Wednesday, September 25, 2002

I want to express my appreciation to Cal Beverly for his encouraging and challenging words ("Let's help Samaritans build a new home," The Citizen, Sept. 18) concerning the work of the Fayette Samaritans and their present need to find a new home.

In the more than four years now since I've been in Fayetteville, serving a church which supports the Fayette Samaritans, I have felt that the work they do is among the best-kept secret in our county. I have experienced firsthand the compassionate, generous and faithful service this ecumenical organization provides and am grateful to you for bringing their present need to the citizens of Fayette County.

The fact that Fayette County "is one of the state's most affluent counties" can lead many within our community to feel as if there are no poor, struggling citizens in need of some very basic ingredients for survival. The Fayette Samaritans know otherwise. They witness loud and clear to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in reaching out to the most needy in our midst. And they do it in action, not in words.

May your encouraging and challenging words inspire people in the civic and religious sectors of our county to help put into action the present plan to help the Samaritans build a new home.

The Rev. Bob Hudak, Vicar

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity

Fayetteville