November  2006

Small Church, Big Outreach
St. Thomas’ a Standout in Wharton
by Carol E. Barnwell

 

Clothing and other donations are priced for sale at St. Thomas’ Thrift Shop,  Wharton.

Ninety-seven percent of the active membership of St. Thomas’, Wharton, is involved in the church’s ministry. That includes four-year-old Caroline who regularly carries stacks of bulletins from the copy machine to the folks waiting to fold them. Eighty percent of the average attendance is involved in ministry outside the church, said their rector, Lance Ousley.

“Leadership is shared here,” Ousley said, adding that a spirit of empowerment moves from one generation to the next. As a result, the proportion of ministry the church provides to the surrounding community is huge in comparison with their average Sunday attendance (ASA) of around 95.

Ousley values face to face ministry for those who are able to participate. “I believe in incarnational ministries,” he said. “Some people can only write a check and that is wonderful, but for those who are able, it is important to be involved in the programs we support.”

The church is known throughout the community for their outreach, Ousley said, explaining that outreach flows naturally from a focus on hospitality. “It means we welcome all people and we reach out in order to do that,” he said, noting that the church functions more like a program-sized church (250 ASA).

Ousley believes in doing ministry, “showing faith through our lives.”

“We don’t have growth in our population in Wharton but we have growth within our hearts and that is apparent to others who want to be part of an authentic life of Christ,” he said.

Empowered and Shared Ministry
Ousley not only supports the leadership in their ministries, he empowers them by sharing administration of his discretionary fund. “If a non-member of the parish needs help, the outreach team administers the funds. If it’s a member, I write the check,” he explained. “I oversee the fund, but its uses are shared.”

This model came about while the church was between rectors and parishioners were the only ones responding to those seeking assistance for rent, food, vouchers for clothing or utility assistance. The model continued after Ousley came in 2004 to the extent that the church has to set up appointments for intake interviews. That assistance includes a social service program, access to the MEHOP (Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program) mobile clinic, sack lunches and help with insurance co-pays and acute care prescriptions.

We tried to find the gaps in medical assistance programs,” said St. Thomas’ Outreach Coordinator Curtis Wilkins. That includes agreements with some local doctors for eye exams and glasses and with local dentists for dental needs. MEHOP provides the medical screening.

Before school starts, whole families come for immunizations. Wharton County has a lot of uninsured people. Up to eight people from the church volunteer with MEHOP each week. “We serve breakfast and lunch to the people who come,” said Cynthia Tobola, who also works at the church’s thrift shop. The parish raised $35,000 to help build a standing facility in Bay City so that the mobile clinic could continue to come to Wharton.

Recently they helped an 80 year old woman get the extensive dental work she needed before being able to have a hip replacement. There was no other program that would have assisted her.

Thrifty Funds
St. Thomas’ has run a very successful thrift shop for more than 25 years. The stacks of blue jeans alone would make a teenager weak in the knees. Starched shirts from Brooks Brothers share the rack with vintage Hawaiian and western shirts with pearl snaps. Coffee mugs and cut crystal are displayed next to stacks of books, some new, some musty with age. The shop provides a tax write off for the donors and people who buy items get a good value. Funds raised are multiplied through other outreach programs.

“Volunteers also minister to many of the people who shop at the Thrift Store,” Ousley said. They provide a caring ear and often refer people to the church for further help.

“We get excited with a $300 day at the Thrift Shop. Different volunteer crews have a healthy competition because they know the money means we can do more,” he said.

A Public Ministry
The prayer shawl ministry meets on Tuesday morning at a local coffee shop near the Thrift Shop. “We wanted to do it in a central place, in public where people would have a chance to talk about what they were doing when asked,” Ousley said. The group of knitters has become very ecumenical. The dozen women have made more than 100 shawls in a year and have sent them all over the world, to troops in Iraq, to local nursing homes, to church members and others.

A Hand Up
Wilkins owns a tree farm in nearby Glen Flora. This father of five knows that patience is part of growing things. He interviewed six or seven people Tuesday morning, the last woman, who was very hard of hearing, bellowed at him about her plumbing problems. Wilkins spoke gently but firmly, eventually arriving at what would be most helpful for her.

“This is a rural community. Basic needs are universal-food and housing. Our limitation is a lack of places to refer people,” he said. “People are getting hammered with utility bills,” and St. Thomas’ is one of only two churches that provide any direct assistance.

“I look beyond today’s request,” Wilkins explained. “I have to take time to get them to think about next month so they are not coming back.” When people arrive with a disconnect notice, he talks about managing the crisis and not waiting until the last minute. He often adds a question about cell phones into the conversation. “If they have one, I ask them which is more important. We talk about priorities and budgeting,” he said.

Sometimes the intake interviews are frustrating. This morning a 75-year-old woman living on $88 a month in social security is not able to qualify for other assistance because she has a small piece of farm land. Another person who is single and disabled receives $599 monthly in social security and qualifies for only $20 in food stamps. Poverty, poor choices, spousal abuse—all contributing factors to the needs within the community.

Challenges
With the multiplicity of outreach occurring at St. Thomas’, the issue is growing pains. Choices are based on a vision of “stepping into the gap,” Ousley said. “Where is the community hurting? Where can we be present?” The Thrift Shop can’t expand their hours without more volunteers. They can’t raise more dollars without more hours.

“We are maxed out but we celebrate what we are doing and we keep it ‘out there,’” Ousley said. “We try to help people feel their way. We don’t bail people out but we help them carry some of the responsibility so they can gain the ability to do more. The Baptismal Covenant says we are to respect the dignity of every human being,” he added, acknowledging that there is growth in the midst of crisis.

Ministry blesses those who do it, Ousley believes. It builds a stronger community and that identity is important to the congregation. “It gives us an incarnational experience,” he said. “St. Thomas is the face of Christ in this town.”