Domestic Giving
The recipient organizations of our domestic giving vary somewhat from year to year. The general rule is that one or more Seekers are personally involved in these organizations in some way. Recipients are chosen by consensus among the congregation at the start of every year.
.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-15910 {margin-left: -2em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-15910 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin: 0 0 2em 2em; } Seekers Church supports many missions and ministries in the United States and other countries. The amount budgeted for domestic giving, is usually about 20% 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 2013 the community has affirmed support for 29 domestic missions and ministries. For easy access to more information, the name ofeach organization is linked to its web site. HOUSING Interfaith Works / Community Vision EDUCATION/CULTURE Guatemala Pilgrimage Scholarships Luce Center for Arts and Religion Veteran’s Initiative at Common Ground CHURCH OF THE SAVIOUR OTHER AMEN (Arlingtonians Ministering to Emergency Needs) ADVOCACY International Foundation for Gender Education Learning Disabilities Association of Montgomery County National Alliance on Mental Illness Muslim Women’s Ramadan Basket Project Here are the domestic missions and ministries we are supporting this year. to visit their web sites, click on the name of the organization. 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. 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. 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. The mission of Manna, Inc. is to help low and moderate income persons acquire quality housing, build assets for families through homeownership, revitalize distressed neighborhoods, and preserve racial and ethnic diversity. 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. The annual work pilgrimage to Guatemala is a ministry of Seekers Church. Each year we facilitate the opportunity for two dozen people to work with a Mayan community-building organization and the residents of a highland village, helping them build a school, running water system or library. Scholarships help cover the costs of the program so more people can participate. The “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Charlottesville is a non-profit educational outreach program empowers youth to stay in school and pursue higher education. Our program is part of a national network of “I Have a Dream” programs, each of which has adopted an entire grade at an elementary school, or several grades from public housing developments. Each program provides its children (“Dreamers”) with academic support, cultural and recreational activities, and individual attention for 12 to 16 years. Once Dreamers graduate from high school, the program provides tuition assistance to assure that they will have the opportunity to attend a college, university, or accredited vocational school. There have been over 180 “I Have a Dream” programs in 64 cities and 27 states, serving well over 13,500 Dreamers. 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 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. 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. The Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) began in 1983 in response to the need for theological, ethical, and liturgical development for and by women. A feminist educational center and network of justice-seekers, WATER brings twenty-eight years of experience to programs and publications, liturgical planning and consultation, workshops and retreats, counseling and spiritual direction which have helped thousands of people create and sustain inclusive communities in society and religion. WATER offers fresh insights and abundant opportunities for all who thirst to engage in theological, ethical, and liturgical work developed by women. The Children of Mine Youth Center, Inc. is a volunteer-based after school program dedicated to providing a clean safe haven and loving environment for all youth across the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The Center provides the children with clothes, food, tutoring, counseling, workshops, as well as make frequent trips to a local church farm and field trips to Washington, DC’s cultural attractions. The current enrollment of children is in excess of 100. The ages range from 4 yrs. to 18 yrs. with grade levels reflecting the variance of ages from kindergartners to twelfth graders and college. The Center is dedicated and committed to enhancing the lives of the children through love, security, education, and effective communication. Our Place helps women build a foundation on which to sustain themselves and their children by providing a safe space to visit upon their release from custody – one that is non-judgmental, void of red tape and that addresses their urgent needs. We encourage education, patience, self-reliance, accountability, responsibility and initiative. 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. 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. One of The Festival Center’s core programs, Discipleship Year is a year-long residential experience that actively engages volunteers with issues of social justice and servant leadership. 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. Rooted in the inward/outward tradition of The Church of the Saviour, the Servant Leadership School offers a unique approach to theological education that emphasizes an integrated process of personal and social transformation. Spiritual practices are paired with serious study; intentional relationships across cultural divides come alongside immersion in movements for justice. The mission of Becoming Church is to seed and cultivate churches defined by life-changing discipleship, an intimate and diverse fellowship, and a dedicated social justice mission. AMEN provides same-day emergency financial assistance to Arlington residents facing a financial crisis. This is a direct service ministry whose goal is to promote food security for members of the St. Camillus family and local residents in Silver Spring, MD. Food security is access to safe, adequate, sufficient, easy-to-use, and culturally appropriate food at all times of the year. The largest activity of this ministry is the operation of two Food Pantries, one in the rectory basement and one in Langley Park, which provide emergency food assistance to families in need. 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. 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. Compassion Over Killing is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with an additional office in Los Angeles. 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 The Washington Humane Society (WHS), the only Congressionally-chartered animal welfare agency in the United States, has been the area’s leading voice for animals since 1870. As the only open-access shelter in the Nation’s Capital, the Washington Humane Society provides comfort and care to nearly 30,000 animals each year through its broad range of programs and services. 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. The International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE), founded in 1987, is a leading advocate and educational organization for promoting the self-definition and free expression of individual gender identity. IFGE is not a support group, it is an information provider and clearinghouse for referrals about all things which are transgressive of established social gender norms. LDAMC is dedicated to creating greater awareness of learning disabilities and ADHD among parents, professionals and the general public. Jobs Not Jails is a project of the Washington Peace Center, advocating against mass incarceration to end the drug war now, release all non-violent drug offenders, end exploitation of prisoners’ families, and end inhumane conditions in prisons.Domestic Giving 2013
DOMESTIC GIVING
2013
HOUSING
N Street Village
Interfaith Works / Community Vision
Sarah’s Circle
Manna, Inc.
L’Arche of Greater Washington
EDUCATION/CULTURE
Guatemala Pilgrimage Scholarships
I Have a Dream Foundation
For Love of Children (FLOC)
First Book
Luce Center for Arts and Religion
Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Religion (WATER)
Children of Mine
Our Place DC
CHURCH OF THE SAVIOUR
Joseph’s House
Potter’s House
Discipleship Year
Christ House Art Program
Servant Leadership School
Becoming Church
OTHER
AMEN (Arlingtonians Ministering to Emergency Needs)
St. Camillus Food Pantry
Charlie’s Place
Companioning the Dying
Compassion Over Killing
Washington Humane Society
ADVOCACY
Center for Medicare Advocacy
International Foundation for Gender Education
Learning Disabilities Association of Montgomery County
Jobs Not Jails