Below are a few ways to participate in the life of our wider community. If you have any questions or want to get involved, you can email Kelley (kelley@stmarysnashville.com) for more information!
Courageous Voices in Action (CVA) with Vanderbilt:
The Courageous Voices in Action (CVA) project aims to create a diverse cohort of engaged adults and working professionals in or near Nashville, TN, who are interested in becoming more active in community-based civic engagement that advances LGBTQIA+ inclusion in complex social and religious landscapes. We will focus on 1) developing moral courage and leadership, 2) expanding cultural-religious literacy toward LGBTQIA+ affirmation and thriving and 3) building skills and knowledge related to community involvement and engagement. The cohort will meet late August 2024 - mid May 2025 (more details tbd). This is a joint project led by the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality & The Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
https://divinity.vanderbilt.edu/courageous-voices-in-action/
Nashville Institute for Faith and Work:
The Nashville Institute for Faith and Work's fellowship program, called the Gotham Fellowship, is a cohort-based experience and year-long study + practice focused on understanding how your daily work connects with your faith. Application deadline is August 1st.
Black mental health Counselor reparations foundation
Click here to learn more about the Foundation.
open table Nashville
Open Table Nashville is a non-profit, interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.
You can donate to OTN through Venmo (@OpenTableNash) or Kindful. Their Amazon wishlist is found here and in-kind donations (tents, sleeping bags, and propane canisters are often needed) can be made by emailing donate@opentablenashville.org.
Current Service Opportunity: Foot Clinic
Foot Clinic is held at Trinity Community Commons (in East Nashville) on Tuesday evenings, in tandem with their free community supper. Volunteers can expect to arrive at 5:15pm and leave around 7pm. During that time, volunteers have the opportunity to care for people's feet (clip nails, scrub calluses, apply lotion, offer basic wound care, etc.) and/or sanitize supplies. No prior experience or medical knowledge is required! All new volunteers will be sent a packet with detailed descriptions of the process, and will also be given an orientation directly before the Foot Clinic. You can sign up here.
Nashville diaper connection
Every few months, folks from St. Mary’s go wrap hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of diapers with the Nashville Diaper Connection. 1 in 3 Davidson County families struggles to afford this necessity, and NDC helps to close that gap by providing them.
The next opportunity is pending. Email Kelley if you’d like to join! (kelley@stmarysnashville.com)