Bless, O Lord, this food to our use and us to thy service. And make us ever mindful of the needs of others. 

            This was the simple prayer said before lunch every single day at the small, private school I attended on the banks of the Ashley River in South Carolina, many years ago. Thirty years later, it’s still one of my favorite go-to prayers, but today it also reminds me of the mission statement of one our areas most important outreaches, the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury, CT.

            If you spend any time in or around St. Stephen’s Church, you’ve no doubt heard of this facility, but perhaps you didn’t know that it’s based on the Houses of Hospitality founded by Dorothy Day during the Great Depression.  It serves 60-80 hot meals every afternoon and can shelter up to 16 people each night. It is staffed entirely by volunteers, as it has been since it opened its doors to the homeless and hungry in 1982, on Spring Street in downtown Danbury.  We have several members of St. Stephen’s involved in this missionary effort. 

• There are individuals who stay overnight as a host. 
• A group from St. Stephen’s serves breakfast on the first Monday of the month.  Having cooked the main egg course on Sunday, they gather in the church parking lot at 6am and carpool to Danbury to serve 75-80 people.  Our work is over around 9am.  If you would like to be a part of this, please email  Linda Hutchings  ljlpep@aol.com or give Ginny a call in the church office.
• Additionally you can support this effort by contributing to the Change the World container in the narthex on Sunday morning. 

            I am grateful that, as my church, St. Stephen’s keeps me “ever mindful of the needs of others” with its long-standing ties to Dorothy Day House, embodied in yearly mission fund donations, dedicated parishioner volunteerism and promoting critical awareness of the aid that it—and other organizations like it—provide on a daily basis in our area.

            When we share our bounty, we truly live God’s commandment to Love Our Neighbors. And I for one am thankful that St. Stephen’s Church gives me a neighborhood map to do just that.

By Tara Filaski

*Belonging with Purpose is a weekly news update of how our purpose is being reflected through the collective and individual lives of St. Stephen’s.  If you have a story or experience that you believe illustrates our Vision and Mission, please send it to Ginny Fitzpatrick, gfitzpatrick@ststephens-ridgefield.org  The staff works together to create a schedule for highlighting our ministry as St. Stephen’s Church.

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