Messiah takes a special offering each month to go directly to a special cause. This monthly benevolence helps either local ministries that Messiah has a partnership with, or one of the national Lutheran ministries that helps our “neighbors” no matter where in the world they live. Offerings for 2019 are designated as follows:
January & February – ROCK (Route 1 Community Kitchen)
Provides a feeding program (soup kitchen) for homeless individuals and families in need along the Route One Corridor of Fairfax County. Messiah has volunteers that support this effort.
March & April – United Community
United Community is one of the largest providers of human services in Fairfax County. For people in crisis United Community provides food, financial aid, and counseling. It also provides all-day preschool, employment services, transitional housing, and parental education help move people toward sustainability. Its neighborhood centers, with after-school programs and leadership training, keep youth and families engaged in broader social networks.
May & June – New Hope Housing
An innovative, award-winning non-profit agency in Northern Virginia committed to finding creative and lasting solutions to end the cycle of homelessness by offering homeless men, women and children the services they need to change their lives and succeed.
July & August – Rise Against Hunger
Rise Against Hunger is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. The organization’s approach to ending hunger centers on mobilizing a global network of hunger champions. Rise Against Hunger meal packaging volunteers produce millions of nutritious meals annually that are distributed to partners in countries around the world. The meals are used as a tool to change lives by promoting education, improving students’ health and nutrition, addressing gender inequalities, stimulating economic growth and fighting child labor.
Messiah’s meal packaging event will be held on Sunday, September 29, from 1-3 pm. All ages are welcome to participate. Contact us to volunteer or for additional information.
September and October – Messiah Quilters and Knitters
Messiah’s quilting group makes quilts for distribution to veterans, Lutheran World Relief, and other charitable organizations and recipients. The knitting group makes hats for Warmth for Soldiers.
November & December – Lutheran Disaster Response
LDR addresses the needs of people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world by working with local community affiliates and partners.