NEW BUILDING FOR OUR PARISH WORSHIP!
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Dear Brothers and Sisters! With joy and gratefulness to God, and relying on the Most-Holy Mother of God, I announce with this post that our parish in Austin has acquired a new place in which to worship. Just north of the Austin line, in Pflugerville, at 1701 Peridot Rd., our new church property covers nearly an acre of land. For a Word document full of pictures, click here. There is plenty of parking. The main building and small second building amount to over 3600 square feet for our community and residential space for me so I can live at the church and serve you better. The building is all of red brick with high ceilings. It is energy-efficient. It contains enough rooms and space for a church (temple), a large vestry or sacristy with church storage, a bookstore, classroom, media room, kitchen, trapeza (dining area), utility room, guest room, priest room, two large garages, and a pleasant backyard. Situated in a middle to upper-middle class neighborhood, the new church at Peridot and Kodiak stands out nicely among surrounding buildings. We should remember in our prayers the anonymous benefactor by whose generosity and faith it became possible to purchase this property. A $161,000 bequest allowed us to make a 50% down-payment. We should also bear in mind the new responsibilities which come with the new property. Our mortgage and other monthly obligations will total nearly $2,000--which is within the reach of our current pledged level of support, but just by a hair. I appeal to you all, brothers, sisters, friends from all backgrounds: reflect. See if there is some way you can pledge support for our community. Kindly help us. Even a pledge of $10 per month will go a long way to helping our community to do its work for the holy gospel of Christ, in the greater Austin area. We already have generous funds established for the purpose of feeding the hungry and helping those in need. Thus far, these have bought groceries for poor families and eyeglasses for a poor man who needed them. Help us increase the ways we are able to serve people loved by God--whether American or not, and whether Orthodox or not. All are dear to Him. Now here are some of our immediate plans for the property: - convert the living room, dining room, and foyer areas into a single worship space with a raised altar, iconostasis, and everything necessary for a beautiful Russian-style Orthodox chapel. - convert the main restroom into an ADA-compliant facility. - replace the single front door to the chapel with double doors. - remove the current flooring in the chapel and put in a beautiful hardwood floor (I found a good surface for $1.99/sq. foot!). - build an easy-to-spot church sign out by the roadway. - open a passage from the bookstore room to the vestry. Reader Andrew will be heading up the renovation project. He needs volunteers to do painting work and a host of other tasks. Please consider volunteering to help (call Lydia at (361) 894-3377). It is possible we'll hold our first Liturgy in the new building the second Sunday of July, 2010, but check back here to be sure. How soon we can move in, may depend on your dedication and your sweat! We thank you in advance for your help. May the Lord God remember you all in His kingdom, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Monk and unworthy priest, Fr. Aidan+ (Keller) Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Yes |
More BlogsPriest's "State of the Church Address" Jan. 3, 2012Progress Continues at the New Church Bright and Joyful Services at New Church for Pascha (Easter), 2011 LATEST NEWS REGARDING NEW BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORK AT OUR NEW CHURCH - part 3 CONSTRUCTION WORK AT OUR NEW CHURCH - part 2 CONSTRUCTION WORK AT OUR NEW CHURCH - part 1 News from Near and Far Forgiveness Sunday at our Church Christmas Services at Protection Church New Website Launch |
