The Shepherd, February 2006
BROOKWOOD NEWS, 2
BUILDING FUND PROGRESS
ON THE INITIATIVE of Mary O’Brien, and with the blessing of Archpriest Victor Potapov, the St John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, held a Benefit Meal in aid of our Building Fund on Sunday, 4th December, which was also the festival of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple. They raised the equivalent of £950 for us, and we are very grateful to them. We have also recently received two generous donations from private donors, as well as gifts from the Temple Gallery and from the Parish of St Helen in Colchester (Antiochian). These and other gifts have brought our present total (not including interest and tax rebates due) to £357,346.40p, (54.98% of our target figure). May God’s blessing be upon all of you who have contributed generously.
BUILDING PROGRESS
AT THE TIME of going to press, our Employer’s Agent, Tony Sumners of the King Sumners Partnership has asked a number of surveyors to give quotes for the land and site assessment surveys at the place where we hope to build the new monastery house. Mrs Irina Aldersley, our architect, is putting the finishing touches to the plans for the remodelling of the Old Mortuary building so as to comply with the requirements of our planning consent that we have an exhibition here demonstrating the history of the site.
A REQUEST
AS STATED in a letter which we handed out to worshippers on Christmas Day, including the tax rebates due to us and the interest accrued on the monies we have collected, we have now nearly raised £400,000 of our £650,000 target figure. Indeed, with the donations received since the Orthodox Christmas celebration (£10,071.15), we may even have passed the £400,000 mark. This has given us confidence to contemplate starting the actual building of the new house in the early Summer months. However, there is, as the proverb says, many a slip twixt cup and lip, and it might be that if we embark on the building itself, we may need to negotiate a bridging loan to ensure that the whole work can be finished in one stage. Such loans can be expensive, and therefore we are now asking any readers who may not wish to make an outright gift to the Building Fund whether they would be able to help by offering an interest free loan to cover part of any likely shortfall in funds. Such offers would be greatly appreciated. If you think you may be able to help in this way, please contact the Brotherhood.
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Summer School of Liturgical Music At Holy Trinity Seminary
ON 17th JANUARY, the Very Rev’d Fr Andre Papkov sent out this appeal:-
“I am writing you on behalf of the Summer School of Liturgical Music to request your financial support for a project that we will be undertaking this summer in honour of the Summer School’s 15 year anniversary and the 75th anniversary of the founding of Holy Trinity Monastery. The Summer School of Liturgical Music at Holy Trinity Seminary was established with the blessing of the Rector of the Seminary, Metropolitan Laurus. The full course of study consists of three summer sessions, at the end of which the graduates will be certified as church choir directors and/or readers. Without a doubt, this school is one of the pre-eminent institutions for the training of church musicians. Since the school’s founding in 1992 we have graduated 50 people of various jurisdictions and in July of 2006, with the blessing of Metropolitan Laurus, the Summer School Jubilee Choir, which will be comprised of a select group of alumni, will be recording a CD at Holy Trinity Monastery. We have everything in place: the singers, the equipment, the space, the conductor, the voice coach, music consultants, and the sound engineer and the funding necessary to cover these items. The only thing needed is the financial support for the actual production of the CD and to house and feed the people involved. That’s where you can help. The completion of the CD project will cost approximately $4000-$6000 and we are appealing to you, as supporters of Orthodox liturgical music and friends of the Summer School to help us cover the cost of this portion of the project. If possible, please send your generous donation … by June 1, 2006 so we can better plan the recording schedule. However, we will be happy to accept your donation at any time.
Yours in Christ,
The V. Rev. Andre Papkov Director,
Summer School of Liturgical Music
All donations sent to Saint Edward Brotherhood and earmarked for this appeal will be forwarded to Fr Andre, via our dollars account.
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PRACTICAL TIP
PEOPLE often complain that they do not have time to say their prayers, or read the Scriptures and other edifying works, but usually this is an excuse. Rather they should be confessing that they do not have the inclination to do these things. But if one really does not have time, then the answer is to make time! Set the alarm to go off ten or twenty minutes earlier, and then you will have time to say your morning prayers. Stop what you are doing earlier in the evening, and then you will find time to say the prayers before sleep. Plan you week around your church observance, rather than planning everything else first and leaving church as an also-ran. Watch yourself. You will notice that you are able to make time for all sorts of other things in life, so why not make time also for what should be the most important thing in your life?
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