OUR MINISTRIES
WELCOME TO A COMMUNITY OF FAITH AND SERVICE
At St. Martha's, we believe in the power of community, service, and faith. Whether you’re called to care for the altar, read scripture, or care for those in need, there’s a place for you here. Join us in making a difference!
SERVE THE COMMUNITY WITH LOVE AND PURPOSE
Make a difference in the lives of others by joining our volunteer
efforts. At St. Martha’s, we live out our faith through service to our
neighbors.
FOOD INSECURITY
St. Martha’s Outreach gives monthly donations to 6 food pantries – IRSD Pantry, Community Food Pantry, Union Wesley Pantry, Guadalupe Pantry, Community Lutheran Pantry and Pyle Center Pantry. In summer months, we donate to White Bag Lunches, which provides bag lunches to students who are food insecure.
St. Martha’s also participates with 15 other churches from the Southeast Sussex Ministerium on different projects such as providing warm meals to families once a week December-March and The Crop Walk in October, which raises money for food pantries in Sussex County and Worldwide.
EDUCATION
St. Martha’s Outreach works closely with the local school counselors to provide assistance to students who are in need. We have several projects, such as, Clothing Our Kids, Thanksgiving Baskets, Angel Tree, Food for Thought and Diaper Drives to provide supplies, clothing, and food to families in these schools.
We also participate with the SummerCollab Americore program which seeks to deliver targeted reading instruction for at risk students in K-5 during the summer months.
Our newest undertaking in the realm of education is our College Scholarship program aimed at providing need-based college scholarships for one year to students from the IRHS District Area. For more information please visit our College Scholarships page.
SHELTER
St. Martha’s Outreach works to help provide shelter and housing by donating to Habitat for Humanity, Milford Housing Development Corporation, Code Purple and Southeast Sussex Ministerium Emergency Fund, which provides funds for rent and medical needs.
BECOMING BELOVED
The Becoming Beloved Community Committee has a three-fold mission: (1) to share and discuss information, (2) to promote empathy through cultural programming, and (3) to take direct action on behalf of marginalized people. The committee typically meets monthly, from September through May, each year to plan programming and actions in support of an expanded mission of Becoming Beloved Community, a national initiative of the Episcopal Church.
St. Martha's sponsors many community-oriented activities. The parish also offers its facilities to outside groups.
BOOK SALES
Area residents and visitors alike love St. Martha’s used book sales. Once the dates are selected for each season, many volunteers work to set up the tables which cover most of the parish hall and place the books by category in preparation. Volunteers work as cashiers and assistants during the sale, then take down the remaining books and store them afterwards.
On an ongoing basis, we collect book donations in a church drop bin, sort by type, and store the books for the next sale. Bake sales are often held side by side with the book sales.
BAKE SALES
Our bake sales started outside under a canopy to support the capital campaign for a new parish hall. Now they are held in the Parish Hall on Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends and at the Bethany Beach Arts Festival at the Boardwalk.
Many volunteers donate homemade cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, jams, and pickles, and then help package, price, and sell the donations. We also have a Christmas Cookie Sale in December which benefits both St. Martha’s and the lucky purchasers who take home those mouthwatering goodies.
CRAFT GROUPS
Stitch and Sketch is an informal group that meets on the first and third Fridays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the church hall. We have knitters, painters, quilters, and many other crafters who gather to stitch, craft, and socialize. Several people work on Quilts of Valor that are given to veterans in the Bethany Beach area. All are welcome.
ADULT ED & COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Adult Education and Community Events Committee coordinates informative and timely events for the Parish and the community at large. Panel discussions, films, guest speakers, and tours engage and inform participants.
Events of interest to the greater community have included a presentation on expanding local oyster cultivation, a safety presentation by law enforcement personnel, a tour of the Harriet Tubman Museum, a report on current state legislation, an arts and crafts festival, and a presentation by the South Coastal Village Volunteers. The committee actively supports a variety of Parish musical events and works with other committees promoting and coordinating their efforts.
The committee also hosts a monthly book club with discussions on social, cultural and historical themes. A play reading (Diary of Ann Frank) was very popular as is an annual Christmas movie.
Upcoming events include a “Scam” prevention panel discussion, a presentation by a pharmacist, a “Ministry Fair”, a play reading of “Inherit The Wind”, and a tour of the African American History Museum in Washington.
The committee actively solicits suggestions for events from the Parish and the community at large.
COMMUNITY GROUPS
St. Martha’s hosts many activities on a weekly basis that are open to our community. These include various support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous as well as exercise classes such as Yoga. In addition, we provide space for events such as annual Homeowners Association meetings.
If your group would like to host an event at St. Martha’s, please contact our administrative assistant for availability. Also, please be sure to check our events page and Facebook for scheduled events.
