Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith, you are welcome here.

What is the Outreach Committee all about?

Our St. James Outreach Committee is a vibrant group interested in educating ourselves about community needs and finding ways to help those in distress. We meet the first Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in the library. Usually we have a leader from a community service project speak to us. These speakers educate us about community needs. With this knowledge, we can plan meaningful projects for our Wichita community.  Recent speakers have been from KCSL, Breakthrough ESS, St. Francis Ministries, and United Way. Four or five times a year we tour social service agencies. Recent tours have taken us to the Wichita Children’s Home, the Urban League, the Wichita Crisis Center, and KCSL.

Who can join Outreach?

Parishioners are invited to join at any meeting or to help with any project. We enjoy working together, and we truly welcome newcomers and visitors. 

Besides speakers and tours, what else does Outreach do?

Throughout the year, we hold Charity Product Drives: school supplies for public schools through The Pando Initiative, diapers for the Wichita Children’s Home, Christmas food baskets and gifts for families in need, and hygiene products for the Hygiene Pantry. Each project is chaired by a committee member:

Diapers and Undies

Christmas Project

Hygiene Products

School Supplies

Blankets

The Pocket Change Project

We also have a very successful charitable project called Pocket Change. Small printed envelopes are available in all the church pews, and parishioners contribute coins and dollars generously. We rotate our $500.00 gift checks to four Wichita charities: Breakthrough ESS, KCSL, Wichita Children’s Home, and The Pando Initiative. After giving these four gifts, we occasionally select other community charities like St. Francis Ministries or the Wichita Crisis Center for gifts. Since this project was founded in 2015 by Gary Thudium, we have given $35,300.00 to our community. We are grateful for our caring, generous congregation.

Does Outreach work with Justice Together?

We have worked closely with Justice Together to assist with their community projects for Mental health, Affordable Housing, and Gun Violence Prevention. 

Does this group ever raise funds for special projects?

To raise funds for community projects, we occasionally hold a fund raising dinner. For example, on August 15, 2026, we will hold a free-offering Bingo Dinner to benefit Justice Together.