Outreach Ministries

Contact:
birthright@spiritofchrist.org

Birthright Sewing ministry is a group of volunteers that sew, crochet, and knit various items for babies, children, adolescents, and pregnant mothers.  The group meets every other month to select fabric, notions and patterns to make items for the spring and fall clothing distribution dates.  The volunteers take these articles home to construct at their convenience.

The recipients of the items are:

• Migrant Ministry: We donate Newborn to older children items to this group (from our own ministry at SOC.)
• Birthline, Inc. of Colorado: Provides girls and women with free confidential, loving and caring help throughout their pregnancy and for as long as needed. We donate Newborn to size 16 and also for pregnant mothers.
• Alternative Pregnancy Centers: a center to care for pregnant women and offer an alternative to abortion. We donate layette sizes Newborn to 1 year.
• Gabriel House: A ministry of Catholic Charities that reaches out to families in need, by providing emotional, spiritual, and material support. They supply diapers, toiletries, clothes, and food for children. We donate Newborn to toddler size 6.
• We will also donate to an individual referred to us.

There are presently 22 members of this group. At the last fall gathering the members had made over 260 items to be distributed, some of which are on the bulletin board. Our group does accept donated material, clean mattress pads, notions and working sewing machines. We’re always eager for more members.

We are a small group who sew, knit or crochet blankets for newborn babies. We meet quarterly and share a small potluck dinner. At this time we turn in any finished works and pick up any needed materials. You do not have to attend the meetings to help out! We will provide materials for you from our small budget to make these blankets if needed! We have a cabinet in the gathering space where you may drop off finished items, donations, etc.

We are making the blankets for Birthline of Denver, it’s an abortion alternative organization. Birthline assists unwed and underage mothers. Each mother receives a quilt, afghan and 4 receiving blankets.

We appreciate and welcome any donations of yarn or fabric from our generous parishioners.

Here are some great items to sew!

(Suggested material is baby flannel, baby friendly yarns, anything soft and baby colors! Washable yarns if crocheted or knitted. Stay away from wools for allergy reasons of course!)

• Single sided receiving blankets. Size approx. 36”-44” square depending on fabric width.Edges may be hemmed or surged.
• Baby Afghans (double sided) Suggested size 36”-45” square depending on fabric width of course!
• Quilts (batted) Suggested size 36” – 45” square again, depending on fabric width. Hand or machine pieced.
• Other items such as booties, hats, socks, etc. will be accepted as well.

Contact:
blankets@spiritofchrist.org
Call Robin at 303-913-7381

Fair Trade ministry is focused on helping international small farmer cooperatives which engage in democratic practices, equality for women, and the sustainability of their farms by receiving a fair price for their products. Products are sold here at SOC each month. We sell coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, olive oil, and other items at cost. This is not a fundraiser for Spirit of Christ, what we receive in sales is what costs us to purchase the items from Equal Exchange to continue to support the farmers.

Through Fair Trade, small farmers can feed their families, send their children to school and improve their communities.

To place an order, click the button below.  You will be asked to pay by credit card and product pickup time is once a month after Sat. 4:30 PM, 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Masses. Check our calendar for the next pick up date. Thank you for your support.

Contact:
Judy McEvitt at fairtrade@spiritofchrist.org.

The funding committee is a group of volunteers under the direction of our Director of Outreach. They oversee the grant program that provides for non-profit organizations.  For grant application questions, please contact Silvia.

Contact:
silvia@spiritofchrist.org

HOPE is a Spirit of Christ Ministry for the purpose of helping members of our community and beyond to have food.

Here is a list of organizations that Hope helps to fill their food pantries:

• Secrest Elementary – Serving the children of Arvada
• Mt St Vincent – Serving abused children
• Arvada High School – Serving Arvada families in need of food
• Foster Elementary – Serving the children of Arvada
• Lawrence Elementary – Serving the children of Arvada
• Arvada Hope House – Serving teen Moms

This past year has been a year of great need in providing food for people who are suffering from food insecurities. It has been a sad, sad year on my part, seeing children suffer because they are lacking in a basic human need. God Bless the people of Spirit of Christ for stepping up and continuing to provide for our brothers and sisters.

Contact:
For more information or to get involved, please email hope@spiritofchrist.org.

Katie Cassady and Melanie Becker
Co-Chairpersons

Koats 4 Kids  accepts donations of new and gently used coats. These coats are distributed to the kids at the schools in need of help in our area.

Knights of Columbus partners with us to collect coats and we accept individual donations.

We welcome your help in our ministry.

Contact:
Elsa Kent 720-708-5764

As an Outreach Ministry, the Migrant Ministry strives not only to provide for the basic needs and welfare of our migrant brothers and sisters, but also to bring awareness and education to our fellow parishioners about the humanness of migrant and immigrant peoples.

During the Summer months, we provide food donated by Costco and Panera, clothing generously donated by Spirit of Christ parishioners, as well as other needed supplies and household items to the migrant farm workers who begin to arrive in Colorado in May for the summer growing season.  We deliver throughout the summer, and to migrant and immigrant families who remain after the growing season the remainder of the year.  We also bring Sunday mass to the workers in the fields where they live and work–we celebrate mass and join together to share a meal with the migrant workers and families in the area.

We start the Fall each year by providing Back-to-School backpacks donated by the non-profit Precious Child to the migrant and immigrant children who live in the farm areas year-round.  We have recognized the needs of the migrant and immigrant community within our own Arvada neighborhood, and organize and provide food after school to kids at Arvada High School in conjunction with the HOPE Ministry.  To foster awareness of Hispanic traditions and culture, we host a parish-wide celebration for Day of the Dead.  Members of the Hispanic culture are closely connected to their Catholic faith, and the Day of the Dead anticipates All Saints Day, celebrating the “communion of saints” on which we pray for the living and departed.

And as we finish the year, the Migrant Ministry participates in the Spirit of Christ annual Reverse Collection.  We deliver Christmas gifts provided by parishioners to the migrant and immigrant children who live in the farm areas year-round.

Regardless of where we are and where we came from, we remain part of the human family and are called to live in solidarity with one another.  “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”. — Hebrews 13:2

Contact:
Andrea Litzau (720) 530-8108, migrantminitry@spiritofchrist.org

Keep Moving Forward- Men’s Prison Ministry: We aim to assist in improving the lives of all people affected by incarceration, with the vision and hope of making an everyday difference in the quality of life for all prisoners, ex-prisoners, and families of prisoners. We provide bus passes to St. Francis Employment Center and My Father’s house to distribute to people released from prison. We also participate in Reverse Collection to distribute hats, gloves, and socks at St. Francis Employment Center.

Contact:
prisonministry@spiritofchrist.org

Helping the Homeless Ministry seeks to perform the corporal works of mercy of feeding, clothing and sheltering our local homeless population, especially during severe weather. We accept donations of food, drink, warm clothing, shoes and boots, blankets, tarps, sleeping bags, hand and toe warmers, and toiletries. We cooperate with other area churches and Severe Weather Shelter Network in distributing donated items. During severe weather, volunteers prepare meals and welcome our homeless guests at overnight shelter sites at area churches. We welcome your help in our ministry.

Contact:
Diane Hildebrand at (360) 903-2891
Homelessministry@spiritofchrist.org

The goal of the Respect Life ministry is to share information regarding resources for pregnant women, create awareness about Pro-Life issues for those who are interested in becoming more involved, and providing opportunities for our Catholic Community to defend and protect life from conception to natural death so that we may bear witness to the gift of life!

What We Do

• Support Footprints Colorado which is a parish-based ministry that carries women through the journey of an unexpected pregnancy.     “You are not alone. Let us walk with you on this journey to parenthood.”Mission Statement: Our goal is to provide the opportunity for our parish community to model the love of Jesus so that our Church becomes the first place mothers and fathers facing an unexpected pregnancy seek help rather than the last.
• Participate in the Archbishop’s Annual Celebration of life Rally and March at the Capitol each January
• Promote and participate in 40 Days for Life: Spring and Fall Campaigns

Our parish adopts two days each campaign to pray peacefully at the Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic, near 38th and Quebec. This is done in a spirit of love and compassion as was demonstrated by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many employees, women, and couples have changed their minds about abortion based solely on seeing people praying the rosary and caring about them! The witness of your faith is evident to those entering this building and may be the seed of
hope for them as they make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.

• Host Spirit of Christ’s Annual Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Life
• Host Organizations in the parish Reverse Collection each Christmas.  These include Hope House for Teen mothers, and Alternatives Pregnancy Center
• Provide pro-life and pregnancy resource materials
• Referrals for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies to Marisol Health, a medical center supported by Catholic Charities, located across from Planned Parenthood in East Denver, as well as, Alternatives Pregnancy Center and others, depending on the needs of the women
• Counseling and healing referrals for post-abortive women and men, including Rachel’s Vineyard, Project Rachel, and St. Raphael’s Counseling
• Referrals for abortion workers to “And Then There Were None” for spiritual, emotional, financial, and legal assistance to escape the abortion industry
• Educational events related to life issues from conception to natural death
• Promote Pro-life legislation as appropriate to our state

To sign up or receive more information, please email socrespectlife@gmail.com

We work with 16 non-profit organizations to help provide Christmas presents to the children and families in their programs, who would otherwise do without. Spirit of Christ parishioners generously provide those children and families with Christmas presents. We usually start our program in November, and collect and distribute the gifts in December.

Contact:
Mary Coquillard 303-428-3428
reversecollection@spiritofchrist.org

Our ministry, Fran’s Rosary maker’s mission is to spread The Virgin Mary’s dedication and the blessings of praying the Rosary, the most beautiful of all devotions. Fran’s Rosary Makers at SOC, continues to gather, but in a manner different from the normal in-person meeting in a specified room. We stay connected via email, telephone calls, or the traditional USPS method.

Members communicate their requests for ordering supplies to make additional rosaries, pass along specific information or noteworthy ideas, and submit prayer petitions for them or their families and friends. A labeled plastic container in the SOC office is used for holding the bags of supplies ordered by individual members and ready for pickup, and also to accommodate the bags of finished rosaries by the members for eventual mailing to many areas of our country as well as worldwide. With the present pandemic and the rule of maintaining distance, this physical exchange mode of communication appears to be mostly successful.

In the past six months, 21 boxes of finished rosaries (each box holds about 120 rosaries) have been mailed back to Our Lady’s Rosary Makers International in Louisville, KY. They have connections with missions in other countries and priest friends who are in need of religious supplies and sacramentals such as rosaries.

The majority of our rosaries have been mailed to large, but very needy and poor parishes in Tanzania, Africa, Mbarara Uganda and Tamil Nadu, India.

We continue to welcome people who are interested in learning how to make rosaries. It is a creative ministry you can choose to participate in while remaining in the comfort of your home. In this time of unrest and deep concern, making rosaries may be the answer to generate internal peace and calm!

For information to volunteer and join our group, please call Joyce Kruger at 303-428-0603 or email to joyce40@q.com.

Attached is a photo of the SOC bulletin board created by Fran’s Rosary Makers.

We are not able to make or serve soup at this time, however, volunteers prepare the sandwich bags at home and deliver them to Spirit of Christ the fourth Monday of each month. A bag consists of a sandwich, fruit, chips, and a breakfast bar. Then the meals get delivered to New Genesis (a shelter for the working homeless), and St. Francis Center. If you would like to assist in preparing the meals or delivering them, or for more information, please contact Becky Diaz at 303-428-2509 or soupkitchen@spiritofchrist.org.

We also have our SOC Tuesday lunch group. Our mission is to prepare & serve hot lunches at the Day Shelter at Rising Church in Olde Arvada. Currently we are serving 25 to 45 hungry folks & we anticipate even greater demand in cold weather. Volunteer frequency is flexible.

For full information, call Chris Kotowski at 303-422-8371. or soupkitchen@spiritofchrist.org.

Three women from Spirit of Christ are honored and privileged by the Lord calling us to share in bringing His love, truth, forgiveness, healing and hope to women in Prison through Kairos Prison Ministry. Kairos also serves in 4 of our men’s facilities in Colorado. Our Mission Statement is “to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women, and youth as well as their families to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.

Our Vision is “A community spiritually freed from the effects of Imprisonment reaching all impacted by incarceration through the love, hope and faith found in Jesus Christ. Kairos began in 1976 with a 3-day “Short Course in Christianity” founded on and called Cursillo in Prison. By 1978, six states were presenting a Cursillo short course in prisons. The national Cursillo office determined the Cursillo in Prison ministries should be supervised by a central authority and that their format be modified to more closely align with inmate needs. Cursillo asked the Florida group to design such a program and the nine men who began the ministry formed Kairos International, which now serves nearly 500 prisons in 37 states and 9 countries.

We three women of Spirit of Christ join with approximately 36 other faith-filled women from other Christian denominations and meet the first Sunday of each month at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility to pray, share with and encourage residents to continue in their faith Trusting in God. We also are prayerfully asking God to lead more women to serve on the team with us and also encourage any men interested in prison ministry to contact us and we will give them a contact for men’s ministry. We are incredibly blessed to bring our 4-day program to the facilities twice a year. Our ministry at Denver Women’s does this in March and September. This is a true commitment to stewardship of time as it requires 4 Saturday all-day team meetings to form, bond and prepare the team to spend the 4 days with the residents who have never been to any Kairos program at all. Upon completing the 4-day “short course in Christianity” they become graduates and can then continue their journey in faith by joining with us every month thereafter. We have been witnesses to so many hearts, lives and the facility environment itself being transformed by God’s grace, mercy and love. Officers and staff speak volumes about the huge change in the attitude and the way women having been through Kairos choose to do their time; they are now leading Bible Study groups in their units, mentoring new inmates with wisdom, and making the overall environment much healthier.

To be on a Kairos team does involve taking an all-day class from the Department of Corrections and then attending one 4-day program (which also includes the 4 pre-weekend training dates). Yes, it is a big time commitment, but as most of us on team love to tell the women – we see the hand of God so powerfully when we are with you here inside this prison, that we all willing tell God “THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE SENTENCE.” Most of us cannot imagine being anywhere else on the first Sunday of the month.

For more information please contact: Sandy Miller (Kansas cell phone 316-200-7361) or email at solespoken@yahoo.com

Stewardship is a way of life.

Stewardship Statement
We, the family of Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, believe stewardship is our grateful and obedient response to God’s redeeming love. We recognize that all creation is placed in our trust by God. We acknowledge that our ability to respond faithfully to God’s love is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Stewardship requires responsible return to God from our resources of time, talent and treasure. We further acknowledge that we are called to live out this response individually and in community

Mission Statement, Funding Committee Social Concerns Ministry
We, the Funding Committee of Social Concerns Ministry, through prayerful discernment, believe our responsibility and accountability for the distribution of the parish tithe is based on furthering Catholic Christian value and empowering people to meet their most basic needs. Our charitable giving is focused on providing direct support to promote, nurture and sustain the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual well-being of people. Percentage distribution of the parish tithe is 15% of the Parish Offertory.