“If the Church stays in the building, we aren’t being the Church”
- The Rev. Jonathan Wickham, Rector, All Saints' Corpus Christi
Since opening its doors in the early 1950’s, All Saints’, Corpus Christi has embraced an “Open Arms” culture, welcoming all and caring for people outside of the doors of the church building. Following the call of Christ and using all resources – physical, time, talent, budget, etc. – to share Christ’s love, is core to All Saints’ mission.
All Saints’ is integrally weaved into the community through numerous outreach programs including:
• Adopt-a-Caseworker: Three times a year (Christmas, Easter, and Back-to-School), All Saints’ supports Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworkers by providing gifts for children in the care of CPS or the Foster Care system.
• Ashes to Go: On Ash Wednesday, traveling throughout the neighboring communities, ashes are offered to anyone who wishes to receive them. In 2025, 2,500 Ashes were received!
• Blessing of the Animals to Go – Also a mobile program, pet blessings are offered throughout surrounding neighborhoods.
• Border Ministries: All Saints’ is active to their commitment to supporting migrants by listening and walking beside those doing border ministry, including the Diocese of West Texas’ Immigration and Refugee Ministries and Catholic Charities, along with quarterly visits to the border region in McAllen, Texas.
• Festival: Each November, All Saints’ partners with sponsors and community associations to hold a family friendly day. Festival provides an opportunity for the community to connect while offering free fare such as snow cones and popcorn, as well as games, music, poetry, and prayers.
• Nature Buddies Camp: Open to the public, All Saints’ offers a one-week day camp for children of all abilities, nurturing spirituality through nature, artic, and music.
• Portable Labyrinth: Neighbors are encouraged to walk the visit the labyrinth. Additionally, three to four times a year, All Saints’ takes a portable labyrinth to area colleges as a part of outreach to college students.
• …and more (Trunk or Treat, Food Pantry, Compassionate Living Commission).
“The ‘Open Arms’ culture has been a part of All Saints’ for decades” shared Rev. Wickham “The goal is not to make Episcopalians out of our neighbors but to let the spirit guide our faith and actions and see what happens. If we believe in the incarnation, we know that Jesus is everywhere, not just in our church buildings. Showing Christ’s love through outward facing ministry is how we respond as Christians.”
When discussing the Adopt-a-Caseworker outreach, Rev. Wickham shared a moving story about Christ’s manifestation of love. An architecture class at Del Mar Community College visited All Saints’ to view the labyrinth. When departing, a student noticed an announcement and photo on the bulletin board related to the Adopt-a-Caseworker program. She became emotional about the program, stating “I was a foster child. I received an Easter gift every year but did not know where it came from.” She then asked if she could contribute and brought Christmas gifts that year, illustrating how Christian love comes full circle.
Gayle Gottlich, All Saints’ member and volunteer shares, “Today, we took our portable labyrinth out to the University for a walk. A beautiful day, a team of three and that was it. This is the third time the portable labyrinth has played a role out there in the past month - at a Wellness Fair, at a student or leadership retreat, and then today. The labyrinth has a desire to get out into the world and our Labyrinth Team simply facilitates its travels!”
While church leadership are commitment participants in these programs, the laity is instrumental in the formation of community outreach and is empowered to move where the spirit guides them – in a culture that encourages a mindset of “Let’s Go!”.
Click here to learn more about All Saints’ community outreach.
