The Joy of Servant Ministry

To say this was a labor of love – absolutely. Seeing the love of those receiving and the deacon’s love for doing Christ’s work in the world is at the heart of this ministry. I am so thankful to each of you who help make Beanie Bundles a reality. 

Living out our service ministry and recognizing the face of Christ in everyone is what being a deacon in the world is all about. Watching the joy on the faces of those who received Beanie Bundles and the joy on the faces of the distributors reminds me of how important service ministry is today. 

In the Spring of 2023, the ministry of Beanie Bundles was again the key focus at our deacons meeting. Four of the deacons had a strong interest in seeing this ministry come to fruition but on a larger scale. Deacons Brooks Mason, Nancy Holland, Daniel McMillan, and I put their heads together and came up with a plan.

The work began, seeking donations and funding for 1,000 Beanie Bundles. Once we had the beanies (hats donated by St James By The Sea), gloves (through cash donations), socks (Bombas, donated by St Paul’s in the Desert), and Candy Kisses (donated by the archdeacon’s husband, Ed Campos), the hard work began.  

The four of us met weekly, sometimes more often, for hours at a time. On a good day, we had an additional volunteer or two to help ‘bundle’ the gifts together into the beanies–tying each with a ribbon.  

It felt like it was never-ending. Beanie after beanie–bundle after bundle, the ministry seemed buried under the weight of the donations. But, one night in December, the last bundle was tucked into a bag, and we celebrated.

Our bundling of the donations did not stop us from doing the real ministry.  Throughout the Fall of 2023, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego’s deacons distributed over 1,000 Beanie Bundles to people facing extraordinary hardship in their daily lives. Whether migrating from a distant land or working cold mornings in a field, the deacons of EDSD helped with warmth.   

We’re already talking about how we can expand this ministry, meeting the needs of more of our siblings in Christ and touching more lives throughout the year. Over the last two years, EDSD’s deacons have provided countless Beanie Bundles to a migrant camp at an undisclosed location. For the safety of those living in the camp, our deacons were not initially welcome to visit. Today, after years of collaborative ministry and with the help of Robert Vivar (EDSD Migration Missioner), trust has been cultivated. Now, EDSD has been invited to baptize nine members of the camp–ages 3 to 14.  

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Beanie Bundle ministry a reality.  

If you are moved to help with this outreach, financially or with your time, please contact Archdeacon Cindy Campos at Ccampos@edsd.org.  Financial donations may go to the Deacon’s Outreach Fund here. 

Some of the recipients of these ‘bundles’ included:

300+ to St Peter and Paul El Centro for field workers

150 to St Paul’s Yuma for field workers

50+ to St John’s Fallbrook for field workers

100 to St John’s Indio for field workers

250+ Migration Missioner for migrants crossing the border

36 to Holy Cross, Oceanside for farm workers

36 to Christian Community Services for farm workers

100+ to Deacons for Jacumba migrants