Consecration
of the Church
His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios has now advised us that it is his
intention to consecrate our church buildings on Sunday the 3rd
October this year. This will be a very important milestone in
the
history of our church and community - a consecration only happens once
in the life of a church.
His Eminence will arrive on the Saturday evening of the 2nd October to
serve Vespers in preparation for the various services on the Sunday
morning. The Sunday morning services will be followed by a
celebratory luncheon. We extend a warm welcome to all our
friends
to join us and we will also be inviting local dignatories.
Plans are at a very early stage but please put this in your diary.
We will be preceding this with a fundraising campaign in order to raise
about £100,000 to pay off our mortgage and personal loans.
If you wish to donate a sizaeable gift and become a godparent
of
the church or to sponsor some aspect of the consecration expenses
please speak to me. (Chairman contact details)
Plans are also afoot for a fundraising Greek food and musical evening
some time in September - should be great fun.
Your Servant in Christ
Gregory
Newsletter September and October
2010
Consecration
of our Church
His
Eminence
Archbishop Gregorios will preside over the Consecration of the Church
of the
Holy Apostles on the weekend of Saturday 2nd and
Sunday 3rd October.
This
is a unique
occasion in the life of our Orthodox Community. A
lot of preparation has already gone into
making this celebration run smoothly. Let us make a special effort to
be
present at each of the services. The Consecration is the culmination of
a
collective practical, as well as spiritual, effort which goes back 21
years to
our first Holy Liturgy held in Wigan.
Please
refer to
the enclosed texts for all the details regarding this special ceremony.
Be sure
to make a careful note of times and dates to avoid making other
arrangements
for that weekend (tea with great Uncle Bertie can be taken any time but
the
Consecration is the priority on the first weekend of October!!)
Godparents
etc.
Consecration
is
effectively the Baptism of our Church and God-parents
playan important
partin it. Please
read the attached paper about
this. Basically, by giving a gift to help pay our debts, you can be a
God-parent, Donor, Benefactor or Contributor, depending on how much you
decide
you can give. All these people will be remembered in prayer every
Sunday in
Father’s preparation of the Holy Gifts.
Altar
Servers' Vestments
Seven
new
Vestments have been ordered for the boys and men who serve
with Father. These should arrive from Thessaloniki by mid-September in
good
time for the Consecration. If you can help to pay for your Vestment or
pay in
full, please talk to Pres. Mary about this. If you would like to pay
for one of
these vestments for someone else, see Presbytera.
Greek Evening
Saturday
25th
September, at Leyland Hotel. Tickets are now
available at £20 each, inclusive of a Greek-style Buffet,
live music and
dancing! Invite family and friends to this fun evening. Ring Christos
on 01772 750684 for tickets.
Cleaning Days
And
now down to
practicalities!
Sunday 5th
September. After the Holy Liturgy we need as many
people as can stay to clean our Church.
Sunday
26th
September. This will be the final cleaning afternoon in
readiness for the Consecration weekend. Just bring your rubber gloves!All cleaning materials are
ready and waiting!
Supper -
Saturday 2nd October
There
will be a
break for refreshments between Vespers and Anointing
Service. Some savoury and sweet food is needed at this point in the
evening to
serve our special guests and other members of the congregation. If you
are
planning to prepare food for this Supper, please talk to Ekaterina
about it.
Also, help will be needed to prepare tables for these refreshments, to
serve
food and drinks and clear away afterwards.
Table Top Sale
Saturday 11th September, 11 am to 1pm. A sale of your unwanted items
will
take place in our Hall to raise money to help pay our debts. Prior to
the day,
we need help to set out all the goods you bring, and to price them. We
will
need help on the day to man the tables, prepare drinks for sale, and to
tidy up
afterwards.
So
please look
around your house, garage, etc and bring things you no
longer need but which could be useful for someone else. Only bring
clean items
in good working order. Anything really- toys, tools, ornaments,
unwanted gifts,
sports equipment, etc
If
you can bake
cakes for sale by the piece, people will love to buy
them, to munch with a cuppa and then spend some more money at the sale!
Many
thanks!
Service Details:
Sunday 10:30am Proskemidi
& Preparation Prayers
Sunday 11:00am Divine
Liturgy
Thursday 7.00pm Vespers
(Esperinos) followed by Study Group
Address:
Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles
403 Leyland Lane LEYLAND
PR25 1TA
