Panayiotis Demetriou

Today we had the honour of welcoming in our Community Mr. Panayiotis Demetriou, the owner and Director of the Demetriou & English Funeral Home, the only Greek Orthodox Funeral Home in London, which has an excellent professional reputation.

Panicos, as he is known to his friends, is a dedicated friend of our Community and has been very supportive throughout our building works.

Now he is in charge, on behalf of our Community, of arranging for the names of our donors and benefactors to be engraved on bricks and granite, to be fixed on the Sanctuary apses.

His experience and good advice secure the success in this part (engraving of names on bricks and granite) of our sacred and historic project.

Facade - change by the hour

Every day and even every hour in the last few days we notice some kind of development at the Facade.

Now, as the grey of the cement moves behind the bricks and the stone it really shows!

The arches, the columns, the designs of the bricks, they all contribute to the beautification of the Facade.

These works are credit to our properly trained, highly equipped and committed staff; but above all they are a gift from above, a present from the heavens, a charisma that our Great and Holy God has granted us; for that we are thankful and grateful to Him.

White Sanctuary views

The Sanctuary has been fully plastered and painted and it looks all clean and white.

The scaffolding has now been removed from the Sanctuary area.

Vasile, one of our Romanian Orthodox workers, asked me to take him a picture in front of the main Sanctuary apse.

He is obviously very proud for the work he has done there and for the fact that he works to build an Orthodox Church.

Orthodox and non Orthodox workers and engineers have been offering their full dedication and applying their excellent professional expertise, in order to complete this magnificent place of worship and we are all very grateful to all of them.

Photos by Noel

Noel Jennings is the main copper-man that works at our new Church, fixing the copper on the domes. But he doesn’t only do that. He also sends us pictures of his works, not for approval but for enjoyment.

We are very grateful for his service (both engineering and photographic) and we very much appreciate his kindness and generosity.

The pictures on this post show the copper on the semi-dome of the central Sanctuary apse.

Photo of the week - 60

The works continue in all levels, both inside and outside...

December 2010

THE DECEMBER PROGRAMME

OF DIVINE SERVICES AND OTHER EVENTS

Friday, 3rd December: 5.00 pm Vespers

Saturday, 4th December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of St. Barbara & St. Serafim

Sunday, 5th December: 6.00 pm Vespers

Monday, 6th December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of St. Nicholas

Tuesday, 7th December: 6.00 pm Supplicatory Canon to St. Barbara
.....(The miraculous Icon of St. Barbara will be at our Church)
.....6.30 pm Bible Study: “St. Barbara and the martyrs of the Ancient Church”

Thursday, 9th December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of Conception of our Lady by Anna

Sunday, 12th December: 6.00 pm Christmas Fundraising Dinner & Music
.....at Sea Pebbles Restaurant, Hatch End

Tuesday, 14th December: 6.00 pm Vespers
.....6.30 pm Bible Study: “The meaning of Freedom according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church”

Wednesday, 15th December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of St. Eleftherios & St. Anthia

Sunday, 19th December: Last Day of Memorial Services (before Christmas)
.....12.30 pm Christmas Bazaar, organised by the Ladies of St. Agatha Sisterhood

Tuesday, 21st December: 6.00 pm Vespers
.....6.30 pm Bible Study: “Christmas Hymns”

Wednesday, 22nd December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of St. Anastasia

Thursday, 23rd December: 8.00 pm Christmas Vigil
.....Feast of St. Eugenia

Friday, 24th December: 6.00 pm Great Vespers

Saturday, 25th December: 9.30 am Matins and Divine Liturgy
.....Feast of the Nativity of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ

Friday, 31st December: 6.00 pm Vespers

Plastering and wood-work

We are almost there with plastering, which is progressing very well.

In the first picture we see the entrance of the Church, already done.

This part of the Church is called “narthex” and it is the western part of the place of worship, symbolising the “years before Christ - the years of darkness”.

Some wood-work is also being done today around the staircase of the Bell Tower.