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Step Ministry Newsletter We Are Called to Feed and Shelter Step Ministry

Breakfast Ministry Mission Statement Vision Statement

St. Francis Parish offers a daily welcoming presence, a safe sleeping space and a nutritional breakfast to approximately 16 of our homeless brothers and sisters. We serve over 100 in a year.

Step Ministry Newsletter: Box Seats - A View from the Steps
The Step Ministry has a quarterly newsletter called "Box Seats":

• Winter 2009
• Summer 2008

Dear friends of the Step Ministry,

Thank you for your generous support of our beloved Step Ministry.

• With your help, each night we are able to provide a safe haven for 16 homeless people from our neighborhood.
• With your help, each night 16 of society’s most marginalized persons will be able to lay their heads down to sleep knowing that they are loved and cared for.
• With your help, each night 16 homeless folks will feel a little less “homeless.” And that can mean everything!

The title of our newsletter, “Box Seats,” is derived from a standing joke that developed during our very beginning on the front steps of the church. As you may know, flattened cardboard boxes are used by homeless folks to cushion the unforgiving hardness of the concrete and also as insulation from the dampness that seems to rise up out of the ground like a malevolent spirit when the sun goes down. Each evening guests and Step Ministers alike would sit on the top step of the church on flattened cardboard boxes sharing the details of their day and watching the hustle and bustle of passersby finishing up their respective days. Upon the arrival of an additional guest or minister someone would always flop down a vacant piece of cardboard and beckon the new arrival up with the greeting, “Hey, come on up. We’ve got box seats. The view is great!” All would laugh no matter how many times this scene was repeated.

And the view was, and is, great. To experience the Step Ministry is to experience all the good, the bad and the ugly in life, only in concentrate form. It is a microcosm of the macrocosm. One of the lessons of the Steps is to learn to accept and say “yes” to all life has to offer with love and humility and heartfelt gratitude to the Creator of it all.

So, “Come on up. You’ve got box seats and the view is great!” Welcome to the family. Blessings to all,

Nora Sanguinetti
Volunteer Coordinator of the St. Francis Step Ministry

We Are Called To “Feed the Hungry” & “Shelter the Homeless”
“God comes in every voice, behind every face, in every memory, deep in every struggle.”

Our brothers and sisters who are homeless and find shelter with us every night need your generosity and prayerful support. The cold, dark days of winter are especially daunting for those who live their lives on the streets.

During the holiday season, particularly at this time of year with its festive, family activities, many of us want to share with those who are most vulnerable among us. Below are some opportunities for you to consider:

Step Ministry - Financial Support

Donations provide the following services: $5: 0ne night’s shelter & breakfast for 1 of our guests $20: One night’s shelter & breakfast for 4 of our guests $10: One week’s breakfast for 1 of our guests $35: One week’s shelter & breakfast for 1 of our guests $25: Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Dinner for 1 of our guests $50: Christmas Eve motel voucher for 1 of our guests Green or goldenrod donation envelopes are available in the racks in the back of church and may be placed in the collection basket or mailed in. More Information: Learn more about our Step Ministry Call Kay (916) 443-8084 x111

Breakfast Ministry - Food Items & Financial Support

Food Donations: (Bring to church on the first Sunday of the month or bring to Parish Center during the week) Food Items We Can Use: Individual fruit cups Individual fruit juice boxes Individual cold cereal boxes Individual oatmeal packets Peanut-butter crackers Breakfast bars Hot Chocolate packets Coffee We supplement these items with our purchases of cheese sticks, fresh fruit and milk. Financial Donations: Financial donations are welcome and appreciated to cover these expense items. We cannot use canned goods. PLEASE do not drop off perishable items or clothing. More Information: Learn more about our Breakfast Ministry Call Kay (916) 443-8084 x111

Step Ministry to the Homeless
One day each week
6-7:30PM in the Parish Center Courtyard
"What you do for the least of my brethren...."
Homeless not only for a room made of bricks but homeless from being rejected, unwanted, completely torn out of society....
That unwanted one is my brother and my sister....
We belong to each other. – Mother Teresa

The courtyard of our Parish Center provides a sacred dwelling place where a community of ministers and homeless guests meet each other on holy ground and give witness and dignity to our shared experiences.  This ministry is rooted in Scripture and responds to the call to welcome strangers, provide shelter to the wanderer, love thy neighbor, and not turn away from the needs of others.

As a Step Minister, you have the opportunity to serve as a welcoming presence for the homeless guests of the St. Francis Step Ministry one day a week from 6-7:30PM.

The Step Ministry provides a safe, peaceful and private place to sleep in the Parish Center Courtyard. This ministry is rooted in Scripture and responds to the call to welcome strangers, provide shelter to the wanderer, love thy neighbor, and not turn away from the needs of others.

More Information:

• Contact the Parish Center at (916) 443-8084 or
  Info@stfrancisparish.com.

Breakfast Ministry
The Breakfast Ministry began, appropriately, on the Feast of All Saints, November 1st, 2001, to serve a simple morning meal twice a week to the Guests who sleep on our church steps. Since that time, through many generous hearts, we have slowly expanded and are now serving seven days a week.

The Ministry depends on our morning teams (better known as the Breakfast Club!) who actually serve the guests each morning, as well as on food donations from the rest of the parish. Donations are always welcome. Items we can use are: coffee, juice, baked goods, string cheese, instant oatmeal, cocoa packets, cold cereal and hard boiled eggs. Donations can be dropped off at the Parish Center M-F, 9-5 or in the carts provided at mass on the first weekend of every month.

Mission Statement

• Providing a place where all are welcome.
• Recognizing the presence of Christ in each other as we gather together in the courtyard each evening to listen, share, and support one another.
• Responding compassionately to the needs of our guests, believing it is gospel justice for all to have a safe place to sleep. 
• Being considerate of the impact of this ministry on the extended community.

Vision Statement

• Be an expression of love.
• Continue to evolve in understanding and responding to our gospel call.
• Be a model for other churches and communities.
• Collaboratively build community and maintain sacred space.
• Support each other in life transitions.
• Seek to enhance community awareness of the needs of the homeless.
• Provide opportunities for neighbor/community interaction with Step guests and ministers.
• Share with others from the heart of our experience with the Step Ministry.
• Model the Franciscan spirit by being instruments of peace, love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light, and joy in all aspects of the ministry.
• Collaborate with the parish community and administrative body.

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1066 26th Street Sacramento, CA 95816
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