Outreach Ministries at the Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral is an inclusive community of caring Christians, rich and poor, young and old, of every race. Giving of ourselves and our resources, we strive to care for one another and the world beyond our church.
The 5000 Club & Outreach Assistance
Our 5000 Club food ministry began in the spring of 2006 as an effort to provide the hospitality of a weekly evening meal to those who live in our neighborhood, including those without a home to call their own. The program quickly grew to where we are serving more than 100 meals a week, thanks to faithful volunteers. During the pandemic, our motivated group of volunteers continued to serve those in need. All of our meals are prepared in-house. To serve or support the 5000 Club, click the email below to connect with Rev. Brian.
Plumbline
Founded in 1988, our Plumb Line ministry today is one of our congregation’s primary ministries. It is administered by volunteers and funded by the cathedral’s Mission Endowment Fund and the Outreach Committee. Volunteers work out of a cathedral office to help people who are facing eviction from their homes or who are in need of a gift from our food pantry. Fifteen social service agencies refer people to the Plumb Line. We serve more than 300 people a year and commit over $100,000 annually to the work of this ministry. For more information, call 513-842-2073 or email plumbline@cccath.org.
The Native American Ministry Council
The Native American Ministry Council of Christ Church Cathedral has been active since 1984, as the result of a bequest from Nina F. Lansley. The Council provides hands-on outreach by witnessing for, and building awareness of, the contemporary needs, values, and traditions of Native American cultures in the US and Canada; contributes to the education and theological development of leadership within Native American communities; supports initiatives to empower Native American societies and ministries related to life needs, cultural sustainability, and spiritual growth within Native American values.
Community Grants
The Cathedral supports organizations that help those who cannot help themselves, and organizations that walk with Christ Church Cathedral in promoting reconciliation, social justice, and advocacy. Grant dollars are awarded to organizations that house, feed, and clothe the poor. However, the cathedral also believes in addressing the causes of poverty and routinely awards grant funds to groups that foster mentoring and educational programs to break the cycle of poverty.
Community Issues Forum
People interested in issues confronting the Greater Cincinnati community are regulars at the Community Issues Forum, a long-time initiative supported by the Cathedral’s outreach budget. Forums are held September through May, generally held twice a month on Thursdays at noon. Bill Woods and Ed Burdell are the Forum coordinators. They administer the program through their nonprofit, Applied Information Resources, Inc.
Jubilee Debt Forgiveness Program
The Jubilee program, created by long-time member, Elizabeth Brown, and now run by Larry Hayes, partners with local agencies that serve families and individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness due to unpaid utility, housing, or medical bills. The agencies apply to the program on behalf of the individuals.
Foster & Adoptive Support Groups
Christ Church Cathedral serves foster and adoptive parents by providing a support group that also provides the training hours families need and the opportunity to connect with other foster and adoptive families in our city. Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7pm in the Undercroft at the Cathedral. A free family meal and childcare will be provided. Not a foster or adoptive parent but want to be supportive of those who are? Consider becoming a volunteer to help with the monthly meal preparation and child care needs. For more information, contact Brooklin Taylor.
Hearts & Hands
Our Hearts and Hands Prayer Shawl Ministry is a collective of individuals who regularly meet on the third Saturday of the month at 10:00 AM to knit and crochet in fellowship for two hours in the library. They create prayer shawls, scarves and hats, small toys, and other special gifts for members and friends of our community in need. To join the group and for more information, contact Berta Lerch.
Summer Reading Camp
Children deserve the help they need to learn to read. Christ Church Cathedral partners with Summer Camp Reading whose mission is to eliminate educational inequity and summer slide by helping struggling readers improve in reading comprehension, fluency and vocabulary by 4th grade. The program works with young elementary school children who struggle with reading. Every weekday for six weeks, campers receive one-on-one tutoring with a reading specialist, play literacy games, write in journals, add words to their sight word list, read, listen to the Book of the Day, make a matching craft, exercise, and create a service project to give back to the community.
Gun Violence Prevention Group
Gun violence is on the rise. Innocent lives are lost daily. We must respond. Christ Church Cathedral offers a space for those committed to preventing gun violence in our city to gather, listen, act and resource the violence disruptors, cultural brokers, and the faithful people doing the work on the ground.
Share the Good News of Jesus Christ
To go into the world and help to be agents and instruments of God’s reconciliation. To go into the world, let the world know that there is a God who loves us, a God who will not let us go, and that that love can set us all free.”
– Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Is God calling you to go out into the world to “seek and serve Christ in all persons?” To meet neighbors you never knew you had? If so, the Episcopal Volunteers in Mission program may be for you. Working with partners around the Anglican Communion, we offer opportunities to live, work, and pray alongside fellow Anglicans/Episcopalians around the world as you continue your own faith journey.