St. Simon of Cyrene Orthodox Mission's aim is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all [things that He has] commanded” so that all people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth:
To preach, in accordance with God’s will, the fullness of the gospel of the Kingdom to the City of New Brunswick and to invite them to become members of the Orthodox Church.
To utilize for her mission the various languages and culture of the peoples of this city.
To be the body of Christ in New Brunswick and to be faithful to the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church.
A New Era in Evangelism and Outreach
“What are we doing about outreach to the Black community?” From the OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey.
Saturday, July 1, 2017, saw an historic event in the life of the Diocese of New York – New Jersey: the ordination of Subdeacon Samuel Davis, of Somerset, NJ, to the Holy Diaconate. While diaconal ordinations are not necessarily historic, Deacon Samuel is the first – ever – African-American to be ordained to this office in the history of the Diocese, and he is leading the planting and development of St. Simon of Cyrene Orthodox Mission in New Brunswick, NJ, an inner-city mission working on reaching inner-city Blacks and Hispanics. The mission originally started off several years ago in the Coptic Church, but after much prayer and reflection Samuel and his family left the Coptic Church and were united in 2016 to the Orthodox Church in Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Manville, NJ. A recent graduate of Pillar College, Samuel also served in the U.S. Air Force.
Deacon Samuel felt a strong calling to higher orders, and, after speaking with Archbishop Michael, was enrolled in the Diaconal Vocations Program and began his preparation for the Diaconate. Preparing for ordination while planting a new church is not easy. July 1, 2017 could not come soon enough, but when it finally did, Deacon Samuel remembers:
I did my very best to follow our tradition in preparation for ordination. Prayer, scripture reading, and fasting. Around 3 AM I woke up and the reality of ordination hit me. I began to recall the process to getting “here”. I was a bit overwhelmed. In the sense of looking back at what the Holy Spirit had done, not only in my life but everyone involved. On that day, the chapel set up for St. Simon’s at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM) Ukrainian Catholic Church was filled with 1 bishop, 7 priests, 1 deacon, 2 subdeacons (1 not for long!), and approximately 60 laypeople there to witness and give their prayerful support to the vision unfolding before their eyes. I truly felt the grace of the Holy Spirit while Archbishop Michael laid his hands on me. I felt renewed and a new sense of purpose and responsibility.Deacon Samuel’s ordination coincided with the completion of the first 6 months of the mission’s history, and a new chapter was now unfolding. St. Simon’s has a “permanent temporary” setup at NBVM, a chapel setup for their exclusive use. The chapel contains the very basics needed to conduct divine services with a deacon or reader. Certainly, there is much more that could be added to the chapel to increase the prayerful atmosphere that already greets members and guests upon their arrival. While the basics may be in place, donations and help are certainly appreciated! Among current needs are donors for the new icons on the iconostas (which can be viewed in pictures in this article): if you would like to sponsor any of these icons (Our Lord and Lady, St. Simon of Cyrene), please contact Deacon Samuel at samuel.davis339@gmail.com.
Deacon Samuel now serves Typica with Reserve Sacrament every Sunday morning, and Vespers the night before. Adult Education/Catechetical classes take place on Wednesday evenings at Deacon Samuel’s house. Outreach marketing heavily utilizes Facebook event advertising as well as word-of-mouth. Lay leadership is currently being put in place. Subdeacon Henry Hando directs a growing choir and serves as the mission’s primary Reader. Diaconissa Julitssa is preparing for the mission’s first year of church school. Already, attendance has increased 50% since the start of the year and continues to grow as more and more people seeking the “Ancient Faith” and “Early Church” discover Orthodoxy at St. Simon’s. And, this small but dynamic group of people prepare food and hygiene kits for distribution to the poor and homeless in the New Brunswick area as well as assistance to Syrian refugees via IOCC.
But beyond the basics of planting and starting a new church is the
wider vision of the mission’s specific and targeted outreach to Black
and Hispanic people in the urban setting of New Brunswick. There is a
growing awareness in the Historically Black Churches (HBCs) as well as
in the Pentecostal communions of this “Early Church” and “Ancient Faith”
– but the OCA has not been able to fully translate this interest and
awareness into dialogue and direction. St. Simon’s will be our diocese’s
first foray into this unchartered evangelical activity.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will bless this mission and those that will find Holy Faith in it!
St Simon of Cyrene, icon by the hand of fr Jerome Sanderson (more about the icon see here). The photo (& more photos) from here.
St Simon of Cyrene Orthodox Mission
Deacon Samuel Davis with friends (right the hagiographer fr Jerome Sandersom?), photo from the article of John Gresham St. Simon’s Day: Calendar & Common Ground.
THE BACKGROUND:
September 21, 2012 I began my journey into Holy Orthodoxy
through the rite of Baptism. After having been formed in the Coptic
tradition, my heart was filled with zeal to share faith with others. It
was at this time I requested the blessing of our bishop to plant a
mission parish in the city the New Brunswick. Having seen the example of
cross bearing in the life of St Simon of Cyrene we prayerfully took
the name of this great patron saint, the first to carry his cross for
Christ.
Four years later we are now awaiting our official reception
into the Orthodox Church of America Diocese of New York & New
Jersey. Join us December 17, 2016 at SS Peter and Paul Orthodox Church 605 Washington Ave Manville, NJ to celebrate this historic occasion. The following day we will be hosting our first service at our new location, 2 King Arthur Ct. North Brunswick, NJ.
Our bishop, HE (His Eminence) Archbishop Michael was a
seminarian at the end of the Civil Rights Movement. It was at this time
he had a deep concern and zeal to share the richness of Holy Orthodoxy
with those in the African diaspora. It is with the very same desire HE
Archbishop Michael has commissioned us to be the first of many to
complete this mission.
Our mission is very simple; to spread the love of
Jesus Christ in the city of New Brunswick and its surrounding areas, by
restoring the Orthodox faith, Tradition, and rites. To serve the needs
of the poor and outcast, the “little ones” who have no power of their
own. As a parish of purpose, it is our desire to live in the pattern of
Jesus Christ, to be an imitation of loving sacrifice for others in
obedience to God.
ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN: Project New Brunswick
The objective of this Church Building Fund Campaign is to
build a parish with the purpose of restoring ancient Christianity to
those whose predecessors were among Christianity’s first converts.
Restoration is not easy. Being the first of many like-minded parishes,
ours will be the messiest in this effort. Along with meeting the needs
of our building budget, there are many needs that need to fill in order
to plant a Orthodox parish for this community. It is in our interest
once this fund is complete to center our attention on raising funds for
our working poor and homeless outreach along with our education program,
The Marcus Garvey and St Athanasius Academy. We strongly believe
through these to outreach efforts we can help bring about much needed
restoration and healing to those within the city of New Brunswick and it
neighboring towns. This project will be funded by two main sources: our
internal building fund campaign (including tithes and offerings), and
external financing.
The Road to Calvary, icon from the page of the Mission
THE BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT:
At the completion of this project, St Simon of Cyrene
Orthodox Church and this community will benefit from the following, but
not be limited to:
- A sense of security to the community
- Family enrichment and the cultivation of healthy social living
- A decrease in crime, and an increase in economic development
- An increase in membership and giving
- The development of community jobs (i.e. daycare, summer camps)
- A sanctuary that will accommodate up to 300 parishioners
- Class rooms for meetings and youth education
- A central location to provide food and clothing to the community
- Partnering with the local schools for after school and supplemental programs (i.e. tutoring, literacy, community service)
- Family enrichment and the cultivation of healthy social living
- A decrease in crime, and an increase in economic development
- An increase in membership and giving
- The development of community jobs (i.e. daycare, summer camps)
- A sanctuary that will accommodate up to 300 parishioners
- Class rooms for meetings and youth education
- A central location to provide food and clothing to the community
- Partnering with the local schools for after school and supplemental programs (i.e. tutoring, literacy, community service)
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
In the next 88 days we need to raise $13,700, and this is
how you can help! Donations in any amount can be accepted via this page
or you may mail a check or money order to:
Mailing Address:
OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey
33 Hewitt Ave
Bronxville NY 10708
OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey
33 Hewitt Ave
Bronxville NY 10708
info@nynjoca.org
914 770 6580
914 770 6580
*Make checks payable to:
OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey
Memo: Project New Brunswick/St Simon’s
OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey
Memo: Project New Brunswick/St Simon’s
THE MATH:
500 people give $27.40=$13,700
250 people give $54.80=$13,700
150 people give $91=$13,700
100 people give $137=$13,700
50 people give $274=$13,700
25 people give $548=$13700
250 people give $54.80=$13,700
150 people give $91=$13,700
100 people give $137=$13,700
50 people give $274=$13,700
25 people give $548=$13700
WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER! If everyone on your Facebook friends list gave at least $5.00 we will reach our goal within hours!
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity!
Samuel Davis
St Simon of Cyrene Mission
OCA Diocese of NY & NJ
St Simon of Cyrene Mission
OCA Diocese of NY & NJ
A picture is worth a thousand words. Or more. here.
Word of st Paisios
When
someone is cursing, blaspheming, or being impudent, it is better to
pretend to be busy and not listening and to say the Jesus Prayer. For,
if he sees that you are paying attention to him, he may continue to
curse all the more, and you can then become a cause for his demonic
influence. If, however, one is not impudent but is conscientious and
curses out of a bad habit, you can say something to him. If, again, one
is conscientious but has a great deal of egoism, you must be careful not
to speak sternly to him but, rather, you have to be as humble as you
can and speak to him with pain.
Elder Paisios of Mount Athos Spiritual
Counsels Vol. II Spiritual Awakening 66.
Saint Paisios (graffiti in the Greek Island Samos), from the post Saint Paisios in the Youth Culture of Greece (photos + video)
*****
To paraphrase the Golden-mouth: “If you ask your parishioners, “Who was Amos or Obadiah, or what is the number of the Prophets or Apostles?” they cannot even open their mouths. But for football and basketball teams, they make excuses more clever than politicians, and after all this, they say, “What’s the problem? What’s the issue? This is what I long for.” The problem is you don’t even know that this preoccupation is a waste of time, and you don’t have a sense of its evils.
God has given you a certain amount of life for serving Him, and while you spend it wastefully, at random, on nothing useful, you still ask, “What’s the problem?” If you have spent a little money for no reason, you call it a waste, but when you spend whole days on the devil's entertainment, do you think that you are doing nothing wrong?
You ought to spend all your life in supplications and prayers, but you
waste your life and wealth stupidly, and to your own harm—on noise, and
uproar, and obscenity, and fighting, and vulgarity, and deception, and
after all this you ask, “What’s the problem?” You don’t realize you
should be lavish with anything except time. ()
See also
St. Simon’s Day: Calendar & Common Ground
A Proposal to Celebrate Saint Simon of Cyrene Day, February 27th
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
African Initiated Churches in Search of Orthodoxy...
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
African Initiated Churches in Search of Orthodoxy...
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
Ancient Christian faith (Orthodox Church) in Africa
African-American Orthodoxy — Eight principal areas of convergence between African spirituality and Ancient Christianity
Fr. Moses Berry, a descendant of African slaves, Orthodox priest and teacher in USA
Orthodox African Americans
African-American Orthodoxy — Eight principal areas of convergence between African spirituality and Ancient Christianity
Fr. Moses Berry, a descendant of African slaves, Orthodox priest and teacher in USA
Orthodox African Americans
Native American Pathways to Orthodoxy
Orthodox Saints and the Future of America
A Native American chief's 'secret path' to Orthodoxy
Travelers on the Way to the LightOrthodox Saints and the Future of America
A Native American chief's 'secret path' to Orthodoxy
OBSERVING THE FEAST DAYS OF THE AFRICAN SAINTS
The Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
St Mary of Egypt, a multi-cultural orthodox community in Kansas CityThe Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
St Nicholas of Japan, a multi-ethnic orthodox parish in Johannesburg
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