Community Outreach

Helping Hands is one of the most direct expressions of St. Michael’s care for the community. Through this ministry, meals are provided each day for those who are hungry, along with practical kindness, fellowship, and the assurance that they have not been forgotten.

Over time, Helping Hands has become a ministry not only of food but of compassion. It continues to serve some of the most vulnerable members of the neighbourhood with consistency and tenderness, relying on the generosity of donors and the time of committed volunteers.

Those who wish to support this work may choose to donate a lunch in memory of a loved one, helping to sustain the ministry while honouring someone dear. If you would like to find out more about doing this, or to support Helping Hands in another way, please get in touch with the Parish Office.

Members of the congregation and friends are warmly invited to sponsor a meal in memory of a loved one, or to mark a personal or family milestone with an act of generosity. Our menus are varied and can be arranged at different price points to suit a range of giving. At present, Helping Hands provides meals to around 40 less fortunate individuals each weekday between noon and 1.00 pm.

The Christian Care for Kollupitiya Medical Clinic began in 1990 as a joint outreach programme of the Boards of Social Responsibility of St. Michael and All Angels, Polwatte, and the Kollupitiya Methodist Church. Its purpose was, and remains, to provide essential medical care for the poor and needy in and around the neighbourhoods of both churches.

The clinic owes much to the pioneering efforts of Rev. Norman Taggart, Rev. Duleep de Chickera, and the long-serving parishioners Kamala Jebamony, Israel Paulraj, and Iromi Salgado. It has grown through the dedication of volunteer doctors, pharmacists, coordinators, and church members who have given their time faithfully over many years.

Today the clinic continues to serve around 75 registered patients, with volunteer doctors and staff helping to provide ongoing care despite rising medical costs and other challenges. What began as a joint act of Christian responsibility remains a living testimony to the power of partnership, compassion, and practical service.

For those who are unable to come to church because of illness, age, or frailty, St. Michael’s is glad to bring Holy Communion to them where they are. Sick Communion is a quiet but deeply meaningful ministry, reminding those who are unwell or housebound that they remain held in the prayers and fellowship of the Church.

If you know of anyone who is in need of Sick Communion, please get in touch with the Parish Office and we will do our best to arrange a visit with care and sensitivity.

The clergy of St. Michael’s are always available to offer pastoral care through home visits, prayer, counsel, and companionship in times of illness, grief, anxiety, or need. We believe that no one should feel alone in their suffering, and that the Church’s ministry includes simply being present with compassion and hope.

Our clergy are available to visit the housebound, offer prayer and counsel, and respond with care at times of frailty, sorrow, or uncertainty. When needed, they are also available to pray with the sick and to offer the final rites of the Church.

If you know of someone who would benefit from a home visit, pastoral support, or prayer, please let us know and we will do our best to respond with care.