Twenty-nine years ago, my father passed away from a relatively short battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). On the day of his funeral, my mother first voiced a complaint about a persistent backache, which led to a diagnosis of bone cancer two weeks before she died, only two years after my father’s passing.

My mother was a superbly organized woman, efficient manager and proactive genius. She was definitely the “decider” type, so much of the planning she put into her own funeral can be attributed to her personality. She also never shied away from talking about death and other realities of life, so that helped her and us.

A few months after my father’s passing, my mother brought up the topic of “the briefcase” with the three of us - my sisters and me. None of us at the time were interested in dealing with it. I live in New York, while both sisters live in Montreal and spent far more time with my mother than I did. Each time I visited, she would bring up “the briefcase”, and apparently would bring that up regularly with my sisters - we all put it off. Shortly before her death, my youngest sister did go through “the briefcase” with her, but said nothing to the rest of us.

I arrived in Montreal a day before my mother passed away. Her large room held a gathering of family members, and a friend brought rounds of croissant ham and cheese sandwiches. We prayed, held vigil, ate, sang and watched her go quietly and peacefully. When we got back to her apartment, we located “the briefcase” and opened it.

On top of many file folders, all color coded and numbered, was a laminated sheet of instructions with matching color coding.

Day 1

1. If you are reading this, I am dead. Call the bishop and let him know. He should let you know ASAP when he can hold the funeral.
2. Call the funeral home (Folder 1) and let them know. All is paid for, but you might need to finalize the casket choice in case the one I chose is no longer in stock.
3. Call these relatives (short list) and let them know to spread the word.
4. In Folder 2, you will find three envelopes, one for each of you with two-thousand-dollar bond certificates - cash them immediately = you will need them for expenses in the next few days.
5. You’ve had enough for one day, so go to our favorite restaurant (she provided the name) and have a fabulous dinner. If you feel like it, order the appetizers and desserts your father and I loved and enjoy them thoroughly in our memory.

Day 2

1. Call (name of relative) and let him know when the funeral is - by now the bishop should have told you. This relative offered to host the memorial meal and knows the menu - in fact, he is footing the bill, but if he’s forgotten that detail, use the bond money.
2. Go to the funeral home and finalize the casket choice. Also ask for copies of the death certificate - you will need many of those.
3. In Folder 3 are all the bank forms you will need to deal with notifying the bank about my death. I’ve filled out most of it - you just need to fill in dates. Go to the bank and start that process - don’t forget to take a copy of the death certificate.
4. In Folder 4 are all the insurance papers you will need - call the woman listed on the business card. She knows what to do, but might need you to go to her office with a death certificate - you can also drop it off next week.
5. There will probably be a Panikhida today, but it’s not necessary - all depends on the bishop.
6. OK, you’ve definitely had enough for today. Now go to (name of restaurant) and have a fantastic meal! Again, that’s what the bond money is for.

Day 3

1. It’s not likely that the funeral is today, so use the day to finish anything from prior days. There were also several more notes about folders with legal or government papers that usually need to be filed - and the last instruction for that day was the name of yet another restaurant where she wanted us to eat.

Day 4 was dedicated to the funeral and memorial meal. My sisters and I didn’t have to deal with any details related to the meal - she had planned everything with our cousin who put on a feast. It was a truly joyous celebration.

The day after the funeral had one important instruction. She asked us each to buy a bottle of our favorite wine, open all three bottles and each drink half the bottle - none of us were such drinkers, but we did our best. She then asked that we take all of her jewelry and silver, dump it on the coffee table, and begin dividing it up. At that point we were in great spirits and had no trouble sorting it all out amicably. It was the one thing she didn’t want to determine herself, but found a way to help us celebrate around doing something that for many is often fraught with sentimental attachment or doesn’t play to our better selves.

The days went all the way to Day 8, each filled with some tasks - and folders - full of her dry humor and great heart, and each ending with yet another restaurant. We all smile and laugh at the memory of “the briefcase” and the truly wonderful days we spent together with family, friends and especially as sisters. No matter what age you are when your parents die, you feel orphaned. Losing both in the space of two years made it especially so for us, but her planning and her voice in those instructions that were so infused with her spirit, generosity, love and great good humor eased that greatly. Mostly, we were freed from so much of the bureaucratic stress that usually needs immediate attention upon the death of a loved one, and were able to give ourselves completely to those days where time really is suspended as we sing away our loved one.

Matushka Elizabeth has been active at St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church since 1978 where her husband, Fr. Alexis, was rector until his retirement in 2015. Until 2020, she served as one of the parish’s Choir Directors. She was a teacher and Head of High School in a private school for 41 years. A great blessing for her is being niece and Goddaughter of Matushka Julianna Schmemann who was her mother’s sister.

In previous articles, I discussed the Opioid Pandemic and how there are three categories of people affected by this crisis.  There are addicts and recovering addicts who will benefit greatly by the 12 Step Program called Narcotics Anonymous.  The people in the second group are the friends and family of the addicts and recovering addicts.  There is a 12 Step Program that could offer help for them also, called Nar-Anon.  Alternatively, the same people could benefit from support groups and individual therapy and counseling not necessarily in a 12 Step format.

The third group that I will discuss in this article is that of the healthcare professionals who have interaction with addicts and recovering addicts on a daily basis and also with their friends and families.  For healthcare workers there currently are no known support groups or discussion groups specifically for them.  This is definitely an opportunity for the Orthodox communities to offer such programs.

McKesson and Mallinckrodt are two US drug manufacturers dealing with criminal drug rings, and/or making medications more addictive so that sales would rise and stay high.

Healthcare workers belonging to an Orthodox community face many moral and ethical challenges, especially in recent times with this massive opioid crisis which has claimed over 200,000 lives and counting.  A few months ago on an episode of 60 Minutes, a retired DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Agent admitted on national television that McKesson, the largest pharmaceutical distributor in the United States, was heavily involved in the opioid crisis and ultimately “too big to prosecute.”  DEA Investigators said that McKesson was supplying pharmacies and doctors that were fronts for criminal drug rings and pills were ending up on the black market.  McKesson was also raising the threshold allowances for independent pharmacies so that they could in turn dispense more narcotic painkillers.  Also, drug manufacturers like Mallinckrodt were making narcotic medications like oxycodone more addictive so that sales would rise and stay high.

Hearing all of this, how can the Orthodox healthcare workers feel comfortable at their workplace, especially pharmacists who dispense these medications?  It certainly becomes a spiritual dilemma for them, to see hundreds of thousands of people dying and knowing that drug manufacturers and distributors are behind it.  This crisis affects all people despite their socioeconomic, racial or religious background.  It is troubling to see the healthcare industry motivated by financial gain and not the well-being of people.

So what can we do as a community?  More awareness of this crisis and its magnitude is the first step.  The second step would be to offer some sort of discussion or support group at local parishes.  It is important to offer that fellowship so that healthcare workers have the opportunity to share their experiences and reflect on the challenges they face.  These may be very unusual and trying times but by God’s grace any challenge and hardship can be overcome.  The most important thing for Orthodox healthcare workers to remember is that the more they hold to their ethics and morals, the greater the challenges they will face.  Christ clearly warned us of this:  Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak: for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (Mt 10:16-20 NKJV)

These words were directed towards His disciples, as Jesus knew they would face persecution, even death as they went out into the world preaching His Name.  Let this be a motivation not only to healthcare workers but for all of us.  It is both saddening as well as scary to hear about the demise in the healthcare industry.  Perhaps there are other stories similar to the one about McKesson that plague the industry.  However, we must not despair.  Trials and tribulations will certainly come but we as Orthodox Christians must be prepared for them and be determined to overcome them.

Preparing Students in Colleges or in other Programs to become Healthcare Workers

I think it is also important to prepare students who are in colleges or programs preparing to become healthcare workers for the challenges that they will face once they enter the workforce.  At colleges there are opportunities through OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) for discussion and outreach addressing the opioid crisis.  All college students, not just those preparing for a healthcare occupation, should be aware of the opioid crisis.

If we do not prepare our students who choose healthcare as an occupation and we don’t minister to current healthcare workers who are currently facing moral and ethical challenges, there stands the possibility that they could be affected by PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  This is not something to take lightly.  It was only recently that PTSD was taken more seriously in regard to our veterans.  For years, a term called “battle fatigue” was the terminology used for those emotionally affected by combat.  Finally, there is recognition that PTSD could very easily become prevalent among healthcare workers, which is why early intervention can prove to prevent that from happening. 

Although these are extraordinarily challenging times, awareness is on the rise and options are available for healing.  We, the Orthodox faithful, must come together and stand united in this fight against the opioid crisis.  Indeed, the opioids are a formidable enemy, but our faith in Christ is much greater.  As it says in the baptismal hymn: For we in Christ who have been baptized, have put on Christ.  Likewise, let us never forget the words Christ spoke to his disciples before his passion, which applies to us even today: In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NKJV)

John Athanasatos received his Pharmaceutical Degree at Long Island University and his Master of Divinity at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He presently resides in Queens, NYC, NY.

In this article I will address the second category of those affected by the Opioid Pandemic, the family and friends of current and recovering addicts.

Family and friends of current and recovering opioid addicts share similar experiences with families and friends of alcoholics, gamblers, etc.  That is why the support systems are structured very similarly.  For the family and friends of alcoholics, the program is known as Al-Anon and Al-Ateen, for gamblers it is Gam-Anon and Gam-Ateen and for opioid addicts it is Nar Anon. Nar-Anon, like the others is a 12 Step Program founded by Alma B in Studio City, California back in 1968.  Since 2006 Nar-Anon has tremendously grown and is known worldwide.

The 12 Steps of Nar-Anon are nearly identical to those of Al-Anon and Gam-Anon and similar to those of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. The main similarities are the first three steps: 1) admitting that you are powerless over the situation, 2) a higher Power greater than you will restore you, and 3) surrendering your will to that higher Power.  For us as Orthodox Christians, that higher Power is indeed our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and in these steps the transition from pride to humility occurs.  Recently, on the Sunday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross, we heard in the gospel of Mark (8:34): If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.  It is the decision to seek help and join a program that becomes one’s cross.  It will be an arduous journey but will lead not only to relief but salvation.  The greatest expression of humility is Christ on the Cross, which is why He tells us if we want to go after Him, we must do likewise and pick up our own cross.  In the season that we celebrate the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, let us look to the Cross in Its vision and victory for hope and salvation.  As we hear at the Small Entrance in the Divine Liturgy on the Feast: Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His Footstool for it is Holy.  Save us, O Son of God, who was crucified in the flesh.  This is precisely the transformation from pride to humility, from despair to hope and from death to life.

The programs mentioned above have similarities with each other and so do the people they benefit.  Addicts, both current and recovering, have similarities with the friends and family that surround them.  All have had to go through that transition from pride to humility which is seeking help and applying those first three aforementioned steps.  As much as one might think it is hard for an addict to realize he or she has a problem, it is just as hard if not harder for a friend or family member of that same person to do the same.  This is especially true for parents of addicts.  Not my kid or he is fine, he is okay.  These expressions we hear quite often as clichés. Admitting to a problem of your own child can be a lot harder than to admit to one for yourself.  It is not an easy thing and certainly a tragic and painful ordeal to be involved with.  They feel they have failed as a parent and blame themselves for the condition of their child, burdened with an overwhelming measure of guilt.  There are many circumstances on how loved ones of addicts could be affected emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually.

Nar-Anon is available for those who need to access it.  However, it is specific for family and friends of addicts who are powerless over their situation and of which the addiction of their loved one has had a major impact on their lives to the point that it is unbearable.  Opioid addicts need the 12 step program but not all friends and family members of addicts necessarily need Nar-Anon.  However, if someone has a loved one who is an addict, it is strongly recommended that they do not handle the problem alone.  Whether it is talking to a social worker or mental health professional or your spiritual father, it is imperative to seek out help.  Even if the situation seems manageable at first, it could quickly exacerbate into a powerless situation. Whoever you seek to help you may even recommend Nar-Anon.  The benefit of Nar-Anon is that everyone in the group is in the same boat as you.  They struggle just like you do, they have had similar experiences and all want the same thing you do: relief.  It provides fellowship and Nar-Anon can be held at community centers, schools and churches.  The purpose of the 12 step programs is not to become spiritual or religious but that does happen inadvertently.

The Nar-Anon program is an option that our Orthodox Communities can offer.  The goal is for every local parish to have one but we need to start with at least one.  Every Orthodox parish throughout the United States unfortunately will have parishioners affected by this crisis. It is crucial that there is an awareness of this crisis and that we can identify those who are affected at every level.  We as the Orthodox faithful should make every effort to provide the resources for relief.  Nar-Anon is definitely one vital option available to us and should be considered.

John Athanasatos received his Pharmaceutical Degree at Long Island University and his Master of Divinity at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He presently resides in Queens, NYC, NY.

My first article on the opioid pandemic was an introduction describing how the opioid crisis became a pandemic, who is affected by it and what the Orthodox Christian faithful could do to help alleviate this problem.  I mentioned we need to categorize those affected by it into three groups: 1) current and recovering addicts, 2) family and friends of addicts and recovering addicts, and 3) healthcare professionals who engage with the former and the latter.  I would like to take the opportunity in this article to address specifically the first group of people: the addicts and those in recovery.  For those who are addicts but have not sought help yet, they are in a vulnerable state that unfortunately could cost them their lives.  We hope by God’s Grace they will come to realize that they have a problem and will seek help.

Why addicts do not seek help

Because of the difficulty of this addiction they might want help but perhaps out of embarrassment, pride, fear or denial they are not seeking help.  This is an opportunity for friends, family who interact with such individuals to have the courage in a living, caring Christian way to approach that person and offer them a solution.  For the recovering addict, half the battle has been won.  They have at least identified that they have a problem and have sought help.  Yet they are still vulnerable but very much in remission and hopefully with the proper support: 12 Step Program, Narcotics Anonymous.  The first 12 Twelve Step Program, Alcoholics Anonymous, was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio.  Narcotics Anonymous, started years later and was founded by Jimmy Kinnon in 1953 in California.  It is also a 12 Step Program that employs the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, the same as AA and other addiction recovery groups.  Although completion of all 12 Steps and Traditions is the goal, the first three Steps are the most essential, critical and possibly hardest

The 12 Step Program for opioid addicts, Narcotics Anonymous, the first three steps being the hardest

At the First Step, the person acknowledges that they are powerless over their addiction and their lives have become unmanageable.  The Second Step, the addict realizes that a power greater than he or she will restore him or her to sanity.  The Third Step, the addict acknowledges that he/she has made a decision to turn his/her will and life over to the care of God as he/she understands Him.  These steps are powerful and certainly aligned with Orthodox tradition.  The message of the Third Step we hear in the 12 Gospel readings on Holy Thursday evening. “Into Thy hands I commit my Spirit” (Lk 23:46 NKJV).  Jesus, the Son said this to the Father on the Cross just before he died.  We also recite something similar in our evening prayers before bed: Into Your hands I commend my soul and body.  Bless me, have mercy on me, and grant me life eternal, AMEN.  So at the first step, pride is crushed and humility is obtained.  At the second step the addict’s humility allows him/her to acknowledge a higher power.  For us as Orthodox Christians it is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the realization to seek HIM for help because only He can restore him or her.  Now at the Third Step the addict starts to say those immortal words: Into Thy hands I commit my Spirit or Thy will be done which we hear as part of the Lord’s Prayer.  Now the addict is ready to ascend through the rest of the 12 steps.  Thus the goal with all 12 Steps/Traditions Programs is to obtain sobriety.  It is not to become religious or spiritual, however that usually happens inadvertently.  It is usual once the addict acquires and maintains sobriety that he or she also acquires a stronger spirituality. 

Even once an addict achieves sobriety it is crucial that he/she continues to go to meetings in order to keep spiritually strong and keep free of any addictive substance that once nearly claimed his/her life.  So for how long must one go?  When have they fully overcome their addiction?  The answer: Until Christ be formed in you (Galatians 4:19 NKJV).  This is the ultimate goal.

An Example for the addict is the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Perhaps one of the greatest parables from the Bible that an addict has as an example is the Parable of the Prodigal Son which we hear on the second Sunday of the Lenten Triodion.  A man had two sons and the younger one decided one day that he wanted his inheritance in advance. Shortly after his father gave it to him, he journeyed far away and wasted his inheritance on reckless living until all his money was gone.  A famine arose in that land and he became hungry, so hungry that he would even eat the pods that the swine ate but even that was not offered to him.  In those days, in Semitic culture it was taboo for a Jew to go anywhere near swine, never mind feed them or want their food.  Obviously the son was extremely desperate.  At this precise time the son’s pride started to break down and humility began to manifest itself. He started to realize that even his father’s servants had it better than what he had at this moment.  So he decided to return back to his father and ask for his forgiveness and to take him back, even as one of his servants.

While still a distance away, the father saw him, had compassion on him and ran to him, embraced him and kissed him.  Instead of punishing his son for what he did, he ordered his servants to clothe the son with the best robe available and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. The father put together a great feast to honor his son’s return which offended the other son who was obedient and loyal to the father.  The father responded to the other son: Your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.

Likewise, once the addict acknowledges his or her addiction and humbles himself/herself to know that he/she is powerless and turns to Christ for restoration, He is gladly waiting for his/her return.  Indeed, that person who was dead is now alive, was lost and is now found.

John Athanasatos received his Pharmaceutical Degree at Long Island University and his Master of Divinity at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He presently resides in Queens, NYC, NY.

How an Opioid Epidemic has become a Pandemic, its meaning, its growth, who is responsible

The drug problem has been a major concern for decades, from the 1960s with marijuana and heroin, to the 1980s with crack and cocaine and the 1990s with Speed and LSD.  However, for the past decade or so we have seen prescription narcotic painkillers spiral out of control and surpass the stage of an epidemic to become a pandemic.  The opioid crisis has affected individuals nationwide and even worldwide.  So why is it a pandemic and not an epidemic?  An epidemic is an outbreak of a disease that attacks many people at about the same time and may spread through one or several communities.  A pandemic on the other hand is when an epidemic spreads throughout the world.

Recently on a 60 minutes episode, it was claimed that at least 200,000 lives have been lost in the US due to this crisis.  Unfortunately, this number is expected to grow.  In 2018, President Trump declared a state of emergency nationwide for this pandemic.  The problem is believed to have originated with the drug manufacturers who make prescription drug medications more and more addictive which then the drug distributors sell to local independent pharmacies, exceeding their regulatory thresholds.  Doctors are given incentives to write these narcotic prescriptions even if a patient’s medical condition does not warrant them.  These drugs have even reached the black market, working their way to the streets of America where they are sold along with illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine.

Unsuspecting Victims

Many of the victims of this crisis who developed an addiction to prescription narcotics did not have any prior history of any kind of illicit drug use.  Many had an injury or health condition causing tremendous pain that necessitated the need for such medications.  However after only a few weeks on them or even in some cases a few days, many people developed a dependency on these drugs.  Even once their injuries healed or health conditions improved, they maintained a dependency on these medications.  At that point it was the negligence of the physicians, whether intentionally or unintentionally, who continued to prescribe the same drugs without any legitimate medical need.  So, in theory, anyone is a potential victim in the event that some unfortunate injury or disease warrants the need for such medications.

Does this affect the Orthodox Church and its parishioners? How? What can we do?

No one particular demographic of people is immune to this pandemic.  It has affected people of all ethnic/religious and socio-economic backgrounds.  Many of our fellow Orthodox Christians are included in the casualties of this pandemic.  Yet, it is not only those who take these medications and become addicted that are affected, but also our health care workers who interact with those addicted.  Imagine for a moment the ethical challenges our faithful face day after day who have to prescribe, dispense and administer narcotic medications in light of this pandemic.  As a Church, both as a royal and ministerial priesthood in Christ, we have a responsibility to become more aware of this pandemic and do what we can to intervene so that this astronomical number of 200,000 lives does not grow.  It is not just ministering to the addicts of these narcotics, but also providing support for those who are in recovery, for the families and friends who have endured seeing their loved ones suffer and perhaps perish from this pandemic, and for those who are interacting with all of the above on a daily basis in the healthcare field.

Of course as a Church our priority should be concern for our own faithful and their needs, but our mission should not end there.  Christ said to his Apostles, ”You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:14, 16).  We as a Church united in the battle against this horrific adversary, the opioid pandemic, have both a duty and an opportunity to lead not only this nation, but the world in defeating this crisis.  Let not our efforts stop at our Orthodox faithful, but let it include the entire world.

How can we educate parishioners to have a better understanding and awareness of the problem?

To do this, we need to first have a better understanding and awareness of the problem. This requires reaching out to our faithful.  Things like offering discussion groups on this topic and providing literature in bulletins and information on websites and other forms of media can be a start.  The target audience can be separated into three categories: healthcare workers who face this crisis on a daily basis, addicts and recovering addicts, and families and friends of the latter.  This setup is very similar to what is offered for alcoholism.  AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is for alcoholics and recovering alcoholics and Al-Anon is for families and friends of alcoholics.  What would be different is the addition of a third targeted audience, all healthcare workers who interact with addicts or potential addicts.

Although there are programs in place providing services to addicts, recovering addicts and their families and friends, they are more on a secular level. We need to expand on this issue in light of our Orthodox Faith.

John Athanasatos received his Pharmaceutical Degree at Long Island University and his Master of Divinity at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He presently resides in Queens, NYC, NY.

Paul Finley is the Director of St. Herman House of Hospitality - FOCUS Cleveland, a local Center of FOCUS North America. On June 12th, 2018, I had an opportunity to sit down with him to discuss the significance of the acronym FOCUS in St. Herman House’s mission to the poor and homeless of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

What does the acronym FOCUS stand for? And how does it describe the various ministries and services that St. Herman House provides for the community?

“FOCUS is a double acronym: it tells you who we are and what we do.  ‘Who we are’ is the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve, and ‘what we do’ is Food, Occupation, Clothing, Understanding, and Shelter,” Paul explained.

Food

“Food is a gateway ministry for anybody that’s trying to help people in need. If you offer a meal then people will come, and you get a chance to meet them. And food is a very basic way to do that.” St. Herman House serves three meals a day, 365 days a year; last year, residents and volunteers served 81,773 meals and distributed 1,669 grocery bags to 435 families.

Paul added, “We don’t even count a lot of what we do in that regard, such as loaves of bread taken by meal guests from the bread pantry and the number of people who knock on the door outside of meal times asking for a sandwich.”

Occupation

“Not all, but many of the men we serve are looking for gainful employment. We address that in two ways: one, through directing them to case management to see what their capabilities are. It may well be that they have mental health issues, physical health issues, addiction issues, or educational issues that have to be addressed (we have two residents who are working on getting their GED). It may be that they just need assistance writing a resume. Many of them must overcome criminal backgrounds, which makes them almost unemployable in the eyes of many.”

“Secondly, we have our own Jobs Program in place: if a resident has lived here thirty days, can pass a drug test, he may be given an opportunity to become an employee of St. Herman House - FOCUS Cleveland, and we can send him out for janitorial work, landscaping work, working at festivals, all through our network of Orthodox churches, who have been very willing to let men who may have a difficult past have an opportunity to work. This restores in some way the belief that they really can work, that they really can make money, and hopefully will encourage them to seek something more permanent.”

Clothing

“Clothing is part and parcel with those ‘gateway-type ministries’ that a nonprofit organization can do on a large scale, or that any parish can do. Any parish can have a food pantry and a clothing closet, which creates an opportunity to be a witness to the Faith, to meet people, to establish relationships with them.”

Approximately 700 men visit the clothing ministry each year, which though open year-round, is most active during the winter, when it distributes many coats, hats, gloves, scarves, for men, women, and children.”

Understanding

“Understanding is where we pivot to the uniquely Orthodox nature of what we do: we believe that everybody is created in the image of God, that everybody has value. Maya Angelou said, ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”

“We do the best we can for the broken people who come here for help, but we do try to make people feel that they have value, worth, dignity, that they’re important in the eyes of God. And if they remember that they were treated that way by somebody that is an Orthodox Christian, it may be an opportunity for them someday to look more deeply into our faith.”

Shelter

“We shelter twenty-eight homeless men in our Emergency Shelter, which is the main property of St. Herman’s. We also have twelve men in our Transitional House. To live there, residents must have six months of sobriety, have an income, and be working with a case manager to find a
permanent housing solution. So at any given time, we have forty men in residence in both houses combined. ”

“At least half of our programming for the men is to get them involved in helping us deliver the services that we provide: food, clothing, and shelter. Residents serve meals, run our clothing closet, answer the phones, organize our Jobs Program, and even do the laundry.”

“The other half of the program is directing residents to local agencies to get help they need: whether it is something to address their mental health, physical health, skill sets, education, getting a job, or housing. The residents need direction, and they really need a place like St. Herman House where they can be stable enough to get that help.”

“I’ve often said that it’s hard to help a moving target. For us, a moving target is a guy who is on the street, moving around, and his phone is off half the time because either it was lost, or broken, or he can’t pay for minutes. For this person, it can be very hard for him to keep up with case management, go to work, or get in a place where he has some stability, where he’s not moving around. Just having some stability increases the opportunity to move forward and make progress.”

“We’re also developing Spruce Farm, which I would include under the ‘S’ of Shelter, because it will be a residential recovery program, a ‘residential recovery ranch,’ if you will. We’ve developed an apiary that has twenty-one beehives, all maintained by volunteers and residents of the shelter. We’ve just hired an architect who’s helping us come up with a plan to build the infrastructure we’ll need to house the program, and then we’ll engage other agencies to help us run the program.”

“I’m very excited about Spruce Farm, that we’ve stuck with that property, and that we continue to believe in our vision. One day it really will come to fruition.”

A Tripod Provides Stability

“I like to describe St. Herman’s - FOCUS Cleveland as a tripod. A tripod is used to stabilize something; you can stabilize, for example, a camera, on a very uneven, unleveled surface. A tripod will give you a clear picture; it brings an image into focus.”

“So, the three legs of the ministry at St. Herman’s are the Emergency Shelter, the Transitional House, and hopefully one day soon, the recovery ranch. These three things will create multiple opportunities for an individual to bring his life into focus, and to see new possibilities for his life that he’s been unable to see before because the ground he’s been on has been so uncertain.”

The Goal / Telos of Service

“If all we ever give somebody is a clean change of clothing and a meal, then I’m happy-then I feel like we’re fulfilling what Christ asked us to do. But if we can discern what they need in terms of spiritual clothing, and by that I mean the garment of salvation-Baptism, being received into the Church, or get them to see that they need spiritual food and drink-the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ-that would be a truly great thing.”

“When we look at the Scriptures, it’s clear that everything Jesus did materially, as in the story of the paralytic, would be so that they know that He has the power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6), which is the beginning of salvation, it’s the beginning of the restoration to a relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So as a part of that, we have a regular cycle of prayer, teaching, our weekly Bible study, and a limited cycle of Sunday worship with the office of Typica.”

“People voluntarily come here for food, and they voluntarily come here for spiritual food; we don’t make anybody come to the services. But there are always men at the services who are seeking something more.”

The Cost of Service

“Jesus said that one should give expecting nothing in return. And one thing I’ve learned about this passage, and from five and a half years at St. Herman’s, is that nothing means nothing. Don’t expect gratitude, don’t expect appreciation, don’t expect praise, don’t expect that you’re going to spend a whole lot of time and energy on an individual and that it will necessarily be successful. If you expect anything in return, you’ll give up.”

“It’s wearying enough not expecting anything in return, you have to help a lot of people to see a lot of growth in one. You might have to help hundreds to see even one progress to independence, and maybe even more than that to see one convert to Orthodox Christianity. So, the numbers don’t favor high expectations, yet Jesus says to give with no expectations.”

“Helping people is costly: it costs time and money. One of the reasons why we don’t do really well developing a culture of giving and service in our churches is because we’re not willing to pay the price; and if we do pay the price, we’re not willing to pay the price with no expectations. So Jesus asks a lot, but He doesn’t ask anything that He didn’t do Himself!”

About St. Herman House of Hospitality
FOCUS Cleveland

St. Herman House has been in continuous service to Cleveland since 1977. “The good works begun by the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery transitioned into continued good works through the leadership of FOCUS North America, and the support of the local Orthodox community in Northeast Ohio,” Paul remarked.

In 2013, the St. Herman House Board voted to transfer all property ownership of the mission to FOCUS North America, a national Orthodox nonprofit established to serve the poor and the vulnerable in North America. Under the auspices of FOCUS North America, crucial stability was restored to St. Herman House’s long-standing mission. As a local Center of FOCUS North America, St. Herman House benefits from the vision, leadership, accounting and administrative services of FOCUS’ national office.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank named St. Herman House one of its most efficiently-run partner organizations, which is largely due to the nature of St. Herman House being almost entirely volunteer-run. Volunteers from area Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches, as well as synagogues and businesses, cook and serve meals daily. In addition, St. Herman House regularly receives donations of food, clothing, and maintenance work.

St. Herman House could not exist without the support it regularly receives in many ways from local Orthodox Churches, especially. The ministries here are an encouraging example of pan-Orthodox cooperation, in which jurisdictions come together to serve the poor and homeless, according to Our Lord’s commandments.

Fr. Jonathan Lincoln is a graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He worked as Case Management Coordinator at St. Herman’s House of Hospitality – FOCUS Cleveland until he became associate priest at St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Wheaton, IL.

He looked much younger than his true age would suggest.  Unlike the rest of the clients at the local warming center in downtown Flint, Michigan, “Craig” was clean in appearance and sober.  He was one of about two dozen people, many of them drug and alcohol addicts, all of them homeless, who huddled in the center on this cold, gray February afternoon.  Many clients were dozing on a padded bench or murmuring quietly amongst themselves. The security guard at the desk reminded us that this is not one of the best neighborhoods in town.  Flint, like many large, once prosperous cities across the mid-west, has been suffering economically.

“I’ll be 65 years old next month” Craig proudly announced.  “Can you believe it?  I look better than most of these kids sitting around this place.”  The truth is, he was right. “I don’t belong here,” he sighed, thoughtfully.  “I know I don’t belong here.”

This wasn’t our Compassion in Action (CiA) ministry team’s first visit to the warming center. The purpose of our CiA team is to provide a “compassionate presence” to those who may not have someone to listen to them.  The souls at the warming center certainly fit that description.

How Our Compassion in Action Ministry
Got Started

The seed was planted for our compassion presence ministry back in August of 2013. Two members of my parish and I attended the OCA Parish Ministries Conference in Arlington, Virginia.  We came to the conference looking for ideas to expand our ministry outreach into our surrounding communities. 

Our parish, St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church, is a small OCA parish of about thirty families located in Fenton, Michigan, south of Flint.  We are a “commuter” parish: many of our members drive up to an hour each way to come to church.  With a dispersed group like ours, we needed a ministry that did not require the participants to drive all the way to Fenton to participate in activities.  It also needed to be the type of ministry that could fit into everyone’s busy personal schedules and family commitments.  I was looking for a ministry that was unique and could meet a need in our local area that was unaddressed by ministries of other churches and outside social service agencies.  “Compassion in Action: Parish Ministry Training” (CiA) appeared to be a perfect fit for our parish. 

At the conference, I had the privilege of meeting Arlene Kallaur and Nancy VanDyken, who filled me in on the objectives of CiA.  I was especially intrigued by the concept of a ministry that did not ask for parishioners’ money, donated goods or physical labor, but their time and attention given to a hurting person.  We knew of many opportunities to provide food, clothing and financial support for people in need, but there were few, if any, that focused entirely on the person.

It was obvious that this sort of ministry would require deliberate planning and training on the part of the parish, so I took the names and information home with me to discuss the opportunity with our priest, Fr. Paul Jannakos.  His support, as well as the support from the parish council, would be critical for the successful launch of CiA at St. Mary Magdalene.

Before “selling” the CiA ministry to our parish, I had to wrap my mind around the concept and figure out how we could apply the principles of compassionate presence for our particular situation.  As indicated earlier, we are a commuter parish so our implementation would need to accommodate the participants’ schedules.  Also, due to the unique nature of the ministry, it would be critical to have training to learn skills as well as set standards and expectations.  I did not want this to be a “one and done” situation, where the ministry could not be sustained by the parish.

After discussing the overall CiA objectives with Fr. Paul, I took the proposal for the new ministry to the Parish Council and received their support.  My next steps were to get the word out to the parish to introduce the new ministry and set a date for a meeting with people who expressed interest.  I was told by Arlene and Nancy that training would be available to our parish as a part of CiA development.  I wanted anyone who was interested to understand that they would be expected to participate in the local training.

I was pleased with the initial reaction at the organizational meeting.  Ten people attended and two others who couldn’t attend expressed interest.  We discussed the objectives and methods of the ministry and I emphasized the need for training.  This was a sticking point for some potential members: they felt that they already knew how to talk to people, so why did they need to be trained?  Fr. Paul and I had decided that training of each volunteer, as the Compassion in Action ministry development package required, would have to be an integral part of participating in our CiA ministry.  This requirement caused a few people to reconsider. 

Another requirement we decided upon locally was that each parishioner who volunteered would serve at a facility located near their home or place of work.  While we planned to do group ministry work, too, we felt it was vital for each person to find a place where they could use their CiA skills and serve on a regular basis.  This meant each volunteer would need to take the initiative to find a local hospital, nursing home, hospice or other facility where they could perform their compassionate presence (CiA) work.  This requirement is not a part of the CiA ministry structure provided by the OCA; it is the application and “working out” of that structure in our particular parish’s life.

Training

With our resolve and planning in place, I contacted Nancy VanDyken, our OCA mentor, to arrange for training at our church.  As part of the Compassion in Action development structure, the OCA’s Department of Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid, in partnership with the Office of Institutional Chaplaincies, provides a trainer and makes arrangements.  Fr. Timothy Yates came to Fenton to present the training on July 11, 2015.  Five people eagerly attended the 4-hour training course.  The information provided was instrumental in helping us learn the unique skill of compassionate listening – something most of us don’t do very well.  We learned the importance of silence when working with people who are going through a personal crisis; people need an attentive ear to hear their problems, not advice or judgement.  It requires a focused, concerted effort, one that can only be successfully developed through training and experience.  We discovered quickly that there was more to being a compassionate listener than just owning a pair of ears.

To ensure our ongoing training and skills improvement after this training session, Fr. Timothy introduced several tools and how to use them.  These tools help us improve our skills and understanding in our ministry visits with people, and are also used in our volunteers’ ongoing mutual support and encouragement.

The result of using these tools has proven crucially beneficial for our volunteers personally and has improved how we minister.  With these tools, our volunteers have become more comfortable and more confident in their role in the compassionate presence ministry.

Finding Places to Perform
Compassion in Action

After the training, the volunteers all went out to find a place to perform CiA work within their local communities.  This proved to be more challenging than originally expected.  Most of us thought that local hospitals, nursing homes and hospices would welcome volunteers who were willing to spend time with residents and patients in their facilities. We soon learned, though, that getting into the facilities often presented some challenges. Here are some of the requirements we encountered:

1. Institutional specific training:  Nearly all the residential care facilities and hospitals require some level of training or orientation before being permitted to minister in the facility.  Since some of our participants had full time work or family commitments, extensive training requirements proved to be a hindrance at some potential ministry locations.
2. Background checks:  All hospitals and residential care facilities required a state criminal background check.  Some also required finger printing at a local police department.  Many facilities covered the cost of the background check and finger printing, but some did not.
3. Work scheduling: One local hospital required a minimum number of hours per month from their volunteers as well as strict scheduling.  This type of location was unsuitable for volunteers who do not have a lot of flexibility in their schedules.
4. Special certifications: In some situations, the institution or facility required the volunteer to complete specific certification requirements in areas such as first aid, CPR, abuse counseling, etc.
5. Team Member Safety: Safety of the ministry team members must always be a primary consideration.  If the ministry location is in a “bad part of town,” it is important to ensure that the team members do not go alone and consider pairing up with another volunteer.  It is also important to ensure they are not at an unsecured facility.  The local warming centers and soup kitchens where we have served have security guards visibly present at all times. Safety also extends to not meeting alone with an individual. 
6. Follow the rules of the facility: The facility’s rules need to be learned and followed.  The best way to ensure that your team is invited back is to know and follow the rules.

While most of these requirements were not overly onerous, they did add some additional considerations for volunteers.  It is important to understand ahead of time the institution’s requirements before committing to serve at a certain place.

Clergy Support

As we moved from the “forming “to the “norming” stage of our ministry, two things became obvious.  First, clergy support was needed to help guide the group and to provide legitimacy to the ministry, especially when seeking entry into some facilities.  Having a priest or a deacon make the initial contact with some facilities provided the institution’s management a greater level of confidence that the ministry will have oversight.
 
However, it was also important to us to have the ministry lay led.  Rather than the priest giving directions, organizing meetings and scheduling ministry visits, we felt that the lay faithful need to be involved and take ownership of the CiA ministry.  This did not mean that the clergy were completely hands off, but rather that the entire parish had some ownership with the success of the ministry.

Love in Action

Below are reflections of some of the encounters our CiA team volunteers have had with people whom they serve.  It is easy to see how a “compassionate presence” can have a positive effect on both the minister and the ministered.

T.O.: “I have been visiting P for a few months now.  P had a stroke several years ago.  She is able to speak but most times does not.  There is always a sweet smile at the beginning of the visit and sometimes some words.  She and I have made a connection over the joy of being a parent and grandparent.  In the time I spend with her, the world falls away or a least is reduced to her small room, filled with family pictures and small tokens of love.  I have learned to sit in the silence with P when there are no words.  I have found that the silence is not so much silence as a quiet place to think about God’s love for all of us.  I pray for peace for P and in that prayer, find peace for myself.  I look forward to these visits where the daily worries and cares fall away and where I am refreshed as I feel God’s love for P, for myself and for us all.”

H.D.: “After one traumatic event upon another began taking a toll on a CiA care recipient, her world became a sad and gloomy place. It was difficult for her to find even the smallest sparkle of light.  Then one day, after visiting with some time for listening/healing and prayer, the recipient expressed her desire to change her surroundings.  I believe both the recipient and I experienced joy when she was able to put aside some of the grief in her life and come out and “smell the roses” again. She has slowly incorporated being outdoors again, interacting with others, and bringing God back into her life.” 

M.S.: “Since I have had frequent conversations in the past with my neighbor, “R”, there was no surprise that she stopped and talked.  I was a bit surprised that she shared with me the situation with her husband and the difficulty she’s been having with his sister.  R seemed genuinely appreciative that I took the time to let her voice her problems.  I was (with great difficulty!) able to refrain from giving advice or some words of false comfort.  Her parting remarks seemed to indicate that she appreciated someone asking about her and her husband and actually taking the time to listen to her problems.  When she left, she seemed much happier and jogged the rest of the way around the corner with her dog.  I had never seen her do that before.”

The Future of CiA in Our Parish

As St. Mary Magdalene moves into its third year of Compassion in Action, we find ourselves at another crossroad.  As with all parish ministries, we are now at the point that we must consider “refreshing” our focus and methods.  We had a change of lay leadership and are now actively looking for a new leader who will take the reins and lead the ministry into the future.  We had an internal training session in July, 2017 to provide training for new and existing members, as well as for others outside of our parish.  This experience helped to hone our teaching skills and materials for future trainings. The pastor, Fr. Gabriel Bilas, and the Parish Council continue in their support of the CiA ministry.

We always have opportunities to share the love of Christ simply through our willingness to “be there” when someone needs a non-judgmental ear to listen.  Sometimes the greatest thing we can give someone is not a sandwich or a bowl of soup, or money, but just our undivided time.  Like the homeless man in the warming center, many “Craigs” live near us and need to tell their story.  The one thing they have in common is the need for someone to see them as God’s image bearers and acknowledge their humanity; not to try to fix or judge them, but to provide a Christ-like presence in a life so often devoid of love.  Providing that Christ-like presence has been the objective of the St. Mary Magdalene’s CiA ministry.  With CiA we have been able to reach out to those who need someone to be present in their time of loneliness and need, all the while changing our own personal perspectives on those people, God’s people, who are often forgotten in our communities.

“Deacon Mike” Schlaack is a 2010 graduate of the St. Stephen’s Orthodox Theology certificate program and was ordained to the Holy Deaconate June of 2011.  He is currently attached to St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church (OCA), in Fenton, MI, where he has been a member since converting to Orthodoxy in 2006.  Deacon Mike has been married to his lovely wife, Susan, for over 37 years and they have three adult children.  When not serving God’s people at his home parish, he is an Information Technology department supervisor working for a major southeast Michigan energy provider.  He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer management, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Systematic Theology.  In his “spare time,” Deacon Mike enjoys woodworking, motorcycling, fly fishing and most other outdoor activities.

What’s it like to feel or not feel safe? What do you do when you’ve been led to believe that you’re not capable or are worthless? What’s it like to be uncertain about your daily meals, where you’ll wash up, where you’ll sleep at night, and most other things in your life?

These are among the questions raised during the Covenant House Sleep Out held between Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29 at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross, Medford, NJ.  The Sleep Out — the first of its kind in Burlington County (southern New Jersey) — brought together fifteen kids (ages 12-17) from the Holy Cross parish and other faith communities, supported by adult chaperones. They spent the night within cardboard boxes and their sleeping bags on the parish’s parking lot, away from the comfort of their homes, experiencing something of the uncertainty and discomfort of life on the street. While raising funds to benefit the efforts of Covenant House in Camden, NJ, they learned about the plight of homeless young people — not the kids thousands of miles away or on TV — but the kids just a few miles away, who slip by unnoticed. 

Presentations were offered by parishioner and Sleep Out Coordinator, Phyllis Pritchard, pastor, Fr. John Shimchick, Sergeant Robert Zane from the Medford Police Department, Patricia Piserchia, Homeless Liaison for the Lenape School District, Mandi Cruz, Covenant House staff member, and Lakeisha who shared her story and affirmed the help she received from Covenant House.  The children then broke into groups and discussed their impressions of what they had heard.  They organized these impressions into posters and letters that they imagined could be shared with homeless youth. 

Fr. John shared with them the opening moments of the Orthodox Paschal service and how the light from a single candle is taken, shared with the whole community, and then brought out into the darkness of night.  He reminded the group of children and adults that they likewise were preparing to go into the darkness.  Part of the hopes for this evening would be that they would receive the light and would share it with one another.  Being prepared and called to go out and spread the light of Christ with all we meet is the primary experience of Pascha and of the Christian life.  The students all would re-enact this opportunity by going out together to the parish’s Biblical garden where Fr. John once again lit the triple-candle cross from a single light and shared it with the assembled group. 

A Prayer for the Homeless was then read:

Hear our prayer today for all women and men, boys and girls who are homeless today.
For those sleeping under bridges, on park benches, in doorways or bus stations.
For those who can only find shelter for the night, but must wander in the daytime.
For families broken because they could not afford to pay the rent.
For those who have no relatives or friends who can take them in.
For those who have no place to keep possessions that remind them who they are.
For those who are afraid and hopeless.
For those who have been betrayed by our social safety net.
For all these people, we pray that you will provide shelter, security, and hope.
We pray for those of us with warm houses and comfortable beds that we not be lulled into complacency and forgetfulness.  Jesus, help us to see your face in the eyes of every homeless person we meet so that we may be empowered through word and deed, and through the political means we have, to bring justice and peace to those who are homeless.
Amen.

The group gathered back within the church for evening prayer, a congregational reading of Scripture (Psalm 139), and a final prayer and petition which included their own specific intents.

Then they went out to their boxes and many fell asleep, while the chaperones remained awake.  Everything was fine until around 2 AM, when thunder, lightning, and rain disrupted the calm and added a significant level of drama and uncertainty (something which can often happen in life on the street).  Some of the children immediately woke up and understood what was going on, but several were stunned by the suddenness and confusion.  The children and their sleeping bags were brought into the church vestibule where they spent the rest of the evening, their box community collapsing in the chaos.

Around 7 AM, everyone was brought together for a simple breakfast and a sharing of their impressions, summarized in a few words:  discomfort, restless, painful, stay strong, don’t give up, being safe.  A few,  remembering Lakeisha’s comments about how uncomfortable life in shelters can be, noted that coming together into the vestibule was even more difficult than being on the street. 

In the end over $13,000.00 was raised.  The Committee was very proud of the children’s efforts and grateful for the Holy Cross parish support which included St. Helena’s Guild, part of the profits from a recent fundraiser — the Fantasy Auction, a donation from the Medford Police Department, and other sponsors.  The event received strong support from the Lenape School District and the Medford Police force (of special note were the efforts of Sergeant Robert Zane).  Connections were also established with local faith communities that we would like to further develop.

The final Sleep Out goal would be that the personal experience of learning more about the plight of youth their own age — of understanding more about “what it’s like” — will develop a greater sensitivity within the participants and guide their own willingness to be vehicles of light and hope for others.

For more information and photos about this event, please visit: www.holycrossmedford.org

For more information about Covenant House, please visit:  www.covenanthouse.org

To learn more about the Sleep Out:  Student Edition, please visit: www.studentsleepout.org

Fr. John Shimchick is pastor of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Medford, NJ and editor of “Jacob’s Well”, the journal for the OCA Archdiocese of New York-New Jersey.

“We heard Kathy died,” two of the women whispered at our Sunday lunch. 
“Are you sure?” I asked. 
“Oh yeah, she was found dead outside a drug house.” 
Despite the rumors, no one knew for sure what happened.

The next day, we called the morgue and verified that an unidentified white female was there, found at the location the women mentioned. 

“Is she identified?”
“No,” said the attendant. 
“Can we, from the church, identify her?”
“Sure, it doesn’t matter who does the identifying,” the man said. 
So we went to the morgue and identified her, notified the family, prayed at the funeral home, and comforted her family.

Doing acts of mercy for the least of our brothers and sisters is the ministry of Ss Peter & Paul Orthodox Cathedral and Orthodox Detroit Outreach.

It Works for Us Because of Synergy

Since 2011, Ss Peter & Paul Orthodox Cathedral (OCA) and Orthodox Detroit Outreach, a 501-3c all volunteer inter-Orthodox organization, committed to “serving Christ through service to the needy in Detroit,” have partnered to develop an amazing synergy.  The key word here is synergy, defined as the cooperation of two or more organizations, or other agents, to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Neither Ss Peter & Paul Cathedral nor Orthodox Detroit Outreach could have built and sustained a five-and-a-half year history of Orthodox Christian service to the poor on their own.  Orthodox Detroit Outreach’s mission is to provide a venue for Orthodox Christians to serve.  We have been blessed to be able to mobilize the Orthodox faithful, building on a decades-long history of inter-Orthodox cooperation in Detroit.  A small leadership team heads up planning and operations.

Our goal is simply to love God and our neighbor.  We recognize the image of God in every person, and always strive to serve with humility, compassion, patience, and love. We extend the Church beyond the confines of the parish, and bring it to our neighbors in need, coordinating volunteers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and give everything we have for the benefit of those in need.  Our primary activity is a weekly lunch served every Sunday afternoon at the Ss Peter & Paul Community Center.

A Brief History of Orthodox Parishes in Southwest Detroit

Ss Peter & Paul was founded in 1907 in a typical urban immigrant enclave in Detroit.  Most of the Orthodox parishes that were founded during the early part of the 20th century were located in similar neighborhoods throughout the city.  In this corner of Detroit alone, there were six Orthodox churches within walking distance of each other. 

As in most American cities, especially in the rust belt following WWII, urban sprawl and increased prosperity saw the immigrants and their descendants move to the suburbs. Their Orthodox churches followed them.  That is, all but two: Ss Peter & Paul (OCA) is still located in the same spot, and the Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral, founded in 1910 is still located in downtown Detroit.  As Detroit continued to decline in the 50’s to the present, its population went from two million to 600,000, thus devastating the inner-city neighborhoods, and the churches within the city limits as well.

Ss Peter & Paul Church, the Center for Many of Our Activities

Ss Peter & Paul is located in a very diverse and impoverished neighborhood just four miles from downtown, and provides a perfect location to serve “the least of the these,” as drugs, alcoholism, mental illness, prostitution, and crime are prevalent.  The church has a large campus - the church building, a former church school building now housing a Head Start school, and a two-story community center with two banquet rooms and a commercial kitchen.

At this point, sixteen of the thirty-some Orthodox parishes in the metro Detroit area have been involved in serving a hot lunch and ministering to the neighbors surrounding Ss Peter & Paul.  Zoe for Life has also partnered with us in ministering to five families with fifteen children.  (For an article on the Zoe for Life organization, see Parish Ministry Resources, Family Life Section, “Zoe for Life” by Kathy Kovalak.)

This amazing cooperative work could not be accomplished without God’s grace — the synergy of God with His people.  All are called to serve with love.  The generosity of parishes and the faithful has been nothing less than miraculous.  Thousands of meals have been served, hundreds of Orthodox faithful volunteers have been engaged, and hundreds of less fortunate men, women, and children have been loved without reservation.

We begin every meal with prayer, and a priest is always present.  Every Sunday Ss Peter & Paul’s parish priest is in attendance and very often, the priest from the host parish will also attend.  All faithful and clergy have been blessed and humbled by this service to our neighbors. We have brought an Orthodox witness to our neighbors, who express endless gratitude for our service.

We believe it is most important to remember, “It’s not about the food, it’s about the people.”  Relationships have been built over the years with our neighbors. We know their names.  We have grown to know and love them.  We have seen babies born and people pass away.  We have visited people in jail, prayed at their funerals, taken them to rehab, and helped and counseled them in a myriad of ways. In other words, we have made friends. “The poor” are no longer “the other.”  We could not have sustained this Christian work without the support of the Bishops, clergy and people within our sister parishes. We are all one in Christ.

Our Future

Will this activity “revitalize” a declining urban heritage parish that is struggling and below critical mass?  Maybe…  We are “waiting on the Lord” to fashion the parish into a place that is God pleasing.  We are working hard at Ss Peter & Paul with a new vision and paradigm of urban ministry for Christians to serve, providing a venue for people who are called to be missionaries in the city through prayer and service.

Share with our readers about your parish’s outreach activities.
Contact Donna Karabin, Chairman of the OCA Dept. of Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid at: csha@oca.org.

Or Arlene Kallaur, Editor of Parish Ministry Resources at: arlenekallaur@hotmail.com.

Janet Damian is a member of Ss Peter & Paul Cathedral (OCA) in Detroit, serving as choir director and outreach coordinator at the parish and is also a member of the leadership team of Orthodox Detroit Outreach.

It all started innocently enough.  By October 7, 2015, it had been raining steadily for six days in Columbia, SC and I heard on the news the night before that they might have to open the flood gates at Lake Murray which would potentially flood some low lying areas of Columbia along the Saluda River.  When I got up that morning, I thought I’d drive over to some of these areas to see if anyone needed help.  As I left my driveway, I could not make my usual left turn, as a pond dam had been breached and water flowed across the road, blocking my normal exit route.  Somewhat shocked but not particularly alarmed, since earthen pond dams flood occasionally in the south, I turned right.  Suddenly I was confronted with shallow flooded lawns and ditches on each side of the road.  One mile ahead a police car blocked the road.  He was turning all traffic to their homes. I realized I was in the middle of an emergency situation and returned home to put the magnetic IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) Emergency Relief signs on the doors of my truck and don my IOCC vest and cap. Returning to the police blockade, they instantly passed me through.

I should back up and explain the IOCC connection.  Several years before, a group of members of Holy Apostles parish and I spent a week in New Orleans with an IOCC relief team organized and led by Pascalis Papouras who was in charge of the IOCC US Program at that time.  We slept on the floor of a local church that also provided meals for us.  It was a sobering but exhilarating week of fellowship while rebuilding homes and talking with displaced residents.  Sometime later I was contacted by Dan Christopulos, the current Country Representative of IOCC’s US Program, to see if I would be willing to be an IOCC Frontline Responder for South Carolina.  In the ensuing years I attended several training sessions in Chicago, but honestly I considered the coast as a potential hurricane danger due to past destruction, but never thought that Columbia, over one hundred miles away, would be a site of such a catastrophe.  Thus, I had to take off my curious priest hat, and put on my official Frontliner identification.

Damaging Results of the Storm

The problem in Columbia was not just that the Saluda River rose above flood stage and inundated several housing developments along the river, but also a series of pond dams were breached on the east side of town; the Columbia canal downtown was breached and wiped out the drinking water supply for the city; and another large pond west of the city also had burst and flooded all the homes downstream.  It was a perfect storm that left Columbia and surrounding areas cut off from relief, clean water, and other public services.  Within three days the water subsided, leaving many areas of Columbia destroyed.  Residents and volunteers scrambled to clear mud out of homes, trying to save valuables while moving wet furniture out to the curbside. Streets were full of discarded furniture, rotting sheet rock, and people in shock,  while the water continued to wipe out other towns as it moved down to the ocean.

After making contact with Dan Christopulos, he immediately sent an “Alpha Team” of Frontliners: Fr. Angelo Pappas (Myrtle Beach Fire Chaplain), Deacon (now Father) Constantine Shepherd (Winston-Salem retired Police Officer and Police Chaplain), Jacob Lewis Saylor (Charlotte, NC Disaster Preparedness Specialist), and Fr. Vasile Bitere, another Frontliner in Augusta, GA.  We traveled the city, visited shelters, and attended many organizational meetings to see what we could realistically do to help.  Initially it involved Holy Apostles warehousing and distributing clean up buckets and health kits that IOCC shipped to us, while participating in the setup of Multi Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) where several services, including trauma counseling were offered.  Maria Shelley from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia activated their Philoptochos Society (the Greek women’s auxiliary) who began delivering meals to feed the volunteers and coordinated parishioners to form small work teams for muck-out (and later rebuilding) projects.

Within the first few days Dan Christopulos along with Larry Stoner, the Mennonite Disaster Response Coordinator, came to Columbia and participated in many meetings with other organizations, local politicians, police and firemen to make plans for short term response and long term recovery.  Dan and I were interviewed on the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) as we began beating the drum for volunteers to come to Columbia.  As the initial muck-out work, including completely stripping affected homes of furniture and sheetrock due to mold problems, wore on, housing and feeding volunteers began to be a priority.  As God would have it, a ministry of Holy Nativity Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NC led by Fr. Bill Mills, had recently renovated the concrete warehouse next to Holy Apostles, intended to be our new community hall.  It was decided by the Parish Council to put in a shower, that IOCC helped pay for, and offer the renovated hall as a potential housing for volunteers.

Continued Long Term Response from Holy Apostles, Other Christian Ministries, and Volunteers of Many Religious Backgrounds and Ages

After realizing what a complicated job this would be, I met Timothy Shaeffer at one of the Red Cross meetings.  His fulltime job with Brethren Disaster Ministries is organizing emergency response teams for long term rebuilding after disasters. His organization, along with the disaster arms of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, formed an entity called Disaster Recovery Support Initiative (DRSI) to do long term recovery work, starting in Columbia. We were so grateful for his dedication and expertise that we handed over our hall and parking lot for his use for a year.  We worked closely together to house, feed, and coordinate workers from every imaginable religious background and age, including two teams of Orthodox Christians organized through IOCC as they volunteered to spend a week working with DRSI.  They stayed at our Church, helping befriend and rebuild the homes of the flood survivors.  Holy Apostles Church parking lot slowly took on the ambiance of an RV campground.  Visitors, many of whom had never heard of the Orthodox Church before or thought it was a church for immigrants, were fascinated to visit our services, take tours of the Church, and learn about our beautiful heritage. Many have kept in touch to this day.

A Valuable Spiritual Lesson

Our Church learned a valuable spiritual lesson through this.  Initially some were concerned about how we would afford the electricity for heating and AC, or the costs of feeding such large groups over a year.  We had no idea how to assess this, but plunged ahead because we felt it was the right thing to do.  When all was said and done, and the relief teams moved on in November of 2016, we had made new friends, helped some, spread the Gospel, and somehow surpassed our expected income for 2016 by almost twenty thousand dollars.  The Lord tells us that as you give so shall you receive. We can bear witness to that truth.

Qualifications for Becoming an IOCC Frontliner

The IOCC Frontline is part of the IOCC Emergency Response Network and consists of 100 Orthodox clergy and lay people, spread throughout the ten FEMA regions of the United States. Frontline members typically have a Master of Divinity degree (for clergy) and /or a master’s level education in Counseling, Psychology, or Social Work.  In addition to their formal education, they undergo special training in Critical Incident Stress Management in order to work with people who have undergone trauma associated with natural and man-made disasters.  If you would like to be considered to become an IOCC Frontliner, please contact IOCC US Country Representative Daniel Christopulos at dchristopulos@iocc.org.

If you are interested in learning how to become more active in disaster preparedness, response and recovery in your community, reach out to your local American Red Cross affiliate for training and other opportunities.

Archpriest Thomas Moore has been pastor of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church since 1999.  He serves as Dean of the Carolinas in the Diocese of the South and as a member of the Metropolitan Council of the Orthodox Church in America. He was a member of the OCA Department of Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid for many years.  He and his Matushka Kyra have three children.