Two weekends ago, Interim Executive Director Steven Chrisoforou visited Phoenix, AZ to support the development of a new FOCUS Center, recently announced here. As part of this visit, Steve delivered the sermon during Sunday Liturgy at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, connecting the day’s readings with the Church’s service work in Phoenix.

The new Center’s primary goal will be to establish a homeless shelter, providing critical support for the city’s unhoused population. Phoenix, like many cities across the United States, faces a significant homelessness crisis. Over the last few years, reports show that the number of homeless individuals in the city has risen significantly. According to the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care, for example, in March 2024, Maricopa County (where Phoenix is located) counted 12,408 actively homeless individuals. The number of families experiencing homelessness has grown by 15% since 2018, and the number of chronically homeless individuals has risen by 119%. 

During the sermon, Steve emphasized the Church’s role in making the Kingdom of Heaven tangible by actively serving the more vulnerable members of society. Service is an essential element of the Church’s growth and health – by putting the Lord first in our own will lives and serving each other.  When we follow the Lord’s will above our own, like the Apostles casting their net on the opposite side of the boat, the Church will flourish. 

Steve urged listeners to ponder how the Church approaches the three pillars of Orthodox Christian practice: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In particular, he highlighted the fact that the Church often lacks the right focus and language for almsgiving, asking if it receives the same attention as prayer and fasting. Unlike the other two, almsgiving is inherently an outgoing, social action. 

Steve ended his remarks by talking about the mission of FOCUS, which provides Orthodox Christians with tangible ways to practice almsgiving in our service to others. 

The full sermon can be watched here, starting at 1:33:00: