saint peter the apostle

Orthodox mission

jupiter, fl

Diocese of the South / Orthodox Church in America

Rev. Philip G. Kontos, Priest

6701 Mallard’s Cove Rd. #28B

Jupiter, FL 33458

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561-452-4876 (Church)

 561-747-5827 (Fr. Philip)

FrPhilip@stpeterjupiter.org

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12/14/2008

Sunday of the Holy Forefathers

Revised 04/23/2009

Bright Thursday

Christ is Risen!  Indeed He is Risen!

It is with great joy and with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop  +DMITRI that we announce that St. Peter the Apostle Orthodox Mission in Jupiter, FL is making an appeal for our building fund.  (addendum:  The blessing has not been rescinded since Vladyka's retirement, so the appeal continues).

               We understand that in today’s financial situation this seems like a lot to ask of you all….and it is, but the rewards will be greater than the expenditure.  Our Lord has told us not to worry about our material needs, that He would provide them for us.  It is through us and others that He works.  When we feed the hungry or clothe the naked we are doing this to the Lord, and yet He is also the one that helps us to do these good works.  To the poor and needy we become the hands of God that raise them up.  This is what the Church calls synergy. We work together with the Lord.  By our sacrificial giving we will be giving to the Lord and receiving from Him as well.  The Apostles provided the loaves and fishes and the Lord increased them.

               It has been said that the best form of evangelism is living the life of the Church.  For the past four years we have been blessed to do the best that we can with what we have, but we now have an opportunity to do even more.  Currently we are unable to offer the fullness of the Church’s worship simply because we do not have complete access to our meeting space.  We must borrow another Church’s space just to perform a funeral.  We cannot regularly celebrate Great Vespers. We must pick and choose which feast days we can celebrate a year in advance…and we have never been able to serve all of them.  We are blessed that we will be able to serve on the Nativity of the Lord this year, but we can only have that one day.  We cannot offer the full cycle of services that the Church prescribes and which is such a great blessing to those who attend.  Even the Israelites in the wilderness had their tent of meeting.  We do what we can, but we can do so much more and offer the Jupiter Community so much more if we had a temple of our own.  As we say before the Liturgy, it is time to begin the service to the Lord.  It is, indeed, the time.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Philip Kontos, Priest

St. Peter the Apostle Orthodox Mission