Serving Our Community

St. Luke’s Church invites and encourages all to become involved in the life and ministries of our parish in ways that will enrich us as individuals and as a faith community. Our parish ministries and outreach programs allow us to sustain a practice of service that connects us to our neighbors both inside and outside our parish walls. Come, discover and serve!

Serving Our Community

St. Luke’s embodies an enthusiastic and faithful church-community relationship. Our community extends beyond the walls of the church through an abiding call to service and action in the name of Jesus Christ. Parishioners at St. Luke’s are making a difference personally and collectively through a diverse range of ministries. Learn more…

Christ Community Kitchen (Last Monday: September – May; 1st Monday: June; 5pm – 6pm) St. Luke’s has been providing monthly meals in our community since January 2009.  Hosted on the last Monday of each month between September and June, these meals are offered on a “free will offering” basis and provide a delicious, wholesome meal for many in our community. While typically serving between 65 – 80 people, our attendance has often reached 100.

We are joined by members of other organizations and communities of faith who rotate on a monthly basis with the cooking and serving.  We operate on a volunteer basis – needing cooks, servers, setup/cleanup help, and ready smiles!  Come and join us. 
Contact: Paul Ruggieri, Margaret Clifton, and Rob Walsh  

Lunch on the Hill (2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month, 11:15am – 12:15pm) These weekly lunches are part of our interfaith feeding ministry that now includes four East Greenwich churches and 5 local restaurants. Each church volunteers a Wednesday along with a local EG restaurant. The restaurants donate the food, soup and sandwiches, and our volunteers serve those in need of a good meal. Most of the participants come from the Interfaith Food Cupboard which provides supplies to help them provide meals for them and their families. Check our newsletters for updates on how to contribute food items or help as you can in the kitchen!
Contact: Steve McLoughlin      

Loaves and Fishes (3rd Saturday of the month, 10am food prep in St. Luke’s dining room, 11:30am delivery to Woonsocket and EG Hotel) Loaves and Fishes is a statewide interfaith outreach program. One Saturday a month, St. Luke’s hosts the Loaves and Fishes catering truck loaded down with food and clothing that is delivered to approximately 150 men, women and children on the streets and in the shelters of Woonsocket. While the entire project lasts from 10:00am – 2:30pm on our scheduled Saturday, volunteers do not have to dedicate all of that time. People are needed to help make sandwiches, donate fruit, drinks and other foods, donate clothing, help load the truck, etc. If Saturday is a bad day, volunteers can help sort and organize clothing, bake cookies and bag them, hard boil a dozen or more eggs for the trip, or bring a case of water or a bag of candy to St. Luke’s before the scheduled run. No one is called to do it all, just do a little…it will make a difference!

“We provide food and clothing and promote dignity to our brothers and sisters in need.”

Before each run, an online sign-up is established to allow volunteers to participate either through donations or through on-site preparation and/or delivery of food and clothing.  Check the St. Luke’s newsletters or check your email for an invitation to sign up for the tasks and supplies needed to fulfill our mission.
Contact: Dana Sparhawk

East Greenwich Interfaith Food Cupboard Supported ecumenically, the Food Cupboard is housed at St. Luke’s in Room 3 (located just inside the town hall side entrance). Donations can be made to the cupboard anytime using the baskets in the hallway outside Room 3. Volunteers staff the food cupboard which is open 10:30 am – 12:00 noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Contact: Steve McLoughlin    

St. Elizabeth Volunteers Parishioners take part in the Chapel services weekly at St. Elizabeth Home in East Greenwich.  Our volunteers help out once a month setting up for communion and getting chapel ready. We assist the priest and help the residents to and from the chapel. It is a very rewarding ministry and very much appreciated.
Contact: Dorothy Fleming        

The Giving Tree Each December, a Christmas tree is set up in the church atrium decorated with ‘gift tags’. Each tag specifies a gift item which may be donated for needy children and family members of East Greenwich.
Contact: Judy Horton    

The Episcopal Charities Fund of Rhode Island  Each year The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island hosts it Episcopal Charities Fund campaign. The mission of this campaign is to provide assistance to Rhode Islanders by raising and distributing funds to church-related and other non-profit organizations and programs. St. Luke’s participates each year along with the rest of the churches in the Diocese.
Contact: Pam Dresselhouse and Laura Sullivan

Clothing, Furniture, Houseware Donations  St. Luke’s collaborates with Dorcas International and Christ Church East Greenwich to collect clothes, housewares and furniture for families and individuals in need. The Clothing Collaborative at Dorcas provides work appropriate clothing at no cost to low-income men and women who are completing job training and education programs, and seeking employment. Furniture in good condition can be picked up on Saturday mornings with an appointment.
Contact: Caroline Sparhawk and Eric Holmstedt