Tag: Pastoral Notes

Dear Friends in Christ, We’ve entered Fall, a time when things should be starting to unwind. We’ve heard about the lazy days of Summer, but how many of us actually had a time to relax? All the things we end up doing make the time fly by. Soon, we will begin the Holiday Season, with… Continue reading Stepping Outside of Time

Dear Friends in Christ, September 2009 marks the first anniversary of Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church here in Greenville! On September 20 of last year we gathered for that first Vespers service, and joined together again the next morning for our first Divine Liturgy. Since that time, we have become an active part… Continue reading Our One Year Anniversary

Dear Friends in Christ, It’s hard to believe that we’re in August already, and we are almost about to celebrate the one year anniversary of the founding of our mission here in Greenville! One of the highlights of the month of August is the feast day of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which we celebrate… Continue reading The Dormition of the Theotokos

Dear Friends in Christ, With the recent passing of several celebrities, we are once again confronted with the reality of death. Whenever someone famous dies, the response is predictable; the modern world has developed its own set of funeral customs for the famous. Our first hint of the news is often from a gossip site;… Continue reading An Orthodox Take on Death

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” John 14:10. Dear Friends in Christ, In this passage from the Gospel of John, which we read at… Continue reading Righteousness Then and Now

Dear Friends in Christ, But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do… Continue reading God Remembers Our Labors of Love

March 2 marks the beginning of Lent this year for Orthodox Christians. Lent is a period of preparation for the greatest feast of the Church year, Pascha—the Resurrection of Christ. In order to be ready to celebrate this feast, the Church guides us through the season of Lent, which is a time of fasting geared… Continue reading As We Begin Lent

Have you ever been unsure about some aspect of who Jesus is? Or maybe you’ve heard someone on television preach something one way that sounds different from what you have heard before? You may have even seen a film where the Church is made out to be the bad guy, covering up the truth, such… Continue reading Doctrines and Spirituality

Dear Friends in Christ, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year and especially a Merry Christmas! For some of you reading this bulletin, you will have already celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord on December 25 with the civil, Gregorian, or “New” Calendar, while others are among those Orthodox who celebrate the… Continue reading On the Truth of the Old Calendar

Dear Friends in Christ, Thanksgiving has passed, and we are now jumping into the “Holiday Season.” Even in times of economic slowdown, shopping continues, and many of us will be invited to various holiday social functions at work, or at the homes of our family and friends. This is a good time to catch up… Continue reading How to Prepare for Christmas