Our Outreach Ministries at St. John

By Father Aidan

Here at St John, there are two passages of Holy Scripture that we take especially seriously. One of these passages is found in the twenty-fifth chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel:

Then the King will say to those on His right hand: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you for from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.

The other passage can be found in the very last chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

In these two passages of Holy Scripture, Christ Jesus summarizes what our relationship with the world should be like: we are to help the needy and the suffering, and we are to bring all people into the Church. Our community is working hard to realize those goals, here in Central Texas and all around the world.

For example, St John is an active participant in Hill Country Community Ministries. Hill Country has been around for over thirty years, and they do a great job of supporting individuals and families in crisis. Our parish not only supports Hill Country financially, we also collect canned fruit and diapers for the organization each and every week. We also have several members that volunteer with the organization, and, each year, we help with the drive to collect school supplies.

During Great Lent, St John participates in the Food for Hungry People program sponsored by our Archdiocese. Collection boxes are distributed to families at the beginning of the season, and the boxes are brought back to the parish during Holy Week. During Nativity Lent, our parish sponsors the St Nicholas Toy Drive. Children are encouraged to bring a new toy to the festal liturgy on St Nicholas’ Day, and then the toys are delivered to the local fire department for distribution.

Through Saint Herman of Alaska Seminary we support a seminary student and his family: Ishmael Andrew, and his wife Anastasia, along with their two children Elijah and Zenaida.  Some excerpts from a recent letter from Ishmael: "Attending seminary has been an eye-opening experience.  I was raised Orthodox  yet I lived in a Protestant-dominant village (Kwigillingok) and Orthodox services were rare growing up.  Even though I was not attending many services, I always had an interest in learning more about my Faith, which prior to coming here was very limited...  Since High School, I have always had the dream of becoming a priest for the Orthodox Faith...  On behalf of my family, your support of my studies and livelihood are much appreciated."

Several members of our community have also been on mission trips. Members of our parish have helped out at Project Mexico and at the Hogar Raphael Orphanage in Guatemala. One of the young women in our parish has also traveled to Alaska and Tanzania, and she is working towards becoming a full-time missionary. One of our goals is to be able to send each of our high school seniors on a mission trip the summer after they graduate.

Besides helping people close to home and around the world, we also work to bring people into the church. Each year, we make it a point to take part in a number of community events in Central Texas: the Cedar Park Expo, the Taste of the Hill Country, Round Rock Family Christmas, and the Austin Celtic Festival are just a few of the activities in which we participate. We have book tables and tea booths; we hand out refreshments and icon cards; we have choir concerts and lectures; we share in the lives of the people of Central Texas so that we can also share the Faith with them.

If you have reached this page through a search engine, click here for the St. John home page.