From Executive Director, Rev. David B. Wolf
In this holiday season, I share with you a message of hopefulness and blessing.
At its best, the holiday season embodies a spirit of generosity, especially for those stuck in life’s ditch, in the metaphor of the Good Samaritan parable. For many of us, this means acts of kindness through gifts and charitable assistance while also providing positive assurance for those around us. At Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, our work is a continual celebration of generosity and our shared commitment to community, especially empowering those among us who are least, lost, or are left behind.
Our Partners and donors carry the commitment of providing resources and funding for the Next Step program and, therefore, for the participants we serve. Our staff members bring professionalism to the organization, performing regular functions that keep the various aspects of Next Step coaching, STRIVE training, and our basic adult educational offerings available to those who need it the most. Our volunteers make a generous commitment of time, in a world where time is one of the most valuable things most of us have. Most importantly, the commitment of our participants includes learning to make better and better choices and taking the necessary steps in setting and achieving their personal goals, so they can see the change they want to be in their own lives. Combining each of these elements, it’s easy to see the amount of dedication it takes to build and grow a community comprised of interest, engagement, and action.
Assisting our neighbors in overcoming challenges and providing a safe atmosphere to do so is what community is all about. With all the blessings around us in the form of our volunteers, partners, donors, staff, and participants, we say thank you for your gifts which make OUR community possible.
May God bless you and those you care for – and especially those strangers you meet this season: the least, the lost and left behind, who seek the kind of community we try to offer and the people we try to be!
In the Samaritan Spirit,
David+