Community Ministries
Offering one’s personal skills, abilities and time to support the church’s community efforts helps make a difference to those in need. They are a powerful way for individuals to live out their faith, connect with the community and experience the joy of serving others.
Please see our activities below. More information will be in the parish bulletin, on the parish app, on Facebook and in the Church Gathering Space, when available.
Bartonville Food Pantry
The St. Anthony community supports the Bartonville Food Pantry year-round and with a targeted ‘Fill the Sack’ drive during Lent. Non-perishable food items, hygiene items and paper products are collected. Sacks with a list of needed items are available during Lent. Donations should be left in/near the wooden box by the Welcome Center.
Located at Bartonville Christian Church and serving the surrounding areas, the pantry is available every Monday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, excluding holidays.
Box of Joy
Box of Joy is an annual Christmas shoebox gift ministry organized by local Catholic schools, parishes and groups across the US and facilitated by Cross Catholic Outreach. Participants bless children suffering from extreme poverty by filing boxes with toys and other gifts, sharing the joy of Christmas and planting seeds of hope. St. Anthony parishioners help make Christmas special by participating in this ministry. Boxes with a list of suggested items are available in October with a due date a few weeks after that. A small fee to cover postage needs to be submitted with each box.
Change for Change
Every Lent St. Anthony Women’s Club spearheads ‘Change for Change’, encouraging parishioners to donate spare change, although other currency is never turned away! In consultation with the Pastor, the Women’s Club members select a local organization or organizations to benefit from the collection. Previous recipients include the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Moms Who Care at Limestone Community High School, and programs meeting essential needs of students at Bartonville Grade School and Illini Bluffs Elementary School.
This Lenten season Change for Change will support programs at Bartonville Grade School and Pleasant Hill Elementary School that meet students’ essential needs by providing clothing, shoes, hygiene items, school supplies and food. Change can be put in the bucket in the Gathering Space now through Good Friday.
Thank you for your generosity!
Giving Tree
Every year St. Anthony parishioners have an opportunity to supportCatholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria through a Giving Tree. A few weeks prior to the start of Advent, you will see a Christmas tree with paper ornaments in the church gathering space. Each ornament represents a gift, such as a board game, doll, puzzle, ball, clothing or gift card. Simply take an ornament off the tree, purchase the item, and leave it under the tree. Catholic Charities collects the gifts and distributes them to the needy in the Peoria Diocese. You can bring joy to a child by giving them a new toy or help keep an adult warm with new gloves.
St. Nicholas Charity on Wheels
A ministry of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria, St. Nicholas Charity on Wheels serves families in need across the Diocese. St. Anthony Women’s Club holds a donation drive where parishioners may donate items, gift cards, and money to replenish supplies distributed through the mobile van. This van travels throughout the Diocese providing toiletries, household/cleaning supplies and a religious item to the needy. The donation drive usually occurs in early January.
Women's Care Center
St Anthony Women’s Club, in service to the community and those in need, collects items for the Women’s Care Center (WCC) in Peoria. The WCC provides free, confidential counseling, support and education for pregnant women. The collection usually takes place in the summer. A list of suggested items for babies (and mothers) is made available with donations collected in the gathering space. Envelopes are available for those who prefer to donate monetarily.
Prayers are appreciated for those served by the WCC, as they embrace pregnancy and motherhood.