Samaritan Ministry

Twenty years ago, St. Alban's joined 11 other Episcopal parishes to share Christ's love through Samaritan Ministry in a needy area of Northwest Washington. From the vision of those founders, Samaritan has grown to 46 parishes and three locations, one in Arlington. From its beginning, Samaritan has promoted awareness of community needs, fostered partnership at all levels (including church-to-church and person-to-person), helped to reduce barriers imposed by poverty, and developed participants' ability to help themselves.

Among its services are the Next Steps program, which helps individuals to identify changes they want to make in their lives (e.g., learning skills, getting a job) and helping them to make those changes. The emphasis is on walking hand-in-hand with the person, not doing things for the person. Another important Samaritan ministry reaches out to those affected by HIV/AIDS through spiritual retreats, support groups, bereavement counseling and even burial assistance.
You can help! Most of Samaritan's work is done through volunteers, from those who answer the phones to those who help to prepare resumes for jobseekers.
To learn more, visit www.samaritanministry.com or call 703-271-0938.