Calvary Episcopal Chuch

Neighbors are important to Calvary.  Who are our neighbors?  To quote a line from the hymn, Jesu, Jesu,“Neighbors are rich and poor, neighbors are black and white, neighbors are nearby and far away.”Calvary strives to live out the words of that hymn in its many outreach ministries. Some of these ministries are ones we have participated in for years, some are new, and others are still evolving. We participate with gifts of our time, talent and monies. Calvary members fill needs throughout the community on a daily basis.

Every Tuesday evening a hot meal is offered at Calvary to those in need. At Tuesday’s Table, Calvary members help cook and serve the meal.  We are blessed to have others who want to be involved, including another local church and civic organization.  It takes a community to serve a community.

One of our ongoing ministries is our Backpack Program. Calvary has adopted Ressie Jeffries Elementary School.  Every Thursday several of our members pack and deliver backpacks loaded with food for the weekend for approximately 60 children, who might otherwise go hungry.  This program has expanded to include other churches within the community. A summer feeding program has been in existence since the summer of 2014. This includes food distribution centers throughout Warren County.

Outreach to children also includes providing Christmas presents and food for needy children and their families. As with the Backpack Program, names are confidential. In December Calvary shoppers are provided the child’s age, sex, sizes and Christmas wish list. Monies are raised each year to help support this project.

Scholarship Program

For many years Calvary has offered a scholarship to a graduating senior from Warren County High School who planned to attend a four year college.  As our county has grown, so has the scholarship.  At present we offer two scholarships, one to a Warren County High School senior and one to a Skyline High School senior. 

Additional Outreach

On a local basis, we support the Congregational Community Action Project, C-CAP, with food, financial assistance and volunteers.   As with many local ministries, C-CAP is always looking for a few good volunteers.

Calvary supports the local free clinic, St. Luke Community Clinic, with volunteers.  From time to time special fund raisers sponsored by the parish also provide financial assistance to St. Luke.

Members of Calvary can be seen in all areas of Warren Memorial Hospital as volunteers.  In fact, just about every local ministry in Front Royal/Warren County that is looking for volunteers, is or has been, supported by someone from our parish.

As a congregation we participate in mission and outreach beyond our community. We have supported ministries elsewhere in the United States, in Africa, in Haiti and in Europe.  In April we were visited by the Rev.Cornelia Eaton, of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland.  She shared with us some of the work the Episcopal Church on site is doing.  In particular she mentioned soap making and how the sale of these soaps is prompted on their website; ecofnavajoland.org.  Check it out.

Each year our Christmas and Easter Offering is split between local and national or international needs. For 2018, our Easter Offering was divided between The Drop-In Cafe and our partner parish, St. Paul Parish, Diocese of Ibba, South Sudan.

The Drop-In Café 

In September of 2017 an ambitious and much needed project, designed to reach out to the homeless in Warren County, opened its doors at Calvary. Led by a Calvary parishioner, and the Center for Workforce Development, the Drop-In Café is open every Monday morning from 9:00 a.m. till noon. Homeless folks in the community can come in from the cold, have a good breakfast, and spend a few hours with the core team of five people who provide, first and foremost, a listening ear. The core team is committed to “warm, dry, fed” as possible immediate goals, then to participating in viable, long term solutions. Help has been provided in concrete ways, warm clothing, sleeping bags and tents, work boots and work required clothing, finding jobs and apartments. This is just a hint of the good work this group is doing. If you want more information just call the parish office. Or better yet, if you are able, drop by the Café (in Wagner Hall) any Monday and see the hands of God at work. Perhaps you will see a need you can help fill.