On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us. Acts 16:13-15

Those two short verses from Acts tell us a lot about Lydia.  It is a powerful story of a woman becoming a believer and going to work for Christ.  The Lord opened Lydia's heart, she believed, she became baptized and she immediately began to serve by inviting Paul into her home.  Lydia was a business woman, possibly a widow or single parent, she created a Christian home and she served in her community.

This community - this incredible Christian community that we call Christ Church - is made up of men and women like Lydia.  We sit down together, we listen, we worship, our hearts are opened to hear God's word and we serve. The Vestry has approved a request to establish a fund to help members of our community financially during times of great need.

Distributions from Lydia's Purse are handled by clergy.  All requests are confidential.  Members of our community that have financial needs should contact Rev. Paul Johnson directly.

If you would like to make a contribution to this fund, you may do so by check made payable to Christ Church ( with a note in the memo that is is for Lydia's Purse).