St George Lorain shares their blessings this Thanksgiving
“O give thanks unto the LORD,for He is good;
for His mercy endures forever.” ~ Psalm 118:1
Lorain, OH - This Thanksgiving Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church gave thanks to God by sharing their blessings with their local Lorain community. 8 members of the parish, including Fr Aleksa Pavichevich and his mother Barbara Pavichevich, Kim and Kata Malobabic, Kathy and Farrah Fritsch, and Dee Dee and Anna Tumbas donated their time this Holiday season serving dinner at the Haven Shelter.
The Haven Shelter, part of the Neighborhood Alliance, is the only 24 hour emergency shelter in Lorain County. They usually house around 60 individuals, including families with young children. As a temporary emergency shelter they work hard to transition clients into housing and to work.
After food was served, members of St George Church sat down and enjoyed dinner with 30 of the 51 current clients at the Haven Shelter. Fr Aleksa was blessed to have a conversation with Gary, a US Air Force veteran currently in-between homes. Gary spent one semester at seminary before being drafted in 1964. He spent the next few years in France before being shipped to Libya during the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
Another member of the community, known as “Pope”, recently moved into the facility and was hoping only to be there for a short time. The two youngest at the dinner, Jesus (8) and Clarissa (6), were very excited for the diverse selection of deserts and pies.
Thanks be to God for to those who served the food at Haven, and thanks also to the many families at St George Parish who cooked trays of food and extra turkeys as they prepared for their family Thanksgiving celebrations.