On Trinity Sunday, May 31st, 2015, parishioners at St Thomas’ in East Vancouver took the coffee hour outdoors and invited their neighbours to join them for “Tea under the Tree”.As well as promoting the parish’s visibility in the neighbourhood, the event helped to build community within the parish as more people than usual stayed for the coffee hour.
The previous Sunday, about 30 parishioners attended a facilitated congregational meeting following worship to discuss possible neighbourhood outreach projects. A high level of interest and commitment was shown for three projects in particular: a neighbourhood multi-cultural community meal; a neighbourhood outdoor movie night: a seniors’ respite day programme
The parish’s Outreach Committee will continue to consider and refine these and other proposals over the summer. St Thomas’ is a very active member of the Metro Vancouver Alliance, focusing its efforts in the area of social isolation. The parish is also working with First Lutheran Church to sponsor a refugee family from Myanmar, expected to arrive in Vancouver sometime in July