Bells are being fixed

Schools are closed for Christmas and almost everyone is still on holiday.

It is the same for the engineers and workers working in our building site.

Today though we had three members of our building staff working in our new Church.

They were up on the Bell Tower and were fixing the two new bells in place.

Blessed Christmas

This is the Christmas card (with festal wishes and some news) to be offered on Christmas Day to all our Parishioners in St. Panteleimon Church.

Have you all a Blessed Christmas, filled with the joy of our Lord's Coming on the earth!

Deacon Meliton R. Oakes

His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain had sent a couple of days ago a member of his staff, the Revd. Deacon Meliton R. Oakes, to inspect various parts of our new Church and report back to Him.

He was received and was shown around by Fr. Anastasios and Mr. Pantelis Demosthenous.

Columns’ capitals

In various traditions of architecture including Classical architecture, the capital (from the Latin caput, 'head') forms the crowning member of a column. In the Greek language the capital is called “kionokrano” (κιονόκρανο), meaning the helmet of the column.

The capital projects on each side as it rises, to support the abacus and unite the form of the latter (normally square) with the circular shaft of the column.

From the prominent position it occupies in all monumental buildings, the capital is often selected for ornamentation, and is often the clearest indicator of the architectural order.

We have now in our new Church some of the capitals that will be used to decorate the columns. They are made at the workshop of Mr. Christos Orthodoxou, a prominent member of our Church Committee, who is generously offering them for our new place of worship.

We are really grateful to him, as well as to his family, for all his hard work, his dedication and his kind contributions towards our Church and Community.

Snow and works

Our area is still full of lovely and soft snow.

All around the new Church a white blanket has been laid for... good!

The predictions say that tonight there is going to be another snowfall which is definitely going to lead us to... beautiful white Christmas.

This is the talk, if not the dream, every year among all people in North Europe, isn’t it?

In the meantime, although the weather conditions are not good for working outdoors, various materials are being delivered on our building site.

They are taken and stored properly, ready to fixed when the weather permits again.

Inside though a completely different story.

Certain workers (electricians, carpenters and others) are continuing their work.

Preparations were made today for the concreting of the Sanctuary.

Photo of the week - 62

With so much snow these days there is not a lot of progress on the outside, while inside we have electricians, plumbers and others working intensively.

Archbishop's visit

Today we had been honoured in welcoming His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and G.B. to our Community.

He came with his two deacons, Fr. Evangelos and Fr. Pavlos, and celebrated the Archiepiscopal Divine Liturgy at our temporary Church.

Then we moved to the Vicarage where Virginia, Fr. Anastasios’ wife, had prepared lunch for His Eminence, his clergy and some of the lay leaders of our Church.

After lunch we had the opportunity of visiting the new Church, where His Eminence inspected the different parts of the building and discussed with Fr. Anastasios, Mr. Pantelis Demosthenous and members of the Church Committee possible solutions on various matters.

Covered with snow

The building site, as all areas around the new Church, was covered today with a lot of snow.

This is certainly a special characteristic of winter and Christmas.

It is nice as long as we are staying indoors and we go out only for a snow fight and to make a snowman.

But it is obviously very dangerous for driving as well as for any kind of outdoor works.

This is why no workers attended to our new Church today.

Sanctuary... live!

Although it is a snowy day today, our Church is filled with various kinds of experts working in different projects here and there.

Arches are being fixed on the Facade.

Electricians have put about 1000 tubes in place. Carpenters are organising the Solea.

A video shows how the various works are progressing around the Sanctuary area.

Soleas

The “Soleas” is being prepared at our new Church today.

This is an elevated place, an extension of the Sanctuary.

The Soleas projects beyond the Icon-screen, forming a narrow walkway running the full length of the Icon-screen.

The two choirs of the Church are usually standing at either side of the Soleas.

Electricians on site

A project like ours it is obvious that it needs electricity.

Electrical supply in a Church building is certainly a very complex issue.

It requires special expertise and many electricians to work in the various stages of the building process.

This is because we have to secure the correct fixing of the materials as well as fulfilment of the relevant requirements.

The electrician in charge of our new Church is a valuable member of our Community, called Gregory, an excellent professional electrician, with his company Gregory and Co.

Many members of his team are working these days in our new place of worship.

Inside / Outside

I visited our new Church a few times today. It was really very busy everywhere.

In the front some workers where fixing the arches on the Facade.

On the top of the roof a roofer was fixing a part of the roof in order to put there the red tiles.

At the back of the Sanctuary a copper engineer was fixing his materials on the small semi dome.

Moving inside I spoke with the plasterers, who said that in two days I shall “see the back of them”!

Because of the fact that plastering has almost been completed other workers were dismantling the scaffolding.

It was really quite emotional to see how it looks now in there. The Dome appears in its splendour and the whole of the interior in front of us, in white colour, symbolising purity. A really fantastic sight.

Photo of the week - 61

Progress on the Facade we notice on this week's picture.

Christmas D. & D. at Sea Pebbles

Tonight we had our Community’s Christmas Dinner and Dance at Sea Pebbles Restaurant in Hatch End, Pinner.

It was a very successful and certainly joyful fundraising event. The profit of the evening was £3000.

The Restaurant is owned by Mr. Savvas and Mrs. Maria Andreou.

The owners have offered all the money of the event towards the Fundraising for our new Church of St. Panteleimon.

We may add to the above figure the following donations, offered during the event: £2000 by Mr. Chris and Mrs. Mary Papadakis, £1000 Mr. Soteris Englezakis and £200 by A. Theodorou.

The winning nos of the raffle were the following: 39, 42, 58, 67, 78, 86, 112, 128, 147, 152, 265, 292, 296, 317, 318, 346, 402, 419, 427, 500, 522, 553, 562, 580, 608, 681.