Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

My name is Steven Hart. I am from Murray, Kentucky and have been a life-long member of Saint John’s Episcopal Church. Many of you may know me through my affiliation with All Saints Episcopal summer camp, where I have worked for the past two years as a counselor and plan to work this summer as well. The Episcopal Church has actively engaged me for as long as I can remember. From mission trips that shook my assumptions about the world, to community outreach projects that connected me with my local city, to some very unique Christmas pageants my church has guided me to a responsible and self-aware adulthood. This diocese has fostered in me a deep and thoughtful faith that permeates all aspects of my life. Through EFM, All Saints Episcopal Camp, and relationships with many diverse and supportive peers in my church community, I have grown up in an environment where engaging my faith isn’t a transitory event, but a realty almost taken for granted. It is this reality that called me to be engaged in a new and exciting ministry with the Episcopal Church. I have applied and been accepted to be a missionary for this diocese and the national Episcopal Church. I am writing to you to invite you to participate with me in this ministry.

The program is called the Young Adult Service Corps or YASC. YASC sends young adults from Episcopal dioceses to the far reaches of the world to participate in diverse ministries. If I have learned anything about the Episcopal Church, it’s that we have a place and a use for everyone’s talents. When the YASC coordinators learned of my passion for the beauty and intricacy of creation, they decided to send me as the Episcopal missionary to the Asian Rural Institute in Japan. This institute is a grassroots organization whose mission is to educate community leaders from the poorest and least politically stable regions of the world in the practices of sustainable agriculture. Their entire outreach is predicated on the idea that our food and how we produce it is intimately connected with our lives together. This institute’s goal is to teach, through hands on experience, methods that community leaders can utilize to sustainably produce food for their communities. While in the fields and classrooms participants at the ARI form an ecumenical community. Fostering this community is just as much the mission of the ARI as teaching sustainable farming. The guiding principle behind the ARI is that by working together as a community to provide for everyone’s needs, differences of gender, race, religion and ethnicity are celebrated as influences for enriching the community rather than dividing it. The ARI makes a conscious effort to have a 50/50 ratio of women to men, a task that can be difficult given the social structure in some regions. Our National Church has pledged to fight against hunger and promote empowerment of women and community leaders throughout the world. Is it any wonder, then, that we would dedicate one of the relatively few missionary positions to the support of an institute that builds its entire mission on these very tenets?

I am honored to have been selected for this missionary position. I am very passionate about the importance of sustainable practices as a key to mitigating the rampant hunger that plagues many regions of the world. I am happy to invite you to join me in my mission, in our mission, at the Asian Rural Institute. I invite you to support this mission in any way that you find appropriate or feel called, whether it be through prayer, spreading awareness, or financial contributions. All forms of support are welcome and necessary. However, this mission will not be possible without financial support. As a YASC member, I am responsible to raise a little under half of the cost that my one-year missionary placement will accrue. This amounts to a total of 10,000 USD. All of this money is used to support my mission at the Asian Rural Institute and, as such, is tax exempt through the Episcopal Church. This money covers things like my plane ticket to and from Japan, my living arrangements, my living stipend, and my medical insurance. I am inviting support from the entire diocese, and any amount that you feel called to contribute is appreciated. That said, I ask for your generosity in joining my mission. I am a representative of Saint Johns, of the Diocese of Kentucky, and of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. I am your missionary; your declaration of support to the Asian Rural Institute. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. I invite you to serve, through me, our greater world community. By joining my mission, whether through prayer, financial support, or community education you will allow us, as a Church, to have a presence at the Asian Rural Institute and a part in its mission to fight world hunger by educating and empowering the least of us.

I would love to answer any questions that you have about my mission, the Asian Rural Institute, YASC, or any other aspect of my soon to begin missionary life. As I will be working at All-Saints Episcopal Camp this summer, you may reach me through e-mail at sghart7@gmail.com. I ask that all financial support be contributed by cash or check made out to Saint John’s Episcopal Church with the words “Steven Hart – YASC” in the memo line.

I am very excited about my mission, and happy to invite you to join in support. I thank you for your time and generosity.

Peace,

Steven Hart

804 Main Street

Murray, KY 42071

270 753-5549

sghart7@gmail.com