Courtesy http://www.gocraleigh.org:
On Saturday, January 1/14, the feast of the Circumcision of Christ and St. Basil, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia in order to minister to several families who belong to our Holy Metropolis.
Over a decade ago, there existed a mission parish aligned with another True Orthodox jurisdiction, which unfortunately closed due to the difficulties of mission life and the wiles of the Enemy. One area family from this effort remained faithful, however, and continued to celebrate Reader’s services each week, inviting a priest to serve once or twice a year in their chapel.
Changing circumstances led them to contact me in June 2010, and after much prayer and research, they aligned themselves with our Holy Synod. Plans were laid for a visit, which culminated in this blessed weekend. In addition to the organizing family, their sister, brother-in-law, and children came in from out of town. A local family of Bulgarians who had returned to the Old Calendar—and faced great adversity in Bulgaria for so doing—also attended, and finally a Protestant family with ties to the organizers attended in order to learn more about the Orthodox Christian faith.
We celebrated a full cycle of services: Vespers, Compline with communion prayers, Matins, and Divine Liturgy. Including myself, there were fourteen people in attendance. This was without advertising to the public, as we wished to gather together first in prayer before considering what the next step would be. We are curious, though, how many other families might be interested in the area!
At the conclusion of liturgy, we enjoyed a fellowship meal together, and a lively, three-hour discussion ensued, during which our Protestant guests asked vigorous questions about the Orthodox faith. After their departure, I remained with the organizing family the remainder of the day, and departed Monday back to Raleigh, filled with hope and thanking God for His great blessings.
If you live in Atlanta and would like to be part of our efforts, please contact me at (919) 827-4945 or gocraleigh@gmail.com.
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