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DOMESTIC GIVING
2016
Seekers Church continues to support many missions and ministries in the United States and other countries. The amount budgeted for domestic giving this year is about 25% of what we expect to receive in offerings over the course of the year. Once our budget is approved each year and the overall amount available for domestic giving has been determined by the Stewards of Seekers Church, all members of the faith community are invited to request support for missions or ministries where they are personally involved.
For 2016 the community has affirmed support for 30 domestic missions and ministries. For easy access to more information, the name of each organization is linked to its web site.
HOUSING
Interfaith Works / Community Vision
EDUCATION/CULTURE
Common Ground on the Hill – Veterans Initiative
Luce Center for Arts and Religion
CHURCH OF THE SAVIOUR
Christ House & Christ House Art Program
OTHER
Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
ADVOCACY
World Orgnization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE)
Here are the domestic missions and ministries we are supporting this year. to visit their web sites, click on the name of the organization.
HOUSING
Interfaith Works / Community Vision
Walking through the doors of Community Vision is the first step homeless clients take to recover from unstable lives. Located at Progress Place, just off Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, Community Vision provides case management, job training, vocational services, substance abuse programs, recreational and therapeutic groups. The case management team concentrates on full clinical assessments and referrals for housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment. Community Vision is a day program, but provides emergency night shelter during the winter. Other services include meals, laundry, showers and transportation.
L’Arche of Greater Washington
L’Arche Greater Washington, D.C. is: a faith community; a licensed provider of professional services; an advocate with and for people who have intellectual disabilities; and a member of a worldwide federation of autonomous L’Arche communities.
Manna, Inc.
Since 1982, Manna has been serving low and moderate-income families, assisting them to fulfill the dream of homeownership. In that time, they have created and preserved nearly 1,000 units of affordable housing for low and moderate-income DC residents, and their homeowners have accrued over $60 million in equity. The Manna financial literacy and homeowner training program has been replicated more than 200 times across the nation.
N Street Village
N Street Village is a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. With comprehensive services addressing both emergency and long-term needs, N Street Village helps women achieve personal stability and make gains in their housing, income, employment, mental health, physical health, and addiction recovery.
Sarah’s Circle
Sarah’s Circle, a not-for-profit located in the Adams Morgan community of Washington, DC, is an award-winning affordable housing residence and Wellness Center providing comprehensive services for very low-income seniors.
Silver Spring Village
Silver Spring Village, Inc. is a new, nonprofit, tax-exempt [501(c)(3)] organization that offers needed services and programs for older adults who wish to “age in place” — to remain as long as possible in their own homes, amid familiar people and surroundings. Like other senior villages throughout the U.S. and abroad, their network of “neighbors helping neighbors” aims to support individuals and to strengthen the community in which they live. Silver Spring Village opened on September 29, 2013.
EDUCATION/CULTURE
Children of Mine Center
The Children of Mine Youth Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit after school program in Washington, DC’s Anacostia neighborhood that provides a safe, clean, and structured environment for children across the DC metropolitan area. The Center is dedicated to providing opportunities and choices to enhance the lives of children through love, security, education, and effective communication.
Common Ground on the Hill Veterans’ Initiative
In 2012, Common Ground on the Hill launched its Veterans Initiative, providing full scholarships for ten veterans to attend the Traditions Weeks summer workshops at McDaniel College in Maryland. The experience was transformative. Both veterans and civilians thrived in an environment of mutual respect and sharing, engaging in an essential and difficult dialogue. The Common Ground on the Hill Veterans Initiative seeks to provide a safe space for veterans to grow and to share, to process their experiences and teach others, while gaining a new perspective from their peers at the summer workshops.
Common Ground on the Border
Common Ground on the Border is a three-day event, featuring classes in art, music and a variety of lectures. The US-Mexico Borderlands have always been a beautiful mix of culture, language, cuisine, economies and people. It has also been a place of struggle, high and low temperatures, a fragile environment, and the push and pull of immigration. Common Ground on the Border is a unique gathering where the deep artistic and cultural roots of the Borderlands are lifted up and conversation is created that bring us across borders and move us to common ground. Common Ground on the Border is presented in cooperation and partnership with Common Ground on the Hill.
First Book
First Book provides access to new books for children in need. To date, First Book has distributed more than 90 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education by making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis.
For Love of Children (FLOC)
For Love of Children (FLOC) provides educational services beyond the classroom to help students succeed from first grade through college and career. FLOC brings together students, volunteers, families, and community partners in proven programs that teach, empower, and transform.
InterPlay Race Exploration
InterPlay is an active, creative way to unlock the wisdom of the body; an easy, fun, and life changing practice. It is based in a series of incremental “forms” that lead participants to movement and stories, silence and song, ease and amusement. In the process, we discover the wisdom in ourselves and our communities. InterPlay integrates body, mind, heart and spirit. Life has become so fragmented. InterPlay helps to pull everything back together so we get more of what we want.
Luce Center for Arts and Religion
The Henry Luce III Center for Arts and Religion nurtures and guides students, churches, and artists exploring the intersection of the arts and theology. The Dadian Gallery serves as a meeting place for both contemplative reflection and communal celebration, playing host to compelling one-of-a-kind shows and spiritually themed exhibitions. A long standing Artist-in-Residence program offers seminary students hands-on-training in a variety of artistic traditions, while also providing artists with shared studio space and a spiritual home well suited to vital art making. By producing dramatic works, concerts, artist talks, poetry readings, dance workshops, symposia, and other special events, the Center for the Arts and Religion seeks to promote dialogue between artists and theologians, and to foster inspired creativity in all forms of ministry.
Muslim Women’s Coalition
In recent years, the world has awakened to a need to better understand Muslims and their faith. Many are only now realizing the contribution Islamic civilization has made to global society. For example, the principles of democracy, equality, justice, and communal welfare are inherently Islamic values introduced with the advent of the faith. Ultimately, these fundamental Islamic principles are designed to create harmony and balance in society. The Muslim Women’s Coalition (MWC) is dedicated to upholding these and other Islamic principles by uniting American Muslim women who seek to serve the worldwide community with compassion, love and goodwill.
The Greater Washington DC Area office is building positive and consistent relationships within the community, including all races, ethnicities and faith traditions. Their work is based on compassion and respect for all humanity. Their volunteers are committed to educating everyone about the beauty of Islam through the true Islamic principles of Ihsan: the perfection of one’s character.
Street Sense: Staging Hope
“Staging Hope” is a workshop directed by GWU professor Leslie Jacobson, with colleagues Elizabeth Kitsos-Kang and Roy Barber. Scenes, monologues, poetry, and songs are created and performed by members of Street Sense.
The Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) is a non-profit educational center committed to theological, ethical, and ritual development by and for women. Founded in 1983, WATER’s mission is to use feminist religious values to create social change.
WATER staff has been working together with Cuban colleagues for more than twenty years, and have been invited to Cuba this spring. Their colleague, Dr. Clara Luz Ajo Lazaro, Vice Rector at the Seminario Evangelico de Teologia (SET) in Matanzas, Cuba, visited WATER in 2015 for discussion and planning. Now Dr. Lazaro has invited Dr. Mary E. Hunt of WATER to teach at SET in 2016. Click here for information on that earlier visit. Plans include:
• Dr. Hunt will meet with seminary students and professors, LGBTIQ activists and women’s groups.
• She will teach a master’s degree course on “Contemporary Theological Ethics” at SET.
• WATER will send books, worship materials, and resources to the seminary in Cuba so students and professors can access feminist/womanist/mujerista theological ideas.
• WATER will host an hour-long teleconference to share highlights of the meetings in Cuba and how the sharing will continue.
• WATER anticipates a return visit from Dr. Lazaro and eheir Cuban colleagues as Visiting Scholars and/or student interns.
CHURCH OF THE SAVIOUR
Christ House and the Christ House Art Program
The mission of Christ House is to provide comprehensive health care to sick, homeless men and women from the District of Columbia, and to assist them in addressing critical issues to help break the cycle of homelessness. The art program gives Christ House patients another way to express themselves.
Discipleship Year
Discipleship Year is one of The Festival Center’s core programs. It is a year-long residential experience that actively engages volunteers with issues of social justice and servant leadership. During their year, the volunteers will:
• live in intentional community in a Christian setting
• enter into theological study and reflection through classes at the Servant Leadership School
• work in one of the Church of the Saviour ministries or a similar organization.
Joseph’s House
Joseph’s House is a hospice home for homeless men and women who are dying of AIDS and cancer. For 21 years, Joseph’s House has offered a welcoming community and comprehensive nursing services. Our medical staff and trained caregivers work to create a home where the values of unreserved love and unconditional forgiveness are practiced. The house includes nine beds, and welcomes about 40 people each year.
Potter’s House
The Potter’s House coffee house and bookstore is the first of the outreach ministries of the Church of the Saviour. Since 1960 it has served as a birthing place for most of the 501c3 activist and service organizations in the Adams Morgan neighborhood today.
OTHER
Arlington THRIVE
AMEN provides same-day emergency financial assistance to Arlington residents facing a financial crisis.
Charlie’s Place
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday starting at 6:30am Charlie’s Place offers homeless individuals coffee, tea and pastries. After announcement and/or a presentation at 7:30am they serve a hot and nutritious meal. This breakfast program serves approximately 80 individuals every morning it is open. In addition to a nutritious meal, Charlie’s Place provides clothes distribution, barbering services, writing classes, space for personal hygiene and a stable address to receive and send out mail to create an environment that is most helpful for all clients. Twice a week a registered nurse is present to administer toiletries, first aid and attend to minor ailments as well as referrals to the appropriate clinic or hospital for additional attention.
Companioning the Dying
A year-long program offering both formation and ongoing support for those who have been seasoned by losses and others who feel called to deepen their own spiritual grounding as they companion the dying, especially those who would otherwise have no one to accompany them.
Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
In 1999, citizens of the down county area of Montgomery County became concerned about the growing number of neighborhood disputes that didn’t seem to belong in court. There was a lack of an appropriate, countywide venue for dealing with disputes within communities and between neighbors. That concern grew to include most of Montgomery County and resulted in the development of the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County (CRCMC). The official start of the program was July 1, 2001.
ADVOCACY
Center for Medicare Advocacy
The Center for Medicare Advocacy’s diverse staff allows them to offer consultation, training, presentations and materials on a wide array of topics. The CMA-Trained CHOICES Program is one of the most highly ranked programs in the nation for helping older adults with Medicare and health insurance choices.
Compassion Over Killing
Compassion Over Killing (COK) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with an additional office in Los Angeles, CA. Working to end animal abuse since 1995, COK focuses on cruelty to animals in agriculture and promotes vegetarian eating as a way to build a kinder world for all of us, both human and nonhuman.
World Orgnization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE)
The World Organization for Resource Development and Education [WORDE] is a nonprofit, educational organization whose mission is to enhance communication and understanding between communities to mitigate social and political conflict. Utilizing a research-informed foundation for programming, they identify drivers of conflict and opportunities for building strong, resilient communities. WORDE believes that providing networks with the right resources to build community resilience against extremism is a requisite component to any long-term development strategy for building communities.
