Outreach Ministries

Service Ministries

Circles of Support
Circles of Support is a year-long ministry of support and mentorship to a family that is transitioning from homelessness here in Durham. Th goals are to support the family in their efforts to acquire and sustain permanent housing and employment, and to enhance their overall quality of life.

Community Kitchen Volunteers
The Community Kitchen Volunteers help the Community Kitchen to provide meals to those in need in downtown Durham. Once a month, volunteers prepare and serve lunch to hundreds of our neighbors, including families and individuals at the Community Shelter. No experience is necessary, and young people ten and older are welcome.

Daughters of the King
This spiritual sisterhood of women is dedicated to a life of prayer, service and evangelism and includes women in the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran (ECLA) and Roman Catholic churches. It is an order, not an organization, with life-long vows to follow the Rule of Prayer and Rule of Service. As requested by the rector, we provide confidential assistance. Our teams visit shut-ins in our parish on a monthly basis.

Durham County Jail Ministry
The jail ministry visits and prays with inmates in the nearby Durham County Jail from 9:00 to 10:00 am each Saturday morning. Together with volunteers from other churches, we share Bibles, greeting cards and fellowship.

Friends of the Episcopal Center at Duke
The Friends of the Episcopal Center at Duke work in partnership with the center’s chaplain and other Durham area parishes and missions to support the Episcopal Campus Ministry at Duke University.

Funeral Guild
With assistance from the congregation, the Funeral Guild provides comfort and hospitality for families at receptions in the Parish Hall following a memorial or funeral service. Receptions consist of finger goods, cookies, salads, fruit, cheese, and coffee or punch. Time required for the Funeral Guild is on a “As needed” basis- there are no meetings or assigned schedules. Members simply put their names on a call list. When a reception is being planned, they are asked if they can help, by donating food (homemade or store-bought), donating paper products, or helping with setup or cleanup. Bereaved families often comment on how meaningful they find this hospitality.

Global Missions Committee
The Global Missions Committee serves to share God’s work in meeting the needs of our local and global communities by assisting our brothers and sisters in obtaining social and humanitarian assistance. The ministry maintains a relationship with the Bromley School in Liberia, as well as provides regular assistance to people and communities in Haiti.

Johnson Service Corps
Johnson Service Corps is a 10.5 month Episcopal Service Corps program. Each year JSC brings together young adults, ages 21 to 28, for an immersive experience of justice ministry and spiritual practice in Durham, NC. JSC Fellows live together in beloved community, serve nonprofits in the Triangle, and whole-heartedly engage spiritual and personal growth. JSC is a vibrant, intensive young adult ministry program, supported by the Episcopal Diocese of NC and local Episcopal congregations. Learn more

Latino Education Achievement Partnership (LEAP)
We meet twice weekly to tutor low-income, Hispanic youth in elementary and middle school. We also welcome long-term (1 day/week) or occasional volunteers for our bilingual Pre-K classrooms. While building a positive relationship with their students, tutors will receive training and support. They need no prior experience or Spanish skills.

Sandwich Brigade
Since 2022, the St. Philip’s Sandwich Brigade has contributed an average of 17,000 sandwiches, 1,300 pounds of fruit, 230 cases of water and 270 pounds of snacks every year to Urban Ministries of Durham. Every Wednesday morning the Brigadiers meet at Dixon Drive to drop off sandwiches, then sit and visit. Offerings are prayed over and driven to UMD. Join us! For more info, contact Lori Woodward.

St Philip’s – UMD Collaborative
St. Philip’s parishioners can engage in a number of service opportunities with our neighbors at Urban Ministries of Durham. There are many ways to get involved in small groups as well as individually, including volunteering in the community kitchen and pantry, projects involving tutoring and the Internet Café, clothing and food drives, and more.

Justice Ministries

Bread for the World
Bread for the World is a cross denominational group that meets monthly for prayer, letter writing, fellowship, and activities related to hunger issues. Join us for meetings or ask to be added to our email alert list for hey legislative issues related to hunger.

Durham CAN
Durham CAN is an organization of congregations, associations, and neighborhoods that works for social justice in Durham by setting progressive goals through community listening sessions and hosting accountability actions with local government. As a member congregation, St. Philip’s sends its core leadership team to the planning meetings and invites all parishioners to support its work at accountability actions.

Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA)
In a spirit of reconciliation and with gratitude for the gift of diversity, DCIA seeks to engage and empower people of faith to create a community of justice and peace through our common prayers and acts of compassion; and with prophetic courage to act as advocates for the dignity and well-being of all persons, recognizing that behind every human face is the face of God. DCIA is an interfaith, inter-racial group of 58 Durham congregations. DCIA ministries address hunger, poverty, health care, homelessness, peace, and reconciliation.

LGBT Fellowship and Outreach
The parish of St. Philip’s unreservedly welcomes single, married, and partnered people of every sexual orientation and gender identity to participate fully in our community life. Through LGBT Fellowship and Outreach, we work to clarify and communicate this welcome at all times. We also coordinate St. Philip’s representation in public events like NC Pride and in efforts to advance equal civil rights for all.

Racial Justice and Reconciliation Ministry
The Racial Justice and Reconciliation Ministry (JRM) exists to (a) create spaces for members to listen and better understand racism and other forms of oppression, (b) collaborate with allies in Durham in order to understand our collective history of oppression and resistance, and (c) find creative, meaningful, and active ways to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being” (Baptismal Covenant in The Book of Common Prayer, p. 305).

The Ministry has developed a resource list with items under the headings Pray, Learn, Act. This follows the model for Becoming Beloved Community developed by The Episcopal Church, recognizing that these are the ways we as Christians combat racism. Our list includes resources recommended by ministry members and other parishioners and also books and resources we’ve used for Lenten studies in the past.

Social Justice Working Group
A group dedicated to encouraging St. Philip’s Christian witness in relation to the social justice issues facing our community.