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Fr Steven with the children at the Hogar, 2006. |
Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit has a long history of supporting Orthodox missions, dating back to the late 1990s when one of our parishioners (now an Orthodox nun), began making annual mission trips to volunteer at the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orthodox Orphanage in Guatemala. Eventually, Fr Steven and Presvytera and various parishioners began joining her on these journeys, and to this day we continue to help support the parent monastery, the Orthodox Lavra Mambré, and the new orphanage, the San Miguel House, and enjoy a close and warm relationship with Madré Innes and the Sisterhood and children.
In this section you can learn about the various international missions we contribute towards, and even help towards their support yourself:
Orthodox Lavra Mambré and San Miguel Residence, Guatemala
St Nicholas Uganda Children's Fund, Peter and Sharon Georges
OCMC Albanian Mission, Jeffrey and Caryn Macdonald
Project Mexico (Special 2011 MissionTeam in honor of Abp. Job of beloved memory)
IOCC CELEBRATES 2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Dear Parish Faithful,
One of the most effective charitable institutions in operation today, anywhere in the world, is the IOCC - International Orthodox Christian Charity. As a parish we have made regular generous donations to its ongoing activity. Below is a summary of the past year's many accomplishments. As written below, this is about "spreading Christ's love."
Work You Made Possible
As 2021 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for everything you’ve helped accomplish through IOCC. Below are just a few of the projects that are made possible through your generous support, spreading Christ’s love by caring for people in need around the world:
- IOCC Foundation funding provided a greenhouse, seedlings, fertilizers, and technical assistance and expertise, as well as embroidery and knitting material for occupational therapy, for more than 180 residents of a care home for girls and young women with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- An ongoing partnership with the World Health Organization reached hundreds in Georgia with COVID-19 prevention training, including essential workers and leaders of various faith communities.
- Equipment and training to 8 agricultural associations in Greece helped 164 farming families, while similar support for 20 microbusinesses helped over 85 families improve their incomes and quality of life.
- In Gaza, 270 young adults completed vocational training at three community centers, preparing them for in-demand careers and improving their chances of earning sustainable incomes.
- In Syria, IOCC provided psychosocial support to more than 17,375 people in need and their families to improve emotional well-being, equip them with positive coping strategies to protect and care for themselves and their families, and to enhance their resilience amid crisis.
- In Montenegro, IOCC support is expanding a Church agricultural facility that in turn provides produce and income for an Orthodox Church humanitarian kitchen that serves over 450 cooked meals per day to people in great need.
- More than 23,800 families of children enrolled in public schools throughout Lebanon received family food rations through school-feeding programs amid economic crisis and the pandemic.
- Quilts, school kits, and hygiene kits reached over 9,000 people in Serbia, including migrants and refugees from the Middle East and COVID-19 patients.
- LEARN MORE AT IOCC.ORG
ORTHODOX MISSIONARIES VISIT CTS
On Sunday, September 19, we welcomed Orthodox Christian missionaries Dr. Jeffrey and Caryn Macdonald to Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit. Our parish has been helping support their missionary work for some years now. Dr Jeffrey gave a post-Liturgy talk on the status of their work in Albania, where they and have been living and working as long-term missionaries for eight years.
Watch Jeffrey Macdonald's presentation on our YouTube channel.
Jeffrey and Caryn Macdonald live in the village of Shen Vlash in Albania as long-term missionaries. They are both teaching at the Resurrection Orthodox Theological Academy in Shen Vlash, near Durres. The theological academy was established in 1992 to train Albanian clergy and church workers to help restore Church life after the period of communist persecution.
Dr. Macdonald previously taught for many years at St. Herman’s Seminary in Kodiak helping to prepare Native Alaskans to serve in the Church in Alaska. Dr. Macdonald studied at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, following an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies and Archaeology at Wheaton College, in Illinois. He later completed a doctoral degree in Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C.
For more info, follow these links:
Jeffrey and Caryn Macdonald - Missionaries to Albania - Facebook Page
The Macdonald's Page on the Orthodox Christian Mission Center website
See our special page on the Macdonald's missionary work
UPDATE FROM ST NICHOLAS UGANDA CHILDREN'S FUND
We've received a very positive update and newsletter from Peter and Sharon Georges of the St Nicholas Uganda Children's Fund, in which they share how ten of their top students have excelled in their university prep testing and placement.
Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit has helped support the St Nicholas Uganda Children's Fund over the years as part of our commitment to international Orthodox ministries. You can learn more about their work and how you can contribute directly to their work on our special page.
Read their October 2021 Newsletter here...