Outreach Ministries
One of the promises that we make in baptism is to "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves." Our Outreach Council meets monthly to coordinate our ministries that we undertake to keep that promise. In the process, we faithfully consider St. Margaret’s mission: to bring the Good News to our neighbors around the world that they are loved, they are not alone, and there is hope.
Our Outreach Council Leader: The Rev. Deacon Deb Cooper
St. Francis House
St. Margaret’s joins other Episcopal churches to support this outreach initiative of the Episcopal Church in Arkansas. They provide counseling, transitional housing, meals, employment services, health care and activities for homeless veterans.
We share the good news with the veterans by showing up to offer hospitality, our talents, and our support in many ways. We have a parish member on the St. Francis House Board of Directors, host two dinners for the veterans and staff every year, collect in-kind donations throughout the year for their clothing store, and provide financial assistance to support their mission. You can find more information about St. Francis House on their website: https://stfrancishouselr.org
Our Ministry Leader: Colby Dillion
Children’s Backpack Ministry
This program enables children at Robinson and Terry Elementary and Lisa Academy who experience food insecurities to go home on Fridays with backpacks filled with enough food for the weekend. Additional food is provided to cover Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Last year, we served 67 children.
Little Free Food Pantry
“Take what you need; give what you can” is the idea behind our food pantry. It was designed to be an organic ministry with the parish and neighbors buying a few extra non-perishable items while shopping for groceries, and then directly stocking the red box outside the church office. But it has grown, offering folks the opportunity to make cash donations so we can include hygiene items, hand warmers, and other special items.You can make a direct contribution to our Little Free Food Pantry here.
Angel Tree Ministry
In 2024, through our Angel Tree Christmas Gift ministry, we offered tangible love to a record number of 73 children who were especially in need. We coordinate with school counselors to determine names and needs of the children, link our members to each child’s wishes, shop for gifts, and organize delivery before Christmas.
Cycle of Caring
Cycle of Caring is our response to a continuing but often overlooked need of our neighbors — menstrual hygiene equity. By providing free access to period products, we help restore dignity and remove barriers for those affected by period poverty. We partner with Harmony Health Clinic, a free medical clinic serving Central Arkansas, to distribute our offering to women in need.Direct cash donations to this ministry can be made here.
Our Ministry Leader: Anna Morshedi
Adopt-A-Street
One way we celebrate our love for creation and serve our neighbors is to periodically gather on a Saturday morning to clean up part of Chenal Parkway. Clean-up dates are published on our calendar and in our weekly email.Our Ministry Leader: Joe Chack
Needlework Guild
Our Needlework Guild is a group of knitters and crocheters who create prayer shawls and caps for those in need. These projects are lovingly and prayerfully made as our gift of compassion. Beginners are welcome to join in the fun while developing their skills. Participants meet monthly at 10:30 a.m. on the second Thursday at St. Margaret's for sharing ideas, skills and fellowship while working on their projects.Our Ministry Leader: Jenny Jackson
Arkansas Local Food Network (ALFN)
Another way we celebrate our love for creation and serve our neighbors is to do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint while creating an opportunity to supply healthy food for our neighbors. From an outreach perspective, we do this by partnering with local farmers and ranchers to provide the healthy food while we provide the space and organizational support so our neighbors can purchase healthy locally grown food. This ministry also gives us the opportunity to support other Arkansas Local Food Network programs, such as Green Groceries, which provides fresh produce to the food pantry at Christ Episcopal Church. Pick-up availability is every Saturday at St. Margaret’s.You can find more information about ALFN and place your order here.
Our Ministry Leader: Leah Dalton
The Order of the Daughters of the King
The Order of the Daughters of the King is a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism. Our chapter at St. Margaret’s provides hospitality to friends and strangers who pass through our doors. They are also represented on our Outreach Council, bringing their committed faith to our service to the wider community. You can find more information here from the national Daughters of the King website.Our Ministry Leader: Christie Madden
The Daughters of Abraham
The Little Rock Daughters of Abraham Women’s Interfaith Book Group’s mission is to overcome stereotypes and to foster mutual respect and understanding among Muslim, Jewish, and Christian women. We do this through the slow, thoughtful work of getting to know each other over a good book and sharing a meal–offering one another a window into our living experience of faith.Click here to learn more about us.
Our Ministry Leader: Rev. Deacon Deb Cooper
Blood Drives
Every two seconds, someone in the United States requires a transfusion. Our blood drive ministry is just one more example of how we are a community who cares. We offer this gift of life to neighbors and strangers by partnering with Our Blood Institute (OBI) to organize blood drives at St. Margaret’s several times a year.Our Ministry Leader: Dee Sadler
Animal Rescue Collections
Twice a year, one in the Spring and another around St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day, we collect old towels, flannel sheets, comforters, shampoo, leashes, collars, toys and food for our furry friends who are in a rescue situation.Our Ministry Leaders: Jackie Keller and Dee Sadler
Crisis Pastoral Outreach
To respond to St. Margaret’s call to bring the good news to our neighbors that there is hope, everyone is loved, and they are not alone, we are in the process of creating a ministry to support our neighbors with spiritual, pastoral, and emotional care in the aftermath of natural and man-caused crises. This ministry is a joint effort of our Pastoral Care and Outreach Councils. Our team will include St. Margaret’s volunteers who have specialized training to work with the Diocese of Arkansas and other organizations to provide pastoral care to those affected by the disaster.Our Ministry Leaders: Mark Magie and Jan Thames
The Arkansas House of Prayer
The Arkansas House of Prayer is a joint ministry of St. Margaret's Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, providing an interfaith haven where people of all faiths may come for silent prayer in a beautiful and holy place.The House of Prayer is on St. Margaret’s campus and is open to all visitors every Saturday and Sunday, 12 noon–4 p.m. Key fob holders have access to the building anytime. (Apply for a key fob.) Others can request access Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., by going to St Margaret’s church office.
Click here to visit the website.
Executive Director: James Matthews
The Interfaith Center
The Interfaith Center was established at St. Margaret’s in 2011 as part of our Institute for Theological Studies to reduce the fear and prejudice among the people of the world’s religions. It included two specific ministries: Love Thy Neighbor and Friendship Camp. This initiative was so successful that The Interfaith Center has become its own entity with St. Margaret’s and many other partners who continue to support it. Our support not only includes financial assistance, but also hands-on involvement in these ways:● Love Thy Neighbor is an annual interfaith and intergenerational celebration of peace for people of all faiths to come together through music, prayer, and wisdom followed by an interfaith food festival. Many of our parishioners volunteer and faithfully attend this event.
● Friendship Camp is a weeklong summer camp for 3rd - 6th graders fostering interfaith friendships and providing them religious teaching from their own faith while learning about and honoring the faith of others. The Rev. Michaelene Miller represents St. Margaret’s as our ministry leader for this program.
● The Interfaith Volunteer Network is a new initiative that offers regular community service opportunities designed to bring together people of different faith backgrounds to build relationships and serve our community. The Rev. Deacon Deb Cooper represents St. Margaret’s on the Steering Committee.
● Interfaith Center’s Board of Directors: St. Margaret’s is represented by The Hon. Joyce Williams Warren.
You can find more information about The Interfaith Center here.
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD)
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) is our compassionate response to human suffering around the world. Hearing God's call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being, ERD promotes sustainable development by identifying and addressing the root causes of suffering. They do this by working with locally-led organizations in 54 countries for lasting change in communities impacted by injustice, poverty, disaster and climate change.Our St. Margaret's community supports this gift of life every year at Christmas through parishioner donations to ERD and matching gifts. In 2024, our combined collections allowed ERD to give 20 children the opportunity to develop thinking, communication, social, emotional and motor skills through caregiver support and learning groups. And we provided 18 women with opportunities to learn critical job skills that will help them gain confidence and financial independence.
You can find more information about Episcopal Relief & Development on their website: https://www.episcopalrelief.org
United Thank Offering (UTO)
United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church.During Lent, we practice gratitude by collecting our thank offerings to send to UTO who in turn grants 100% of our donations to support innovative mission and ministry projects at Episcopal congregations, dioceses, and provinces as well as throughout the Anglican Communion. When we give thanks for the blessing of our life, our offering to UTO combines with others to change the lives of our neighbors around the world.
