Opioid Ministry
Stop the Stigma is a grass roots community group sponsored by St. Paul’s. Our mission statement is to support those touched by addiction. This includes those with substance abuse disorder, those in recovery, those who care for them, and loved ones dealing with addiction in the family. We have sponsored two yearly events on International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, on the village green in Montrose. These events included educational vendor tables, inspirational speakers, names read and a tolling of a bell for those lost to addiction, and free hotdogs and hamburgers.
We have hosted Memory Luncheons before Christmas so people who are grieving lost loved ones can gather to remember their family members or friends with others who understand their loss. The funds raised from hosting a July 4th breakfast sent a child to camp specifically targeted for children with addiction in the family. St. Paul’s welcomes anyone seeking God as a source of life support.
Narcotics Anonymous
This group has moved to the Trehab Community Resource Center located on the corner of Public Ave. and Church St.
Group meetings are on Tuesday at 5:00 pm (All Recovery); Wednesday at 7:00 pm (NA); and Saturday at 7:00 pm (Refuge Recovery). Phone numbers:
570-278-5220 reception desk at the Resource Center
570-278-5275 Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) at the Resource Center
570-767-9411 24/7 Counselor hotline
570-767-9455 24/7 Certified Recovery Specialist hotline.
Alcoholics Anonymous
The Mustard Seed AA group has met for 41 years at St. Paul’s. Meetings are held on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. Entrance to the meeting is on Chestnut St. across from the HO Mart.
Montrose Mobile Food Pantry
The Weinberg Foundation provides food for distribution to Susquehanna County residents on the second Friday of each month. The distribution site is at South Montrose Community Church at 10991 State Route 29, Montrose, 18843. Registration in advance is required by calling 570-533-3980. St. Paul’s takes up a second collection each week to provide bread for the distribution—about $350 monthly. We also send volunteers each month to assist with the food distribution.
Sleeping Bag Ministry
With donated sheets and large scraps of fabric, a dedicated group makes sleeping bags for the homeless. We can finish one bag in a 2 ½ hour session and met twice monthly until our efforts were curtailed by the Coronavirus pandemic. We include a bag of toiletries in each bag. The finished sleeping bags are blessed during a Sunday service and distributed to homeless shelters in the Scranton area. No sewing is involved; if you can tie a knot, you can help us make sleeping bags.
Coats for the Community
St. Paul’s teams with the American Legion, Gardner-Warner Post # 154 for this project which is funded by St. Paul’s with a donation from the Legion. Throughout the year, coats are purchased by St. Paul’s on half price Family Day (Wednesday) at the Salvation Army. Donations of coats are welcomed from individuals, from Interfaith, and from drives at the local elementary schools. Men from the Legion transport coats and racks to each of the distribution sites. Free, warm winter coats are distributed starting in October at St. Paul’s; Christ Church, Susquehanna; Christ Church, Forest City; St. Mark’s, New Milford; and except for this pandemic year, at local elementary schools. We give away an average of 1500 coats per year.
Soup/ Salad Meal
The need for help with food has increased significantly during the pandemic. This is a new ministry that started in December 2020. A free dinner of soup (salads in the summer), applesauce, roll, and cookies will be distributed to cars as take-out from the Chestnut St. entrance of the parish house.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Shawls are knit or crocheted in patterns of three stitches or rows to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As a need arises, a shawl is blessed during a Sunday service and sent forth with our love to someone who is ill, or hospitalized, or in need of comfort. The shawl is intended to wrap God’s love and ours around each recipient.