RIO GRANDE — The Branches community outreach center and storefront ministry here hosted a schoolbag blessing ceremony Sunday, Aug. 30 to kick-off the start of the new school year and welcome the community to its monthly events.
The Branches, located next door from St. Mary’s This ‘N That Thrift Store and Furniture Annex, is a combined effort by St. Barnabas By the Bay Episcopal Church in Villas and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Stone Harbor to extend both churches presence into Rio Grande.
Representatives from Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), Villas Families Matter LLC, Carl T. Mitnick Elementary School, David C. Douglass Veterans Memorial School and Ocean Academy received a total of about 70 school bags filled with supplies they will distribute to school children whose families’ have financial difficulty.
Representatives from each organization told The Branches an estimate of how many were needed. Bags and supplies were collected at each church through parishioner donations.
The Branches exceeded its goal of 50 bags and collected about 70.
The event was open to the public and about 30 school-aged kids wore bookbags to be blessed.
As Father John Sosnowski of St. Mary’s blessed the materials and attendees, the crowd sang, “Jesus loves the Children.”
Father Sosnowski addressed the kids and told them God had made it their duty to learn.
“We hope to continue increasing activities and outreach into the community,” he said.
Father Sosnowski invited the community to attend a few monthly events.
The Branches offers a Contemporary Worship Service called “Second Sundays,” held the second Sunday of each month, in which a small group gathers to praise God in a relaxed setting. There’s a movie night on the third Sunday of the month and an open-mic night on the fourth Sunday. All events begin at 7 p.m.
“It’s a place where anybody can come in and have a cup of coffee and conversation,” Vicar Debra Bullock of St. Barnabas said.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com.
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