Month: March 2011
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Orthodox Mission Work in Eastern Carolina
Our first mission plant in the region is Nativity of the Holy Theotokos, a Greek Orthodox Church in Greenville, North Carolina. Currently, the mission is growing steadily and we hope to attain full parish status in a few years. Members and regular visitors come from all over Eastern Carolina to attend worship: Greenville, Blounts Creek, Washington, New Bern, Kinston, Belhaven, etc. Some drive 70 miles each way every week in order to participate!
We hope that just as Nativity of the Holy Theotokos was planted with help from members of St. Mark the Evangelist Orthodox Church in Raleigh, our parish will one day soon be able to branch out through its diverse members and plant missions in other areas of Eastern Carolina in order to further the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and spread knowledge of His Holy Church, the Orthodox Christian Church.
We are painfully aware of the lack of an Orthodox Christian presence in Rocky Mount, Wilson, Goldsboro, and other parts of our state. While we are small, God has already accomplished so much through us; we have faith that as interested parties arise in these other areas, they will be called to join us in our work, initially making the sacrifice of driving to Greenville as often as possible, and then one day working with us to open a mission in their area.
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The Sign of the Cross
Dear Friends in Christ,
I’m writing this message the week before the Third Sunday of Lent, when we commemorate the Holy Cross. The Holy Cross has such an important meaning to us, that we celebrate it twice a year. Back in September’s bulletin, I wrote about the appearances of the Cross in history. Appearances of the Cross led to such miracles as the conversion of the Emperor St. Constantine in AD 312. Since we’ve so recently covered the appearances of the Cross, I would like to take this opportunity to speak about a related subject, namely, the Sign of the Cross.
Humans seem to have a natural desire to identify themselves as part of a group. One of the ways that members of a group identify themselves to one another, and cement their ties, is by the use of signs. A well-executed performance elicits a thumbs-up, the peace sign became a symbol of a generation opposed to war, and a certain obscene gesture can be used to insult others. The handshake is used to greet and to seal a deal, and a salute is used to show obedience to a superior.
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Icons and Informality
Dear Friends in Christ,
Oftentimes, one of the first things that our Non-Orthodox friends notice when they enter an Orthodox Church are the icons. Icons are pictures of Christ, His Mother, and the saints, which are hung or painted directly onto the walls of our churches and monasteries. They are often called “windows into Heaven.” How often do we think about them more deeply, though? Icons are one of those things that just make our faith more “real” (by real, of course, I mean tangible), and yet isn’t it remarkable that that which is “down-to-earth” succeeds in becoming a “window into Heaven”? Icons also are essential in our modern times to counteract the culture of over-informality and reintroduce reverence and awe.