Baptisms in August
Daria, Scarlett, AndrewWeddings in August
Michael and VasilisaLaid to rest:
Sadly, +Elizabeth (Joy) Buxton passed away suddenly. She is remembered for being an active member of the sisterhood, regular attendee at the monthly theological lectures, working bees and member of the choir. She will be greatly missed by the church community and her friends. Her deeds and actions are an example to us. Memory eternal.
Elected: Treasurer-Alex Bialocerkowski, Secretary-Nicholas Wirubov, Council members- Nicholas Rudakov, Kyril Kozulin, Ivan Bochkarev, Igor Sbarski and Inna Smith. Reserve council members- Alex Rudakov and Tamara Lefleur.
Over the year there were 48 christenings, 14 weddings and 10 laid to rest.
2 couples reached their 70th wedding anniversary.
Collingwood – plans have been submitted for permission to go ahead and redevelop the hall block.
Full details are available (contact a council member).
The current gold crosses on the Church are severely rusted (being made from mild steel). Also, the cupolas at first appeared to have deteriorated and needed to be inspected to determine the extent of the damage. A 'cherry picker' (see photo below) was hired to enable close up inspection. Thankfully the cupolas are structurally sound and will not require removal. New stainless steel crosses have been manufactured and are currently being painted prior to being gold leafed. Also, while the cherry picker was onsite we removed the flag pole from the hall roof; it was starting to jam and squeak on windy days, and has now been modified. It will be reinstalled when the new crosses are erected, hopefully by the end of October.
Russian Ethnic Representative Council (RERC) had organised a pilgrimage to the Holy Transfiguration Monastery to celebrate their feast on Thursday 18 / Friday 19 August. Twenty one pilgrims left for the monastery on Wednesday. It rained that day and with nine kilometres to go the bus came to a steep muddy hill that it could not climb. The women passengers all disembarked and three men pushed the bus as it slowly made its way to the top. They returned safely on Sunday.
Meanwhile both Fr Nicholas's set out to conquer the 'mountain' on Thursday in a 4 wheel drive. They got 30 metres up the hill and then had to reverse to let an oncoming car pass. In the process they got bogged (see Fr Nicholas K in the driver’s seat below) and had to be towed out by the Cooma monks. From the spiritual perspective all went well.
Coming events:
Mission Movie Night, Friday 16 September, 7pm, at the Church Hall. Mt Athos CBS 60 Minutes and From the Little Mountain. Tickets $25 includes pizza, dessert, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Contact Fr Kyril (ascensionorthodox@gmail.com).Helpers needed for:
- Setting up of tables for Pokrov Feast Day, Saturday 8th October: 10am
- 13th and 14th October: Kitchen
- 23rd October: Annual Nuns Night
- Contact Luba Cowall on 0411090550
News from the Annual General Meeting.
The AGM was held on August 21. Some highlights were:Elected: Treasurer-Alex Bialocerkowski, Secretary-Nicholas Wirubov, Council members- Nicholas Rudakov, Kyril Kozulin, Ivan Bochkarev, Igor Sbarski and Inna Smith. Reserve council members- Alex Rudakov and Tamara Lefleur.
Over the year there were 48 christenings, 14 weddings and 10 laid to rest.
2 couples reached their 70th wedding anniversary.
Collingwood – plans have been submitted for permission to go ahead and redevelop the hall block.
Full details are available (contact a council member).
News from Boolarra
Olga Bursian and (often) Elizaveta Mihailovna Donetskaya live in Boolarra in the Strezlecki Ranges. Olga writes: “We are involved in a little community of Aussies who fell in love with Orthodoxy. Our mission is dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and we are part of the Antiochian parish of Fr Jeoff Harvey at Monash University, having liturgy once a month at Mirboo North. Gippsland is full of people who are very close to knowing God and, as converts go, they often put us to shame with their love. Thank goodness a representative of the holiest church (ours) is nearby to guide them”.Brunswick Crosses
Trip to Cooma
Meanwhile both Fr Nicholas's set out to conquer the 'mountain' on Thursday in a 4 wheel drive. They got 30 metres up the hill and then had to reverse to let an oncoming car pass. In the process they got bogged (see Fr Nicholas K in the driver’s seat below) and had to be towed out by the Cooma monks. From the spiritual perspective all went well.
