1115 Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29201  ·   803-771-7800  ·       Clergy

Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
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Project Host and Christ Church collaborate to better serve Greenville community

“On April 1, I was having a check-in with Tobin Simpson at Project Host. He told me the story of how its food truck took 100 meals out to a mobile home park in southern Greenville County. One thousand people showed up. It’s a horrible story, but it’s easy to picture and easy to tell,” Kevin Mertens, Christ Church’s Director of Faith in Action recalls the exact moment he felt called to help.

By that afternoon, the parish’s rector, the Rev. Dr. Harrison McLeod, approved the notion to reopen the church’s kitchen as an effort to aid Project Host in providing meals for their clients.

Project Host was originally the idea of Christ Church parishioner Mary Moore Robeson and the Rev. Cannon McCreary in 1981. It has since become an entirely independent ministry. Today, the downtown soup kitchen serves up to 500 meals a day, six days a week. From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Project Host provides nearly 200 meals onsite for walk-in clients in the area. Certain partner agencies will come and pick up meals to give to their own clients. The remaining hundreds are loaded up onto a food truck that travels to under-served neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and trailer parks throughout the community.

In regular circumstances, local restaurants and grocery stores donate their extra food to Project Host, plus there are usually teams of volunteers ready to help. Now in the midst of the pandemic, with restaurants closed for dining-in and extra food flying off of the shelves in grocery stores, a new opportunity for ministry presented itself. Christ Church reopened their kitchen and found a safe way to get its parishioners involved.

“We sent word out that we needed food to help Project Host and by the next day, people were driving up to the church and dropping it off. They’ll stay in their car, and we’ll go grab it out of their trunks. The response has been amazing. They just want to know what they can do to help in the community; they’re tired of sitting on their hands with everything going on. In their normal shopping, it’s a way they can serve the community without having to get out there and worry about potentially unhealthy situations,” Mertens said.

Thanks to the leadership of Chef Karen Walker and Joyce Thompson (pictured below), Christ Church’s faithful kitchen ministry staff, and parishioners alike, Project Host has been able to provide more meals than it had previously. It is currently able to go into more under-served communities and provide more meals. As of today, Christ Church has prepared more than 13,000 meals for Project Host to distribute to those in need.

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There have also been specific precautions taken to ensure those preparing and distributing meals are also practicing social distancing. Project Host and Christ Church are not using volunteers for now. In accordance with Bishop Waldo’s direction, there are never more than three people in the kitchen or any given room at Christ Church.

“This has been a blessing for us to live the Gospel of Matthew 25 and feed the hungry, while providing a safe ministry opportunity for our parishioners. The need will still be there when we are allowed to assemble again. We envision this as an ongoing collaboration and hands-on ministry opportunity at that point,” Mertens states.


Tags: Stories from EDUSC

Diocesan Calendar

Sunday, 2/28 at 2:00 PM
Piedmont Convocation Meeting
Sunday, 2/28 at 3:00 PM
Midlands Convocation Meeting
Wednesday, 3/10 at 1:00 PM
Formation Roundtable
Saturday, 3/13 at 9:00 AM
Diocesan Executive Council
Saturday, 3/13 at 1:00 PM
Standing Committee
Sunday, 3/14 at 1:00 PM
Gravatt Convocation Meeting
Sunday, 3/21 at 2:00 PM
Foothills Convocation Meeting
Sunday, 3/28 at 1:00 PM
Catawba Convocation Meeting

Piedmont Convocation Meeting

Sunday, February 28, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is divided into five geographical areas called convocations. Each convocation is made up of specific congregations, and each has a dean (clergy person) and a lay warden. The convocation deans are appointed by the bishop, and lay wardens are elected by each convocation. A Convocation meetings, the clergy and lay leadership of each congregation are invited to come together and discuss shared ministry and mission opportunities. Staff Liaison: d’Rue Hazel Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82403756438?pwd=Y2htUDhteVdxbFdEUUFSTHRheWd5QT09 Meeting ID: 824 0375 6438 Passcode: 390263 One tap mobile +13126266799,,82403756438# US (Chicago) +16468769923,,82403756438# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 824 0375 6438 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kIdtoBNkO

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Midlands Convocation Meeting

Sunday, February 28, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is divided into five geographical areas called convocations. Each convocation is made up of specific congregations, and each has a dean (clergy person) and a lay warden. The convocation deans are appointed by the bishop, and lay wardens are elected by each convocation. A Convocation meetings, the clergy and lay leadership of each congregation are invited to come together and discuss shared ministry and mission opportunities. Staff Liaison: Alan Bentrup Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89525787088?pwd=cWwxNHdsVUVxWjRiWWUwWEtPclFqZz09 Meeting ID: 895 2578 7088 Passcode: 696960 One tap mobile +16468769923,,89525787088# US (New York) +13017158592,,89525787088# US (Washington D.C) Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 895 2578 7088 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/ktdcYSnzK

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Formation Roundtable

Wednesday, March 10, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Upper South Carolina is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Formation Roundtable Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85668852937 Meeting ID: 856 6885 2937 One tap mobile +16468769923,,85668852937# US (New York) +13017158592,,85668852937# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 856 6885 2937 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc5LmJqApA

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Diocesan Executive Council

Saturday, March 13, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM



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Standing Committee

Saturday, March 13, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM



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Gravatt Convocation Meeting

Sunday, March 14, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is divided into five geographical areas called convocations. Each convocation is made up of specific congregations, and each has a dean (clergy person) and a lay warden. The convocation deans are appointed by the bishop, and lay wardens are elected by each convocation. A Convocation meetings, the clergy and lay leadership of each congregation are invited to come together and discuss shared ministry and mission opportunities. Staff liaison: Jimmy Hartley Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89363616498?pwd=NmdHQlZkdEFZWm90Z1V4NGxmNFhxUT09 Meeting ID: 893 6361 6498 Passcode: 911478 One tap mobile +13017158592,,89363616498# US (Washington D.C) +13126266799,,89363616498# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 893 6361 6498 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kDqh5liZ8

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Foothills Convocation Meeting

Sunday, March 21, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is divided into five geographical areas called convocations. Each convocation is made up of specific congregations, and each has a dean (clergy person) and a lay warden. The convocation deans are appointed by the bishop, and lay wardens are elected by each convocation. A Convocation meetings, the clergy and lay leadership of each congregation are invited to come together and discuss shared ministry and mission opportunities. Staff liaison: Jimmy Hartley Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81769932962?pwd=UDAzNUJsTmZMQ1pLUDI3dWdzR1VRUT09 Meeting ID: 817 6993 2962 Passcode: 958454 One tap mobile +13126266799,,81769932962# US (Chicago) +16468769923,,81769932962# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 817 6993 2962 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kNqRw9jeK

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Catawba Convocation Meeting

Sunday, March 28, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina is divided into five geographical areas called convocations. Each convocation is made up of specific congregations, and each has a dean (clergy person) and a lay warden. The convocation deans are appointed by the bishop, and lay wardens are elected by each convocation. A Convocation meetings, the clergy and lay leadership of each congregation are invited to come together and discuss shared ministry and mission opportunities. Staff liaison: Alan Bentrup Upper South Carolina is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82924138609?pwd=aVpCVnZWMDVBR1NnZjBxOHI4MS9jQT09 Meeting ID: 829 2413 8609 Passcode: 339869 One tap mobile +16468769923,,82924138609# US (New York) +13017158592,,82924138609# US (Washington D.C) Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 829 2413 8609 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdGAWssQQR

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Episcopal Diocese of
Upper South Carolina

1115 Marion Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tel: (803) 771-7800

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