2010 Eastern Archdeaconry Synod

The 2010 Eastern Archdeaconry Synod of the Diocese in Europe is meeting in Vienna, Austria from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 September. Our guest speaker is the Revd Prof Walter Moberly. He is a staff member of the Department of Theology and Religion in the University of Durham, England. He writes,'The overall concern in my scholarly work is the responsible understanding and use of the Bible in the life, thought, and spirituality of Christian faith today.'

The synod will conclude with a Sung Eucharist at the Christ Church on the Sunday at 10am.

The White Angel - a parish visit

During May a group from Christ Church visited the Serbian Orthodox Church in the second district. We were warmly welcomed by our guide Miroljub Gligoric. Soon thereafter we were joined by one of the iconographers of the church Uglĵeša Mileta who together with his wife is presently working on the frescoes in the church’s refectory. Members of the group could echo this sentiment. The step towards appreciating the best of Orthodoxy is not such a big one to take and very worthwhile.

The church in the second district is one of three Serbian Orthodox churches in Vienna. It is dedicated to the Resurrection. An imposing fresco of the Resurrection behind the iconostasis and the altar dominates the church. It is based on the famous fresco of the Resurrection in the Chora monastery in Istanbul. One detail was new to me namely that the Risen Christ grasps the wrists and not the hands of Adam and Eve whom he is pulling out of Hades. This detail is there to remind the believer that the work of our redemption is God’s work alone. Other frescoes of particular interest on this occasion were the Birth of Jesus, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the White Angel and the Transfiguration.

The fresco of the Transfiguration is particularly apt because the church is former tram garage that has been wonderfully transformed into a church that shows forth some of the glories of the Orthodox tradition. The fresco of the White Angel is based on a detail from a fresco in the Mileševa monastery, Serbia. The original dates from about 1230. It depicts an angel sitting in front of the Empty Tomb. The White Angel has been adopted as an emblem by the United Nations

Before we retired to the rectory for further conversation and refreshments Miroljub sang parts of the liturgy in Church Slavonic. He is a cantor in the church and currently writing his doctoral dissertation. In the refectory we heard how both Miljoub and Uglĵeša came to embrace the faith of their ancestors having grown-up in communist Yugoslavia. Miroljub mentioned the film The Time of Miracles based on the novel of the same name by Borislav Pekić as being influential. We also heard about Saint Nikolaj Velimirović (1881 – 1956) who was Bishop of Ohrid and Žiča, imprisoned in Dachau by the Nazis and at the end of the war not permitted to return to Yugoslavia. Hearing something about the life of Saint Nikolaj was appropriate as he studied in Oxford and enjoyed very good relationships with the Anglican Church in Britain and America. The title of his doctorate was Berkeley’s Philosophy.

We came away enriched by our brief encounter with Orthodoxy lamenting the divisions of Christianity into a Latin West and an Orthodox East, but joyful to have met a living church rich in history, art, culture and fuelled by the faith that the Risen Christ brings - a faith that both Miroljub and Uglĵeša were eager to share with us and the world.

Greece - World Church Focus

written by the Revd Mary Vickers

Greece occupies the southernmost part of Balkan peninsula in SE Europe , plus an archipelago of over 2,000 islands in the Mediterranean , Aegean and Ionian Seas , the largest of which is Crete . Although only 227 of the islands are inhabited, with only 78 having more than 100 inhabitants, they constitute around 20% of the total 131,940 sq km land area. Nearly four centuries of Turkish rule ended in 1829 when Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire . Following Germany ’s occupation of Greece in World War II, civil war broke out between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Democratic elections and a referendum in 1974 created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Civil war and military dictatorships have been part of Greece ’s recent history, as has tension with neighbouring Turkey , particularly over Cyprus . However, shared earthquake experiences in 1999 have significantly reduced tensions between these two NATO members. Greece joined the European Union in 1981.

Greece was slow to recover from World War II, and remained one of Europe ’s poorest countries; but recent years have seen economic and social change. The financial crisis of the late 2000s hit hard, as the legacy of high public spending and widespread tax evasion combined with the credit crunch and the resulting recession left the nation with a crippling debt burden. This was the first challenge for Prime Minister Papandreou after his election in 2009. He announced austerity measures but in recent months Greece came close to being unable to meet its debt repayments. Its fellow eurozone nations agreed an unprecedented $146.2bn package to rescue its teetering economy. The main condition attached to the loan - drastic cuts in public spending and tax hikes - has led to the current social unrest and instability.

Greece was the first European country to ever hear the gospel, when Paul took his second missionary journey. Today it is a predominantly Christian country with 98% of the 10.75million population professing Christianity. There is a small Muslim minority of around 200,000 people, and a tiny Jewish community. Athens is said to be the only EU capital without a purpose-built place of Muslim worship. Plans to build one were put forward in 2006, but they have yet to come to fruition and Muslims meet in several makeshift mosques. Most Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. Recognised and legally protected by the state as the dominant and established religion, it is at the heart of Greek culture and identity, and plays a greater role in political, civic and government affairs than in many countries. This means that other expressions of Christianity can be perceived as a threat, despite the constitution removing some of the discriminatory legislation against non-Orthodox bodies. ( Greece and Russia are the only countries to have such a great proportion of people that belong to the Orthodox Church.) Although tensions are still evident on occasions, the gradually lessening restrictions on religious minorities are welcomed by many. Evangelical mission work started in 1858, and partly gave birth to the Greek Evangelical Church . Current membership is around 5000 people in 33 congregations. Less than 1% of Christians are Roman Catholic and around 0.5% Anglican, with the latter belonging to the Church of England Diocese in Europe .

Pray for: President Karolos Papoulias & PM George Papandreou at this time of financial crisis and civil unrest; those who’re suffering at this time - the injured, bereaved, unemployed, homeless, those struggling with poverty; other countries who may be affected; complete religious freedom & an end to prejudice; and for the churches’ response to the current crisis, both pastoral and political.

Information compiled in May 2010 from various sources, by the Revd Mary J Vickers, from who further information may be available. Contact her by Email at: mpvmailbox-wcf@yahoo.co.uk ‘World Church Focus’ is produced as a resource for local churches, and is partly funded by ‘Christians Aware’ (www.christiansaware.co.uk). Articles can be reproduced in church magazines, prayer letters, sermons, etc, but wider use needs permission from the Revd Mary J Vickers who owns the copyright

VOCATIONAL INTERNSHIP IN BRUSSELS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ICS

VOCATIONAL INTERNSHIP IN BRUSSELS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ICS

In May 2008 Gary Wilton was appointed as the first Church of England Representative to the EU to ‘help the EU to understand the Church of England and the Church of England to understand the EU’. He also has pastoral responsibility for the growing 7.00pm Service Community of the Pro-Cathedral of Holy Trinity, Brussels. This community includes a significant number of people in their 20s and 30s who work for the EU Institutions or NGOs.

From mid September 2010, ICS and Gary Wilton are eager to put in place a programme of three successive internship opportunities each lasting nine months from mid September to mid June with 2 weeks holiday at Christmas and a week holiday at Easter. The internship is for 20 hours a week, usually worked between 9.00 and 3.00 on four days as agreed. It involves: basic administrative and research duties, regular prayer meetings at Holy Trinity and in the Parliament, liaising with ecumenical and other partners, attending events in the EU Institutions, supporting the administration of the 7.00pm service community, supporting a termly Church of England E-Briefing for UK MEPs, participation in the ministry of the 7.00pm service community and observation of the wider Pro-Cathedral ministry

The gross salary for this part-time post will be c.700 euros a month dependent on the health insurance costs of the successful candidate. Members of the 7.00pm service community will assist the person appointed to find appropriate accommodation. This will be an exciting and developmental opportunity for three graduates/postgraduates in succession who wish to explore Christian mission and ministry in a pioneering context, are interested in the interface between the Church and the institutions of the EU in Brussels and (ideally) have some foreign language(s) skills.

For information please contact Gary Wilton on: +32 (0) 2 511 71 83 or e-mail: gary.wilton@holytrinity.be

Closing date: 21 May 2010; interview: w/c 14 June in Brussels or Warwick. Enhanced Disclosure required.