Outreach Ministries

The Alabama Free Clinic (AFC), the first free clinic is the State of Alabama, was formed in Bay Minette on August 28, 1998. The clinic’s mission is to improve the overall health of the adult citizens of Baldwin County who are without health insurance. Volunteers are the heart and soul of the clinic and are always welcome to join the effort. Volunteers needed include doctors, nurses, and those with clerical experience as well. Since its inception, St. James has been a sustaining supporter of the AFC along with parishioners Dr. Bill and Bebe Goetter.

Learn more about the Alabama Free Clinic. 

Many veterans in the William F. Green State Home in Bay Minette do not have families or loved ones. This outreach ministry helps make their Christmas special and is a wonderful way to show our appreciation to those who have served our country. Volunteers organize donations and deliver packages to the Veterans’ Home on Christmas Day.

Each Christmas season St James parishioners have the opportunity to help local agencies provide Christmas gifts to those that they support. The  agencies provide a list of gifts for families, children, and elderly in our community who are in need of extra resources to support their holiday celebrations. Christmas giving begins in November. 

The St. James Concert Series is made possible by the Helen Norman Williams Endowment. St. James usually hosts four concerts per season. Volunteers are needed to usher, move chairs, and open and lock the church. 

Learn more about the St. James Concert Series.

Each summer, the St. James youth in grades 7-12 travel to various destinations in the US. They learn about homelessness, hunger and other social concerns and have an opportunity to experience firsthand the very real needs of humanity in our own country. Past trips have been to such locations as Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, and Houston.

Ecumenical Ministries, Inc. is a non-denominational, comprehensive social service agency providing aid to low-income families and individuals in Baldwin County. By addressing the urgent financial and material needs of clients, EMI provides a hopeful path to self-sufficiency and long-term economic stability. EMI is currently in need of intake counselors; training and acclimation is provided. Other opportunities include delivery of Meals on Wheels; stocking and/or sorting food in the pantry; working on Repair Baldwin projects, such as building a handicapped ramp at a home; or even working in retail at Emmy’s Thrift Shop.
 

Learn more about Ecumenical Ministries of Baldwin County.

The mission of Family Promise of Baldwin County is to provide temporary shelter, related services, and nurturing support to homeless families with children and to assist them with obtaining suitable and permanent housing. Family Promise utilizes area church facilities and their members to serve families with children in crisis. 90.2% of those enrolled in Family Promise leave the ranks of homelessness. St. James parishioners serve this program by housing Family Promise participants at the church for a week every quarter. When St. James hosts, you can provide or serve meals, read, play games with the children, join others in staying overnight, or clean up after the week.

Learn more about Family Promise of Baldwin County.

Kairos Outside is a 2 and a half-day Christian Weekend designed to demonstrate God’s grace and love through Christian support for women who have been impacted by incarceration. Kairos Outside offers a comfortable, non-judgmental retreat for women to support each other as they journey through the incarceration of a friend or relative. Kairos Outside is a Christian program, although no religious affiliation is necessary to attend.

Learn more about Kairos Outside.

Kairos Prison Ministry is an international prison ministry that provides two yearly events with monthly follow-up, inside area prisons. Kairos Inside is present in each of the correctional facilities in Alabama. The program has been successful and continues to minister to inmates. Visit with those who are incarcerated, pray for them, and assist with inmate letter writing. Bake cookies for the event weekends or help with other food.

Learn more about Kairos of Alabama.

Who We Are:  Neighborhood Bridges is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in Ohio in January 2017. Neighborhood Bridges began working with Fairhope schools in 2019 and expanded in late March 2022 to include Daphne and Spanish Fort.

What We Do:  We facilitate direct local giving to disadvantaged students and families by inviting school professionals (like school counselors and social workers) to advocate for them.  Recipients remain completely anonymous.

How We Do It:  We share those needs through regular email (never more than 1/day) and social media posts, engaging community members to fulfill them.  

We Need You:  With the growth from serving five Fairhope schools to now sixteen schools on the Eastern Shore, more volunteers are needed.

To volunteer for the program, please visit the Neighborhood Bridges website below.

Learn more about Neighborhood Bridges.

The Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child collects shoebox gifts filled with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 188 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This volunteer opportunity is in need of a leader to organize, plan, and follow the steps to completion in order for St. James to participate.

Outreach at St. James is evangelism that allows us to be the hands and feet of Christ. We, as servants, take His love and mercy out into the world, meeting the needs of our community and beyond.

If you have questions or concerns, or are interested in giving of your time or talents to outreach, contact our committee chair at outreach@stjamesfairhope.org.

Prodisee Pantry is a non-profit community ministry providing emergency food and disaster relief for families who are having trouble making ends meet. The Pantry provides food to single parents, homeless persons, retirees, families in transition, under-employed and unemployed households, grandparents raising grandchildren, and others in need. The Prodisee Pantry cannot assist the community without the help of individuals, youth groups, civic organizations, school clubs, church groups, and local businesses. Here’s what you can do: sort produce and groceries, distribute groceries, make food boxes, unload trucks, and help in the warehouse.

Learn more about Prodisee Pantry

Founded by St. James’ own Sallie Smith, Read Aloud Baldwin serves 225 three-to-five year-olds every week by reading to them at three Head Start schools and one daycare center.  Be a volunteer reader one day a week for just one hour. 

Learn more about Read aloud Baldwin.

The South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program (SAVLP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance in certain civil legal matters to qualified low income residents of Baldwin, Clarke, Mobile, and Washington Counties through the service of over 885+ local volunteer attorneys. They often work in conjunction with Prodisee Pantry, Homeless Connect, The Lighthouse, Penelope House, and various Veterans organizations to help identify those in need.  They are responsible for establishing "Wills for Heroes"  which provides free legal assistance to first responders and are proactive in helping people who are at risk of losing their homes, who want to adopt children, and who need legal guidance that they could not otherwise afford or obtain.

Learn more about South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program.