families coming off the streets of Columbia from various shelters and agencies in the city. An active professional staff presents programs for family enrichment, educational instruction, job training, and interpersonal skills. Volunteers from the Cathedral and community serve on the Board of Directors and participate in after-school programs and tutoring, property/landscape maintenance, enrichment programming and special events. St. Lawrence Place is operated by Trinity Housing Corporation. Learn more about St. Lawrence Place on its website.
Contact: Lila Anna Sauls, Executive Director (256-3999, lasauls@stlawrenceplace.org)
Seeds of Hope Farmers Market - Small farmers face many impediments to economic success. "Seeds of Hope" offers them the opportunity to sell directly to consumers by bringing their produce to area residents. The Cathedral and many other area churches and synagogues support this program, which was started in 1986 by a group of churches and is sponsored by the S.C. Christian Action Council. For more than fifteen years, Greeleyville farmer Louis Reid has sold his produce in the Cathedral parking lot every Sunday during the summer months. Two Trinity volunteers help each Sunday, weighing and bagging the produce and collecting the money.
Contact: Lee & William Hutson (782-4980)
Soup Cellar - The Soup Cellar Ministry started at Washington Street United Methodist Church over 26 years ago. The church began a lunch program to meet the need of an ever increasing number of hungry people who came to its doors. The church asked other downtown churches to join in a joint weekday venture. No one church could afford to serve lunch every day, so a partnership was born. The venture now includes many churches that are not downtown, as well as civic and other groups. Trinity is one of the original partners and takes Thursday of each week (except Thanksgiving). We make and serve lunch for 150 to 200 people. Our team is divided into those who prepare the lunch, and those who serve the lunch. Each shift is about an hour and a half.
Contact: Ruth Tibshrany, Coordinator (787-4309)
Sunday Morning Breakfast - For close to 20 years, the Cathedral has served breakfast each week to the poor and homeless of downtown Columbia. Dedicated volunteers from Trinity and other area churches come to prepare a full meal of sausage, eggs, grits, biscuits, coffee, juice and milk, gathering together 52 Sundays per year at 6:00 a.m. A bag lunch is also distributed. Our doors on Senate Street open at 7:00 a.m. for our breakfast guests. Teams of cooks and servers assist each week, and more members are always needed to assist in preparation, serving and cleanup. Opportunities are also available at 8:00 to clean the kitchen. We are actively recruiting more young people and families to participate in this wonderful ministry. We have several children who come with their parents and would like more. We believe that this is a great example for our children of “loving your neighbor” and “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.”
Contact: Rusty Miller, Coordinator (865-2830)
W.A. Perry Partnership - Begun in 2003, our partnership with W. A. Perry Middle School allows Trinity to support future generations of the community in which our very own St. Lawrence Place is located. The partnership provides enrichment activities and opportunities to students enrolled in the after-school program. The program seeks to develop relationships that encourage academic success. Relationships are fostered through art, golf, tennis, cooking, drama, sewing and other activities, as well as assistance in tutoring.
Contacts:
Lee Ruef, Overall Coordinator (256-0477)
Susan Umbach, Enrichment Clubs (787-4164)
Tom and Sarah Terrill, Study Buddies (799-2122)
Sandra Owens, Terrific Thursdays (738-0008)
Youth Outreach - There are many youth outreach opportunities throughout the year. Visit the Youth Ministry webpage for more details.
Contact: Brian Silldorff, Canon for Youth Ministry (771-7300), brian@trinitysc.org)
