The Shepherd, November 2004
BROOKWOOD NEWS
TENTH ANNIVERSARY
On 29th October this year, Fr Peter Baulk celebrated the tenth anniversary of his ordination to the sacred priesthood. On the nearest Sunday that he was serving at Saint Edward’s, 17th October, on behalf of the Brotherhood and the parishioners, Fr Niphon presented him with a new set of priestly vestments, sewn by the sisters of the Holy Nativity Convent in Boston. A collection had been made to raise the money for the vestments, and extensive scientific investigations had been conducted to ascertain the exact size necessary, and for his part Fr Niphon composed a short speech, which he delivered at the end of the Sunday Liturgy as he made the presentation to Fr Peter. We pray that the Lord God will continue to bless Fr Peter’s ministry in His Church and will grant him Many Years! Many Years, too, to Fr Thomas Hardy, who serves at the Harvard Road church in London, and was ordained the day after Fr Peter in 1994.
VISIT FROM SERBIA
Hieromonk Andrei and two novices from the Monastery of St Stephen in Belgrade joined our Brotherhood for Vespers on Tuesday 5th October.
BBC INTERVIEW
On the same day, a BBC World Service recording crew unexpectedly visited Saint Edward’s and were present for part of Vespers. They taped an interview with Fr Niphon which is due to be broadcast somewhen in January.
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
On 20th October, under the guidance of our fundraising consultant, Graham Collings, we held the first meeting of our Appeal Committee, which has been called together to initiate the appeal to raise funds for our new monastic house and for renovation work on the church and old mortuary building. Those attending were: Fr Alexis, Cllr Philip Goldenberg, Graham Collings, our architect Irina Aldersley, our treasurer Elizabeth Castle, John Clarke, Ivan Aleksic MBE, Michael Knupffer, Thomas Loring, Christopher Shaw, Elizabeth Meade, and James Merritt - minutes secretary. On this occasion two members, who have offered to help us, Chrysanthy Lemos and David Dromgoole, were unable to be with us. The next meeting is scheduled for 24th November. There will also be a short presentation about our plans for those attending church after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday 7th November.
ICON GIFT
Parishioner Annie Shaw has kindly presented to Saint Edward’s church an icon of Saint Gregory Palamas, the Archbishop of Thessalonica - this beautiful icon was painted by Annie herself.
WOKING GALLERIES
On the initiative of Tina Cockett, Fr Alexis was invited to attend a Teachers’ Preview of Woking’s Black History Month’s presentation, “The Hidden History of the Muslim Burial Ground, Horsell Common,” on 7th October at the Surrey History Centre in Woking. This was so that he would have some idea of how to arrange the exhibition at the Brotherhood, which is required of us by the planning authorities. In fact not only was that instructive, but the presentation itself was extremely interesting, and after it he and a three others were kindly given a tour of the whole History Centre, and were able to see what goes on there behind-the-scenes.
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PRACTICAL TIP
BY THE TIME we have completed November according to the Orthodox Church Calendar, we shall be almost upon the Roman Christmas celebration. Forty years ago, this was celebrated perhaps with a Carol service on the preceding Sunday, and with end-of-term Christmas parties for school-children, but otherwise the celebration of the feast was kept for the feast day itself, for Boxing Day and the days that followed (properly, if not popularly, up till Twelfth Night). At home, even Christmas decorations were not put up until Christmas Eve. Now all that has changed. What one can perhaps now only call the “secular Christmas” is celebrated with lights and decorations, with partying and drunkenness and revelry for weeks ahead of the day itself, and it all seems to end abruptly on 25th December, so that the next festival of consumerism, the “January Sales,” can begin on 26th. This poses problems for the conscientious Orthodox Christian, and conflicts necessarily arise. Orthodox keep a forty-day fast in preparation for their celebration of the Lord’s Nativity, breaking it only after the Liturgy on the day itself. We should therefore try to avoid getting involved in the secular celebration as much as is possible. Drunkenness, revelry and partying should have no part in a committed Christian’s life in any case. At any time they are things to be avoided, but especially so in the fasts. Of course, there may be occasions, when for familial and social reasons, some participation in the secular celebration cannot and should not be avoided, but we should try to keep this to a minimum and ensure that we only join in gatherings where convivial companionship is the order of the day rather than revelling. 
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