Outreach, Justice, and Community Service

Christians are charged by Christ to love, serve, and do justice. That's not only a Christian responsibility, all religions of the world follow that universal command. The Gospel of Matthew (24:35-36) says, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

St. Gabrielites follow Christ's charge close to the letter through our Christian Justice Ministries. We volunteer and collect food for the food insecure (Loudoun Hunger Relief, Grace to Go, Backpack Buddies). We provide clothing for those in need through Maggie's Closet and Mobile Hope. We serve those without homes at the Volunteers of American Shelter and the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelther, and we've supported LGBTQ+ teens through a local teen social and support group called Loudoun out Loud.

In December of 2015 St. Gabriel's launched its Spanish language worship service at St. James Episcopal Church (14 Cornwall St. NW) which helped broaden our identity of authentic inclusion. In addition to a Spanish language service at 3pm.

In the past year we initiated a ministry collaboration with DREAMER's Mom's of Northern Virginia: one is an ESL program for adults and a children's program that teaches Latino immigrant children to become fully bilingual as they learn to read and write in Spanish. In a collaborative effort with pro-bono attorneys, St. Gabriel's also offers free legal counseling services by appointment to Loudoun County residents.

FOOD JUSTICE MINISTRY
Whenever school has an extended break St. Gabriel's is there to send food home for school children who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program in collaboration with Backpack Buddies and Loudoun Hunger Relief.

"Feed the hungry"... we need not be given further instructions from Jesus than this command! Saint Gabrieliites take the commandment to heart as we partner with Community Table of Loudoun and other collaborators to provide a spectacular dinner event for the food insecure. Delicious food is served, entertainment provided, and a great time with all the guests as we break bread together. The photo below was taken at the kitchen of the Leesburg Senior Center where some of the CTL dinners take place.

Saint Gabriel's partners twice a year with Community Table of Loudoun to prepare food, serve, provide entertainment, clean up and meet our neighbors. For more information email info@saintgabriels.net. Also visit the Community Table of Loudoun's website for more volunteer opportunities. Click here

LITERACY MINISTRY

EDUCANDO CON AMOR - EDUCATING WITH LOVE - A LITERACY MINISTRY
Launched In March 2016, Educando Con Amor (Educating With Love), is a multi-generational literacy program in Leesburg for English and Spanish Language Learners. It was co-founded as part of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church´s literacy program and Social Justice Ministry and DREAMers MOMS™ by the Rev. Daniel Vélez Rivera and Eva María Torres-Herrera.

Educando con Amor for children provides after-school biliteracy instruction to low-income, at-risk Latino children in Pre-K through seventh grade in Leesburg. The students learn to read and write in Spanish so that they can perform better academically, pursue higher education, and ultimately be better positioned for desirable jobs that seek bilingual employees. The program also seeks to foster an appreciation of Latino culture and heritage and build strong, future Latino leaders and advocates.

Educando con Amor for adults is a “life skills” based English instruction program focused on learning the everyday vocabulary needed to interact effectively with people in the community. The methodology teaches basic English conversation quickly using simple dialogue models, flashcards, and interactive activities where students practice speaking to people in their community - teachers, bank tellers, store cashiers, librarians, bus drivers, clinicians, employers, even their children. The adult students also receive instruction and support in achieving specific goals such as creating a resume, filling out an application for U.S. citizenship, and preparing to take the citizenship examination. Ultimately our students are seeking to gain practical communication skills focused on enhancing their economic stability and quality of life. In other words, Educando con Amor is about improving communication skills through self-advocacy.

CHRISTIAN JUSTICE ALL YEAR ROUND!

HEAL THE SICK

St. Gabriel's Project Linus - The St. Gabriel's faith community makes warm, fuzzy, fleece blankets each December for for children ages 0-18 who are sick, traumatized, or otherwise in need. These blankets tell a child that St. Gabriel's cares. The blankets are distributed to children and their families through Loudoun County hospitals, cancer centers, homeless shelters, foster care homes, and Fire & Rescue teams. Project Linus is a multigenerational family service project. See the December calendar for specific information.

MINISTRY OF PRESENCE

As children of God we take our Baptismal Covenant seriously by rubbing elbows with our neighbors in community events. The Ministry of Presence at St. Gabriel's means letting our neighbors know that we not only worship locally but that we are an integral part of our communiity. St. Gabrielite's can be found supporting and partnering with the Arc of Loudoun at Paxton Campus on a number of projects, raising funds to support Loudoun Cares, LAWS, and inviting budding musicians from the Catoctin School of Music to perform publicly with our congregation at different times of the year!

Our prayes and actions are part of our ministry of presence in the community and are indicative of St. Gabriel's response to God's urgent call to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in this part of the kingdom as Christ's agents and missionaries.