The Service Commission’s goals are to create an awareness of and commitment to Christ’s social message as reflected in our actions and response to the needs of others. Committees in the Service Commission reach out from the parish community to those in need beyond our boundaries. The programs of the Commission provide opportunities for parishioners to act upon their faith by caring for others directly, by working with organizations and agencies who serve the poor and the vulnerable, and through advocacy at the local, state and national level.
“One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve”…Albert Schweitzer
“See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”…James 2:26
How can I help those in need, right now?
* Donate goods to local charities through our Matthew 25 program. All food items can be brought to the church and left in the Matthew 25 section of the Narthex. St. Mark is open every day of the week. See the bulletin or the sign in the Narthex for the current list of items needed.
*SERVICE COMMISSION
As people of faith, we need to know that it’s not enough to just love and do good works ourselves. It is our responsibility and part of our calling as disciples to urge those around us to lives of charity and unconditional love. By our words and, more importantly, by our actions, we must challenge others to lives of service as an essential way of drawing nearer to God.
Bill Grossman, Pastoral Associate | 703-938-1936
Denise Argote, Secretary | 703-938-1936
Theresa Croson, Service Chairperson | 703-352-1514
How else can I help those in need?
* Give Blood at our Blood Drive in coordination with the ST. MARK Girl Scouts on Sunday, December 4th in the Cassidy Activities Center. Book your appointment today!
* Help with our monthly Donut Sundays at ST. MARK. Contact Ann Brinkmann 703-281-2322
* Volunteer Opportunities for Youth 2022
* Maybe you would like to start a new Service Project/Program
* Make Sandwiches, Cook for the homeless, help children at Fairfax Hospital, and more!!….see the ministries in need of help, below!!!!
These are held two times per year to help Inova Blood Donor Services provide a safe and adequate blood supply for our area. Please consider giving the gift of life! Volunteers are needed to help after Mass to sign up donors, staff the drive as well as donate blood. We are currently looking for a volunteer to head this ministry. Please contact Bill Grossman, if interested, at 703-938-1936.
Bill Grossman |703-938-1936|
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CHINS (Children in Need of Smiles) is an organization created to replenish new items needed for sick children and their families at Inova Fairfax Children’s Hospital. Our mission is to provide comfort, support, and smiles to these children with the help of your donations and your time. Volunteers are needed to help sort donations, assemble care packages, and deliver the packages. Another volunteer opportunity is to knit and crochet hats for the children.
Click here to visit the CHINS website
Click here to visit the most recent CHINS Newsletter
Jennifer Allison | 703-938-2176
Ann Paniszczyn | 703-281-4144
The Christ House is a shelter for homeless men in need of health care. Every third Sunday of the month, ST. MARK is committed to providing a hot and nutritious lunch. There are two ways to participate: 1) purchase food and bring it to the kitchen at ST. MARK or 2) drive w/ the food, prepare & serve lunch to guests at Christ House. Additional food providers are needed.
Arnold Crespo | 703-349-3623
Alyce Coppage | 703-403-2809
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CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE
Through the Giving Tree, volunteers provide the ST. MARK community an opportunity to spread the joy of Christmas to the disadvantaged in an organized gift gathering and delivery project. Most work on the Giving Tree takes place between November 1 and mid-December and includes contacting charities about their needs, making tags for the tree, putting up and decorating the tree in the Narthex, organizing incoming gifts for delivery to charities and families, and delivering gifts.
Carolyn Peterson | 703-281-3941
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CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE-ADOPTIONS
You can get a wish list from a child, an individual or a family through this process.
Nancy Dunaway | 703-758-8142 |
Mary Lou McIntire | 703-938-4276
CLOTHING DRIVE-Annual Thanksgiving Collection
The Clothing Drive is a great family ministry that supports many local charities in the Washington, D.C. area. Help to sort and pack donated clothing on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving Day. Help with organizational tasks prior to the Drive. Help with small deliveries in your pick up truck or minivan after the drive. We invite all parishioners to contribute with the clothing they no longer find useful. Mens casual clothing is our biggest need.
Paul Renard | 703-819-4666
ESL (ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE)
*ST.MARK Catholic Church is seeking volunteer teachers and assistant teachers for its adult English classes during its upcoming 2022/2023 academic year. All classes will be in person in the St. Mark Christian Formation Center on Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning September 27, 2022. In addition to English language classes, we will also offer informal English Conversation, Writing, and Citizenship Preparation. For more information please contact Monica O’Keefe or Bob Gambarelli at: stmarksesl@gmail.com
On an annual basis, this ministry offers English language/citizenship preparation instruction to hundreds of adult learners at various proficiency levels. No foreign language skills are necessary for most positions. ESL teachers and aides generally volunteer one evening a week, either Tuesday or Thursday, and classes meet in the ST. MARK Christian Formation Center. Time commitment for weekly volunteers averages 2-3 hours per week (September – May). Volunteers are also asked to help with program administration by participating in student registration, publicity, hospitality, student recognitions, and other program-wide functions. Others serve as occasional substitutes or assist with the summer program. Volunteers attend training, plan lessons, and report on attendance and classroom activity via email.
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FACETS HOT MEALS
The ST. MARK Hot Meals team prepares 130 meals for the homeless and delivers them to sites in Fairfax six times a year: the fourth Monday of alternate months starting in January. We prepare the food here at ST. MARK Catholic Church. The cooks prepare and package food from 3:15 to 5:45 pm, then the drivers deliver the food from 5:30pm to 7:15pm. The drivers should have vehicles. We are currently looking for a new leader to head this amazing ministry. Please contact Bill Grossman, if interested, at 703-938-1936
Dave Kent | 703-472-0418
Mary Purdy | 703-385-9572
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FOOD FOR OTHERS
Deliver food from the Merrifield Warehouse to site on Draper Drive in Fairfax on Monday or Thursday evenings. Volunteers are also needed to assist at the front desk at the Merrifield Warehouse to greet clients, to pick up food donations from local grocery stores, and to help stack shelves. New volunteers are welcome! Please visit the website at www.foodforothers.org
Food for Others Direct Number | 703-207-9173
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GIFT OF PEACE Embry Rucker Shelter
ST. MARK delivers lunch on the first Thursday of every month to help feed the homeless in Fairfax County at the Embry Rucker Homeless Shelter in Reston, Va. Some volunteers prepare a portion of the meal, others provide the menu items that do not need cooking; and still others deliver the meal and serve at the Shelter. Contact Diane Smith or go onto Sign Up Genius to volunteer: Sign Up Genius
2022 Schedule is: Every first Thursday of the month.
Diane Smith | 703-620-0629
HYPOTHERMIA SHELTER VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED:
Each winter, FACETS and area faith communities offer safe places to sleep and nutritious meals to men and women who are homeless. During the coldest months, area churches take turns opening their doors at night for one week. While ST. MARK does not shelter in our own buildings, for many years we have helped with the FACETS Hypothermia Shelter Program in nearby churches. ST. MARK volunteers provide a hot dinner or two, a warm welcome and a safe place to sleep indoors for homeless single adults.
Volunteer time commitment varies by location, but typical tasks would be to prepare and deliver part of a dinner, transport guests in a FACETS van, visit or play cards with guests, or several hours to keep watch in the shelter for a quiet nighttime shift. The shelters are run by professional staff, and volunteer training is free. All in-shelter volunteers must be 18 or older.
Pilar Oishi | 703-582-2247| or Faith Roberts hypothermiashelter@gmail.com
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LAMB CENTER
Has God been calling you to serve the poor in our community? An ecumenical ministry to the poor and homeless, the Lamb Center is a place where Christians pursue whole, loving relationships with men, women and children who know too little of real hope. The Lamb Center is open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm and from 9am- Noon on Saturday. The storefront location is at the Fairfax Circle. Volunteers assist staff in serving breakfast and lunch, doing laundry, answering the phone and welcoming guests.
TEENAGE HOMELESSNESS IN FAIRFAX COUNTY? REALLY? See this amazing video/project completed by ST. MARK teenage Parishioner, Erin Spalding: https://youtu.be/AkoRU0lc928
Carol Dieterle | 703-220-3249 |
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SOCIAL ACTION LINKING TOGETHER (SALT)
How can I help Advocate?https://s-a-l-t.org/state-legislative-agenda.html
Social Action Linking Together (SALT) is a parish-based network of persons seeking legislation to aid Virginia’s low-income families, the incarcerated, the homeless, the working poor and their children. SALT, a non-partisan legislative network for social justice, can inform you about critical human needs legislation. SALT’s alerts, workshops, and special events provide new and experienced advocates the tools to promote compassionate human needs programs.
John Horejsi | 703-255-7074
TRANSPORTATION FOR THOSE IN NEED
Drivers provide rides to people for necessary appointments. The riders are homebound people who cannot drive due to illness or age. The Shepherd Center of Oakton is an ecumenical group of volunteers working together to serve those in need in the Vienna, Oakton and Dunn Loring areas. Please contact the Shepherd Center of Oakton if you are in need of a ride OR if you are able to volunteer to be a driver!!
Shepherd Center of Oakton | 703-281-0538 |