Renovations and Iconostasis Completed
By the grace of God, with a generous grant from the Diocese of the South of the OCA, and with much effort by dozens of committed parishioners, St. Athanasius completed renovations on our church facility in South Nicholasville. Fr. Justin Patterson led the faithful in blessing the new improvements at the conclusion of the Liturgy on St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6).
Among the most significant labors was our construction of our parish’s first more or less complete iconostasis. More than a dozen volunteers worked hundreds of man-hours to build our new icon screen. We are in the process of commissioning hand-painted icons to adorn it. In addition to our n
ew iconostasis, volunteers repainted our entire church facility, acquired new pieces of furniture, and updated restroom fixtures. We also were able to fund the thorough cleaning of all our carpets and to recarpet the altar area.
Our goal in these efforts has been to make our existing space both more usable and beautiful as we prepare to launch an intense building campaign to construct a temple on our parish’s land outside of Nicholasville. Thanks to all who lent us support in this time of growth and development!
Fr. Daniel Byantoro Speaks at St. Athanasius
Fr. Daniel, the founding priest of the Indonesian Orthodox Church and convert to Christianity from Islam, is spending two evenings with St. Athanasius. On Tuesday, Dec. 15th, at 7:30pm, Fr. Daniel will be speaking about the “Orthodox Christian Spiritual Life.” The following evening, Wednesday the 16th, also at 7:30pm (following Vespers), Fr. Daniel will be sharing about his work helping to establish and grow the Orthodox Church in what often proves to be a hostile environment. We invite everybody to join us for these events. For more information on Fr. Daniel and how to support his vital work in Indonesia, please visit http://www.friendsofindonesia.org/ We will be taking up a collection for him each evening he is with us.
Mission Work Continues in Whitesburg, KY
The third of our fall outreach weekends in Eastern Kentucky is scheduled for Dec. 12-13 and will include services and fellowship on both days.
All services and talks will be held at Graham Presbyterian Church (in downtown Whitesburg behind the courthouse) in the downstairs chapel:
- Vespers, 4pm Saturday afternoon
- Typika (Morning Prayer), 8:30am Sunday
- Vespers, 4pm Sunday afternoon
Sunday afternoon Vespers will be followed by a talk on the Meaning of Christmas in the Orthodox Church. Please contact Fr. Justin at St. Athanasius for more information about any of these services (859-361-2823).