Matthew 25 Initiative Grant!
Share in our Joy and Mission St. Lazarus Mission in Dayton, Ohio has been awarded a dollar for dollar matching grant through the ACNA’s Matthew 25 Initiative! For St. Lazarus, a small organization with a big vision, this grant comes at a critical time. As we are part of one another, we were encouraged by Bishop Morse to invite the whole diocese to partner with us to achieve the full amount of this grant. Some have asked us to fill you in a bit more about the grant, about what we are doing, and what we hope to accomplish together. What or Who is St. Lazarus Mission? St. Lazarus is a mission work, set apart by Bishop Daniel Morse, for the purpose of establishing non-traditional parishes in nursing care facilities. Our charter is to seek, gather, and care for Christ’s scattered sheep living in nursing homes. We enable, as much as possible, the full function of the people of God as a local expression of the Body of Christ in these places. My wife, Carol, and I have been working in the nursing home mission field for 25 years. Our vision is to teach other churches nationwide to join us in this work. St. Lazarus is not just a “nice” ministry. We are not occasional visitors of “little old ladies.” We are not merely providing church services. What we are and do is different and much more substantial. Our ministry uniquely adopts everyone in the nursing home — residents and families, staff and management – and we seek to become an integral part of the community we love. As one senior manager at one nursing home we serve said, “You have become part of the facility.” In this way we minister both to and with people, enabling the least of…