Almsgiving

There is a temptation to make Christianity a Sunday religion. What I mean by this is that we believe all that is necessary to be a Christian is only what we do on a Sunday morning. The rest of our days, we continue as though we haven’t just encountered the Divine. Yet, the demands of the Christian life are much greater. Not because the faith is tyrannical but because it is about creating us into human beings. Christ didn’t come to make us moral; he took on flesh to make us fully human. And it is within his life that we see what it means to be human: to feed the poor, to stand against evil, to love God and have deep worshipful intimacy with him, to be virtuous, to shun sin and evil in our own lives, etc. Simply put, to love God and love others. This is obviously not something that can be constrained to one day; it must be day in and day out for the rest of our lives and beyond.

The Christian life does not begin and end on a Sunday morning. Holy Communion and the sacraments are the root and nourishment of the Christian life, but they send us out. We must, however, each day choose to “tend to the grace.” Take notice of God’s work in our lives, and we seek to care for and nurture God’s unmerited favor and presence in our lives. The grace given to us in the Sacrament and in other common and natural graces throughout our days calls for us to engage them. One of the ways we tend the grace in our lives throughout the week is commended to us in Scripture: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Perhaps you didn’t know that part of your tithe is almsgiving that goes to help those who need it. At All Saints, we have a Missions and Outreach committee that makes sure the money you put in the alms basin goes to those who need it. Your tithe that you give to the church is divided in several ways; part of the amount goes to missions and outreach. The rector has a small discretionary fund to assist individuals in need. The church will also partner to assist in times of disaster or for those who need emergency help. However, there is a set group of organizations and ministries that we partner with both financially and some that we seek to participate with:

FAPAUS- Friends of the Anglican Province of Alexandrian US    

FAPAUS works with the entire Province of Alexandria, which now encompasses dioceses in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Tunisia, Djibouti, Chad, and Mauritania. The organization’s mission is to provide prayer, financial support, and volunteer assistance to local dioceses, facilitate awareness of the Province’s ministries, and foster partnerships to enhance outreach.                                        

UNC/ NC State Study Center      

“To cultivate Christian life and thought at UNC and NC State by offering the university community the welcome and wisdom of Christ. And by offering a Christian education for students and faculty at UNC and NC State through theological education, hospitality, and spiritual formation in unity with the extended Christian community.”

REC Board of Foreign Missions

“The Board of Foreign Missions emphasizes the importance of mission work as a core activity of the Church. The Board is involved in various mission endeavors across Africa, Germany, Cuba, Croatia, Serbia, and Southeast Asia. It aims to equip local communities to spread the Christian message within their cultures.”

Cradle of Prayer

“The Cradle of Prayer offers recordings for morning and evening prayers and free daily downloads, read directly from the pages of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. May these readings and songs refresh your mind, heart, and soul as we walk in the path of our Lord together.” This not only helps to promote the use of the 1928 BCP for Daily Offices, but it serves as a way to minister to those who are homebound through the daily offices.

Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen            

“To provide a mutual ministry between the people of the Raleigh area – those who have and those who have not – by providing food obtained by donation and served by volunteers. In this manner, the true spirit of communion, that of sharing God’s gifts with God’s people, can be carried out in a caring atmosphere.”                                  

Hand of Hope        

“As the Body of Christ in this community, we want to give the preborn a chance to live; we want to offer women life-affirming choices for their babies and post-abortive women and men a chance for healing and restoration. We accomplish this through our many client services. But we will not stop there! We also want to reach teens with abstinence education and are happy to visit a school, church, or other organization and speak.”

While some partnerships are primarily financial (FAPAUS, Cradle of Prayer), there are some we are active in and seek ways to further partner with (Shepherd’s Table, Hand of Hope, Study Centers). I encourage you to get involved in these local missions and keep an eye out for parish involvement and outreach.

Tend the grace,

Fr. Aaron