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Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church is a traditional Orthodox Christian mission parish located in Greenville, North Carolina. Founded in June 2008, the mission serves to bring traditional Orthodox Christianity to the Eastern Carolina region, and to serve the local community through charitable projects. We welcome both those who are already Orthodox, and those who are interested in the Orthodox faith, from all backgrounds.
Sunday, September 19 - Divine Liturgy 10 am
Sunday, September 26 - Divine Liturgy 10 am
Saturday, October 2 - Divine Liturgy 10 am
Let the Dead Bury Their own Dead
Monday, 21 June 2010 10:08
On Saturday, June 6/19, 2010, Fr. Anastasios delivered a sermon on the theme "Let the Dead Bury Their own Dead" at our sister mission, Holy Mother of God in Charlottesville, Virginia. We thought it would be beneficial to re-post the sermon video here as well, since it touches on the concept of following through with initial enthusiasm, something which affects missions greatly. The lighting in the video is unfortunately a little dark, but that was due to it being such a beautiful and sunny day!
Loving Our Enemies
Wednesday, 02 June 2010 12:05
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the liturgy last Saturday morning, the Gospel appointed to be read was Matthew 5:42-48:
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Passages such as these are difficult for us to hear; they are the moments when the “rubber hits the road.” It’s easy to be nice to the people that are nice to us, but exceedingly difficult to be nice to people who are even hateful towards us. Yet Jesus calls us to do so.
The Apostles' Fast 2010
Thursday, 27 May 2010 09:06
Just a reminder that there is no fasting this week, May 23-29, Pentecost Week.
The Apostles' Fast will begin on Monday, May 30. During this fast, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are kept as strict fast days; Tuesdays and Thursdays as wine and oil days; and weekends allow the eating of fish. As with all fasting, consult your spiritual father with any questions or special circumstances.
This fast honors the Holy Apostles of the Orthodox Christian Church, Saints Peter and Paul, who labored to bring both Jew and Gentile into the Body of Christ in the early days of the Church. The feast of Saints Peter and Paul falls on June 29 (Church Calendar)/July 12 (Civil Calendar). This fast is especially difficult for many as it falls in the summer, but it is an important chance for us to improve our spiritual lives. Through the intercessions of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul may the Orthodox Church in Greenville, NC continue to grow and prosper!
Redefining Church?
Friday, 07 May 2010 14:01
When I come to Greenville for liturgy three times a month from Raleigh, I take U.S. Route 264, which brings me right by the town of Wilson, N.C. The few times I’ve stopped there for gas or food, I’ve been impressed by its small-town charm, and have prayed that someday there will be an Orthodox Church there.
For several months, I have noticed a certain billboard as I pass by the town. It is for a Church that has campuses in both Wilson and Greenville, and it states boldly: “Redefining Church.” I am suspicious of slogans in general, but all the more so when they are related to Church. When they express an idea that is incorrect, I feel frustrated. That is exactly the feeling I get each time I see this billboard. I want to make it clear that I do not judge the sincerity of the Church’s pastors and staff, and I have no desire to disparage any good work they may be doing in their community. For this reason, I will not name the Church. But I do feel an obligation to point out where this message falls short of the Gospel of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.
What do Churches like this one mean by “Redefining Church,” anyway? Often they arise in reaction to what they perceive as the stuffy, spiritually dead atmosphere found in mainline Protestant congregations. Just as in the 16th century, Martin Luther was faced with the Roman Catholic Church, which had replaced a personal relationship with Jesus with a formalistic, cold religious system, our modern Churches believe that even Protestantism has now become formalized and stuck in the past. The process of Reformation must continue.
The Samaritan Woman
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 11:20
Dear Friends in Christ,
Christ is Risen! Χριστός ανέστη!
We’ve passed through half of the Paschal season, and will soon be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, which falls this year on May 23. Pentecost is the day when Christ sent His Holy Spirit upon His Apostles so that their souls would be illumined and they would be given the power and divine wisdom needed to convert the nations. In between these two great feasts, each Sunday has a special theme; in this message, I will address the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.
The Gospel reading for this feast comes from John 4:5-42. Christ comes to a city in Samaria called Sychar, and encounters a woman there at about the sixth hour. The sixth hour, which would have been around high noon, was a very hot time of the day, and it is unlikely that many women would have gone to the well at this time. It seems that our woman was forced to go then, because of the social stigmas attached to her. When Jesus asked her to get her husband, she responded that she had none; and Jesus revealed that not only did He know that she had had five previous husbands, but that her current partner was not married to her.
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