WHO IS HIS HANDS & FEET MINISTRY FOR?
His Hands & Feet Ministry pairs parishioners in need with those willing to share their talents, gifts, and/or special interests.
The goals of the ministry are to 1) enrich the sense of community within the parish, 2) to offer compassionate, personal support to parishioners in need, and 3) to provide a way for parishioners to experience the blessings that come through being of service to another.
We ask each parishioner to search his/her heart to discern ways to serve our faith community. Each week our brothers and sisters of faith are seated next to each other at mass, sometimes with heavy hearts, borne of stress, loneliness, illness, marital strife, financial hardships and many other concerns that keep them from living joyfully in the spirit of the Lord.
WHAT DOES THE MINISTRY DO?
As parishioners communicate needs, either directly to the ministry, or through the Newman staff, the ministry emails a general description of the need to parishioners who have indicated a desire to be of assistance. Those responding positively are introduced to the individual/family in need. Personal details of all parties kept confidential until the parties meet to establish their working relationship.
The ministry steering committee meets quarterly.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Following is a listing of specific requests for assistance the Ministry has recently received.
The ministry wants to improve how new parishioners are welcomed into our community, specifically newborn babies. We are planning to present the newborn with a blanket or a knit sweater or cap.
If you know of a fellow parishioner who is expecting please contact the ministry with the mother’s name and phone number. If you would like to be one of the volunteers who makes a blanket, or knits a sweater or cap, please contact the ministry
CONTACT THE MINISTRY:
1. Email the ministry at handsandfeetnewman@sbcglobal.net
2. Call the ministry at (510) 848-7812 x402
3. Fill-out a card requesting assistance or offering your talents and return it to the receptionist
4. Talk to a parish staff member
TESTIMONIALS
“The HH&F ministry showed me and my family how Christ cares for us daily, concretely and very, very willingly. For six weeks after the birth of our daughter, HH&F volunteers came to our home to tend to the tasks that I couldn’t physically do myself. What struck me most about these ministers was the grace and joy with which they performed such tasks. Washing dishes, laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc. are by no means glamorous jobs, and if you are like me, it can be very difficult to ask for help for fear of burdening others. Yet the HH&F ministers responded to my and my family’s need for assistance instantaneously and with patience and warmth.
In addition to giving me time to recover from my c-section, they gave me and Jamal the chance to focus on our newborn as well as each other. Any free time from the baby that otherwise would have been spent catching up with chores was made available for Jamal and myself to simply sit down and be present with one another. It was the ministers themselves who first made us aware of this necessity, and in this way, the HH&F ministers were also doing family ministry! We are so thankful for the HH&F ministry and for its particular witness to Christ’s life and love.”
-Myra Capulong
“As a volunteer with the His Hands and Feet ministry at Newman, I was pleased to be asked to provide meals two days each week to a parishioner recovering from serious surgery. My visits with the recovering parishioner were pleasant, and I was heartened to note her progress each week. Some of our sharing dealt with how very much Newman means to both of us! Certainly, I feel more deeply connected to the Newman community because of my participation as a volunteer with HH&F.”
-Ann Kennedy