Special Features Serving the Community in Trenton As part of an on-going effort to bridge the gap between St. Vladimir Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ and the surrounding community, the parish Church School sponsored and organized a field trip to the nearby Mercerville Nursing Home on Sunday, March 30, 2014 following the Divine Liturgy. Eighteen students (from teenagers to toddlers), teachers, assistants and parents brought gifts, sang songs, told jokes, danced, read poems and played piano for 20 residents. Each year the St. Vladimir Church School program engages in four service projects, one for the parish and one for the outside community both in the fall and spring, as part of its emphasis on stewardship. During the visit, Fr. John Diamantis, parish rector, explained: “Our Orthodox Christian faith is one of experience. We experience God in our services and share that experience in service with one another. It is a blessing for us to share our love and joy of Jesus Christ with you all today.” After tapping and clapping along to the entertainment, one nursing home resident shared,
“This was really special for me, it made my day!” while another said “I’m not able to leave the nursing home, so to have entertainment like this and see all of the adorable smiling faces is really special for me.”
Summer/Fall 2014
To close the program the children sang the Lord’s Prayer, “A New Commandment,” and “God Bless America” before handing out small gifts of homemade snacks and mementos to the residents. Lisabeth Kasmer, age 9, was one of the dancers. She shared her pleasure with being involved. “I liked it, my favorite part was spending time giving out gifts to the people there. I want to do it again next year.” Ms. Dottie Kish, Church School Coordinator, said “I’m really glad we did this and I hope we do it again! The children really enjoyed themselves, and this is a memory they’ll have forever.”
ZOE for Life!
An Orthodox Christian Initiative Founded in 1998, ZOE for Life! is a Christcentered ministry that was created in response to the conviction that every life is sacred. It is focused around three major goals: 1. To help women who need confidential emotional and spiritual support during crisis pregnancies; 2. To assist Orthodox Christians seeking to adopt; 3. To provide an Orthodox Christian education for Pure Living and other resources. ZOE’s Board of Directors is comprised of women from four different Orthodox jurisdictions and has been granted 501 (c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service. Christ has constantly sheltered this ministry, providing ZOE with life-affirming clergymen, lawyers, accountants, IT specialists and start-up
funding. When an identity was required, the Lament of Rachel icon came through the mail. ZOE for Life! has always been Christ’s mission. It is humbling to consider that He accomplishes His will through this work. ZOE will assist any woman in distress due to an unplanned pregnancy, regardless of her background. It created an Adoptive Parents Registry in the event that a woman agrees to carry her child to term, but cannot raise her baby. Only Orthodox Christians may register as prospective adoptive parents. ZOE House was established in 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was created as a model, offering a location for counseling, and physical necessities – everything from maternity clothing to diapers and wipes, cribs, car seats, and clothing for precious Continued on page 29
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