St. John’s Church offers an extensive outreach program that supports the needy within Southampton Village, and beyond. We host afternoon parties for our seasoned citizens. We open our doors for weekly AA meetings. We sponsor medical mission trips around the world. Our efforts are funded by donations from parishioners and friends of the church and by proceeds from our Church Bazaar and Art Show.
The Outreach Committee guides outreach grants and activities based on recommendations from the congregation and Vestry. Recipients of our gifts are other not-for-profit organizations chosen because they carry a personal connection with our parish. These relationships, whether close or distant, whether temporary or sustained, enhance the viability of the outreach program overall and ensure continued success. Outreach activities operate after careful consideration by the Outreach Committee and measured approval by the Vestry.
Maureen’s Haven
Maureen’s Haven is a focal ministry of St. John’s. We join with the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton to provide and serve several meals during the winter months. Maureen’s Haven assists homeless men and women with supportive services, access to case management, and a warm, safe place to stay. Many of our parishioners are eager to volunteer to cook and serve nutritious meals, heeding Jesus’ call to care for those in need, to practice empathy, compassion and respect, and to support people trying to build a successful future.
Heart of the Hamptons
A Christmas tree comes to the Parish House every year adorned with stars. The stars carry wishes for a gift from local children taking part in the Heart of the Hamptons Annual Holiday Star Program. Parishioners choose a star and donate a gift, supporting children in need.
Mission to Malawi
The Feed Malawi Project is a relief program of the Amazing Grace Aids Ministry. It was the perfect fit for an already-existing outreach fund created to help children around the world. Our initial gift in 2020 underwrote food for fifty households. After Cyclone Freddy devastated Malawi in 2023, we again donated to the project. In 2024, we maintained our successful support for children in Malawi by focusing on education for girls who typically do not have an opportunity to attend prohibitively expensive secondary school. We donated a three-year scholarship to the Kids In Need of a Desk (KIND) Program which pays for such expenses as tuition and fees, equipment including bags, uniforms, socks, shoes, sanitary feminine products, and learning materials, boarding fees, and transportation to and from school.
Operation International
For many years our Outreach committee has made grants to Operation International, a medical mission organization. In 2024, parishioner Dr. Florence Rolston traveled with the organization to Holy Family Hospital in Techiman, Ghana for ten days to volunteer her skills performing a remarkable 63 surgeries including 11 cancer cases, minimally invasive gynecological surgeries and general surgery. Read more about this mission trip. Operation International Trip.
Outreach projects that St. John’s supports include:
- Cat MacRae Fund (foundation for a young parishioner who lost her life in the WTC on 9-11 that invests in children in the community who otherwise would not be given the opportunity to succeed)
- Camp DeWolfe (residential Christian summer camp & year-round retreat in Wading River, Long Island)
- Honor Flight Long Island (escorts veterans to visit war memorials in Washington, DC)
- Heart of the Hamptons (local food pantry)
- ARF (Animal Rescue Fund) & Southampton Town Animal Rescue
- Operation International (a medical mission organization.)
- East End Hospice (local hospice organization)
- Response of Suffolk (suicide prevention program & hotline)
- Maureen’s Haven (assists homeless men and women with supportive services, access to case management, and a warm, safe place to stay)
- Southampton & Bridgehampton Day Care Centers (non-profit pre-school for children of working families)
- Lunch Box Kids (provides lunch during summer months to in-need school children)
- Southampton Youth Services (local, non-profit rec center with year-round programs for children & adults)
- Coalition for Women’s Cancers (a local community network in support of women’s cancers
- I TRI (A local inclusive, community-based program that fosters self-respect, personal empowerment, self-confidence, positive body image and healthy lifestyle choices for adolescent girls)
- Feed Malawi Project (a relief program of the Amazing Grace Aids Ministry)
World Central Kitchen (provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises)