The Shepherd, August 2005
BROOKWOOD NEWS, 2
VISITS TO “THE NORTH”
IN HIS RÔLE as dean of the English language parishes, Fr Alexis visited the St Werburgh Mission in Congleton over the weekend of 25th/26th June. He had hoped to go near their dedication festival in February, but plans had to be changed when the Archbishop visited London that weekend. On Sunday 24th July, he also concelebrated with Fr Paul Elliott in the catacomb church of the New Martyr the Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia in Birkenhead. This visit, although again it could not be arranged on their dedication feast, fell on the Sunday nearest the seventh anniversary of Fr Paul’s ordination to the priesthood. Thanks are especially due to Fr Paul and his presbytera, Elizabeth Jane, and to Mrs Barbara Worth for their hospitality.
WALKS AND TALKS
JOHN CLARKE, in giving guided walks around the Brookwood Cemetery, brought the West Middlesex Family History Group to visit the church on 2nd July. And again on 20th July, he brought a group from Bisley Women’s Institute. Fr Niphon showed the visitors the church and gave them a short talk about our Faith, worship and community. On both occasions, John kindly donated the honourariums he received from the groups to the new Monastery House Building Fund. On 29th July, an inter-denominational group, headed by the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar, held a meeting in the former RC chapel in the Cemetery to discuss various aspects of burial. Later, in giving them a tour of the cemetery, John Clarke brought them to St Edward’s Church where they stayed for about an hour, looking at the church and asking questions.
BUILDING FUND PROGRESS
AS WE ARE NOW approaching (or may have reached, taking into consideration accumulated interest and tax refunds due) the half-way point on our way to our £650,000 target figure, we have started approaching various grant-making trusts and charities to ask their support.
Without taking into account the tax refunds and interest accrued, which we cannot at present calculate, we have now collected £292,094.09p. (This figure also does not include promises to provide certain things for the new house - when realised these promised gifts will be worth something over and above £10,000). Again we thank all of you who have made this possible, especially for responding so swiftly to the appeal making it possible for us to approach the funds, who may support us, with some confidence and with evidence that the appeal is likely to succeed having been supported by the people closest to us.
In other news items we have mentioned various gifts to the fund. One more it well worthy of note, parishioner Anna Shavila went on a sponsored slim and has raised £190 so far for the fund. Also special thanks are due to Grace Meeking for doing the art work not only for the appeal brochures but also for the new inserts which we are sending out with them. Special thanks also to the anonymous donors who covered the costs of printing the brochures and the inserts. We thank everyone for their help, and ask your continued support and your prayers.
FREEWILL OFFERINGS
WE HAVE no collection in our services at Brookwood, - it seems to be an unnecessary intrusion and something approaching an attempt at coercing people to give! We simply have an almsbox at the back of the church in which people may put money for candles and other offerings, leaving them free to give as much or as little as they wish without feeling pressured. The average weekly takings from this box for the first six months of the year are as follows:- January £280.55; February £288.12; March £230.26; April £305.54; May £319.64 (N.B. In May, on one Sunday we did not have a Liturgy because of the consecration of the lower church at Harvard Road in London); and June £258.63. Our thanks to all who have contributed and supported our mission in this way. God’s blessings be yours. 
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PRACTICAL TIP
WE HAVE DEDICATED the “From the Fathers” section of this issue and the main article to the Orthodox understanding of the reading of the Scriptures, but it may be well to remind readers that we should also read other spiritual writings, primarily those of the Fathers that explain the Scriptures to us, their commentaries and sermons, but also the lives of the saints and other instructive works. Nowadays, it seems that many of us fall into one of two great temptations with regard to spiritual reading. Many neglect the reading of the Scriptures and other spiritual works altogether, and so their church practice simply becomes a following of certain rites, regulations and observances, but they are hardly nourished by it at all, and become, as it were, starved by their “Orthodoxy.” Others do read church things, but confine themselves to news and views, contentions and disputes - (how many of you, for instance, turn first to the news sections in this sad little rag?). Thus they come to know the arguments about everything, and can become adept at judging everything and everyone, and can have an opinion on everything that happens in the Church and indeed throughout the world, but similarly they are not interiorly nourished. Our minds need to be fed and they need to be fed with the good wholesome food of the teachings of the Scriptures and the Fathers. This spiritual nourishment does not just appear in our minds and hearts; just as we need to eat to fill our bellies, so everyday we need to read spiritually profitable works to nourish our hearts and minds.
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