SOCIETY OF
ST. STEPHEN

The Society of St. Stephen is a volunteer charitable organization administered by the Seekers Adult Sunday School Class here at Summit.    Funding for the Society is derived from free-will contributions by individuals, community businesses, communion-rail offering, and our annual auction fund-raiser.

The primary function of the Society of St. Stephen is to give immediate aid to individuals of the community (including church members) with an emergency need such as, groceries, utilities, medical bills, repairs to home or auto, clothes, gasoline or emergency lodging on a one-time basis as the result of fire, storm, flood or loss of job or income. Indigent travelers are also aided on their way by the Society.

The secondary function is for regular monetary contributions by the Society to United Churches Care, a City-wide organization of churches with similar charitable goals.   In addition to this, we also provide school supplies, Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, as well as Christmas gifts for our Christmas Angel.

All funds received by the Society are used exclusively to aid those in need.   No funds are used for administrative or any other purpose. Needs are paid directly by the Society, with no cash ever given to individuals.   All needs considered by the Society are held in confidence. The Society was established in 1984 as a direct result of so many immediate needs being brought to the Church, with no funds available from the budget.    The Seekers Sunday School class took on the need as a project, and formed the organization, which has been active for 10 years. One of the first on-going projects was to help maintain a young man in an iron lung who suffered with muscular dystrophy, until his death in 1995.   Over the years we have raised $39,560.00 from our annual auctions, $8,363.00 from altar-rail giving, and $2,250.00 from free-will gifts and special events, totaling over $50,000.00. The Society has spent over $45,549.00 for the needs of others over the past 19 years without ever exhausting our fund.   God has truly blessed this ministry of Summit United Methodist Church, and we, Of the Seekers Sunday School Class, wish to thank all who have helped with this worthwhile organization.

Society of St. Stephen is named for Stephen in the Bible, who was given charge of feeding the hungry (Acts 6). Although the Society is associated with Methodist Churches throughout Texas, each group is completely autonomous - each identifies its own projects, determines its own operating methods and policies and raises its own funds.