Dear People of St. David’s,
I want to start by saying thank you. I want to thank you for your participation in our St. David’s Outreach Week of Service. It was an action-packed week filled with eleven different service opportunities scattered across seven days with eight different outreach partners. There were over seventy volunteers who prepared food, gave out clothing, organized items for food pantries, and practiced their sewing skills! It allowed space for new volunteers to get involved with existing partnerships that go back twenty years. St. David’s has been serving God’s people for a long time. St. David’s Week of Service was intended to highlight service that we already do every week.
Part of our identity as a parish is our outreach and how we show the love of God to God’s people. We reach out beyond our walls to communities in Norristown, Chester, Philadelphia, Ardmore, Guatemala, Cuba, and Uganda. We are a place that takes our baptismal covenant seriously. During our liturgy for baptism, the celebrant asks the congregation, “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” Then the people respond, “I will, with God’s help” (Book of Common Prayer). That’s what we are doing when we enter relationships with our partners and serve in these communities, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
I loved serving with all of you! It has been one of my favorite weeks since I’ve been at St. David’s. We were and continue to be, God’s hands and feet in the world. I loved taking pictures and sharing them on social media, it made me proud to be a part of this community. Sharing the love of God with others is at the core of what we do.
So, once again, thank you. Thank you for your commitment to loving your neighbor. Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for the continued support of our outreach partners. Thank you to all the new volunteers who said, “yes.” Please let me know if you are interested in getting involved with any of our outreach ministries. You can learn more about them by clicking here.
See you all in church!
Blessings,
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Jr.
Associate Rector