Outreach at St. Thomas
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.... Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Mattthew 25: 35-36; 40)
At St. Thomas, we are a "Matthew 25" people. We believe that to be followers of Jesus is to take the commandment to love our neighbor seriously. Through ongoing partnerships with organizations both domestic (Congregations for the Homeless, Bellevue LifeSpring, Sofia Way, and more) and international (Safe Passage, Guatemala), there are plenty of ways to get involved at St. Thomas.
We offer service opportunities throughout the year for all ages. Additionally, service and outreach are at the heart of much of our programming from Youth & Children's ministries, to intergenerational faith formation.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment of all?". Jesus replies: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’... And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mt. 22: 37-39).
Later in the gospel, Jesus further emphasizes this point by positioning himself not merely as someone who comes alongside, but as one made incarnate within. Jesus is the neighbor, the stranger, the prisoner who we are being invited to know and love (Matthew 25). It is not by accident that Jesus answers the question of "what is the greatest commandment?" with both the first and second commands. What he's saying is clear: one cannot love God; one cannot know God, if they do not also know and love their neighbor.
At St. Thomas, we believe that to love our neighbor is to recognize the divinity present in each and every brother, sister, and sibling. We seek to posture ourselves with humility and love that strives for justice and equity in the world by means of faithful partnership, mobilizing compassion, careful listening, and responsible stewardship. We are imperfect and we don't always get it right, but we are always learning and striving to be a people rooted in love and service​.