Ministries

Our Commitment to ministry:

We desire above all to glorify Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to do the ministry He has called us to do. In doing so we are committed to expand our ministry to reach the needs and support of our parish family and the surrounding community. We accomplish this through meaningful worship, growing together spiritually through sound doctrine and teaching, and a desire to share Christ with others.

We have a fivefold ministry: evangelism, Christian formation, pastoral care, and outreach. Each ministry is uniquely connected to the others. And all of these are reflected in our Worship of Christ.

Evangelism (Introducing Christ):

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He left us with a mandate: Go and make disciples. That mandate is our call to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, not only in words, but also in actions – in other words being a servant to others. Not all these ministries run at the same time. Some are periodic and some are ongoing. But our actions are always with us.

  • Study courses: the Alpha Course, Share Jesus without Fear, Faith Alive
  • Bridging events – these connect us to the community around us by servant assistance or inviting neighbors and others to special events.
    • Family BBQ night, Fish Fry, Pancake Supper, etc.
    • Prayer walks
    • Annual Flower Festival
    • Fall Craft Fair
  • And More…

Christian Formation (Growth in Christ):

We believe it is important to grow in our faith. We strive to learn and grow by studying God’s Word and by supporting each other in our walk with Him. We provide several ministries to support our growth and our walk with Christ, including:

  • Bible Studies
  • Adult Sunday school
  • Cursillo
  • Wednesday Night Study

Pastoral Care (Supporting Each Other in the Love of Christ):

Just as our physical bodies need health and support, so does the body of Christ. Through the ministries of Pastoral Care, we are involved in the support, fellowship, and care of the congregational body. Including:

  • Prayer Groups and prayer chain
  • Wellness programs
  • Episcopal Church Women of Nativity
  • Men of Nativity
  • Lay Eucharistic Ministers – Home visits
  • Hospitality

Outreach (Assisting Others in the Support of Christ):

We at Church of the Nativity believe in reaching out and helping others. One might think of only monetary support – and that is one way we do it. But there are many “hands on” ways as well. We believe in volunteering to help other ministries within our community and beyond. The focus of Outreach ministries is the assistance to others through mission and ministries outside our parish. Including:

  • World Vision – When this ministry was introduced from within our medium-sized congregation, 23 parishioners individually sponsored over 23 children from the village of San Nicolas in Nicaragua. That number has now grown to over 30. In addition, we as a parish also support some needs of the village itself and we send a ministry team every year to see the progress and visit the children.
  • Throne of Grace – a ministry to men to help them get their feet back on the ground and get them working.
  • Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center – a ministry to support woman through their pregnancy and beyond. This is a ministry to show that there is an alternative to abortion.
  • Benevolence – an in house ministry of assistance to those in need.
  • Food Bank and Food Pantry – supporting and feeding those who are hungry.
  • Operation Christmas Child – a ministry to put together and pack Christmas boxes that are distributed all over the world.
  • Fire House Food – we thank our firefighters by providing a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner to those who have to work on those day. We deliver a complete dinner to three firehouses in our surrounding area.

And…we are always looking for more opportunities has we are led by God’s Spirit.