Newsletter

Oecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople 
Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain 

 Eastern Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God
 University Road, Bristol BS8 1SP 

Registered Charity No. 290747
Parish Priest: Archimandrite Kyril Jenner 

Christ is risen! 
Христóсъ воскрéсе!
Hristos a înviat!
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!
 

WEEKLY SERVICES


Saturday, 1st June
5:30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday, 2nd June
5TH SUNDAY OF PASCHA – THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
10:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
🍕🍕🍕PARISH LUNCH🍕🍕🍕

Saturday, 8th June
5:30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday, 9th June
6TH SUNDAY OF PASCHA – THE BLIND MAN
10:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy


 
Medevac Frontline thanks the parish for the £1000 donation that funded their successful trip to Cairo, and then on to Gaza, to deliver much-needed tourniquets to the ambulances of the Palestine red Crescent. More photos from the trip can be found on their website MEDEVAC FRONTLINE
 
BUILDING WORKS AROUND THE CHURCH

You may have noticed the scaffolding in the altar area! Cuthbert is happy to confirm that the stonework is complete. Next on the list of things to do is the repair of the stained glass windows and the lime plastering. The work has cost thousands of £££ and it will be a few thousand more to complete!


THANK YOU for your generous donations. Without this, we would not have a space to worship in. We are extremely blessed to have our own space that does not need to be shared with other users. If we look after it, the building will be sure to last a few more hundred years and serve our community for many generations to come. 
🕯 CANDLE PRICE RISE 🕯

Due to the rising costs of our candles, prices have been increased to the following::

Short candle – 25p each
Tall candle & narrow candle for the departed – 40p each
 
FOODBANK

Ring 0117 9235343 or text 07821 466497 if you need more information.
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest – Matthew 11:28

Please remember to bring an item for the foodbank when we are enjoying our lovely parish lunch together. 

When donating food please ensure that it has a ‘sell by date’ of at least 6 months in advance which is clearly marked.
🤲 EASY FUNDRAISING 🤲

Amazon have ended the charitable donations on purchases so if you intend to make online purchases please check out easyfundraising.org.uk. To get set up one has to register on the site first and nominate Orthodox Church Bristol

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ocbristol/

Thereafter every time you wish to purchase go to the easyfunding website and select the company you wish to purchase from. Once you have made a purchase the company then donates a small percentage.

There’s plenty of well-known brands participating so please do have a look!

ADULT CLASSES AFTER LITURGY- NOT JUST FOR CATECHISTS!

Cuthbert has set up a WhatsApp group for the catechism class, if you would like to join please message him on 07772 463880.  There will be links to various videos, books, and other resources. All are welcome to join! Try the following quiz to see if you could improve your knowledge of Orthodoxy:

1. How many sacraments are there?
2. How many wills does Jesus Christ have?
3. What is the Filioque?
4. How many Ecumenical Councils have there been?
5. Was the light that covered Christ on Mount Tabor created light, or uncreated light?
6. Which Theologian is known for distinguishing God’s Essence from His Energies?
7. Which Archbishop of Constantinople said the title “Theotokos”, “God Bearer”, was inappropriate for the Virgin Mary?

If you struggled to answer these questions, maybe it would be good to come to the class!
 

PARISH COOKBOOK

It would be a lovely thing to make a parish cookbook, featuring all of our parishioners’ favourite recipes. It would be for fundraising purposes for the church. Not only would it make a lovely gift for yourself and your friends (please buy at least 3 😉), but we also get to share our favourite foods! 

Please can you all submit your favourite recipe either by email or on paper, or just have a chat with me (Lauren). There will be no theme, simply submit what you like. 

SUNDAY GOSPEL READING (2nd June)
 JOHN 4:5-42 (NIV)

So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

GIFT AID

Are you a taxpayer? Do you put money into the donations box or Sunday collections?
As a charity, the Government will pay back to the Church the amount of tax you have paid on your donations. But for us not to miss out on the full amount, it is really helpful if you:

1) Complete a simple Gift Aid mandate form (available on the table at the back of the church – or just ask) and give it to our treasurer Neil;

2) and then put your donations into one of the little brown envelopes on the candle desk and then write your name on it.

3) The same applies if you are making donations online (see below) – we need your mandate form! That way our treasurer can account for it all to the tax man and get the full amount back.
 
SOME SAINTS & FEASTS OF THE WEEK
 
  • MONDAY 27TH – St Melangell, solitary at Pennant Melangell (c590).  St Bede the Venerable, Historian (735).
  • TUESDAY 28TH – St Eutychius, Bishop of Melitene (1c).  St Germanus (Germain) , Bishop of Paris (576). St Ignatius, Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov (1288).
  • WEDNESDAY 29TH – Martyr Theodosia, virgin, of Tyre (307/8). St John of Ustiug, Fool for Christ (1494).
  • THURSDAY 30TH – St Emmelia (Emily) of Caesaria, Mother of Ss Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Macrina and Peter of Sebaste (3/4c).
  • FRIDAY 31ST – Apostle Hermas of The Seventy (1c).
  • SATURDAY 1ST – Martyr Justin the Philosopher, and those with him at Rome: Martyrs JustinChariton and his wife CharitaEuelpistusHieraxPeonValerian and Justus (166).
  • SUNDAY 2ND – St. Odo, archbishop of Canterbury (959)
 

SUPPORTING OUR CHURCH 

We are thrilled to see so many people interacting with our services online. Maintaining our building and streaming the services costs money, so if you would like to donate to our regular collections, please use our bank details below:

Eastern Orthodox Church  
30-92-13 
Account: 02117705 

 





PLEASE BE AWARE MOST OF OUR SERVICES ARE LIVESTREAMED. 
COMMUNION IS NOT FILMED. 

CLASSES

An informal adult instruction group meets after the Liturgy most Sundays.

Online Sunday School:

Our Archdiocese of Thyateira is running a Monday evening online School for young people: 

    • 6-to-10-year-olds – 18:00 
    • 11-15 year olds – 18:40
    • 16-25 year olds – 19:30

Email youth@thyateira.org to sign up. See their web page for more details:  https://www.thyateira.org.uk/

Online Adult Class:

Our Archdiocese is also running a class for adults on Wednesdays evenings.  Link here.