Since inception, we have assisted our local, national and international communities.
The following is a list of ministries that we currently support with contributions of time, energy, materials, and money.
Honduras Health Missions
In 1988 representatives of our diocese visited
isolated villages of southern Honduras
in the highlands of Choluteca, near El Corpus. After organizing
as Las Comunidades Unidas, these villages launched sustainable programs to improve their
health and economy.
Our diocesan Chartered Committee for Global Mission
has coordinated 18
health missions
to Choluteca. Nativity has participated in all of them.
Most recently, five members of Nativity visited Honduras in January 2010.
- Our healthcare professionals provide direct medical and dental diagnosis
and treatment.
- We train health promoters in each village to care for their fellow
residents until we return the following year.
- We distribute over-the-counter medications that are common to us but quite rare in this area.
- To prevent disease and increase health, we distribute vitamins and flip-flop shoes,
and we teach sanitation techniques to adults and children.
Many Nativity parishioners assist with the
complex logistics that these trips require, such as the repackaging of vitamins
and medications that are obtained in bulk in the U.S.
This commitment to sustained ministry in specific communities allows us to develop
lasting relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, from whom we learn so much.
It also enables us to see the improvements in their health over time.
Millenium Development Goals
We subscribe to the ONE Campaign,
through which the Episcopal Church supports the
Millennium Development Goals.
Our former Associate Rector, Jay Lawlor, is co-founder of
Millennium Congregations,
which develops a network of congregations supporting the end of extreme poverty
through Millennium Villages.
For further information about MDG activities in our diocese, click
here.
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle collects
surplus food from area groceries and restaurants for preparation and
delivery to agencies that feed the hungry in our community.
The Rev. Jill Staton Bullard, a member of Nativity before she was ordained to the
Diaconate in 2008, co-founded this organization in 1990 and serves as its
Executive Director. Nativity has provided the core group of volunteers for the Food
Shuttle since its inception.
Ongoing Opportunities for Your Participation
Wake Medical Center
Nativity provides blankets for newborn children born to impoverished mothers at
WakeMed.
Women's Center
Nativity provides travelers' amenities such as soap and shampoo to the
Women's Center of Wake County.
Red Cross
Nativity sponsors an annual blood donation.
African Team Ministries
African Team Ministries exports art and craft items
for sale to raise funds for
ministries inside Africa. Nativity sells these items in the spring.
HIV/AIDS Care Team
Nativity volunteers form a Care Team to provide emotional, practical, and
spiritual support to a person in our community who lives with HIV/AIDS.
Team members receive training and support through the
Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina.
Uganda Education
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Kamya,
Anglican Bishop of West Buganda in the nation of Uganda,
called our attention to the needs of his war-torn, HIV-ridden nation and asked that we provide funds to educate 57 Ugandan girls
who are orphaned and poor. In his opinion, education of women -- a rarity in such a
poor country -- is necessary for living conditions to improve there. Nativity met this request, permitting the
girls to complete the equivalent of high school. Some were able to
continue on to university. Members of Nativity exchanged photographs and letters
with the students they individually sponsored. This ministry continues as an independent 501c3 entity,
the US-Uganda Orphans Education Fund.
Support of Diocesan Institutions
Episcopal Housing Ministry
EHM develops neighborhoods
of affordable, service-oriented
housing for low and moderate-income families. Nativity participates in the
St. Nicholas Project to provide Christmas gifts to children residing at EHM.
Episcopal Campus Ministry
ECM is an opportunity for worship, spiritual reflection, Christian education,
fellowship, pastoral and peer
counseling, and service opportunities for the students and faculty of
North Carolina State University,
Meredith College, and
Peace College. Those who become involved in ECM frequently
become clergy and parish leaders. Other than staff salaries, the entire ministry is supported through donations.
Nativity provides funds for this ministry and other assistance such as facilities repair and meals.
The Episcopal Church also supports St. Augustine's College, a historically
African-American institution in Raleigh.
Farmworkers
The Episcopal Farmworker Ministry has responded to the physical,
emotional and spiritual needs of migrant farmworkers in North Carolina and their families. This
Ministry serves thousands of Hispanic farmworkers each year through spiritual
programming, free immigration services, English classes, a women's
group, food and clothing distribution, extensive migrant camp outreach
and more.
Thompson Child and Family Focus
In 1886 the Episcopal Church founded an orphanage in Charlotte. Formerly known as Thompson Children's Home,
this ministry continues today at several locations in Charlotte.
Thompson provides services for children who have been
abused, neglected, or abandoned. Nativity takes a
special collection for this ministry in November and provides additional funds.
Penick Village
Located in Southern Pines,
Penick Village is a retirement community that
includes outreach as a fundamental part of its mission. Nativity takes a
special collection for this ministry in May, and members of Nativity have served
on its Board of Directors.
Others
Through its voluntary contributions to the mission program of the diocese,
Nativity assists in diverse activities from college chaplaincies to urban
Hispanic congregations. Nativity has provided designated funding for
Episcopal Relief and Development.
