Outreach Partnership: St. John's & Zia UMC
Bag 'N Hand Pantry
The Bag ’n Hand Food Pantry is an outreach ministry operated by volunteers. We partner with The Food Depot of Santa Fe and are one of the largest food pantries in northern New Mexico.
Volunteers distribute fresh produce and other groceries every Tuesday from 11 am to 12:30 pm and from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
Each week, we serve 200 households that represent about 360 individuals with 24% children and 28% seniors.
The morning distributions use a drive-through method on a first-come, first-served basis in the north parking lot of St. John’s church.
Blessing Bags
A “Blessing Bag” is a Ziploc bag with socks, snacks, and a water bottle to keep in your car and give to someone in need.
Start-up funds were provided by the St. John’s UMC Foundation, but to keep the project going, the mission team suggests a $5 donation for each bag you give away.
Blessing Bags are available in the office area.
You can donate to help the project continue and lend a hand with packaging bags.
Safer Sanctuaries
God has called us to make our ministries safe and to protect our children, youth and other vulnerable persons from abuse and exploitation. God has also called us to create communities of faith where all can be safe and grow strong.
This set of policies and procedures is intended solely to protect our children, youth, employees, volunteers, vulnerable adults, and the entire church body. It is not based on a lack of trust in anyone, be they clergy, laity, staff or volunteers, but on a conscious intention of providing a safe and wholesome space for all who enter here. This policy takes a broad view and cannot address every possible situation that may arise. Further rulemaking and procedure development for individual programs is the responsibility of the church and the program.
Faith Coalition
After the 2024 election, members of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe expressed concerns about policies and social issues, which were added to their Missions and Social Justice Committee, that focuses on compassion, justice, and community care.
As these concerns grew, Westminster Presbyterian Church, The Open Circle and St. John’s United Methodist Church share their experiences supporting immigrant families in Santa Fe.
Your Faith Coalition collections team is asking for donations this quarter to Adelante, (water color sets, one inch 3-ring binders and 19” backpacks for mid/high students), and for ReadingQuest, (stuffed animals, children’s toys & games, and graphic books for early teens). There are bins for donations by the reception desk and in the sanctuary lobby. All donations go to assist Immigrant families.