Why can't this be the Orthodox ??!!!

[TomS]

Excerpts from a "Pastor's Pen" article in the Viers Mill Baptist Church newsletter.

--

"For over 20 years VMB has worked in partnership with 5 different congregations. We have been doing a good thing, and we plan to continue.

But deciding to work with language and ethnic groups is a decision we made years ago. Fellowship and the Chinese mission were started 15 years ago, and the Spanish 21 years ago. Three years ago we started the ESL (English as a Second Language) Program along with 2 ESL Bible studies programs.

But is that enough? Are we resting on our laurels? No! We have a mandate form God! Not a suggestion, but an order! We are to be HIS witnesses throughout our community and our country.

In an area of growing diversity, how will we choose to be His witness? Or will we, instead, be content to sit back and complain about how our community is changing, and leave it to other Chrsitians to do the Lord's bidding? The decision has been made. We will not!

--

This reflects my thoughts exactly. I wish an article like this would appear in my GOA bulletin!    --

[David]

One thing the evangelicals do well that we can learn from is making good use of lay leaders for efforts such as this.  What we need are a few people to start an ESL program at a larger urban parish and incorporate catechism.  If a lay person wanted to do this, I'm sure he could get a blessing from his bishop to lead the Spanish(Chinese, etc) community in a reader's vespers or typika service, and the lay leader can teach the priest enough of the language so that he can at least administer the sacraments of the church(although confession will not go smoothly).

[Keble]

There is a substantial hispanic mission effort in the Episcopal Church; one can see the traces of it here and there in my area. I really don't know how it is organized.

It occurs to me that one possible problem that the Orthodox in this country might have is a heritage of the different jurisdictions as immigrant church. I sense that often enough the sense in some jurisdictions is that they are there to serve their own ethnic group.

[sinjinsmythe]

It occurs to me that one possible problem that the Orthodox in this country might have is a heritage of the different jurisdictions as immigrant church. I sense that often enough the sense in some jurisdictions is that they are there to serve their own ethnic group.

I think you are accurate in that assumption. Orthodoxy has been pretty much an immigrant church. That is changing somewhat now but you still see some jurisdictions serve their own ethnic group.

[Linus7]

My priest speaks fluent Spanish (he is a native of the Texas/Mexico border region) and is planning to begin celebrating the Divine Liturgy in Spanish. He needs an okay from the bishop, since there is a canonical problem (as I understand it) with holding the liturgy twice in one day by the same priest.

We have discussed starting ESL classes at our church for the numerous Hispanic immigrants in our area. That's on the drawing board.

[Gregory]

Linus --

Better to build another church then celebrate Liturgy twice on the same day.

Greg

[Anastasios]

The prohibition against two liturgies is meant to keep the community one.  There is one eucharist for each community, hence only one liturgy in one location in one day.

In the case of a language barrier where the Spanish speakers and the English speakers have no interraction (at least in the beginning) it would be acceptable to use economia and do two liturgies because one is not violating the intent of the original canon (to keep the community together).

anastasios

[David]

Or just modify your practice and have a spanish language liturgy on Saturday mornings.

[Anastasios]

yeah but that could give the idea to the Hispanics that worshipping on Sat. is the same thing as attending Church on the Lord's day--because believe me they'd probably not go to the English service on Sunday!

anastasios

[Anastasios]

Fr Thomas Mueller has a great tape published by SVS press called "The Changing Orthodox Parish" where he details how he took a dead Russian parish in the inner city and made it a growing multi-racial community.  You all would love it.

anastasios

[Keble]

Curiously, this week's theory on parish growth in the Episcopal Church seems to be that there should be as many liturgies as possible, so as to increase the overall size of the parish as much as possible.

[Elisha]

I'm pretty sure that at the ROCOR cathedral in SF, there are three liturgies serves by three different priests on three separate altars on Sunday.  There are side altars (on each side of the main one) behind the iconostasis as well AFAIK.

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