The Alleluia Fund for Outreach

During the Advent season of reflection, examination and planning, it’s natural to consider "giving back" for the many blessings bestowed during the past year. But often, after reviewing the numerous needs of so many, a common question arises: What difference can just one person make?

If you are a member of one of the more than 200 households that contributed to the 2011 Alleluia Fund so far this year, you made a major difference in improving the lives of hundreds of individuals through your support. Established in 2010, the Alleluia Fund provides an opportunity for individuals to contribute to a variety of outreach programs and ministries on a diocesan level.

This past year, the Alleluia Fund bestowed 22 grants, focusing on the areas of food, shelter, education and international programs. Here are just a few of their stories.

The Youth of St. James’ Church in Upper Montclair presented a special night of scary ghost tales and spooky tours on Sunday evening, October 30, 2011.

Ghosts and Spirits that hide in secret corners and hallways of St. James came out to hear their stories shared with visiting tourists on the eve before Halloween.

The Youth Group collected $150 in donations which will go to the Alleluia Fund in support of diocesan outreach programs.

Nestled in the eclectic bedroom community of Montclair, New Jersey is one of the country's fastest growing college campuses. Spreading over 246 acres, Montclair State University has a diverse population of 18,000 students (3,700 of them resident on campus) and 4,500 faculty and staff. Every fall there are new students launching an entirely different experience of their life journey. Others are returning, perhaps to their final year of college. But, they share a common bond of life, love, fear, joy, pain, expectation...

In their impressive book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn tell story after story of women in the developing world in order to create a call to arms against what they call “our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.”

Although our society promises the magic of anti-aging elixirs, the psalmist affirms it is only in God that we can find true renewal. Not just as we get older, but at all times in our lives, God’s love and care strengthen us enough to give us wings. It is hard to imagine that children need that kind of renewal; it is usually the adults who can’t keep up. But some children have experiences that limit their abilities or weigh them down.