Welcome

Welcome to our website which we hope will be of interest or a source of information to you. Ours is a parish of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, which is in communion with all the canonical Orthodox Churches and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In line with Orthodox practice, our services are in the language of the people; in our case, English, Orthodox visitors of other backgrounds saying the Lord's Prayer in their native tongue. 

The Orthodox Church lies in a tradition that goes back in an unbroken line to the Church of the Apostles and the earthly life of Christ Himself. We are often portayed as a very conservative church but this is a matter of faith and history; one cannot change the truth to fit into a very fleeting, passing, timescale when viewed with the eternity of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In our church you will see many icons of Christ, the Mother of God and many saints and sacred events; a feature of Orthodoxy that proclaims the Incarnation of our Lord and God Jesus Christ and are often referred to as "windows into heaven". The priestly vestments are very beautiful; not for the glorification of the clergy but for the glory of sinful humanity transformed by the Grace of God. The Divine Liturgy is the principal service, when the faithful may receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Incense is used in all our services and permeates the fabric of the church itself. Thus we have a church that is internally very beautiful visually, has the aroma of sanctity and our ears are filled with beautiful music (Just human voices: instruments are not allowed). In some way the church building reflects the glory of Heaven and a place fitting for God.

Anyone may come to our church to "have a look" and you are assured of a warm welcome. Do not worry about how to act or what to do; just let the experience take care of itself. If you need any information about any aspect of our church or the Orthodox Church in general, do not hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Fr. George (Evans), Parish Priest.

Fr George's Letter for February

THE LANGUAGE OF ORTHODOXY

On 3rd February you may notice one of the saints of the day is St. Nicholas of Japan, a Russian who brought Orthodoxy to Japan. Archbishop Nicholas learned Japanese so that he could teach the Faith and translate liturgical books into the language of the country, no mean feat! He was following in the footsteps of the likes of St. Kyril and St. Methodius two brothers from ninth century Thessalonica in what was then the Byzantine Empire. They were scholars and theologians but above all missionaries to the Slav people of Eastern Europe for whom they are credited with creating a written language. When you see Russian or Bulgarian writing you are seeing the legacy of these saints. 

Wherever Orthodox missionaries have gone they have translated liturgical books into the language of the people. Today in our own country Orthodoxy has given us the services of the Church in a language which we understand, namely English. Many of our beloved congregation come from several different nations and accept that we are an English speaking parish, it is the common thread that unites us all despite our different backgrounds and cultures. It means that we can learn from each other to enrich our knowledge and love of the Orthodox Christian Faith.

Our Saviour spoke Aramaic, which is still spoken in a few villages in Syria, but the original language of the New Testament was Greek, the language common to the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. Today Orthodoxy is to be found all over the world using many different languages but preaching the same truths of our faith. There may be cultural differences and customs we are unfamiliar with, for example Japanese Orthodox take their shoes off when they go into church which is what they do at home. We may be many nations but the Church is one. 

Much Love,

Fr. George.