Outreach to our neighborhood, community, and world is an important part of our mission. Our work with Feed My Starving Children is just one example. Members lead, contribute and help with a mobile pack each July, which provides several hundred thousand meals for children and families across the globe (see pictures above). We also assist with other packing events in the St Louis area each summer and fall.
Outreach efforts for Living Christ are planned by the Outreach Committee, led by Erle Craig. Committee members include Gloria Broderick, Bill Kaeppel, Paul Beins, and Ruth Eberle. This committee is responsible for the support of ministries that reach out to people beyond this congregation. They recommend the allocation of money for missions and benevolence each year. They seek to personalize for the congregation the ministries that are supported. Each ministry currently supported is listed below with a brief description and access to the website for that ministry. Several also receive funding from contributions at special services for Lent and Advent.
ELCA – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The national church for which our church is a member congregation is one of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S. We support the national church and are church together with other Christian churches across the world. We contribute to the national church through the Central States Synod of the ELCA; about 50% of our monthly contribution to CSS is passed on to the ELCA. To learn more, visit: https://www.elca.org
CSS – Central States Synod of the ELCA. The CSS is a geographical region in the ELCA and includes churches in the states of Missouri and Kansas. 6% of the contributions to our congregation’s general fund each month goes to CSS to help fund the synod office and it’s programs. The CSS forwards about half of these contributions to the ELCA to support the national office and it’s programs. CSS helps support several seminaries which help educate future pastors. They also provide support to churches that are in transition between pastors to assist with the call process for a new pastor. Additional information about CSS is available on their website: https://www.css-elca.org
Contributions are also provided to the following agencies:
- Lutheran Family & Childrens Services – https://lfcsmo.org
- Feed My Starving Children – https://give.fmsc.org/feedtheneedstl
- Care & Counciling – https://careandcounciling.org
- Humanitri – http://humanitri.org
- Room at the Inn – https://roomstl.org
- T.E.A.M. Food Pantry- The Emergency Assistance Ministry – https://teamfoodpantry.com
- Habitat for Humanity – https://habitat.org
- NCCU – North County Churches United for Racial Harmony and Justice – http://nccustl.org
- USO – https://secure.uso.org
- Lydia’s House – https://lydiashouse.org
- Criminal Justice Ministry (formerly Let’s Start) – http://cjmstlouis.org
- The Bridge Coffee House – http://thebridge-online.org
Service and Outreach
As part of “God’s Helping Hand” at Antioch Baptist Church, on the 5th Sunday of the month, members volunteer to serve breakfast to those experiencing homelessness.
Throughout the year we collect food and clothing for TEAM and Lydia’s House. We also collected school supplies for students in need. Toiletries are collected for Room at the Inn. Other collections take place throughout the year. More information can be found by stopping by the church and checking out our collection bins located by the main offices.