September 16, 2019
NEW YORK – On Friday, September 13, 2019, ten Pan-Orthodox organizations concluded a vibrant and productive meeting on the crisis of homelessness. The twenty experts arrived at the following common multi-faceted understanding:
As Orthodox Christians, we are called to love our neighbors by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, etc. (Matthew 25:35-40) in a relational way that recognizes the humanity of each person. The value and dignity of each person must be recognized in every moment of serving another human being. Our theology and identity as Orthodox Christians inspires and informs our witness as opposed to witness for recruitment or proselytization. Instead, we must be the Church and shine Christ’s love in our service to others through Christ-centered empowerment, illuminated by the relational nature of the Eucharist. We recognize that we are each broken and are all spiritually homeless in need of Christ. Beyond a physical house to find shelter in, each person requires to be served as a whole human being in need of a home; spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally with dignity and respect.
Furthermore, the group decided to reconvene once a month via video conference to enhance Pan-Orthodox humanitarian collaboration on the crisis of homelessness. Any Orthodox Christian organization who is interested in this initiative are encouraged to contact ecumenical@goarch.org.
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