The congregation of St. Michael the Archangel is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, having been established as a Chapel of Grace and St. Stephen's Church in 1957. The parish decided that they wanted to mark the occasion with something more than a big party (although they are doing some of that, too). The people of St. Michael’s most wanted their celebration to be a form of outreach to the community.
So, the congregation is marking the anniversary in two ways. First of all, at every Sunday service, children pass out two little wooden boxes to collect the “50th Anniversary offering.” (Think second offering!) People are asked to make a contribution of fifty cents per family or individual, or any amount they want to give. The money is then given to outreach ministries that are designated by the Outreach Committee. For the first quarter of the year this effort collected $2300. This money will be given to Marian House, which is a downtown Colorado Springs ministry that feeds and provides services to homeless people. Next quarter the proceeds will go to the Mission Medical Clinic, which provides medical care and prescription medications for low-income individuals with no medical insurance in El Paso and Teller counties.
The second part of this 50th Anniversary effort involves asking parishioners to make a personal commitment of time, or money to a cause of their choice that moves beyond what they might normally do – something that will challenge them to do more, to stretch. Examples of this personal commitment could be visiting or calling someone during the year, serving as a volunteer for some mission project, sponsoring a child or giving to some outreach cause. Parishioners are invited to use special commitment cards that have been created and are in the pew racks. No names are put on the card, just a description of the ministry they are going to undertake. The cards are then placed on a special the 50th Anniversary wall in the Gathering Area, so that all can see the progress.
