As part of an on-going effort to bridge the gap between Saint Vladimir Orthodox Church (Trenton NJ) and the surrounding community, the parish Church School sponsored and organized a field trip to Mercerville Nursing Center on Sunday, 30 March 2014. Eighteen students and parishioners brought gifts, sang songs, told jokes, danced, read poems and played piano for 20 residents. To close the program the children sang the Lord’s Prayer, a Communion Hymn and “God Bless America” before handing out small gifts to the residents.

Each fall and spring the parish Church School program engages in two service projects -- one for the parish and one for the outside community -- as part of its emphasis on stewardship.

During this visit, Father John Diamantis (parish rector) explained: “Our Orthodox Christian faith is one of experience. We experience God in our services and with one another. It is a blessing for us to share our love and joy of Jesus Christ with you all today.”

One nursing home resident shared, “This was really special for me, it made my day!” while another said, “I’m not able to leave the nursing home, so to have entertainment like this and see all of the adorable smiling faces is really special for me.”