Outreach ministries

St. Matthew’s continues to be actively engaged in a variety of outreach activities that honor our commitment to be Christ’s hands to the world. Some provide works of love, like the Seamen’s Ministry, which creates beautiful, warm winter wear for those who work year round as seafarers and Life Skills, which supports child care and meal preparation for young mothers learning management and coping skills at Home for the Innocents. Some ministries receive funding through our budget to operate as sponsored outreach ministries of St. Matthew's, including the St. George’s Scholar Institute. We also support Habitat for Humanity and Kenya Kids @ Rongo, among others. In addition to these good works, St. Matt’s sponsors collection ministries, including quarterly canned food for St. George’s and Calvary’s food pantries, St. Matthews Area Ministries school supplies in July, warm coats for refugees through KRM in the fall, and the Advent tree Christmas gifts. Our parishioners are exceedingly generous, and these ministries are much appreciated throughout the communities we touch. On the third Saturday of each month, we also partner with Dare to Care in distributing food to those in need of nutritional support. If any of these ministries interest you, don’t hesitate to ask for more information. All are welcome!

Kentucky Refugee Ministries is a non-profit that welcomes and helps resettle refugees from all over the world. They also work with a large group of Cuban arrivals seeking asylum in Louisville.  St. Matthew’s has had a long-time relationship working with KRM.  We have also partnered with KRM to co-sponsor refugee arrivals. Through our outreach ministry, we annually collect new and gently used coats, hats, gloves and scarves for KRM in the fall.   

Kenya Kids at Rongo, Inc. is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit corporation operating in Louisville, KY, since May 2017. The focus of Kenya Kids at Rongo is providing financial support for the operation of Ebenezer Children’s Center outside of Rongo, Kenya. Ebenezer provides for the basic human needs of 60-75 vulnerable Kenyan orphans. Ebenezer Children’s Center is recognized by Kenya as a Charitable Children’s Institute (CCI.)

Churchill Downs, located in Louisville, is the home of the famous Kentucky Derby. The historic track is also home to a year-round, interdenominational ministry for race track workers. Much of the ministry's work is focused on the "backside" of Churchill Downs where the race horses are stabled. On the backside you'll find a dormitory for workers, a dining hall, learning center, recreation center and other services designed to support track workers.

Life Skills is a year-round program of the Home of the Innocents that provides life skills education for young adults (ages 18 –24) and their children, who are HUD homeless. The young adults attend class either on Tuesday evening or Thursday noon, every other week. The first week in a month that the classes are held, volunteers from St. Matthew’s may assist by signing up to help with childcare during the classes or by helping prepare a meal for the meeting. Food items are donated by parishioners of St. Matthew’s, and some are purchased using Outreach funding. 

The St. Matthew’s Food Collection ministry is an ongoing effort to support the food pantries of our friends at Calvary and St. George’s Episcopal churches. These pantries help provide relief to those in need in the local downtown communities. Each pantry serves close to 600-800 people or more people per month. 

Each year, our generous members of St. Matthew’s support St. George’s Relief Ministry by donating money for their neighborhood Christmas boxes. Our funds allow members of St. George’s parish to purchase food for Christmas dinner and household items that are distributed to neighbors in need who live near St. George’s Episcopal Church.

St. George's Scholar Institute (SGSI) is a youth development agency that provides quality, out-of-school time programming for social, emotional and academic learning for vulnerable youth in the California, Parkhill and Parkland neighborhoods. “Embrace, educate, and empower” is its mission. To learn more, please access the Ministry Booklet below or visit the SGSI website. 

St. Matthews Area Ministries was born out of a desire and motivation to provide assistance through various forms of support, problem solving, and solution-oriented approaches. The organization has evolved through its years of existence, developing new programs often more suited to the times and needs.
School supplies are collected at St. Matthew's year round and are distributed during the first week of August.

The St. Matthew's Habitat for Humanity work crew typically has met the first Saturday of each month to help build or rehabilitate affordable housing for low-income families in Louisville. Louisville Habitat truly makes a difference in our community by carrying zero-interest loans on homes for qualified buyers. About 500 homes have been constructed in Louisville since Habitat's formation. Volunteers find joy in this work by being part of the solution for our city's housing crisis, developing friendships with partner families and other volunteers, and sharing or learning construction skills. No prior experience is necessary to participate. 

We are eleven members from St. Matthew’s that serve on the Woman’s Board of the Episcopal Church Home. We are a volunteer organization that has been active since 1975, and we are made up of representatives from Episcopal churches in the area. Volunteers have been fundraising, working in the Gift Shop, and helping with mail delivery and other activities for the welfare and comfort of the residents.