The Shepherd, December 2006
BROOKWOOD NEWS, 2
BUILDING FUND APPEAL
ON THIS, the last day of November, our Building Fund stands at £528,790.46, approximately 81.4% of our target figure of £650,000. We need to raise £555,000 by March to meet our commitment to the contractors, and, as the recent heavy rain storms demonstrated, we do need to go on and complete the whole project by replacing the church roof, which now leaks in several places. We therefore ask you to continue your generous giving to the Fund - please make it one of your almsgiving projects for the present fast. Our special thanks to James Harrin, who has made some very attractive calendars for 2007. Having sold some of these in his own parish, Ss Peter and Paul in Swindon (MP), and raised another £40 for the Building Fund, he has also sent some to us which are on sale at the back of the church - proceeds from these will also go towards the new Monastic House.
BUILDING PROGRESS
THE BUILDERS have completed the block work of the walls up to roof level, and are presently working on the wooden structure of the roof, and the brick and tile details for the windows, which will echo the similar work on St Edward’s Church, and thus help bring the group of the three buildings into a unity. Pictures of the progress are posted here.
FREEWILL OFFERINGS
THE WEEKLY offerings left in the almsbox at the entrance of the church for the first six months of 2006 averaged out as follows: January £252.04; February £227.28; March £231.88; April £393.11; May £316.22; June £371.73. Our thanks to all of you who contributed to the support of our community in this way. We purposely do not have collections during the Divine services and so are even more grateful to those of you who have freely contributed, without having a plate “pushed under your nose” during the time of prayer.
LETHAL ATTACK ON PRIEST!
A VIOLENT and unprovoked attack was made upon Fr Alexis on Friday 24th November at approximately 7.35 a.m. in North London. The assailant was some kind of hoody, dressed from head to foot in black, small of stature but full of energy. Fr Alexis was shaken but otherwise, thankfully, unharmed. The motive for the attack is unknown, but it appears to have been something to do with killing the Silly Goose who lays the golden eggs!
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
WITH THE BUILDERS IN, Fr Alexis gallivanting over the Western Christmas, and our life generally in uproar, we shall probably not have time to greet so many of you individually at Christmas this year as we usually do. Please forgive us for this and do not feel offended if you do not receive a card. Know that we shall be remembering you in our prayers. May the Lord God Himself, Who condescended to be born for us in Bethlehem of Judea, grant you His blessing at this holy season, and lighten your way through the year ahead. A Merry Christmas to all our readers, friends and supporters!
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PRACTICAL TIP
ST JOHN OF THE LADDER wisely tells us, “The Jew rejoices on Sabbaths and feast days; and a monk who is a glutton on Saturdays and Sundays. He counts beforehand the days till Pascha, and he prepares the food for it several days in advance. The slave of his belly calculates with what dishes he will celebrate the feast, but the servant of God considers with what spiritual gifts he may be enriched” (Step 14:7). Sadly this is not only true of monks (and nuns), but of many Orthodox people, and furthermore it is not the case only with Pascha and the end of the Great Lent, but of other feasts as well. There is nothing in our church tradition which would encourage us to be parsimonious about our celebrations, but now we are approaching the Nativity of the Saviour and the end of the fortyday fast, let us be careful and watch ourselves lest our whole emphasis be on what we will eat, on putting on a good spread. Remember that the essential feasting in the celebration is the participation in the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ on the very morning of this joyous festival, and not how we shall gorge ourselves after the Liturgy
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