Outreach Ministries – Why We Are Here

Missions of many types are supported through works and financial donations. We support families in transition, individuals struggling with addiction, locations recovering from natural disasters, and food shelves – just to name a few.

Angel Tree: A ministry for children who have one or both parents incarcerated. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, and delivered directly to their homes right before Christmas. For many children, it is the only gift they might receive.

Community Emergency Services (CES): CES is a non-profit crisis relief and empowerment ministry founded by Augustana Lutheran Church located in the Phillips Neighborhood. It provides prayer support, direct aid relief, advocacy, referral and counseling to low-income people in the neighborhood.

Coptic Orphans: Coptic Orphans is an award-winning international Christian development organization that has touched the lives of over 30,000 children in Egypt since 1988. “Coptic” means Egyptian Christian, and is the fruit of the indigenous Christian community of Egypt with its ancient way of life that goes all the way back to the first century. Coptic Orphans works in close partnership with local bishops, who also guide in areas of local need and nominates new volunteers.

FOCUS Minnesota: FOCUS Minnesota is an acronym for Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve. FOCUS Minnesota is a local chapter of FOCUS North America. FOCUS North America is the only national Pan-Orthodox Christian agency working operationally on pervasive and persistent issues of poverty in our communities in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in North America.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC): IOCC, in the spirit of Christ’s love, offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond.

Joyce Uptown Food Shelf: Joyce Uptown Food Shelf has been serving hungry residents of southwest Minneapolis for over 40 years. Their mission has been to distribute food to those in need with respect and dignity as an expression of the love of God.

Metro Hope Men’s Shelter/Healing House: Metro Hope Ministries is an organization that has been working for over 90 years to provide real help and lasting hope to people in recovery. They operate New Hope Center and Healing House residential programs, which are the heart of their addiction recovery work. These programs are designed to empower our residents to break the cycle of addiction and homelessness successfully through spiritual, educational, and emotional stability.

Minnesota Council of Churches: Strong communities are made up of meaningful relationships and guided by our deepest values. The Minnesota Council of Churches is your partner in living out your faith in your community.

Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (MEOCCA): MEOCCA is an association of local Orthodox clergy and Church leaders which provides a forum for coming together socially and liturgically to symbolize the sacramental and theological unity of the various Orthodox jurisdictions beneath their Episcopal divisions.

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC): OCMC is the official international missions agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America. OCMC strives to establish vibrant Eucharistic communities throughout the world, to develop and support indigenous church leaders, and to strengthen the infrastructure of their churches. OCMC carries out this work primarily, though not solely, in countries where Christianity is in the minority and where the Gospel message has not been proclaimed.

Orthodox Christians for Life (OCLife): OCLife is a non-profit religious educational Pro-Life organization consisting of members primarily from the Eastern Orthodox Church. It functions in cooperation with the hierarchy, clergy, and laity of the Orthodox Church regardless of jurisdiction or geographical location; and supports the doctrines and canons of the Church. The vision of OCLife is: to present and support the position of the Orthodox Church on matters of the sanctity of innocent human life to all peoples, Orthodox Christian and non-Orthodox alike. This includes not only abortion, but also euthanasia, infanticide (pediatric euthanasia), suicide, and child abuse. A small prayer service and bus trip to march at the State Capitol will be offered every January 22, commemorating the Roe vs. Wade decision.

Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry-MN (OCPM-MN): OCPM-MN is a Pan-Orthodox Ministry dedicated to serving prisoners in Minnesota through the action of clergy and laity. The OCPM provides fellowship and a Bible study to prisoners at the minimal security facility at the Lino Lakes Minnesota Correctional Minimal Facility for Men. In February of 2007, a second Bible Study was established at the Shakopee, Minnesota, Correctional Facility for women. They seek the help of willing prison volunteers, mail correspondents, and prayer partners in bearing Christian witness to those who seek to find comfort and faith in their present circumstances.

St. Stephen’s Shelter: St. Stephen’s Shelter helps thousands of people secure housing and other support each year and provides emergency assistance, housing, employment, and human rights advocacy focused on systems change to people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Simpson House: Simpson House provides a full continuum of supportive housing services to those experiencing homelessness, which is unique in the Twin Cities metro.