The Charitable Works of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Essay Example

Churches in the United States and throughout the world have a long history of providing charitable services for the needy. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City is no exception. Construction on the cathedral began in 1892, though the actual construction of the cathedral took many decades and is still considered to be unfinished. Its current Gothic design was not established until 1969, and the original Gothic-themed plans include a tower and a number of other features that have never been completed. Throughout the process of designing and building the cathedral, however, the church undertook a wide range of charitable activities, and continues to do so to this day. In recent decades the church’s charitable efforts have been combined under one umbrella organization, called Cathedral Community Cares (CCC). The local efforts of CCC are undertake independently of the national Episcopalian Church’s charity work, which is organized as the Episcopalian Charities Foundation (ECF). While the CCC operates autonomously, St. John’s also coordinates with ECF to provide services to the needy at local, regional, and national levels. This paper will examine a number of CCC’s programs and provide an overview of St. John’s charitable efforts.

The overarching purpose of most of CCC’s charity work is aimed at reducing and alleviating poverty and hunger for those in need in the New York area. CCC takes aim at these issues in a number of ways, providing both immediate relief for those in critical need of intervention and undertaking long-term efforts intended to provide relief to individuals and to the community at large. CCC works in tandem with a range of public and private social service organizations in an effort to ensure that its efforts and funding are coordinated and direct in the most effective and efficient ways possible. CCC also supports policy changes and public efforts to address the needs of the community, providing funding and other support for educational programs, work training programs, local food banks, and other programs. St. John’s and CCC are committed to social justice, and consider their church to be a “living cathedral” that operates to better the lives of all those in need, whether or not they are active members of the church. This commitment is manifested in the overall efforts St. John’s and CCC make to work in partnership with individuals and organizations, both secular and within the realm of church functions, to ensure that all those in need are welcomed and supported by the church.

In order to meet the church’s goals of serving the area’s needy population, CCC has developed a number of specific programs. The following section will discuss these programs, as well as examining the way the church’s charitable efforts intersect and align with other public and private relief efforts to create long-term solutions to the problems of poverty and hunger.

Sunday Soup Kitchen

CCC’s Sunday Soup Kitchen was developed to provide critical services to those who are hungry. The primary aim of the Sunday Soup Kitchen is to provide short-term, immediate relief to those in need while also directing those they serve towards the various programs offered by CCC that provide intermediate- and long-term relief for hunger and poverty. By feeding the hungry, St. John’s and CCC believe they are following the teachings of scripture while also brining those in need together with organizations and services that can help lift them out of poverty.

The Sunday Soup Kitchen is typically staffed by 25-30 volunteers per week; these volunteers work on a rotating basis and maintain a flexible schedule, ensuring that there are always an adequate number of volunteers available to serve the hungry. The Sunday Soup Kitchen serves breakfast once a week at 10am, followed by lunch service at 12:30 pm. Attendees are also offered a brown-bag lunch to take with them after meals have been served. The Sunday Soup Kitchen serves an average of 600 to 700 people per month, providing upwards of 18,000 meals per year. Once there, the clientele being served at the Sunday Soup Kitchen also have the opportunity to meet with representatives of CCC’s other charitable organizations, making it as easy as possible to ensure that the needy are provided with the additional solutions they may need for intermediate- and long-term relief.

Emergency Information and Referral Services

For those in need who visit the Sunday Soup Kitchen, or who come to the cathedral or the CCC offices, there are a number of services and programs available. Among them are the food stamp referral and sign-up programs. Many clients of CCC have difficulty accessing the Internet, do not have cell phones, or otherwise do not have access to the technology that is often necessary for signing up for the food stamp program or other public programs. For those who have been declined for food stamps, or whose accounts have reached the end of their time limit, the CCC coordinators can help clients provide the information needed to ensure eligibility, and can offer a means by which clients can be reached by such programs for follow-up appointments, screening interviews, and other actions that may be necessary.

The Nutrition, Health, and Clothing Center

This set of programs is aimed at providing intermediate- and long-term relief for those in need. Although CCC offers the services of the Sunday Soup Kitchen, the organization recognizes that long-term support and relief are necessary for those in need so that they can work to better their lives. The Nutrition Center offers a food bank for eligible clients that allows them to take home groceries for themselves and their family members. In addition to the food offered by the food bank, the center also provides information about nutrition to clients; such information can be crucial for the care of children and others who may have limited access to money for a food budget. The center helps clients plan shopping lists and meals that maximize their food-shopping dollars.

The Clothing Center offers free clothes to the needy; one of the center’s primary goals is to assist those in need with maintaining a wardrobe that is appropriate for job-hunting, interviews, or for wearing to work. The CCC recognizes that helping people in need get back to work or find better-paying jobs is the best way to help them lift themselves out of poverty in the long term.

Health and Wellness

CCC offers a number of services and programs aimed at ensuring their clients are healthy. Screening services for HIV and Hepatitis are offered on a monthly basis, and CCC also assists clients with applying for Medicaid and with referrals to other health-care programs in the area. CCC hosts regular health fairs that offer flu shots, physical and mental health screening, blood pressure checks, and other critical services. By coordinating their efforts with other programs in the area, CCC strives to keep their programs as efficient as possible and make sure that clients have access to the specific programs or services that best suit their needs.

In an effort to better understand the role of CCC in the church’s charitable efforts, I spoke with Mark Goreczny, the Director of Services for CCC. Mr.Goreczny shared his thoughts on how the programs offered by CCC help those in need. According to Goreczny, it is critical that CCC is able to operate independently, noting that the work of the ECF, while certainly important, cannot focus on the specific needs of St. John’s community the way that CCC can. “We get to know the people who come here,” notes Goreczny, “which allows us to develop personal relationships with them. While we are always happy to welcome new members to our church, the real goal of CCC is just to make sure that we help people turn their lives around.”

In speaking with Mr. Goreczny, I gained more insight into how and why St. John’s works to serve the needs of underprivileged members of the community. It is of vital importance to St. John’s and CCC that their church plays a vital role in supporting the community it serves. Goreczny recognizes that helping people help themselves is one of the ways to best express his faith in God, and he feels that programs such as CCC are as important to the church’s mission as are the sermons and religious services it offers. After speaking with Mr. Goreczny and learning about CCC, it was clear that the work of CCC has direct, immediate, and lasting benefits to those in need, which in turn benefits the entire community.

Works Cited

“Cathedral Community Cares.” The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.

“Episcopal Charities Home Page.” Episcopal Charities. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.

“Medieval New York: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York.” FORDHAM.EDU. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.