St. Philip Orthodox Church

Teen S.O.Y.O. Trip to Holy Myrhhbearers Monastery, Otego, New York

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Very early on the morning of August 13, 5:30 a.m. to be exact, we left St Philip’s for the monastery. It was a long drive up, but it turned out to be totally worth it. Everyone was very welcoming upon our arrival; they almost immediately had us begin working!

The monastery is not what we would call "new," so it needs a lot of work done on it, and unfortunately with our lack of numbers and time we could not help them with as much as we would have liked, and as much as they need. Our first task was to move hundreds of hay bales from two huge wagons into the barn. It was a rough task, but the nuns were very thankful, because they said that it would have taken all of them two days to do that, whereas it took us two to three hours.

After that we got to meet many of their animals, which consist of goats, rams, sheep, chickens, cats, and two guard dogs. Some of us even got the chance to milk goats and bottle-feed baby goats.

Throughout the day we had a few church services, too. All of them were very spiritually beautiful.

Then in the afternoon, we moved all the contents (furniture, icons, etc.), out of a church building down the road and into a trailer. They hope soon to make this building a Bible study meeting place, after a group from Chicago comes and redoes the collapsing floor.

Our day ended with a very nice vigil and delicious dinner.

The next morning, a Sunday, we had liturgy with the nuns and their mission parishioners, and soon after, we left for our long journey home. It was an amazing experience, and we hope that next year we can go again with an even larger group.

By: Rachel Howanetz

Annual Lenten Retreat

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Saturday, March 10, 2012

FAITH & SCIENCE
Presented by Fr Victor Gorodenchuk
Pastor, St Stephen Cathedral, Philadelphia

In light of the history & nature of science, should we “dogmatize” that which current science believes is a well-established fact about such things as development of the Universe, of life, or of the writing of the Scriptures?

Is the story of Creation in Gen. 1 and 2 an attempt at a scientific description of how Creation happened? If science cannot explain everything about this world, is there another way in which we can approach Mystery?

Can there be a balance between scientific & mystical, between material & spiritual, between earth & heaven, so that the whole of Creation can lead us to the Creator?

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Babysitting & children’s activities will be provided. (Please call to register.)

There is no charge for this event.
To assist us in our planning, however, please call to let us know that you are coming.
~~ An offering will be received ~~

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Retreat Schedule:
9:00 a.m.    Welcome & Refreshments
9:30 a.m.    3rd Hour & 1st Session - What We Think We Know
10:45 a.m.         Break
11:00 a.m.        6th Hour & 2nd Session - Does the Scientific Approach Hold all the Keys?
12:30 p.m.        Lenten Luncheon
1:30 p.m.           3rd Session - The Creation Story in Genesis: More than Meets the Eye
3:00 p.m.             9th Hour & Akathist “Glory to God for all Things”
4:00 - 4:30 p.m.   Concluding remarks
                                  - Finding a Balance so all of Creation can lead us to the Creator
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.   Q & A, Coffee, Fellowship, Book Table, and Confessions
6:00 p.m.              Vespers

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Fr. Victor Gorodenchuk was born and raised in the Ukraine, which until early 1990s was part of Soviet Union. He grew up in a society that extolled science and often wrote off religion as only fit for the “uneducated.” After graduating High School, Fr. Victor went on to pursue his interest in physics and in 1995 received degree of Master of Science from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. While studying in Moscow, he discovered for himself Christian faith and through much discussion and reading was convinced of the truth of the beliefs of the Orthodox Church. In 1996, Fr. Victor received an opportunity to come to the United States to study at St. Tikhon's Theological Seminary. He was ordained to Holy Priesthood in 2004 and in 2005 he and his family moved to Philadelphia to serve at St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral. Fr. Victor continues to have a lively interest in the questions of relationship of faith and science, both as these questions are presented by our society and as they can be viewed in the light of continuing advancements in our understanding of the Creation.

Installation of Dormition Mural & Iconographer's Presentation

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Our new icon mural, the Dormition of the Theotokos, has been installed on the west wall of the church. On Saturday, August 13, we welcomed iconographer Nick Papas, who blessed us with a presentation on Church iconography and the Dormition icon mural in particular. The text of his presentation can be accessed here: Dormition-Meaning.

Uganda Mission Trip

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Penny McClintock is a nursing student and a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), and participated in a summer mission trip Uganda with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Following is her account of her experience.

The Work of the Holy Spirit is in Uganda

The OCMC - Orthodox Christian Mission Center - organizes many different mission trips, centered upon healthcare, teaching, or missionary work. As a twenty-one year old nursing student, I joined a healthcare team based in Uganda. We spent two weeks setting up healthcare clinics and administering basic medications through the Orthodox Church in Uganda. This experience was incredibly humbling, and one that I will carry with me in both my spiritual and professional life as a nurse.

Our first day of setting up a healthcare clinic in a small town in rural Uganda was a mild frenzy. Our small team of eight Americans, consisting of two doctors, three nurses, and two students, was faced with the great challenge of providing basic medical care and medications to over a hundred Ugandans crowding around a church door and open window, which we turned into a makeshift doctor’s office and pharmacy. Amid the chaotic crowds waiting to receive their medicine, the piles of triage cards, and the constant chatter of mixed English and Lugandan (the major language spoken in the district of Sembabule), we managed to successfully treat and provide medication to children with intestinal worms, families stricken with malaria, babies with fevers, scalps balding due to ringworm, and women and men suffering from various STDs. Most patients received their prescriptions with enormous smiles, saying “Webale” (meaning “thank you”), and would depart us with a shake of the hand in gratitude. It felt wonderful to provide these people with the medicine they needed, eat with them, discuss our lives together, and connect over sharing a common faith although living an entire ocean apart.

However, not every patient’s story was one of success that day. Of the hundreds of faces I met, the face of a teenage girl, simple and serene, held slightly crooked while she walked from the church on a crutch, stands out in my mind from that first clinic. We were able to diagnose the large infected wound in her shoulder as osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone and bone marrow. Without treatment, her infection was becoming progressively worse. Even though our team offered her grandfather enough money to provide her transportation to a hospital, he refused to take her, and we had to leave the town that day knowing we could do nothing to help her. And yet, as our van made its way down the red dirt road away from the church, she smiled at us with the most grateful eyes, and waved us on our way.

Over the course of the next week, our team vastly improved our efficiency in triage and prescription filling in the pharmacy. We would transform a stone church filled with wooden pews into a waiting area, examination area, shot area, wound care area, a working pharmacy, and a medication dispensary. Our team worked together, along with the help of some wonderful translators and Ugandan Orthodox priests, to take what we learned from the chaos of the first clinic and turn it into a smooth and systematic operation.

However, riding down the bumpy road to our last clinic, none of us were prepared to be faced with our biggest challenge yet. The church we had to work with was not a large, empty room filled with convenient wooden benches, but a dark, tiny hut made of mud and straw. We had only a couple benches to use for the doctors and pharmacy, and there was already a line of people eagerly awaiting our arrival. Because it was too dark inside the church for the doctors to see, we had to set up outside… and there were dark rainclouds forming in the distance. But although we were using boxes to make work tables, filling prescriptions in the back of a van, and grabbing the medicine and running inside the church every time we felt raindrops, we managed to see every single person who came to us that day. Just as the girl with osteomyelitis welcomed what little help we had for her, and did not pout at her misfortune but responded to us only with gratitude for what we could give her, I felt that our meager resources that day only made us more determined to run a successful clinic. Despite the simple setup, we provided the same quality of care and medicine, and felt even deeper the spirit of the people we had come to help, experiencing life the way they do each day. This spirit-one of hospitality, gratitude, love, and delight in simplicity- is the most striking mark of the people in Uganda, and the most evident way that our team was able to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in Africa.

Turkana Missions Walk

Sat, 21 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

About 22 St. Philip's parishioners, both children and adults, gathered on Saturday, May 21, 2011, for a Missions Walk to help raise money for the Turkana people in Kenya. The distance walked varied from person to person; some walked a half a mile, while others walked three miles. It was a beautiful day, sunny, light breeze, with a temperature around 78 degrees. A special thanks to the OCMC, all of those from St. Philip's who participated, and all our generous donors.

Basket Auction and Harvest Luncheon

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Women of St Philip's hosted a Basket Auction and Harvest Luncheon Saturday, November 13. Thirty-one beautiful baskets, valued from $125 to $375, were available for bidding. In addition, there was a 50/50 raffle and more than 50 door prizes were given to our guests.

Baskets were provided by the faithful of St Philip's, as well as a few area businesses. Thank you!

All proceeds benefit the St Philip's Needy Fund, supporting needy families at St Philip's and in our area.

Thanks to all who worked, attended, and supported this event. Watch for our next event scheduled for fall 2012!

Outreach Team Monthly Collection

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:13:12 -0400

The Outreach Team is implementing a monthly collection of personal care items which cannot be purchased on food stamps. Each month a different category of items will be collected and delivered to Manna on Main Street (Lansdale) and Keystone Opportunity Center (Souderton) for distribution to those in need.

Collection category for May is Bath & Shower items (including body powder & deodorant)
Collection category for June is Baby Care.

Thank you to all our faithful and generous donors!

See the Intelligencer article: Stamping Out Need