Volunteers from St Michael’s Episcopal Church

February 16, 2012 by Pamela Marquis, MSW | 0 comments

Episcopal Community Services Louisiana serves the most vulnerable members of our communities. We are blessed to have many who help us do this worthy mission. This is a story about some recent volunteers from St. Michael’s Church in Milton, Ma. For more info about how you can help, contact Pete Nunnally at http://ecsla.org/join-us/

 

The thunderstorm that greeted St. Michael’s Episcopal Church’s volunteers from Milton, Massachusetts didn’t dampen their spirits one bit, and soon the weather brightened, the temperatures warmed and this group got right to work.

They were truly busy doing everything from demolishing a water-soaked closet to handing out po’boys at the New Orleans Mission. During their stay they helped with such organizations as Beacon of Hope and Phoenix of New Orleans.  They also painted ironwork, got their hands dirty at the Bayou Rebirth gardens and helped families come a step closer to once again living in their homes. And, most importantly, with open hearts, they listened to the stories of the people they served.

The 385-member church is an active multi-generational church located just outside of Boston. The church has a deep commitment to outreach. Besides their 5th annual visit to New Orleans, earlier this year they also sent volunteers to Joplin, Missouri. At home, they run a food pantry, serve meals to Boston’s homeless and reach out to low-income children with ministries that serve boys in a correctional facility, malnourished infants and children of domestic trauma. They also have a productive tutoring program and summer camp. In addition, this busy congregation provides canine and human companionship to the elderly and support to struggling refugees.  A busy congregation indeed: one that takes its mission to support and foster spiritual growth very seriously.

Besides their hard work during their visit, they also found time for some fun. Visiting the World War II Museum, riverboat trips down the Mississippi and catching some Mardi Gras beads are just a few of the things the group enjoyed. We truly thank them for all their efforts!

 

February 13, 2012
by Karen Mackey
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Show Your Love for the Gulf: Restore Act Online Week of Action

Show Your #LOVE for the Gulf: RESTORE Act Online Week of Action - Starting today and continuing throughout the week, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign will be sending some Valentine’s Day love to the gulf!  They’ll be tweeting and Facebooking specific members of Congress, urging them to send BP oil spill fines back to the gulf by passing the RESTORE Act.  To join their nationwide online action to help restore the gulf, please go to http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/blog/2012/02/09/show-your-love-for-the-gulf-restore-act-week-of-action-starts-monday/

 

Read the letter to Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell

 

Serving People, Changing Lives

February 8, 2012 by Karen Mackey | 0 comments



Episcopal Community Services of Louisiana (ECSLA) is leading and catalyzing ministries that create opportunities for the poor, strengthen our response to disasters, and engage young adults and volunteers in transformative service learning. We have also cast a wider vision for the way in which ECSLA can be a resource to congregational programs.

Video produced by Creative Video Productions, Baton Rouge, LA http://creativevideo.tv

January 30, 2012
by Karen Mackey
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Reflections from Living With Purpose: God is very much in the work being done at St. Thomas

By Cara Mills, Living With Purpose Fellow ’11-’12, Patient Care Coordinator for St. Thomas Community Health Clinic

As a Living With Purpose (LWP) Fellow, I am spending the year working for St Thomas Community Health Center. I was attracted to St Thomas as my site placement because I am interested in a future working in healthcare. I spent the last year with the ESC (Episcopal Service Corps, the national network of service programs that includes LWP) in Boston where I interned with a homeless ministry that offered day programs and services to individuals who were chronically without housing and resources. During my time in Boston I discovered a deep passion for working with people and a gift of patience and understanding. Many of my experiences and relationships in Boston led to me to pursue a master’s degree in Nursing so that I could intertwine my passion for interpersonal relationships and healthcare with those in need. What St Thomas stands for in the face of healthcare in this country inspired me to be a part of their mission. When I first spoke to Dr. Erwin, founder and CEO of St Thomas, he said to me, “People in this country are not dying from hypertension and diabetes; they are dying of racism and poverty.” After my experiences Boston and here in New Orleans, I could not agree more.

I want to be a part of a movement in this country that offers healthcare, a basic human right, to each and every one of its citizens. I want to be a part of a movement that sets a high standard of healthcare for each and every one of those who need it regardless of economic status or race. St Thomas, one of the first facilities in New Orleans to offer healthcare to residents post-Katrina, does not turn away anyone even if they have Medicaid or no health insurance at all. In the face of the tough economic climate, St. Thomas not only offers quality healthcare to its patients, but is expanding to a beautiful building staffed with the finest healthcare professionals. The staff at St Thomas believes everyone deserves all that is beautiful in the world and will not stop until each individual who walks through the clinic’s front door is taken care of.

Since I started at St Thomas my experience has been dynamic and diverse. The staff and I balance between where I am most needed in the clinic and where I hope to gain the most experience. Slowly I settled in to the position of “Patient Care Coordinator” for the clinic’s breast screening services. I face many challenges in my work and am always expected to step-up to them. The staff at St Thomas welcomed me into a family-like setting while demanding great respect of the work that is done here. I continually find myself in roles I would have never thought I could do, but because Dr. Erwin and the rest of the staff have always had faith in me I am able to grow.

In my position I interact with patients, utilize my organizational skills, and participate in a very important project coordinating the care of patients who are at risk for breast cancer. I am always very busy and enjoy the constant liveliness of the clinic. I appreciate the exposure to registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians doing their daily tasks. This experience helps me understand what it technically means to be a nurse practitioner and all that is required. I am getting the chance to learn about the different specialties a nurse practitioner can have and possibility what I would like to do in the future.

God is very much in the work being done at St Thomas and the way to justice that Jesus preached is lived out every day. I am very happy to be a part of it.