Our outreach ministry touches me again and again. Often it is not so much the people to whom we reach out that benefit as much as those doing the outreach. Why is this so? The answer lies in Jesus’ teaching about the final judgment. “Then the king will say to those on his right hand, ‘You have my Father’s blessing; come, enter and possess the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made. For when I was hungry, you gave me food…. Then the righteous will reply ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry…’ The king will answer, ‘I tell you this: anything you did for one of my brothers, here, however humble, you did for me.’” From Jesus’ teaching we learn that helping those in need is a direct encounter with Christ.

At least four examples of service come to mind...

First is the El Nido “the nest” apartment complex that provides shelter for battered women with children. Families stay in El Nido 12-18 months and progress toward self-support. While in residence they receive life skills and counseling, preparing them to re-enter the outside world. At the end of their stay each family takes with them the furniture in their apartment, and as our part of sponsorship we refurbish the apartment for the next family on the waiting list. One of the most rewarding aspects of our sponsorship is giving the Christmas and Halloween parties, seeing the children’s eyes light up with joy.

A second example of serving is through the Teen Shelter. The residents are runaway children and those rescued from the “sex trade” engaging in prostitution. Volunteers cook and deliver meals, provide personal items and make cash donations for the operation of the shelter. There is nothing like staying for dinner and watching the teens devour their food. When mealtime is concluded the teens show their deep gratitude, something that most of us take for granted. Some 80% of the teens return home to their families.

A third example of serving is through the Interfaith Shelter Network. We open the parish house to homeless men, women and children each year. Our guests are screened, drug free and either have a job or are in the process of searching for employment. On the second day of the shelter this year we received a thank you note from our guests with personalized messages. One message reads as follows: “For all the volunteers of this fellowship, I personally would like to thank each and every one of you-who out of the compassion of your hearts, made each and everyone of us feel welcomed and loved. It has restored my faith in people once again and has given me back my spiritual appetite!”

A fourth example of serving is through the Episcopal Community Services Emergency Assistance Food Bank. With thousands of dry goods collected and $11,000 given last year, our community reaches out to those who live below the poverty line. On one delivery to the food bank we were told that ECS was the only food bank that remained open largely because of our continued support month by month.

Besides these local avenues of service, our outreach ministry serves Grace Church, New Orleans, in the rebuilding of their Day Care Center and the people of Africa through the Arid Farming Project bringing cultivation of arid lands and food to starving and undernourished families.

If you are not involved in an outreach ministry, I invite you to be involved in serving others. The benefits are intrinsic; there is an inner satisfaction of knowing that you have helped someone and a joy in serving our Lord. Moreover, it is a reminder that “ ‘anything you did for one of my brothers here, however humble, you did for me.’” In Christ’s love, Fr. Fred