Missions
Our Philosophy of Mission
The Goals expressed in our Second Century Plan center around continuing to develop a focused, effective mission program which expands opportunities for members of Holy Comforter to be involved. We hope to increase levels of “hands-on” participation by 50% by 2008, increase mission trips by one per year, and increase our parish giving by 1% per year from 2007 to 2017.
Four Areas of Concentration
Over the last several years, we have developed four areas of concentration for our nearly 30 missions:
1. Homelessness and Other Local Area Missions - Support for the hungry, homeless, and those in transition in our local area. Much of our time and talent is spent supporting the local agencies helping in this vital area. There are over 2,000 homeless people in Fairfax County including families, children, and singles, yet there is precious little assistance for them.
2. Youth and Children’s Missions – Youth are invited on two of our mission trips: Honduras and Mississippi. These trips provide tremendous opportunities for growth and a first cross-cultural experience for many youth. Other opportunities for youth are provided through the 30-hour Famine, and local assistance in meal distribution programs or tutoring. We are also finding new ways to get children involved in mission, including the Christian Children’s Fund and Mission Nights Out.
3. International Leadership Training – This emphasis has developed in the last two years because of the tremendous pool of talent that has been identified here at Holy Comforter and our close relationship with Five Talents. Being located in the Washington D.C. area, we are blessed to have many parishioners in higher organizational management positions. With this expertise, and the training needs identified in the developing world, we have developed training materials and taken a leadership position in training clergy and lay leaders in Honduras and East Africa. As resources allow, we would like to expand to more locations around the world.
4. Episcopal and Anglican Ministries Worldwide – As a part of the Anglican Communion we support a variety of ministries both in our own Diocese and around the world. Locally, we support our Regional Council and other local initiatives such as a new Hispanic Congregation on Arlington Boulevard, in Falls Church, Virginia. In the Diocese, we support the Diocese of Virginia with $120,000 per year. Internationally, we support five different ministries such as The Compass Rose Society, The United Thank Offering, and The Episcopal Relief and Development Fund which supplies emergency assistance in disasters.
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