You can help these organizations and teams in a number of ways. If your time is limited, you may wish to make a donation; if not, please consider volunteering your time. To donate, please make your check payable to St. Matthew's Church and indicate which program you would like to support. For those of you who would like to roll up your sleeves and get personally involved, just let us know! Volunteers are always needed to sort and deliver food, collect toys, adopt families during the holidays, build churches, hug children, or share your Faith.

For further information about our ongoing programs, as well as special programs during the year, please contact the church office and ask to speak with our outreach director, Carolyn Bollman by phone at (949) 219-0911 or email her at office@stmatthewsacc.com

Here is a list of some of the Outreach programs at St. Matthew's. Click the link for further information.



ST. MATTHEW'S ORPHANAGE
Casa Hogar Peregrinos de la Palabra de Dios
“Home of Pilgrims of the Word of God”
Cordoba, Mexico


On July 1, 2002, 47 children at Casa Hogar Peregrinos de la Palabra de Dios were moved into their new home. They had been living in a rented, 2,000 square foot, four bedroom house. It was on a small residential lot on a noisy commercial street in the city of Cordoba in the gulfcoast state of Veracruz, Mexico.

Their new home is approximately 10,000 square feet in size on five acres of land about two miles from town. It can accommodate approximately 100 children, but now houses just fifty-five. The facility is run by a devout Christian couple, Jesus and Santa Torres, who have themselves adopted two children in addition to three children of their own.

Their love of children and a desire to help orphans prompted them to start the project approximately fifteen years ago at great personal sacrifice.

The state provides little in the way of financial aid. The children are brought to Casa Hogar by the civil authorities, and others who find them on the streets, or receive them as a result of court orders related to abuse, family disintegration, or the death of parents. Jesus Torres, the director, has a pickup truck, which he takes into the surrounding mountains to buy vegetables from Indian farmers. He then cleans, boxes, and sells them to local markets. The proceeds help provide for his family and the orphans. The orphans contribute toward their own welfare by selling tamales, made at the orphanage, on the streets in the evenings twice a week. Their income is supplemented by donations, and by food from local markets which, because of their poor condition, cannot be sold in the community.

The existing annual budget for rent, utilities, food, medicine, clothing, transportation and other expenses is approximately $35,000 for the fifty-five children now at Casa Hogar – most of which is provided by St. Matthew’s.

The children are proud and happy about their new home. They have the opportunity to develop a strong sense of self-worth and dignity after having lost what they need the most, parental love and care. The director and his wife insure a strong Christian upbringing for the children.

For more information contact:
De Forest D. (Skip) Spindler- (949) 219-0911 or office@stmatthewsacc.com

Back to top

ST. MATTHEW'S SPECIAL OUTREACH: HAITI-Croix-des-Bouquets
 Port-au-Prince, Tapio, and Monnonville, Haiti

The Very Rev. Jean Bien Aimé


The Most Rev’d Mark David Haverland, Ph. D. (Metropolitan and Archbishop of the Anglican Catholic Church) has created the Missionaries of St. Paul the Apostle to be the Churches’ Network of clergy and laity who will gather funds, seek prayers and personal support for the missionary clergy and their spiritual and social ministries. The Rt. Rev'd Presley Hutchens (the Episcopal Visitor) and the Rev’d Canon Marvin Gardner were also involved in creating this Network.

As a result, Archbishop Haverland has chosen the Missionary Diocese of the Caribbean as the first foreign missionary work to receive support from all Anglican Catholic Churches. All funds donated will go directly to our ACC brethren in Tapio and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The greatest financial needs are for teachers and nurses salaries and capital for building projects.

The need is great as Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. For example, the average annual income is just $350, and seventy-five percent live below the poverty level. More than half of the eight million people who live there are unemployed, eighty percent are illiterate, and only one child in five is able to attend school.

Undoubtedly, God has given St. Matthew’s the gift of reaching out and helping the poorest among us. Here are descriptions of Tapio, Port-au-Prince and Monnonvile and some of the ways we can help.

Port-au-Prince: Father Bien-Aimé
:: ACC school and church with 150 students
:: Church school building is only partially finished
:: Notre Dame de la Grace Chapel and Orphanage with 22 girls, 4 years to 24 years

Tapio: Father Bien-Aimé
:: Mountain Village
:: Population: 15,000. 80% of the population are children
:: Church St. Terese de L'Enfant Jesus
:: The school has 459 students, and 15 teachers and other personnel
:: The Health Clinic only has 2 nurses.
:: Pre-natal and Post-natal feeding programs, which aid 35 mothers and their babies.
:: No electricity, but a 5kw generator and solar panels supply electricity to their school, church and health center

Monnonville: The Rev. Beaudelet Baptiste-Rector
:: Church Parish is St. Vincent de Paul
:: A school with more than 100 students.

NEEDS FOR ALL THREE LOCATIONS:
::School supplies
::Sewing material for classes
::Cooking items for classes
::Sports equipment
::Art supplies
::Games (they don’t speak English)
::Baby clothes, items
::Medical supplies: bandages, first aid kits, etc.
::Personal items: tooth brushes, etc.
::Please make sure that your donations are new or in good condition. No glass, ceramic or electrical items, please. St. Matthew's collects and ships items twice a year to Father Bien-Aimé in Haiti.

Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on agriculture (mainly small scale subsistence farming) in order to survive. Farmers throughout Haiti remain vulnerable to natural disasters. Father Bien-Aimé wants to aid all farmers and the people in and near Tapio and Port-au-Prince as much as possible. He has numerous social programs that he wants to enact. One of the first social programs he wants to begin is a support system for all the farmers in and around Tapio. He wants to create a Federation of the Farmers of Tapio (FEPTAP) so that they can all help each other in times of natural disasters. Some of his other social programs require more support from us. Father Bien-Aimé wants to drill wells for these communities so that they will have their own access to clean water. In order to achieve this goal, he must raise $10,000. His most important need is to raise enough money to financially support the 24 teachers and 2 nurses in Port-au-Prince and Tapio. To be able to financially support these teachers and nurses, he must raise $4,200 each month to pay all the teachers and $500 a month for the nurses. That totals $50,400 for the teachers and $6,000 for the nurses each year.

Fortunately, Father Bien-Aimé believes that the Holy Spirit is directing him to bring the loving message of Jesus Christ to the people of Haiti. Father Bien-Aimé has faith that God will provide what is needed to educate, feed, and, most importantly, welcome Haitians into our Anglican Churches in Port-au-Prince, Tapio and Monnonville so that they can worship and grow in God’s love.

Haiti is the world's oldest black republic and second oldest republic is the western hemisphere after the United States. Haiti is located in the West Indies and occupies the western third of the island Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-third mountainous.

Haiti was one of the richest colonies in the eighteenth century French empire; african slaves were brought to work on the various plantations. In 1791, the slave population revolted and again in 1804, when slave forces defeated Napoleon's army, which allowed them to establish their independence from France. Dessalines, one of the leaders of the revolt, authorized slaves to seize the land of their former masters and to divide them up amongst the former slaves. The formerly uneducated slaves used their newly acquired land to raised enough food for their families to survive on. Although the former slaves had their own land, without the white plantation owners to enforce work, Dessalines resorted to forced labor. Without democratic leadership, Haiti fell into economic corruption, bankruptcy, political anarchy and personal tyranny.

There is now some hope that Haiti's President Preval, in his quiet and slow way, can improve the security, unify the nation and it's different economic classes and improve the food supply.

There are so many needs in Haiti. After their basic needs for food and clean water, their most important need is education. Father Bien-Aimé is doing his best to increase the income of Haitians through the education process, teaching as many as he can to read as well as teaching them a skill so that they can become self-sufficient. With an education, Haitians will feel empowered and will be able to take control of their lives and learn to govern their country in a democratic manner.

If you would like to help Father Bien-Aimé accomplish his goals of feeding and educating the vast majority of Haitians, please contact Carolyn Bollman at (949)219-0911 or through email at office@stmatthewsacc.com.

 

Back to top

ARGENTINA MISSIONS
Newport Beach, California & Northern Argentina

As you know, this parish is deeply concerned with evangelism. This commitment to serve the needy, lonely, and lost is largely an indication of a willingness to give, both personally and financially, and this parish’s struggle to speak the name of Christ not only with our lips, but also in our lives.

John Bothwell, a member of our Parish, is trying to do the same. He is currently the Diocesan Representative for the Anglican Diocese of Northern Argentina, and is now acting as the Diocesan Site Coordinator for SAMS (South American Missionary Society), which is a branch of the Anglican Church.

The Problem. Over the past hundred years, Anglican missionaries, from England, have consistently trained and supported over one hundred and fifty parishes in the diocese of Northern Argentina (roughly the size of California). However, in the fallout from the Falklands War (1982), many of the missionaries have left, and their support dried up. As it stands now, these parishes are dying: their priests are aging and they do not have adequately trained replacements; in the more indigenous areas, many drink standing water from a nearby pond; and often many convert to Mormonism or Islam, as those missionaries continue to grow in number in this area.

The Need. However, there is a great movement currently underway to preserve historic Anglicanism in this region. Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone of the Americas, and diocesan Bishop of Northern Argentina, has been regarded as one of the most powerful voices defending Biblical Christianity. John’s work with Archbishop Venables, and other Anglican leaders in South America, has led him to ardently seek laborers back in North America to serve the broader Anglican Church. Already, John has watched the near-completion of a conference center, which will be used both for local Synods and as a temporary Seminary, and the beginning of a water-drilling project that will efficiently provide a dependable water source for rural parishes. Yet, although growth is evident, it is also slow – the biggest need in this diocese is people.

The Solution. There are three ways to help. First, John encourages a concerned and motivated group to personally assist these parishes in Northern Argentina. There are many opportunities to travel to Argentina throughout the year and assist John in his work. Second, financially supporting various projects. For example, John estimates that there are only five Prayer Books for the entire diocese (only a few more have Bibles), and the annual budget for the diocese is a meager $30,000 (US), which includes the priest’s salaries. (Please visit John’s website for more information about the growing needs: www.argentinamissions.org.) Third, please pray for this region, for the workers, leaders, and people who are striving to live for Christ not only with their lips, but also in their lives.

If you are interested in participating in any way, especially if you are considering joining or supporting a group to travel to Argentina, please contact John Bothwell at john@argentinamissions.org, or Gavin Fort at gavin@stmatthewsacc.com. Also, please visit the Argentina Outreach page for more information.

Back to top

ST. MATTHEW'S MILITARY OUTREACH
Camp Pendleton: Oceanside, California


St. Matthew’s welcomes all members who wish to express their gratitude to our brave men and women sacrificing their lives to protect our safety and freedom. In general, we want to support our military abroad and assist our military families here at home.

Help make St. Matthew’s military outreach program a great success and volunteer in one, or more, of the following:
:: Volunteer with the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society (San Onofre office, Camp Pendleton). Help young married couples with financial management, and budget planning for babies
:: Help create bags full of needed items for spinal cord injured Marines as well as write Thank You notes for their sacrifices to protect our country.
:: Serve Marine graduates from the School Of Infantry at their “concrete barbeque” gathering in San Onofre (1:30pm-4:00pm)
:: Help with care packages that are sent throughout the year to Iraq
:: Provide child care a few hours a month at Camp Pendleton
:: Correspond with our military in Iraq
:: Write Thank You notes to our wounded Marines upon their return from Iraq.
Please contact Carolyn Bollman at (949) 219-0911 or office@stmatthewsacc.com if you would like to volunteer or contribute in any way.

Back to top

GIRLS AND BOYS TOWN
Trabuco Canyon , California


This home for orphaned and troubled boys opened in 1917 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Father Edward J. Flanagan and has grown to 16 sites nationwide. They now include girls and, since 1991, have a campus here in Orange County. They offer long-term Residential Care, Foster Family Services and a whole list of outreach programs and a lifestyle that emphasizes the importance of God, spiritual growth and giving back to the communities that are giving to them. Children come first with our Outreach programs, and that is why we support this great organization. These abandoned children need Christian role models. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer and to reach out to these children. Please contact Carolyn Bollman at (949) 219-0911 or email her at office@stmatthewsacc.com for more information.

Back to top

LIVING WELL
Orange County, California


A Christian-based woman's center in Anaheim provides medical care and counseling for women who need help dealing with complicated pregnancies. Spiritual counseling away from abortion in addition to post-abortion counseling is also provided. Most of these women have nowhere to turn in what must seem to be a hopeless time. If you would like to become a counselor, training is provided by the center. If you are interested in learning more about this particular ministry, please contact Carolyn Bollman at (949) 219-0911.

Back to top

Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter
Orange County, California


The shelter's mission is keeping families together. They strive to change the lives of homeless families by providing them with a safe place to live while helping them to become self-sufficient. Children at this shelter attend school or receive child care. Parents must work and contribute a portion of their salary to the shelter, as they learn to provide for themselves. Parents receive classes in parenting and other skills necessary for the care of their families. We have a list of volunteer opportunities. Mostly working with children, such as tutoring them, going on field trips or helping to plan a birthday party. Volunteers are also needed to help prepare meals one night a month (the food is provided) or help in the office. If you would like to get involved with this ministry, please contact Carolyn Bollman at (949) 219-0911 or at office@stmatthewsacc.com


Back to top