Outreach at St. Martin’s

The Suthers Center for Christian Outreach

The Suthers Center is the primary outreach of St. Martin's. Its Emergency Assistance program began in the early 1980’s, with support and volunteers from St. Elizabeth’s Guild, and the Food Pantry had its beginning in 1979 at Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church.

The Center is named for Father Derwent Suthers, beloved former Associate Rector at Saint Martin, who appealed to community churches in 2007 to join Saint Martin in a local outreach center. St. Martin's lovingly took on the management and services of The Center, and maintained the facility in Chamblee until March of 2020 when the Food Pantry was moved to the church. Brookhaven Christian Church and Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church remain strong partners to Suthers and St. Martin's volunteers.

For more information, visit the Suthers Center website. To donate to The Suthers Center, give here.

The Suthers Center Programs

The Emergency Assistance Program provides personal attention to individuals and families in need of help with utilities, MARTA cards, gas cards, referrals for a variety of services including rent and medical needs. Assistance requires in-person appeal with identification and bills on Saturday mornings between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. at St. Martin's.

The Food Pantry provides nutritional food through the Atlanta Community Food Bank, federal, and state programs. The Pantry operates a drive-thru on Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at St. Martin's. Information is required on the first visit, and clients are given a card for ongoing visits.

The Hall Assistance and Transition Service (HATS) provides shelter to homeless families and individuals. The program honors Bruce Hall, former Chair of The Board, and has assisted more than 200 families with immediate shelter, food, and essential needs. The program operates by donor-sponsorships for people suffering from the conditions of homelessness. With partnership at Salvation Army’s Red Shields in Atlanta, HATS can house a homeless person at $75 (2 meals a day) for one week. Shelter has also been arranged with Georgia Recovery Center, Atlanta Mission, and local hotels at fees arranged for Suthers.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are needed for shelving and bagging on Thursday mornings in the Food Pantry from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Volunteers work outside and in the Pantry on Saturday mornings from 6:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., preparing bags and setting out needed equipment for registration and distribution.

Holy Comforter

Founded in 1893, Holy Comforter Episcopal Church is a diverse worshipping community in the heart of Atlanta that seeks to restore all people to unity with God and with each other. All are welcome at this unique parish, regardless of where they are on their faith journey. Worship is Episcopalian, Rite II, but is open, fluid, sometimes loud and always interesting. About 60% of the congregation lives with mental illness. All are welcome to come for the Wednesday 6:30 p.m. worship service and group dinner afterwards or for the Sunday Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. with lunch following.

St. Martin's supports Holy Comforter's Friendship Center specifically from the outreach budget. St. Elizabeth's Guild has long been involved with the parish through attending the Wednesday evening service and providing and serving dinner afterwards several times each year. They are now pivoting to support of the Sunday morning service and lunch. Volunteers are always welcome for this ministry. Opportunities are available in the above-noted areas as well as garden, green house, art program and other projects on campus.

Interfaith Outreach Home

IOH is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to provide a safe, secure, and nurturing environment for homeless families. Families in the IOH program live in small self-contained apartments located in Doraville, Georgia. The program is designed to empower families to take control of their lives and successfully return to the larger community through intensive counseling, job searching and preparation, coaching, and life skills training and coaching including problem-solving and decision-making, parenting, budgeting, and money management.

St. Martin’s supports IOH from the outreach budget and, in the last two years, from the Endowment Fund as well. Proceeds from the annual Turkey Fry go to IOH, including donations of money and turkeys from parishioners to provide for the communities’ Thanksgiving meals. Several women’s guilds support IOH by hosting a Christmas celebration for residents with donated gifts and sponsoring other holiday events throughout the year. These guilds also regularly donate food, school supplies, vacuum cleaners, office supplies, and other household items. The bulk of proceeds from events such as the Bridge Luncheon hosted by St. Monica’s Guild go to IOH. One parish family donated an automobile to an IOH family who have since graduated from the program and purchased their own home. Several St. Martin’s congregants serve on the board of IOH. Volunteers are always welcome for this ministry.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Habitat has more than 2,100 affiliates worldwide, and in the US, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is the seventh largest affiliate building 60 new homes each year. As the largest nonprofit, affordable single-family housing developer in the city, Atlanta Habitat goes beyond-the-build to spur neighborhood revitalization and enable homeowners to pursue educational and professional goals that will positively impact families for generations.

St. Martin’s has sponsored the construction of a new Habitat home each year for more than 30 years. For a long time (when the financial commitment was more modest), St. Martin’s independently constructed a new home each year. More recently, we have pooled our resources with those of several other area churches in what is now the annual “Spring Faith Build.” Our annual outreach participation includes generous financial contributions from the entire congregation, the preparation of a lunch for one of the eight build days by an intrepid group of volunteers, and the on-site construction contribution of a couple of dozen parishioners who serve a Saturday or two raising a life-changing home for a deserving family.

AMIS Atlanta

AMIS (Atlanta Ministry with International Students) is the French word for “friends” and describes our mission, which is to promote cultural and global understanding through friendship and hospitality with international students and scholars in the greater Atlanta area. You can get to know international students from all over the globe and learn about the world through AMIS.

AMIS Amigo Friendship Program

AMIS’s International Friendship Program matches an international student with an American volunteer in the local community for friendship and sharing of cultures. Your support can help an international student in their adjustment to American life, culture and language, as well as introduce them to our city. We ask you to meet at least once for a meal, event, or outing and continue your friendship over the year as you have time and opportunity. AMIS will provide support and group events for friendship partners.

For more information or to request to be on our mailing list, email office@amis-inc.org or call us at (470) 851-1248.

Emmaus House

Emmaus House was founded in 1967 by Episcopal priest and civil rights activist Father Austin Ford, who led efforts for welfare rights, neighborhood empowerment, and racial justice. Since that time, the Emmaus House has served the Peoplestown community of Atlanta through an after-school program, once-a-month transportation to Reidsville State Prison for family members of inmates, chapel services, hot meals, and a poverty rights office. Emmaus House offers approximately 100,000 hours per year of vital programs and services, serving people of all ages and directly addressing the staggering prevalence of poverty in the neighborhood.

St. Martin’s supports the Emmaus House with regular contributions from the outreach budget. Each year, St. Martin’s annual Turkey Fry raises money for Emmaus House and collects money and turkeys from parishioners to provide for the communities’ Thanksgiving meals. St. Martin’s parishioners volunteer on the Directing Board of Emmaus House. Volunteers are always welcome for this ministry.

Path to Shine

Path to Shine provides academic and social support to encourage children to thrive in school and to build self-confidence to achieve their dreams. Path to Shine tutors and mentors children through the fifth grade. Volunteers meet weekly at St. David's Episcopal Church in Roswell each mentoring 1-2 students throughout the school year. St. Martin's has been supporting Path to Shine financially and with volunteers. The plan is to expand this program to reach and follow these students through high school graduation. If interested in this ministry, please contact Marie Davis, Executive Director.

Anonymous Groups

St. Martin’s offers several anonymous groups the space to meet on a regular basis. If you or someone you know is suffering from an addiction or is affected by the addiction of someone they know, please feel free to attend any meeting.

Al-Anon meets every Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Burgreen Library.

Gambler’s Anonymous meets every Thursday evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Burgreen Library.

Northside Young People's AA Group meets every Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. in Gable Hall and the Parlor.

For more information on these groups, email admin@stmartins.org.