Members of St. John join a community of seven different organizations in Bellville to host a Gulf Coast Regional Blood Drive. Each blood drive is scheduled at a different organization every 56 days. They are always hosted on a Tuesday from 1 pm - 7 pm for uniformity. The requirement to host a drive is to have an accessible building with adequate air-conditioning. There are no special skills, tools, or supplies needed from any of the organizations that host. A warm and welcoming smile and an understanding that the individuals that give blood are giving the gift of life is all that is required of a host. It is always nice to have a greeter or two scheduled throughout the entire drive in order to help answer any questions by the donors about the facility that is hosting the blood drive.

Please call or email Ken Peters if you have any questions or ideas about future blood drives. (979) 865-4590 ken.peters@thrivent.com

Members of the St. John community band together to work on a lovely garden located behind the Faith Center, near the church playground. Each year volunteers gather to prepare the soil, dig a bit for planting, and weed throughout the growing seasons for several different types of produce. They meet on Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. and work for roughly one hour. Anytime you are near the garden feel free to pull a weed or two to help!

One of many benefits is that the fresh produce is donated to the Bellville Food Pantry each month. Leftover produce is 'purchased' by members of St. John with all proceeds being donated to the pantry as well.

St. John provides shelter to those in need during times of disaster. It is manned by members of St. John who have taken classes with the Red Cross. Anyone may volunteer to help and much of the training can be done from the comfort of your own home on your computer. If the shelter is called to open we run twelve (12) hour shifts around the clock as long as we have people staying in the shelter. 

Donations are collected during the year and when we reach $5000 our Office Administrator Vickie sends the  money in to donate an ark. We have given three or four arks in years past. 

For more information go HERE.

This is an ongoing project that provides items needed to send overseas in times of disaster or for refugees. Members of St. John furnish the items needed to fill different types of kits and many volunteers are required to keep up with collection and creation of kits. The kits are put together at St. John by anyone willing to volunteer their time and include Personal Care Kits, School Kits, Baby Care Kits, and Fabric Kits. Anyone wishing to donate items may leave them in the LWR (Lutheran World Relief) box in the Faith Center. Lists of all items being requested are available upon request.

We also send many handmade quilts all over the world to help provide warmth and comfort to those in need. Those who wish to volunteer their time with this specific project may join us on the third Monday (morning) of every month at St. John. During this time together some of the volunteers will tack the quilts that had been prepared the month prior. Others will cut out squares to be sewn together for tops by those who are able and we require more volunteers who will put together the quilts by layering the backing, filler, and tops. The quilts are then pinned together before some volunteers take them home to finish them and bring them back to the next quilting day. This is an ongoing and rather large project that is always welcoming new members, of all skill levels. Several members are more than willing to teach each step to new volunteers! 

St. John supplements Austin County Meals on Wheels the third Saturday of each month.  It is called "Feeding the Flock".  Several different groups in the church have volunteered to prepare, donate, and deliver this meal. The Church Council member assigned to the Social Concerns Committee coordinates these efforts. They are always looking for more volunteers!

Austin County Meals on Wheels can always use volunteers to deliver meals during the week.  You can reach them at 979-885-4188.

Operation Christmas Child is part of Samaritan's Purse which sends shoe boxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys to children who are affected by wars, famine, floods and poverty. The goal is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through a shoe box for children aged 2-14. Most of these children have never received a present, because their parents or guardians do not have enough money to purchase these items.

You can help by collecting shoe boxes and donating Christmas wrapping paper. Or, you can wrap your own boxes and fill them yourself. The church accepts boxes and supplies for this project throughout the year. You may also help by donating $9.00 per box for shipping. You can pray for the children who will receive these boxes that they might come to faith in Jesus Christ.