Working on the Weekend

This past weekend parishioners from a couple mission churches in the area made their way to Saint Nicholas for a joyous baptismal celebration on Saturday.  The Bishop, His Eminence Damaskinos, and 3 helping priests were there to assist in the ceremony to receive 15 people into the church.

Catechumens praying outside the church 

His Eminence Damaskinos and the other priests praying over the water

Two newly illumined children admiring each other's crosses

The whole group processing around the baptismal fount

There is still a great need for God-parents for these people (and others soon to be baptized), as there isn't a large Orthodox base among the mission parishes here.  I was happy to be able to sing for the service, but turned down the opportunity to be a God-parent as I had just been introduced to the entire bunch and wasn't familiar with any of the people yet.

The following day I made my way to Mamelodi to participate in a "reader service" (a liturgy that can be done without a priest).  The service was done mostly in a language foreign to me with bits of English and Greek mixed in, but I was able to follow along well enough and really enjoyed the experience.  The group meets in family homes, so it makes sense that the church mainly consists of different generations of the same family.  After service this provides for a very family-like atmosphere; wonderful Sunday lunch and children playing outside included.

At one point during the service I asked to use the restroom and was escorted to a small outside room with accommodations less that those I've seen at most American campsites… I felt bad for a moment and then I remembered that if they've never known otherwise that they're probably perfectly happy with this.

After the service concluded the women in the room broke out into this lovely song:

The kids from the neighborhood playing around after service

All this to say, I had a very eventful weekend and spent a lot of time in prayer for these people and their families.

Childlike Faith

Among the many different things that I've been learning here, the unique situation you get when children find there way to church on their own has been one that I've been spending some good thought time on lately.

Last Saturday I had the blessing of getting to spend the afternoon at the Johannesburg Zoo with about 15 kids from Saint Nicholas (most who live in and right around the parish itself and who attend services without their parents regularly).  The majority of the kids where sponsored by loving parishioners hoping to give them an opportunity for a day of fun and fellowship with each other and some children from other local parishes.  It was really wonderful to spend time with them, see them learning about the animals and enjoy a picnic in the park together.

The group outside of Saint Nicholas

A "BIG" hit with the kids, especially when it peed… (so gross)

Waiting games

The situation on hand at Saint Nicholas is this:

The parish itself is situated in a neighborhood that is… let's just say "less than desirable."  Break-ins are commonplace, it's not unheard of for cars to be stolen, and I've been told more than once that I am just to drive straight to church and straight away once my business is finished.  It is South African quaint and quiet from what I've observed (located relatively close to the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand) but I've only been here for a month and those who have been around longer would advise that my observations are a bit ill informed.

The loyal parishioners of Saint Nicholas are mostly Greek (as it's a Greek Orthodox Church, this isn't surprising), generally live some distance from the parish itself, and have for one reason or another seen value in having the church located in the Brixton area.  One unique thing is that there are a handful of children (6-12 years old) from the neighborhood itself that hear the sound of church bells and come running each and every Sunday morning.  The children obviously live within earshot of the building, come dressed in their Sunday best sans parents, and patiently sit through a rather "non-seeker friendly" liturgy.  They attend a Sunday school class, are allowed some after service refreshments and then sent on their way.  To my knowledge, only one of these children is currently baptized (I could be wrong), but many have recently shown interest in joining the Church.

I was approached by the current Sunday school teachers and asked to come up with some kind of program to prepare these children for baptism, and this week I will begin just that.  The thing is, it's not such a simple process.  Since the Orthodox faith is one that allows for infant baptism and almost assumes that there will be a family example at home to model how to live out a life in Christ, things get tricky when parents are not involved.  Yes, we will be obtaining the parent's consent before baptizing these children, but more than that, I'm trying to figure out what information is key for them to understand at their young age before beginning their walk within the Church (as the Church-the body of Christ- isn't one only for those able to intellectually understand history and complex theological concepts).

I will be meeting with these children tomorrow during their normal Sunday school class time and learning about them; trying to figure out where they come from, why they come each week and what kind of thoughts they have on being baptized.  If you have any thoughts on the matter, feel free to email me at kayciesimmons@hotmail.com and please keep my impending conversations with them in your prayers.

Making Sunrise Matter

For those of you who know me well, it will come as no surprise to you that sunrise is my favorite time of day.  The stillness, the quiet, and the time alone with God is my absolute favorite…

Most days back in the states I would find myself up around 4:30am, spending my time preparing for the day; showering, reading, eating breakfast, composing emails, going for walks, and even watching movies in order to give myself enough time to face the day with a smile.  Here, things have been a bit different.

Since I don't have a typical 8am-5pm job, I find myself sleeping in a bit later.  I wake up with the sun instead of ushering it in.  Most days I have been staying up later, so I'm not completely wasting my time with sleep, but it is a change in my norm nonetheless; except for on Wednesdays.

Every Wednesday morning at 6am there is a Divine Liturgy service held at Saint Nicholas.  At first I was a bit apprehensive about being around other people so early in the morning (hoping not to be an absolute mess), but I've quickly become fond of the early service as a midweek time for communion.  They have the service so early to accommodate for morning traffic, but I like to think God made those accommodations with my preferences in mind as well.  :-)