The two go together. The people of St Matthias engage in hands-on and supportive ways of offering "a cup of cold water" (Matthew 10:42) to others. We are fortunate to work with the following groups and community organizations. ​

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Edmonton Food Bank Community Depot Thursdays: Every Thursday, members and friends of St Matthias open the doors from 4:30-5:30pm as a distribution centre on behalf of Edmonton's Food Bank. If you would like to volunteer to help with this work, please contact our office to find out how you can join in.

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Collective Kitchens: St. Matthias coordinates two separate 'Collective Kitchens'. We offer the 'Neighbourhood' Collective and the 'Seniors' Collective. These Collectives meet once a month to cook, bake, and have fun together for an afternoon. The cost to participate is very low, and meals are then divvied up and taken home by participants. This initiative draws on food supplied through the Edmonton Food Bank as well as our REACH mission funds, and is led by parish members Dawn Ritz, Pat Carson, Sharron Hostland, and Bev O'Brien.

 

Inner City Pastoral Ministry: Twice a year the people of St Matthias prepare food and assemble a team from St. Matthias and Our Savior Lutheran Church. This group then attends Sunday worship and serves Sunday lunch at the Inner City Pastoral Ministry, an interdenominational mission at the Bissell Centre. This work is coordinated by Sharron Hostland with the support and assistance of many. Sharron would love to hear from you as there is always room for more volunteers to be part of the team on these Sunday mornings.

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Common Threads: A knitting group! Meeting on Tuesdays from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, these folks represent a number of different churches in the surrounding area, and gather to knit items such as prayer shawls to be given to those who are in need of prayer as a sign of care, and blankets for those staying at WIN House. This group is always open to new members and guests.

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Anglican Church Women (ACW) of St. Matthias: The St. Matthias chapter of the ACW has historically offered gatherings for the women of the parish. Through its work hosting and serving at receptions for events in the Parish Hall and the annual Christmas Lunch and Bake Sale in November, this chapter continues to donate funds to many community and church-based organizations doing good in our city. In 2019 all the proceeds from the Christmas Lunch and Bake Sale went to the support of the lunch and snack programs of two neighbourhood elementary schools.

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PWRDF: The Primates' World Relief and Development Fund is a branch of the Anglican Church of Canada dedicated to responding to cases of emergency (i.e., Relief), and to fostering the well-being of various communities world-wide through  long-term projects (i.e., Development). There are always a number of different projects to explore and support. Each Fall, the children of St Matthias collect their offerings toward a gift from the PWRDF gift guide at Christmas. For more information, speak with our Parish Representative to the PWRDF, Beverly O'Brien. 

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Refugee sponsorships, pastoral care, food security, community engagement, daily prayer... there are many more ways that a community minded church and its partners serve the neighbourhood and city every day.  Come and see what ideas percolate up into realities that transform lives.