February 4, 2011 Newsletter - The Baptism & Chrismation of our catechumen

The Baptism & Chrismation of our catechumen will take place on Sunday the 6th, early at 9:00 a.m., followed at 9:40 a.m. by the Hours' Prayers and at 10:00 a.m. by the Divine Liturgy, and then about 11:30 a.m. by lunch.

            And this Saturday the 5th at 5:00 p.m., Fr. Andrew will serve our semi­‑monthly Great Vespers, concluding about 5:50 p.m. and followed by confessions.
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            If one or two of our newsletter's readers are interested in helping support the work of St. George's Mission Station financially, the circumstances are described at the end of this issue.

            Our St. George's wall calendars for 2011, again published in full color by St. Tikhon's Seminary & Monastery, of South Canaan, Penna., remain available at eight dollars for purchase after services.
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            Our regular weekly services continue otherwise at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday, followed by refreshments.

            All of our services are held in our church building, at 300 East King Street, on the corner of Oakum Street, in Edenton; and visitors are always invited and welcome.

            A household willing to furnish a particular Sunday's refreshments or lunch may volunteer by e­‑mail reply or by calling our office at 482–2006.

            Our prayers are requested for Fr. Edward, for Mo. Katrina, for Jessica, for Chris's uncle Randall, and for their health; for the newly­‑departed Betty, that she may rest in peace, and for the newly­‑departed Joseph, that he may rest in peace; for Barbara's grandnephew Will, as he tests his monastic vocation; for Marcia, for James & Kate, for Joshua & his family, and for Kelly & her family; and for other households for whom our prayers are asked.
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            We thank our generous friend Steve Avent for having agreed and begun work to reconstruct our website; we hope shortly to announce its reopening and simultaneously the hanging of some new posters publicizing St. George's.
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            If one or two of our newsletter's readers are interested in helping support the work of St. George's financially for a time, here is our situation.

            Our mission station in Edenton receives no financial support from the Diocese (nor the national Church) but is funded entirely locally.

            The mission policy of our Diocese, developed after experimenting with various ventures, is to focus its church­‑planting funding on new missions targeted for the largest metropolitan areas that have yet no English Orthodox parish (versus a Greek parish with Greek liturgies); and so the Diocese has been establishing congregations accordingly in High Point and Wilmington most recently.

            Our Diocese moreover offers financial assistance to a mission when it's ready for its first full­‑time priest—the Diocese having found from experience that this policy also is consistently fruitful.

            But Edenton at present doesn't fall into either one of these two categories; and so it's been understood from the beginning that the mission here will need to be funded entirely locally, until it's ready for its first full­‑time priest.  And while of course we're ready, and looking, for our first resident priest, we're certainly not in a position yet to commit to a full­‑time employment.

            For the past two years our regular pledge income was enough to fund the necessary budget, but in recent months economic factors have affected, in terms of their income, also some in our congregation, besides the situation of some members with large student loans remaining to be paid, and the fact that most of those who attend are not established Orthodox adults—but are inquirers or visitors, or are children, or are still college students.

            Moreover the heating & cooling cost, especially with the increased number of days on which services are scheduled, has been substantially higher this cold winter than previously budgeted.

            Our regular expenses include the priest's stipend, his travel allowance and lodging here, the rent on the building, the utilities and insurance, the telephone listing and the website hosting, musical & sacramental & other liturgical supplies, kitchen supplies, postage & box rent, yard­‑care expenses, and miscellaneous items.

            Thus, until we have a chance to grow some more in terms of adult members who have finished college & graduate school and have made some progress on student loans, we'd be very grateful if there might be one or two or three households reading our newsletters who might feel led for a while to make a monthly, or quarterly, contribution to the mission work of St. George's here.

            Any such regular contributions, for a year or so perhaps, will help us avoid reducing our schedule of vespers & mid­‑week services, during the heating & cooling seasons of winter & summer, or our schedule of visits from our priest.

            Our mailing address is P.O. Box 38, Edenton, 27932; and all such contributions to St. George's Orthodox Church are tax­‑deductible of course.  Copies of each month's detailed treasurer's report are always available on the table in the parlor, or on request by postal mail.

            We in the congregation are laboring toward establishing a parish that will be pleasing to the Lord, and it's our hope that any friends of the mission station who wish to help will find their participation a blessing as we find ours to be.