Charity
The most concise definition of the nature of God in the Bible is I John 4:8: "God is love." The larger context of this famous statement is significant: "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love."
At Saint Elizabeth Church we realize that in order to know God truly and not just in words we must love our neighbor, and to do so in a particular way. "A new commandment I give unto you," Christ said, "that ye love one another; as I have loved you. . . . By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34-35). The particular way in which we are commanded to love others is as Christ loves us.
The Greek word for this particular kind of love is agape, rendered in Latin as caritas, from which we get the English charity. Charity is not just about giving money to others, abstractly and at a distance. It is about experiencing true human personhood. It is about entering into a personal relationship with others that involves our relationship with God, who as Holy Trinity is united in the personal love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To love others this way is to become united to God, and to participate in his very life.
Our parish community takes very seriously the commandment to love others unconditionally and sacrificially as God loves us. Our ministries include various expressions of this divine love ranging from the spontaneous (such as helping the needy and visiting the sick of our own parish) to organized projects such as visiting retirement homes at Christmas to sing carols. Every year members of our parish travel at their own expense to Mexico to help build homes for the needy there.
See below for the current list of recipients of our monthly "Charity Sunday" collections, as well as information about Project Mexico and missionaries that we help to fund through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.
Charities We Are Supporting in 2023
Click the links to learn more and consider giving!
Established in 2017, Kitsap Homes of Compassion was created to help end the problem of homelessness in Kitsap County by using existing homes to provide safe and affordable permanent supportive housing.
The St. Nicholas Uganda Children’s Fund provides for the education, health, and welfare of Ugandan children, teens, and young adults, supporting over 240 orphans and vulnerable children in primary and secondary school, vocational and professional training, and university.
Donations to the Alaska Clergy Stipend Endowment are seriously needed to remedy impoverished living conditions of clergy in the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska—the root of Orthodoxy in America. You can learn more about this much-needed endowment on the website for the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska (at the link below), and watch a presentation about it on the OCA website (here).
The Suquamish Community Kitchen provides free dinners on many Wednesdays to people facing food insecurity. Whether families, seniors, or struggling singles, the dinners are open to anyone. Currently, St. Elizabeth Parish provides one of these weekly meals every other month. The Suquamish Community Kitchen is located at the Suquamish United Church of Christ at 18732 Division Ave. NE, Suquamish, WA 98392.
You can find our parish’s next date at the Suquamish Community Kitchen on our Upcoming Dates & Events page. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. Any leftovers are boxed “to go” and left in the outdoor refrigerator for pick-up.
Through its many ministries, Orthodox Christian Mission Center has shared the love of Christ offering a living witness of the Orthodox Christian Faith in more than 30 countries around the world. Each of these ministries works to build up the Church and help transform the lives of people who hunger and thirst for salvation through a vibrant Eucharistic life in Christ. Among the many missionary programs of the OCMC, you can read about Jesse and Juanita’s missionary work in Central America here.
Affiliated with the Saint Innocent Orphanage, Project Mexico has an onsite director, priest, and staff that help children and needy families near the coastal town of Rosarito.