Outreach is a program designed to serve the many needs of the St. Stephen family and of our surrounding community. Outreach is guided by a committee of twelve members and is supported by many volunteers, who give their time and talent to help our brothers and sisters in Christ realize a better life through community wide projects such as:

Adopt-A-Family

This is a long-term program designed to give families in need or individuals in need the help and guidance necessary to improve their standard of living. These families or individuals will meet on a regular basis with various team members to develop and follow the plans set forth by an assessment team. To be considered for the program individuals must meet with our assessment team (consisting of parish members in complementing professional fields) to determine if the clients meet the necessary qualifications for the program.

Community Life

This ministry provides various organizations with items such as food, clothing, baby products, school supplies, and personal care items. Lent and Advent are the two main times of the year when drives are held for these items. Additionally, this ministry provides temporary help to those who need emergency assistance with monthly life giving services. Crisis internvention counseling is also available to qualifying clients through the referral of the pastor. The St. Stephen Community also maintains a small food bank to help families in need.

Good Neighbors

The Good Neighbors Program is a ministry designed to help parishioners and community involved in special situations with transportation, meals, and respite care to help the family or a primary care giver. This ministry works closely with the Parish Nurse program to help meet the needs of the sick or disabled of our parish family.

Hand In Hand

This program is a faith-based ministry that reaches out to youth from low income families. Here we seek to provide faith, fun, and food in a safe environment filled with love and care that is provided by dedicated adults and students from our parish family and community. This ministry meets once a month from September to May and then in the summer it offers a six weeks tutoring and adventure program for these children. Hand In Hand answers God's call to serve others by fostering compassion and love to His children.

Ministry to the Sick

A sacramental ministry, which is a call to visit the sick, disabled, and homebound persons of the parish to pray with them and to bring them Eucharist. We give support to family members and help in planning funerals. If you need this support, please call the church office.

Paint Up/Fix Up/Move

This ministry offers small repairs and yard work to families of the community that are in need. It includes such things as painting, minor carpentry repairs, and all types of yard clean up. We also move families having financial difficulty that are seeking a change in housing.

Parish Nurse

The role of the parish nurse is to serve as a link between the family of St. Stephen and those who are ill within this family. The parish nurse provides limited services and health referral information to the individual that is ill or to a family member. If necessary, they also work with the Community Life Coordinator to provide a Eucharist Minister to the Sick and arrange for services that may be needed by Good Neighbors.

P.R.E.P.

This program works to coordinate the wonderful works of our St. Stephen Religious Education Program with the Outreach office. Volunteers here see that completed projects from P.R.E.P. find their way to individuals and organizations that are in need. They also try to focus in on making sure that the students receive follow up information on their projects including thank you notes from a very grateful Outreach Board.

Prison Ministry

Ministry volunteers visit various institutions in the Central Florida area addressing the spiritual needs of the incarcerated. In what way is St. Stephen Catholic Community active? Approximately 10 parishioners share their time and talent by providing an opportunity for Catholics to receive religious instruction, liturgy and the Sacraments.

Respect Life

The purpose of this ministry is to create awareness in the community of the preservation of human dignity throughout the cycle of life from conception to death. This encompasses all of the ministries of our Outreach program. Several times a year different areas of this ministry will be the focus of attention.

St. Stephen House

Built once every 12 to 24 months by the church community to benefit a family that is a member of the Adopt-A-Family program and has been approved by the assessment team. With the help of many volunteers the house is usually completed in a 16 week period and provides a home with an affordable monthly mortgage to the selected family.

St. Stephen Outreach Mission Statement To provide a Christ-centered, compassionate means to identify and satisfy the needs of whole interdenominational community. This is accomplished by providing leadership, support, and caring in changing habits through teaching, sharing and the setting of an example of intristic concern and unconditional love toward our neighbors.We can make a difference by serving as role models as we lift up those who need interim measures to regain their dignity, strength, and trust. We believe that fellowship, partnership, and prayer can direct our hearts and hands to serve and help those who need to regain their sense of accomplishments as they journey the road of life.