05 Jul A Gift of Faith

It was an emotional, moving, and a meaningful moment as Gail D’Alessio, on behalf of the Grace Lutheran Church Congregation, presented their gift to Karina O’ Malley, Board Member and Alisa Chatinsky, Interim Executive Director.

L to R: Karina O’Malley, Gail D’Alessio, and Alisa Chatinsky

“It was the completion of a difficult experience for us. We’ve been so grateful to partner with The Sophia Way in ways we could not do alone.  People who are homeless on the Eastside have been a major focus for our church for a long time,” shared Gail.

“Please know that Grace Lutheran’s legacy will continue due to your congregation’s thoughtfulness,” Alisa responded.

Thank you, Grace Lutheran Church for your beautiful heart! You have been supporting The Sophia Way and the women we serve from the very beginning of our journey and we are immensely grateful for your devotion to our cause.

We asked Gail to write a short note that we can share with our community of supporters:

Grace Lutheran has focused on the growing concern for people who are homeless on the Eastside.  We were one of the first churches to commit to host the men from Congregations for the Homeless. In 2008, when The Sophia Way (TSW) began, the church’s Social Concerns committee connected with TSW founder, Helen Leuzzi and joined others to host the women on weekends until the Congregational Church was set up to host them 7 days a week.  A member of our congregation began teaching knitting classes.  Grace Lutheran participated in TSW Support Network meetings, served hundreds of dinners and lunches, provided hospitality baskets for the women moving into their own apartments, and took part in the community brunches. And, we joined the many churches and organizations who do the same. We have gratefully worked with TSW for many years, appreciating the commitment to serve clients with dignity and respect. The women served are doing the hard work. I don’t think anyone can really imagine what they go through. 

Now it appears time for Grace Lutheran to close after 70 years of serving and helping our community.  We came to the positive conclusion that by doing so we would serve in a different way—providing The Sophia Way (and other nonprofits) with a significant financial to affect thousands of women in years to come. It is indeed our privilege to do so.

Gail D’Alessio,

On behalf of the Grace Lutheran Church Congregation