Contact the church office for additional information or
to volunteer for any of the following ministries.
The Altar Guild prepares our spaces for worship. This group cares for the special dishes linens, vestments, and other objects used in our traditions and liturgy. For many, the work of the guild becomes an important part of their personal spirituality. Each Saturday the Altar Guild arranges fresh flowers from a local florist for Sunday worship. Anyone in the parish can sponsor a particular Sunday’s flowers by signing up on the large chart in the front hall.
Episcopal Church Women of St. Paul’s is an organization for every woman in our church (and any other women friends you would like to invite as your guests). The ECW sponsors the St. Nicholas Faire, the Mother’s Day Tea and other events with monies raised going to support youth missions and other local charities. Meetings begin with a social time while enjoying a potluck luncheon and ends with and ends with a presentation. The relaxed, informal meetings are held in he church’s Parish Hall. Meetings are held quarterly (on the second Saturday of January, April, July, and October) and are announced on the church calendar and the weekly Epistle.
Ushers and Greeters welcome worshipers and assist during worship and other service throughout the year. Usher and greeter duties overlap as they both are available to offer assistance and answer questions as they welcome worshipers entering the church, hand out liturgies, and invite newcomers to join coffee and fellowship in the Parish Hall after worship. Ushers collect the offering and take it to the altar, guide people from the pews to communion and back again, and assist as needed after worship.
Come to Dinner is a free dinner open to the parish and community who’d like a warm meal with good company! Dinners are served on the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 6:15, after which the cooks and helpers join the community to eat their meal.
Parish Nursing Ministry volunteers serve the local community with a Life Line Screening Event, Blood Drive, and Blood Pressure checks at St. Paul’s.
Backpack Buddies is designed to provide children from low-income households with 10-12 pounds of nutritious kid-friendly groceries for the afternoons and weekends. Food packs are delivered to schools, then distributed to teachers who put them into the children’s backpacks. With the help of food and monetary donations, St. Paul’s can provide food packs to nearly 100 children in Oregon City elementary schools. Volunteers pack food after coffee hour on “packing day” Sundays, load and unload food orders, donate non perishable food items (peanut butter, juice boxes, soup, snacks etc.) and/or funds.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry provides hand knitted prayer shawls that are blessed at the St. Paul’s altar then made available for parishioners to give family and friends with the hope of providing the recipient with comfort and to help them be ever mindful of the power of prayer. Prayer shawls are available after worship services and during office hours.
The St. Nicholas Faire, held annually the first Saturday of December and the preceding Friday. It includes craft booths, raffle baskets, baked goods, and home Advent handouts. Proceeds from the gift basket raffle go to a local charity and usually exceed more than 1000 dollars each year. Additional proceeds go towards ECW ministries and St. Paul’s projects including charities. Vendors are made up of parishioners and local crafters while parishioners host the bake sale, the gift basket raffle, and the Advent handouts.
H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Eat) is a cooperative effort serving along with other churches and the Oregon Food Bank located at the First Baptist Church or Oregon City on John Adams Street next to St Paul’s. HOPE provides a 3 to 5 day emergency supply of food to families in need of assistance. In addition to food, dignity/hygiene items are often available such as deodorant, toilet paper, and personal and laundry soap. The bulk of the food comes from the Oregon Food Bank and is supplemented by donations from local stores, churches, and private donors in the area. A HOPE barrel is located in the Parish Hall to hold donations of nonperishable food items and sturdy carry bags.
Rahab’s Sisters Collection barrel in the Parish Hall accepts donations of socks, clothing, feminine hygiene products and bath products. The mission at Rahab’s Daughters is to offer “Radical Hospitality” to women in the Portland Metro area that have been marginalized by the sex industry, domestic violence, poverty, substance abuse, and homelessness. They gather on Friday nights at Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church on Southeast 82nd Avenue, from 7pm – 10pm. All women (or anyone that identifies as a woman) are offered a warm safe environment with nutritious food, hot coffee, conversation, and personal hygiene necessities.