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Our
Vision
To be a Christian community who, following the example of our Lord
Jesus Christ, welcomes all sorts and conditions of men, women and
children in a spirit of love, forgiveness, acceptance,
truthfulness and reconciliation so that we may grow in our
capacity to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and
spirit, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Our Mission
As followers of Jesus Christ, to grow in understanding, in
gratitude, in service, in ministry and in peace.
Sunday Services
8:00 am - Rite I
10:15 am - Rite II,
with music
Christian Education
9:00 am - Adults
and Youth Groups
and
10:00 am - Ages 2-9
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Contact Us
Directions
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Reaching Out Locally
and
Around the Globe
One of the things that St. Elizabeth’s as a congregation
has always been clear about, is that reaching out into the
world to touch the lives of those in need is an important
part of who we are as a Christian community. Over the almost
25 years of our history, we have been particularly involved
with the Volunteer Ministry Center, and we have helped
sponsor and build no less than four Habitat for Humanity
houses. Through the Outreach Council we have contributed
many thousands of dollars to a variety of charitable
organizations, helping to meet needs on the local, national
and international levels. And, beginning a year or so ago,
the Outreach Council instituted the Care Can in the outer
narthex, specifying a different organization each month to
receive donations of items that will assist that
organization’s mission. In all of these ways and more, we
participate financially and in a hands-on way to positively
effect the lives of others.
Recently, the Outreach Council has made three important
decisions that serve to advance our mission both at home and
abroad. We were approached by the Volunteer Ministry Center
and asked to cover the cost of a new commercial sink for the
kitchen in their new location, and we were also asked to
contribute to the VMC’s capital campaign, to help bring
their new facility to completion. The Outreach Council
agreed to both requests, giving $3,000 for the sink and
committing $2,000 annually over the next five years to the
VMC’s capital campaign. The Vestry also increased the
outreach budget by $3,000 to assist in this effort. The VMC
will be pursuing a new mission in its new building in an
effort not simply to minister to the homeless, but to
actually reduce homelessness in our community.
The Outreach Council was also approached by a group of
parishioners, spear-headed by Anna Fraser, for a grant to
the Central Asia Institute. The institute was founded by
Greg Mortenson, whose story is featured in the book Three
Cups of Tea, a New York Times Bestseller. The mission of
the Central Asian Institute is to build schools in the
troubled northern region of Pakistan for all children, but
especially for girls, who are notoriously under-educated.
International development groups have said that one of the
single most important things that can be done to positively
impact a country’s future is to educate its women and girls.
This project in Pakistan is especially close to Anna’s heart
because she spent many years living in Pakistan while she
was growing up. The Outreach Council voted to contribute the
parish’s Millennium Develop Goals budget of $2,800 toward
this project, and the children are being encouraged to
contribute their pennies to this effort through the Pennies
for Peace program. In the Fall we will be including
educational programs for children, youth and adults so we
can all learn more about this troubled part of the world.
The ultimate goal is to raise $50,000 to build and supply a
school, with the funds coming from a variety of people and
organizations .
Since 2001, I think that many of us have wondered what
we, in Knoxville, could possibly do to effect our world in a
positive way. The Central Asia Institute has given us one
way of doing that, of making a difference in the lives of
children that gives them an alternative to the path of
violence and anger. All of our outreach efforts bring the
Gospel into action in our community and the larger world,
and we pray that through these efforts, God’s grace and
blessing will flow into the lives of people near and far.
Peace,
Matthew
May 2008
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