Young Adults Ministries and OCF REAL BREAK!!!

March 24-31, 2012 MAKING FINAL ARRANGEMENTS!

In partnership with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and Habitat for Humanity, Real Break Houston is an opportunity to offer relief to those affected by recent Natural Disasters. Major Hurricanes and flooding damaged many homes along the Gulf coast and left many without a home. This team will serve the needs of these people by building homes.

You do not need to be skilled – just energetic! We are recruiting volunteers for one week of active service in Houston. Activities vary depending on location and construction schedules, but can include siding, roofing, framing, landscaping, painting and support. Your participation in this program will be a life changing experience. Please consider helping your brothers and sisters in Christ who need your support.

Consider joining our team this lent to share Our love for Christ with others!

For more information, and to sign up, please e-mail me ASAP!

Fr. Nicholas Hadzellis frnicholas@agoc.org

Mission work through the Orthodox Church has always been an effort to bring the Gospel of Christ to all people through meekness, and humility. Therefore everything that we do or wear represents an image of who we are. 

Young Adult Ministries Serves at the Beacon!

When He had washed their feet and put on His outer garments again He went back to the table. 'Do you understand', He said, 'what I have done to you?  You call Me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet.  I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you. 'In all truth I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. 'Now that you know this, blessed are you if you behave accordingly. John 13:12-17  

Young Adult Ministries is signing up with The Beacon, an outreach ministry in downtown Houston. Located in the newly built John S. Dunn Outreach Center, the Beacon serves between 400-500 homeless every Friday though Monday. One of the only service facilities open on the weekends, they offer a hot lunch (with several choices on the serving line!), hot showers (in five nice, private dressing & shower rooms), laundry (with loaner ‘scrubs’ so everything can be washed), and clothing distribution.

One distinctive of the Beacon is that everyone wears a nametag—volunteers, staff and clients. Just this small effort provides significant dignity for the homeless as they are welcomed and served on a first-name basis.

YAM is now accepting volunteers to form teams of 15 people to serve at The Beacon. Please check back with us for upcoming dates for service.

We hope you will join us as we serve Christ's people.

+Fr. Nicholas Hadzellis

To sign up or get more information contact Cyril Mickiewicz

REFLECTIONS OF A VOLUNTEER….

Wow! What first day at the Beacon!  To top everything off, here is a passage from last night's reading:
 
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick.  Go and learn the meaning of the words:  Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice.  And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners. Matthew 9:12-13
 
Sometimes it is almost uncanny how the readings seem to speak directly to our situation.  Working yesterday, was much more rewarding than I imagined it would be.  And I'm not going to lie, it was a lot more unpleasant too.  I've done a pretty good job talking the talk over the last few years, but have done everything possible to avoid walking the walk.  While I've always believed in the idea of almsgiving, I was a lot more comforable if it was a matter of cutting a check to go overseas.  I guess it doesn't help that I'm a germ-phobe too.  So, logging clients into the center was the best job to take the plunge.  Not only did I get an opportunity to confront all of my worries/phobias face to face (literally), but I got to actually meet them.  When I showed up in the morning, I saw a mass of down-and-out people.  By the end of the shift, I saw a group of individuals with their own stories/concerns/requests/issues.  Some looked like they were really at rock bottom and hopeless, some seemed like scammers, a few looked like they might transition off the streets at some point, and a few were just plain grateful.
 
I'm grateful for YAM.  I realize that I never said that before.  Thanks for inviting me to participate.  Houston (Orthodox and non-) needs this badly.  

 
Beacon Volunteer ~Cyril

REFLECTIONS OF A VOLUNTEER ...

When The Beacon first opened a little over a year ago, I was struck by the intense anxiety of the clients. Many seemed terrified that they would not get a meal. The world of scarcity that had prevailed in their lives spilled over. There was an underlying panic… If you think about it, The Beacon is the physical manifestation of God Who is Love. The Beacon was created from Love, it is sustained by Love and its gifts are given with Love. I have watched as Love has slowly eroded the fear in the clients of The Beacon. It is now the exception rather than the rule that our clients feel scared. Now as they approach us in the food line, they bless us with their smiles, laughter and camaraderie; they verbalize their appreciation and they give us what I value most: their trust  All of us who serve know…

...how much more those we serve give us than we them.

...how richer and more meaningful are our lives because of our Beacon guests.

...how much wisdom comes from them to bless us.

It is so clear that they are serving us, and we are grateful.

Sincerely,

Lucie — Beacon Volunteer