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. The primary way in which we do that is through the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is our main Sunday morning worship service. During that service we pray, over and over again, for the entire world and for all the people in the world, and we believe that those prayers are the most effective and the most powerful thing that we can do to help those who are hurting and those who are not yet part of the Church. But, of course, we also have a sacred responsibility to help people in ways that are more concrete and tangible, and our parish takes that responsibility to heart.

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. Each and every week, our parish collects canned fruit for this organization. During Great Lent, St John participates in the Agape Canister Program sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. 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 December 6th, St Nicholas’ Day, and then the toys are delivered to the local fire department for distribution. Several times a year, our youth also put together Blessing Bags for the homeless. These bags are large zip-loc baggies that contain granola bars, socks, a small bottle of water, and a prayer card. The members of our community give these bags to the homeless people who stand at intersections and ask for hand-outs. Our parish also maintains an active charitable ministry within our own community; we assist members with unexpected bills and provide support during times of illness or unemployment.

For the past several years, we have also provided monthly support for a Native Alaskan priest and his family: Father Ishmael Andrew and Matushka Anastasia, along with their three children, Elijah, Zenaida, and Aidan. Here are some excerpts from a letter from Father Ishmael as he was finishing up his final year in seminary: "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. 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." Fr Ishmael graduated from St. Herman's of Alaska Seminary in 2010.

One of the members of our community is currently serving as a full-time missionary with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Katie Wilcoxson is an RN, and she will be serving in a hospital in Bukoba, Tanzania, through 2012. You can read more about Katie’s work and contribute to her support by going to her Missionary Profile page at OCMC.

Another family in our parish is currently preparing to become full-time missionaries with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Dr. Jeffrey Macdonald will be teaching in a seminary in Albania. He and his wife, Caryn, and their five children, Alex, Anna, Elizabeth, Andrew, and Katherine will be leaving after they have completed their training and have raised all the necessary funds. You can read more about the work the Macdonald’s will be doing and contribute to their support by viewing their information at the OCMC website (it has not yet been posted).

Besides helping people close to home and around the world, we also work to bring people into the church. We have classes and study groups on a regular basis (perhaps a link here to the education page), and everyone is welcome to attend). But twice each year, we also host an event called The Introduction to the Church Seminar. This seminar is free, and it consists of four sessions which, all together, last about eight hours. The first session is on Church History; the second session focuses on Holy Tradition; the third session deals with Worship; the fourth session takes a look at the Theology of Salvation. The seminar is held once in the spring and once in the fall; it always begins on a Friday evening, and it ends early Saturday afternoon. Snacks are provided on Friday night, and lunch is provided on Saturday. Check our website calendar to find the specific dates for this year’s seminars. Finally, if you would like to know more about the process by which folks are received into the Church through our parish, you can read our Putting On Christ brochure.

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