It is very easy to become discouraged, not only in the Christan life, but especially in the ministry of mission. In my own experience the resources have seemed too few, and the harvest too great. Walking around my home town I have sometimes felt the burden of all these souls who do not know Christ and are separated from the Orthodox Church. It can be an unbearable burden if we seek to carry it all alone, I mean apart from God. Indeed there is a sense that such a missionary burden can be a matter of pride. There are times in my life as an Orthodox Christian when I have hoped to organise the vast crowds of non-Orthodox into the Church and have assumed that merely organising some activity would be all that was ever required. More than that, it has been all to easy to fall into the trap of believing that if only resources were available then every missionary goal would be achieved.
I have had to learn several necessary lessons. I have learned that the ministry of mission is not accomplished in the first place by organisation, but by prayer and fasting. Indeed this season of Lent is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the period of fasting which our Lord engaged in before his own public ministry, and to consider that the period of the Apostles Fast also reminds us that their own spirit-filled ministry required prayer and fasting. St Paul and St Barnabas were set apart for their missionary ministry after prayer and fasting, and they themselves set apart presbyters in the Churches with prayer and fasting. Organising activities can be exciting, but the spiritual substance of any activity depends on prayer and fasting. With such spiritual activity anything is possible, but without it nothing lasting can be achieved.
I have also had to learn that the burden of the unreached is not mine, it belongs to the Lord, who loves these thousands and millions much more than I could ever do. Indeed he knows each one by name, knows all their circumstances, and is always seeking their salvation.
Matthew 9:37-38 teaches us, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
These verses show us that the harvest is the Lord's and not ours. It is He who will decide where and when it is to be brought in. These are His fields and not our own. We should feel a burden for the whole harvest, but it should not overwhelm us because it belongs to the Lord and not to any one of us. We are responsible for those things which God has given us to do. This is a liberating teaching. It allows us to be both prayerfully responsible and also to allow God to work out His will according to His own purposes. What is required of us is obedience. The harvest is the Lord's.
But of course this does not mean that we cannot fail to be obedient. It does not mean that we cannot fail to support those labourers whom God is sending into the fields. It is possible for us to be disobedient. There is both a need for obedient labourers, but also for obedience in praying for and supporting those who are labouring. The harvest is the Lord's but He allows us the grace to share with Him in bringing it in. Whether we are called to bring in much or little all that is asked of us is obedience.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Mission as it happens
I mentioned a little earlier that we were organising a Family and Friends Liturgy this past Sunday, not least because the beginning of Great Lent seemed an appropriate opportunity to pause and consider the meaning of our Christian life. We sent out quite a few emails to people we are more or less in contact with, and I wrote some note cards to a few people, personally inviting them.
On Sunday the Church looked beautiful. Members of the congregation had been in early to make sure everything was clean, and to arrange fresh flowers and light the candles. As usual it is never known who would respond, but we had prayed and left our organisation and efforts in God's hands, since the harvest belongs to the Lord.
By the time the Liturgy proper was underway we had 8 visitors, many of whom had never worshipped with us before. I made a point of greeting each one at the Kiss of Peace, and afterwards made sure that each received some of the anti-doran and a blessing. I had deliberately made use of the prospect of seeing some new faces to preach a sermon on fasting which considered its Biblical origins and its being part of the tradition of the Church from the very beginning.
Afterwards some of our congregation had prepared a buffet for us to share with our guests, and they all stayed for conversation and a light lunch with us. This is a useful means of inviting people to a fairly non-threatening situation, they are, after all, being categorised as Friends and Family. We will certainly be organising a similar event later in the year.
On Sunday the Church looked beautiful. Members of the congregation had been in early to make sure everything was clean, and to arrange fresh flowers and light the candles. As usual it is never known who would respond, but we had prayed and left our organisation and efforts in God's hands, since the harvest belongs to the Lord.
By the time the Liturgy proper was underway we had 8 visitors, many of whom had never worshipped with us before. I made a point of greeting each one at the Kiss of Peace, and afterwards made sure that each received some of the anti-doran and a blessing. I had deliberately made use of the prospect of seeing some new faces to preach a sermon on fasting which considered its Biblical origins and its being part of the tradition of the Church from the very beginning.
Afterwards some of our congregation had prepared a buffet for us to share with our guests, and they all stayed for conversation and a light lunch with us. This is a useful means of inviting people to a fairly non-threatening situation, they are, after all, being categorised as Friends and Family. We will certainly be organising a similar event later in the year.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Missionary History - St Ninian
In the 4th or 5th century in Britain, while the British Isles were still Orthodox, there was a kingdom in the north which straddled the Solway Firth, which now marks the border between England and Scotland. The ruler of this British kingdom had a son, who was baptised as an infant, because the people were nominally Christian, having become so during the period of Roman rule. He grew up a godly youth, but was dissatisfied with the state of the Christian community in his times and in the place where he lived. He left his father's court and travelled to Rome where he was welcomed, and placed in the care of those who could teach him the fulness of the Christian faith.
After some years, having proved himself to be devoted to the Christian life, he was consecrated to the episcopate by the Pope of Rome and was sent back to his own homeland as an apostle to his own people. He travelled north through Gaul and was blessed to spend some time with St Martin of Tours, one of those saints who introduced the practice of monasticism to the West. St Ninian asked that he might be allowed to take some stone masons with him which St Martin readily assented to.
It is written in the life of St Ninian that,
Upon his return to his own land a great multitude of the people went out to meet him; there was great joy among all, and wonderful devotion, and the praise of Christ sounded out on all sides, for they held him for a prophet. Straightway that active husbandman of the Lord proceeded to root up what had been ill planted, to scatter what had been ill gathered, to cast down what had been ill built. Having purged the minds of the faithful from all their errors, he began to lay in them the foundations of faith unfeigned; building thereon the gold of wisdom, the silver of knowledge, and the stones of good works: and all the things to be done by the faithful he both taught by word and illustrated by example, confirming it by many and great signs following.
He settled at a place called Whithorn, where there are still the remains of a monastic foundation, and the masons who had travelled with him built a stone Church which was called the White Church and was famous because until that time Churches had been built of timber. He was not content to establish a monastic community in his homeland, nor only to restore the fulness of the Christian faith, but he also travelled beyond his father's kingdom and preached among the Southern Picts, a people who had never known Christ. His success is measured by the number of church dedications bearing his name, both in the West where his Church of Whitchurch was found, and in the East, especially in the Kingdom of Fife.
The life of St Ninian can be read in its entirety here - Life of St Ninian by Aelred - but there are several lessons we can immediately learn as Orthodox concerned with mission.
i. It seems to me that a missionary is someone who is dissatisfied with the way things are, and especially with the spiritual state of his own people, or those people who have been placed on his heart as a burden.St Ninian was not content to see his own people living with less than the fulness of the Christian life which God desired for them.
ii. The missionary begins by seeking to perfect his own spiritual life before setting out to engage in a particular ministry. He is aware of those defects in his own spirituality, his lack of holiness, his lack of devotion, his lack of understanding, and he is determined to address these, even if it means leaving behind the comfort of his home and family. St Ninian travelled to Rome, a city almost an unimagineable distance away from his home and he stayed there for many years until he was himself prepared for his ministry.
iii. The missionary has a strong sense of being called to a particular people, whether the people of whom he is a part, or some other people that do not know Christ. In the first place this is an interior call, but it is confirmed by the authority of the Church. St Ninian travelled to Rome because he wished that his own people come to a fulness of faith, but he returned with the commission of the Church.
iv. The missionary builds a local community, a base from which his missionary activities can be conducted. St Ninian did not work alone, although he was sent alone. He travelled with companions, and taught with other members of his missionary band, and he belonged to a community.
v. Even while concerned with a particular people, the missionary is always looking for opportunities to extend the kingdom of God even further. St Ninian was not content to remain in the security of his own people once they had received for themselves the fulness of faith, but he went beyond his father's kingdom to the Picts, a fierce people who had never known Christ, and saw success in his preaching among them.
A short blog post is not the place to elaborate on the life of this wonderful early missionary to the British Isles, and his Life is well worth studying. But we can learn many lessons, even from the briefest overview.
After some years, having proved himself to be devoted to the Christian life, he was consecrated to the episcopate by the Pope of Rome and was sent back to his own homeland as an apostle to his own people. He travelled north through Gaul and was blessed to spend some time with St Martin of Tours, one of those saints who introduced the practice of monasticism to the West. St Ninian asked that he might be allowed to take some stone masons with him which St Martin readily assented to.
It is written in the life of St Ninian that,
Upon his return to his own land a great multitude of the people went out to meet him; there was great joy among all, and wonderful devotion, and the praise of Christ sounded out on all sides, for they held him for a prophet. Straightway that active husbandman of the Lord proceeded to root up what had been ill planted, to scatter what had been ill gathered, to cast down what had been ill built. Having purged the minds of the faithful from all their errors, he began to lay in them the foundations of faith unfeigned; building thereon the gold of wisdom, the silver of knowledge, and the stones of good works: and all the things to be done by the faithful he both taught by word and illustrated by example, confirming it by many and great signs following.
He settled at a place called Whithorn, where there are still the remains of a monastic foundation, and the masons who had travelled with him built a stone Church which was called the White Church and was famous because until that time Churches had been built of timber. He was not content to establish a monastic community in his homeland, nor only to restore the fulness of the Christian faith, but he also travelled beyond his father's kingdom and preached among the Southern Picts, a people who had never known Christ. His success is measured by the number of church dedications bearing his name, both in the West where his Church of Whitchurch was found, and in the East, especially in the Kingdom of Fife.
The life of St Ninian can be read in its entirety here - Life of St Ninian by Aelred - but there are several lessons we can immediately learn as Orthodox concerned with mission.
i. It seems to me that a missionary is someone who is dissatisfied with the way things are, and especially with the spiritual state of his own people, or those people who have been placed on his heart as a burden.St Ninian was not content to see his own people living with less than the fulness of the Christian life which God desired for them.
ii. The missionary begins by seeking to perfect his own spiritual life before setting out to engage in a particular ministry. He is aware of those defects in his own spirituality, his lack of holiness, his lack of devotion, his lack of understanding, and he is determined to address these, even if it means leaving behind the comfort of his home and family. St Ninian travelled to Rome, a city almost an unimagineable distance away from his home and he stayed there for many years until he was himself prepared for his ministry.
iii. The missionary has a strong sense of being called to a particular people, whether the people of whom he is a part, or some other people that do not know Christ. In the first place this is an interior call, but it is confirmed by the authority of the Church. St Ninian travelled to Rome because he wished that his own people come to a fulness of faith, but he returned with the commission of the Church.
iv. The missionary builds a local community, a base from which his missionary activities can be conducted. St Ninian did not work alone, although he was sent alone. He travelled with companions, and taught with other members of his missionary band, and he belonged to a community.
v. Even while concerned with a particular people, the missionary is always looking for opportunities to extend the kingdom of God even further. St Ninian was not content to remain in the security of his own people once they had received for themselves the fulness of faith, but he went beyond his father's kingdom to the Picts, a fierce people who had never known Christ, and saw success in his preaching among them.
A short blog post is not the place to elaborate on the life of this wonderful early missionary to the British Isles, and his Life is well worth studying. But we can learn many lessons, even from the briefest overview.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Missionary Activities - Becoming Orthodox book
Another resource I would urgently like us to be able to produce is a collection of contemporary accounts of the conversion of Orthodox Christians from various other backgrounds. One important aspect of the conversion process is being able to find the stories of others who have taken the same path and emerged at the other end safely, and indeed to find a more satisfying Christian experience.
If those reading this blog are converts, or know of converts, who would be willing to write a 3,000 word account of the journey, then these accounts would be very useful in producing a missionary resource that could be usefully and helpfully enjoyed by those considering Orthodoxy from a wide variety of situations, even from non-Christian religions and from atheism.
Please send an email to fatherpeter@britishorthodox.org if you are able to help with this project.
If those reading this blog are converts, or know of converts, who would be willing to write a 3,000 word account of the journey, then these accounts would be very useful in producing a missionary resource that could be usefully and helpfully enjoyed by those considering Orthodoxy from a wide variety of situations, even from non-Christian religions and from atheism.
Please send an email to fatherpeter@britishorthodox.org if you are able to help with this project.
Missionary Activities - Enquirers Instruction Course II
It seemed a good idea to create a website where the Enquirers Instruction Course could be published as it develops, with additional resources as well. Indeed the aim will be to have a website that introduces enquirers to all aspects of our Orthodox Faith and Life. I find it difficult to think of the best domain names, but I have registered Discovering Orthodoxy and as soon as possible I will design and develop a content managed system to allow me to present the content of the first module of the course. I have already created an installation of the CMS system I prefer to use.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Mission as it happens
We want to reach as many people as possible in our local area, but often it seems difficult to find the best means to suit our limited resources. It would be prohibitively expensive to use a bill board in the middle of town, and distributing leaflets only reaches those who are passing by while we are there. I noticed that there are quite a few empty shops in the main street, recent closures due to the downturn in the economy. It seemed to me that it would be worthwhile contacting some of the agents trying to lease the properties and try to negotiate some free or very cheap advertising in one of the windows.
What we are planning is to design two or three full colour roller banners, 2m x 0.85m. We have seen a great deal for buying 2 banners at once - just £75 ex vat. They come with full colour printing across the whole surface and a stand for each banner. I shall be trying to find the time to create two designs, and will post them here for the comments of interested supporters. Once I have the designs I will start approaching the property agents to see what can be negotiated.
The advantage of this approach, we hope, is that many more people will see information about our Orthodox Church and our Orthodox Faith. Indeed they will constantly be reminded as they walk up and down the main shopping street. If this small project is successful then we will consider rolling it out to other shopping centres in our immediate area.
As ever, your prayers and support are essential.
UPDATE: I am considering one banner describing our local Orthodox Church - who we are, where we are, when we meet, contact details etc. And the other banner describing some aspects of our Orthodox Faith - what is Orthodoxy?
What we are planning is to design two or three full colour roller banners, 2m x 0.85m. We have seen a great deal for buying 2 banners at once - just £75 ex vat. They come with full colour printing across the whole surface and a stand for each banner. I shall be trying to find the time to create two designs, and will post them here for the comments of interested supporters. Once I have the designs I will start approaching the property agents to see what can be negotiated.
The advantage of this approach, we hope, is that many more people will see information about our Orthodox Church and our Orthodox Faith. Indeed they will constantly be reminded as they walk up and down the main shopping street. If this small project is successful then we will consider rolling it out to other shopping centres in our immediate area.
As ever, your prayers and support are essential.
UPDATE: I am considering one banner describing our local Orthodox Church - who we are, where we are, when we meet, contact details etc. And the other banner describing some aspects of our Orthodox Faith - what is Orthodoxy?
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Missionary Activities - Enquirers Instruction Course
So many of the people who contact us, enquiring about the Orthodox Faith, live far from one of our British Orthodox Churches, and even far from Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Indian or other Oriental Orthodox communities. It has been a constant challenge to find materials that have been suitable to send out. There are high quality materials produced by Eastern Orthodox groups but these are never entirely consistent with our Oriental Orthodox Faith and Tradition. We hesitate to send out booklets, however well written otherwise, which refer to our Orthodox Churches as 'monophysite heretics'.
We believe that the time is now right for us to seek the support and material resources from friends and supporters to produce a high quality, comprehensive Instruction Course for British enquirers, which is entirely consistent with our Orthodox Faith in every regard, and which concentrates on our Oriental Orthodox Faith, History and Tradition. This is a major project, and we hope to include speakers and participants from a wide range of our Oriental Orthodox community. We are blessed in the UK, for instance, with Church leaders who are important scholars in their field of study.
This course will be made up of a variety of media including printed texts, audio lectures, and video presentations, and will be designed for both individual and group use. It will be produced as a pan-Orthodox resource, and so will draw on spiritual materials from all of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and will describe, relatively briefly of course, the variety of Churches in the Oriental Orthodox communion.
Here is an outline of the course as we are beginning to plan it. This is only a provisional outline and will undoubtedly change in content and in the order of presentation.
The first section of the course, An Introduction to Orthodoxy, will be completed as an initial project to help us to determine the content and format of the course as a whole. This will include written material, an audio presentation, a 15 minute video presentation, and an audio CD of selected chant from the various Oriental Orthodox communities. The continuing status of this introductory unit will be posted on this blog as developments take place.
We need your support to be able to sustain this major project. Please consider praying for our efforts, but also consider making a donation, however small. Please also mention this project to your priests and bishop, asking their prayerful consideration of supporting this venture.
We believe that the time is now right for us to seek the support and material resources from friends and supporters to produce a high quality, comprehensive Instruction Course for British enquirers, which is entirely consistent with our Orthodox Faith in every regard, and which concentrates on our Oriental Orthodox Faith, History and Tradition. This is a major project, and we hope to include speakers and participants from a wide range of our Oriental Orthodox community. We are blessed in the UK, for instance, with Church leaders who are important scholars in their field of study.
This course will be made up of a variety of media including printed texts, audio lectures, and video presentations, and will be designed for both individual and group use. It will be produced as a pan-Orthodox resource, and so will draw on spiritual materials from all of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and will describe, relatively briefly of course, the variety of Churches in the Oriental Orthodox communion.
Here is an outline of the course as we are beginning to plan it. This is only a provisional outline and will undoubtedly change in content and in the order of presentation.
- Introduction to Orthodoxy
- The Bible and Tradition
- The Holy Trinity
- The nature of Man
- The Fall
- God's plan of Salvation
- The Incarnation
- The Holy Spirit
- The Church
- The Christian Life
- Baptism and Chrismation
- The Eucharist
- Orthodox Spirituality I
- Orthodox Spirituality II
- Liturgy
- Church History
- Orthodoxy Today
The first section of the course, An Introduction to Orthodoxy, will be completed as an initial project to help us to determine the content and format of the course as a whole. This will include written material, an audio presentation, a 15 minute video presentation, and an audio CD of selected chant from the various Oriental Orthodox communities. The continuing status of this introductory unit will be posted on this blog as developments take place.
We need your support to be able to sustain this major project. Please consider praying for our efforts, but also consider making a donation, however small. Please also mention this project to your priests and bishop, asking their prayerful consideration of supporting this venture.
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