Churches around Suffolk are well known for their generosity and for their concern for their fellow man. Some area churches open soup kitchens for those who might not get a hot lunch any other way. Others hand out warm coats to those who don’t have them. Some churches help homeless folks find a place to sleep, and others help people make rent or mortgage payments.

Individually, church members from Suffolk support any number of important secular and religious causes. Everything from local to international missions, from the Red Cross to Habitat for Humanity receives the financial support of people in churches around the area.

What’s unusual, though, is for a local church congregation to raise money for emergency services agencies. But that’s what St. John’s Episcopal Church, near Chuckatuck, did recently, when members donated more than $800 through their church to the Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department. They raised money through the sale of raffle tickets for a quilt that had been made by Kathy Ferguson, wife of St. John’s Rector Les Ferguson.

The money represents a small portion of the budget that the volunteer fire department must meet each year. And it’s a small contribution compared to the department’s own fundraisers. But, especially in agencies that operate principally through the contributions of volunteers and community benefactors, every little bit helps.

It’s good to see a church with a conviction for helping those in the community who help others. Surely, we are all called on to help those in need, but one powerful way to do that is to help empower others who also have a desire to serve.