Highlites

Selections from Past Newsletters

The Samaritan Breakfast Club

Each year, eighty or more men and women spend from several weeks to several months, and in some cases a year or more, in the Samaritan Breakfast Club.   After preparing and sharing a meal, we share our fears and hopes, sorrows and joys, and grow in our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in. Two of our members have offered to share their views about how the club has helped them.

"The Breakfast Club has helped me tremendously.   Communicating in the group has affected my life in a way that I never expected.   The Samaritan Community has inspired me to seek college and to be committed to do volunteer work in the community that I live in and to believe in myself. I thank the staff for their support."

"I am a recovering addict who has been isolated from outside relationships other than with addicts.   Also, I only have two immediate family members living with whom I am not really close.   Attending breakfast and group meetings gives me a great sense of belonging as well as having a family to share my life with."

Sharing the Journey

Recently I have been volunteering some time with the Samaritan Community and participating in the morning support groups. The topic of discussion on this past Tuesday was "Forgiveness" and nine people sat in a circle sharing past mistakes and embarrassments. Tears were shed by a man who was upset with himself for losing his temper with his wife. She had pointed out that he was not following the regimen of special care necessary to keep his chronic illness at bay. We all listened carefully as he related his story.

We each shared our own mistakes, large and small, that continued to nag at us. It was difficult to let go of embarrassment and hurt. Someone said that the way they deal with shortcomings was to look ahead and figure out how to get beyond what had happened and do better next time. Another person related how the energy of anger in a situation could be reformed and used positively.

For a moment we all shared ways to beome the persons we were meant to be. We helped one another as we heard each other's stories. We encouraged each other to continue on the path of healing. As we left we realized we had been touched by God. We were not alone on life's journey.
-- A Volunteer, Spring 2002

Two Short Stories

Sara's life seems to lurch from crisis to crisis. She has been clean and sober for several years now, but she has serious health issues which need constant management. Sara has trouble keeping a job. Sometimes she loses her job because of her health problems, sometimes she gets laid off for reasons she can't control, but the result is the same. Her economic situation is so precarious that her anxiety level soars. Yet Sara has a generous and open heart, sharing what she has with others, and always encouraging the other members of the support group.

Tommy is an older man who has struggled for decades with alcoholism. For him, our support group provides a loving community of people who want to see him succeed in maintaining sobriety. When he is sober, Tommy tells stories with a dry wit that keeps everyone's attention. However, when he remembers how life has often disappointed him, Tommy can become morose - and when he gets morose, he is likely to start drinking and stop attending his AA meetings. Tommy wants to be sober, but he must often do battle within himself. Everyone in our support group continues to love Tommy and encourage him to keep fighting against his addiction.
-- Fall 2000

Kids to Camp

This summer the Samaritan Community sponsored six children for a week at the All God's Children Camp.

This is a program of Memorial Episcopal Church which takes children from a neighboring elementary school to the Bishop Claggett Retreat Center in Buckeystown, MD. Racheal, age 7, had this to say about her experience: "I love camp! I met good friends and touched a REAL snake. I slept outside in a big tent and saw lots of different kinds of birds. We picked blackberries and flowers and went fishing. My favorite part was swimming. My Mom said 'I wish I could have gone.'"
-- Sharon Krieger, Fall 2000

Enrich Yourself, Enrich Others

The food pantry depends on the service of volunteers. Volunteers pick up food at the Giant and bring it to the church on one of three mornings each week, and other volunteers give about two hours (11:30 to 1:30 pm) of their time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or every other Saturday, to bag and distribute food, and offer fellowship to the clients. Faithful regulars perform these ministries, but an expanded list of substitutes is needed - expecially as summer approaches and people start taking vacations. If you could help out once in a while, particularly if your work allows you time off in the summer, please consider joining our volunteer team. (Note: food pickup is an early-morning opportunity on Mondays, Thursdays, or Saturdays.) Please speak to Dale Balfour if you are interested.
-- Spring 2002