Dear Friends
It was a great joy to welcome our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Silouan, to our community last weekend—to talk with him, listen to him and worship the living God together with him. But always we must keep Christ at the centre of what we do: each email starts with the key phrase,
preaching the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and inviting all to come to greater knowledge of the Father through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because this is the reason we exist. We are not here to preach Orthodoxy, or ancient customs, or conservatism, or liberalism, or any other ideology: rather we preach Christ.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
First Corinthians 2:1–5
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
We had the chance to speak with Sayidna about the future of our community. We told him how, in the two and a half years we have been holding public services, we have been blessed with numerical growth by the Lord. Sayidna was quick to remind us that growth in numbers is not the most important thing, far more important is the growth in each of the Faithful. Is our community a place where Christ is encountered or not? Do we foster repentance, turning away from sin, or do we encourage all to remain as they currently are?
Sayidna blessed us to explore possibilities of finding our own building which we could transform into a holy place, a sanctified place, a place where God is glorified. And we need you to do it. It would require each of to us to show greater faithfulness to the Lord, to be willing to offer to God our time, our talents, our energy and our money. But most of all, it will require prayer. Prayer to open our hearts to the Lord’s will for us, to place our hope and trust in God, to be willing to follow to a deeper level Christ who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)
Please pray, please pray in your homes, in your workplaces, in your schools and pray together in Church that we discern how Christ would have us follow him that we be worthy to call ourselves Christians.
Come and see!
We serve a meal following the Liturgy on Sundays. All are welcome.
Do you, or someone you know, want to join our mailing list and receive our weekly email? Then let me know.
Services this week
Friday 8th December
Discussion on the Epistle to the Hebrews, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 9th December
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 10th December
Matins & Divine Liturgy, 9 am
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We meet at St Francis’ Hall, Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 9JA. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the parish?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]