Minding Your Business- the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans is a bustling center of activity all year long, but especially in the summer months. The church serves as the summer headquarters for the Food 4 Kids program, and also features a free clothing thrift shop, the Kimball Craft House and the community based art gallery Galley West.

 The Episcopal church, which was founded in 1933 by Richard and Florence Kimball, has a fascinating and rich Cape Cod history. The Kimballs had been vacationing near Crystal Lake and eventually bought the four-acre property on Monument Road, naming it Galley West. In the beginning, church services were held in the galley of what is now the art gallery. Many of the materials used in the church’s structure came from driftwood and wood salvaged from storms in the area, giving the church a charming and antique feel. 

Rev. Patrick Ward, who originally hailed from Trinity Church in Boston, has been leading the congregation in Orleans for three years. He recently gave me an incredible tour of the church, its campus, grounds and gorgeous structures. I was fortunate to meet many volunteers and parishioners along the way. 

Located in the lower level of the parish house at The Church of the Holy Spirit is the headquarters of the summer Food 4 Kids program (food4kids.org). Food 4 Kids works to alleviate childhood hunger and promote literacy on the Lower and Outer Cape by providing free meals and free books for children and teens in the summer when schools are out. From Harwich to Provincetown, Food 4 Kids serves anywhere from 400 to 800 free meals that get cooked, packed and delivered out of the church. There is no enrollment or screening required.

“Food 4 Kids is going strong right now,” Rev. Patrick said. “It started as a volunteer-based ministry to feed kids on the Lower Cape during the summer when they didn’t have school. A lot of people don’t know this, but approximately 40 percent of the children enrolled in Cape Cod public schools qualify as low income. And with the continuous cost of housing, we know parents struggle to keep their kids fed.”

Anyone in the community can sign up to volunteer to help with Food 4 Kids. Volunteers work in two-hour shifts. The operation is pretty astounding: early morning meal prep, assembly line next, meal site deliveries, and then the crew ends the afternoon prepping for the next day! During the week, truckloads of supplies and food are delivered daily to the church, and anyone can drive up around noontime to receive a meal, no questions asked. 

The Church of the Holy Spirit offers a very popular free shop on its campus on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. The shop, which was started back in the 1970s, is open to the public and operates on donations from the community and volunteers. Seasonal clothing is available and shoppers are able to fill up two bags per visit. Currently, the free shop is averaging 50 shoppers per day.

Next on our tour was the Kimball Craft House. This magnificent art studio is open to all and was founded by Florence Kimball, who was taught the technique of “hammering” by local artist Vernon Smith. Together the duo made many of their own tools and molds for “hammering” which are still in use today in the workshop and date back to the 1930s and 1940s. Here members of the parish and local artists alike handcraft one-of-a-kind aluminum plates, placards, boxes, decorative objects, jewelry and more. All of the items created are exclusively sold in the Galley West Art Gallery. Proceeds from all sales go right back into the studio to purchase metal or to the Reverend's Discretionary Fund to help local people in need.

Artist Ellen Aganson said, “I always say ‘it’s only one more sleep until I get to go hammer again!’ We really love it — it’s very fun and rewarding. You know you can make something as a complete beginner and make something sellable on your first day.”

Whether it's showing up for worship, to volunteer for Food 4 Kids, to pick up a free lunch, try out the art of hammering, browse the artwork in Galley West or shop for gently loved clothing, the Church of the Holy Spirit is serving the Orleans and Lower Cape communities in many ways. Be sure to check out the church website for all of the events coming up for the remainder of the summer and into the fall!

The Church of the Holy Spirit

204 Monument Rd., Orleans

holyspiritorleans.org

508-255-0433