St. John of Shanghai Orthodox Mission's first liturgy was held Saturday, May 27th, at 10am, with most of our "core group" in attendance, and with the additional blessing of a number of our brothers and sisters from our mother parish, St. Herman's. It was wonderful to see our fledgling community working and worshipping together in the new building with which God has blessed us, and the support of St. Herman's was much appreciated. Friday's Daily Vespers service was also well-attended, and was an excellent preparation for the next morning's liturgy.
Many thanks to Gregory and Andrea's help in preparing the music and directing our little choir, to Peter, Judy, Aaron, and Abigail for rounding up so many small but essential items, to Fr. Lawrence for all his hints and tips and help in concelebrating with me, and to all who were in attendance and/or praying for our young community. Deanna's dedication is also worthy of note, having walked all the way from downtown Vancouver with the twins to celebrate with us! There are more that might be mentioned - Donna, Vivian, and Rhiannon, who rounded out our tiny choir, Brother Cyprian, who read and helped serve, Sister Angelina, who has prayed and prayed, Matushka Sarah, who made the prosphora - all-in-all, it was a vibrant reminder of the living reality of what it means to be the body of Christ, each one contributing to and building up the whole, according to the gifts each has been given by Him Who is our Head. Glory to God!
Our next liturgy is planned for 10am, June 10th, at Dunbar Lutheran, in celebration of the martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion. As this is Peter and Judy's family feast-day, we may well be doing something extra-special with them afterwards, so stay tuned!
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