Ways to Serve & Give
With the Covid-19 disease dominating all our hearts and headlines, many in our community find themselves asking how they can love, help, serve, and give. To guide our community’s response of Christlike servant-heartedness and cruciform love, we are compiling resources below. This page will continue to evolve as this situation does the same.
When Loving Your Neighbor Means Keeping Your Distance
We anchor our approach with words from one of our diocese’s canon theologians, Esau McCaulley. In this New York Times piece, McCaulley argues that the Christian response to coronavirus, by and large, means staying home. Some of us will, by vocation, circumstance or calling, be on the frontlines of caring for the vulnerable in this moment. For most of us, however, our contribution will be best made by supporting, resourcing, and refreshing those who are on the frontlines. Here are a few ways to go about that.
Support a group on the frontlines
In North Fulton
- North Fulton County Charities is responding by providing food (by appointment) for those in need.
In Forsyth
- The Place Forsyth is collecting kid-friendly food (no peanut butter or mac & cheese) as part of their efforts to care for those in Cumming and beyond.
In Atlanta
- Our friends at Peace Prep Academy are accepting donations for food that will be distributed to surrounding neighborhoods. Peace Prep is a school for under-resourced children in English Avenue/Vine City. These students face the same challenges as many under-resourced APS students – but they fall outside the meal program and are not receiving tablets or computers to shift to online learning. We can help by providing & delivering meals and purchasing Chromebooks for the school to distribute to the students. (updated 3/29/20).
- Giving Grace, by Remerge, is highlighting needs of individuals on their Facebook page.
Around the World
In this time of truly global need, we encourage you to continue supporting global relief and missions around the world.
- Canopy Life is an organization closely tied to our community educating future leaders in Kenya.
- TMS Global is working to distribute food in their communities to people who have none.
- Preemptive Love is providing life-saving food and aid to refugees in Iraq and elsewhere.
The Parish Community
- For those who would like to support those who are directly impacted by Covid in our community, we have started a benevolence fund. All contributions to this fund go directly to benevolence and relief efforts. You can make a contribution by giving online, and selecting the “benevolence fund” while completing your donation.
Lean in to Community
We encourage the entire Parish community to lean in to relationships in this time. Social distancing shouldn’t mean relational isolation, so let’s be creative in finding new rhythms to connect. Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Join a Neighborhood Group to stay connected with others!
- Make a list of 4-5 individuals or families in our church including some you know well and others you don’t. Build in to your weekly rhythm to connect with a handful of them digitally to care for each other’s needs.
- Host a virtual game night, supper club, or happy hour with some friends or neighbors.
- Continue giving to worship and support The Parish mission.
CONTRIBUTE & CURATE
- Contribute content to our blog, podcast, or resources. We welcome reflections, art, poetry, music, or practical wisdom as part of a collaborative attempt to care for our church. Shoot us an email if you have something to contribute.
We are updating this page as needed. We’d love to hear from you on how you’re engaging this time so the entire community may benefit. If you are aware of resources or organizations that should be considered for this page, please let us know.