Your Help Needed with “Blessing Bags”
The Community of Deacons in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is sponsoring a Diocesan-wide project this year. We will be filling dignity bags during Convention for the homeless. This has a two main purposes:
- To create bags that will address the immediate needs of those who are homeless, by having bags full of items that have been requested by both those who are homeless and their caregivers.
- In the midst of our fellowship time together as a Diocese, to remind us all that poverty and homelessness are Church issues; it is an opportunity to reflect on our relationships with those who, like our Lord during his ministry, are homeless.
The drive is Diocesan-wide, and items will be gathered to the Cathedral for Convention. Bags will be filled during convention. The distribution of the bags will be at a designated place at the Cathedral where clergy and lay delegates are free to take bags back to the persons they serve directly with their ministries. So, if you have ministries to the homeless you may take them. I have attached links to the Diocesan page, and to the Amazon page for full descriptions of both the Initiative, and the list for the bags below. During announcements I will show some of the items that are listed below. My family and I have chosen different items to concentrate on for collection (see above). If you cannot shop for any of these items, or would simply like to contribute please see me at any time and we can discuss. I am aware that we have needs here in our community and as stated above several of these bags will be coming back to us for our homeless ministry. This is a way for us to help all those in need throughout the Diocese.
We will be collecting up until October 28, 2018. Then everything will be delivered to the Cathedral in Philadelphia prior to the Convention. Please consider helping out in this ministry of compassion for our friends in need.
Rev. Deacon Louis K. Steffenhagen
Link to Diocesan Page Description of Dignity and Blessing Bags: https://www.diopa.org/news/your-help-needed-with-blessing-bags/
Below are all the items that will be collected during this drive. You do not have to use Amazon. These are just examples. The product needs to be the same as far as the size goes. This ensures that every bag holds the same items of the same amount.
Link to Amazon Wish List for Bags: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/17IJS6O5080DM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_z_g__wb
