September 23
Pastoral Message from the September Beacon
09/01/2018
Dear Parishioners of our Beloved Assumption,
In Greek, there are 2 words for time Χρόνος (Chronos) and Καιρός (Kairos). Chronos is equivalent to time as we would define it – second after second, minute after minute, linear in nature. Kairos is a special time; a unique time; even an eternal time. When our time, Chronos, meets eternal time, Kairos, we encounter God in the form of a μυστήριον (Sacrament).
Often times Kairos can be defined by an action on the part of God and/or on our part. God acted for us in creation, the incarnation and the resurrection. We moved to meet God in our acts of procreation, baptism, marriage etc. And, there are times when man took the action (with the grace of the Holy Spirit) to effect Kairos: David against Goliath, Joseph remaining with the Theotokos when she was with child, and all of those who with joy accepted martyrdom. In each of our lives we can point to specific moments when Chronos ceased to be Chronos and became Kairos.
I believe that this was such a time when our church was relocated from 5th Street to Lyndon. A few visionaries led the charge and the parish followed. With the commitment of almost all, a new property with a new Temple was built. The numbers didn’t add up, but that didn’t stop you!
Today, our numbers are great – we have more people and a greater capacity for expansion. The “numbers” today are significantly less daunting then they were 15 years ago. But the numbers aren’t’ what’s going to create Kairos – it’s the faith and hearts of our faithful!
Today, we are at a pivotal point in our history – we are at the point where action is necessary. We need a new building to continue ministering to our faithful and to become the Beacon that we must be in the community. If we are to continue growing and thriving as we have for the last decades, we must act in creating a moment of Kairos. We also are at a point that big decisions need to be made for our current building.
For the past 4 years, we have been putting Band-Aids on our building to keep it usable until we build. Now, we need a roof – not subjectively, but objectively. Multiple roofers have come and told us that it is not repairable and that major repair is need to fix the “rot” before a new roof can be attached; we have lost gutters that cannot be reattached without new wood; we have moisture throughout the structure that would need to be evaluated before any repair; and, we are down an HVAC unit.
There is not a family in our community that is not aware of the building campaign, yet many are waiting “on the fence” to see what happens. We have a number of large donors, but we haven’t yet scratched the surface of what is possible. If we each “fell off the fence,” we would exceed our need for building. I urge you to engage the Kairos. If each of us just make the commitment to offer what we are able (not willing), we will be breaking ground in June!
Our “forefathers” built a strong community on 5th street; and, many of your were instrumental in the move to Lyndon. It is now time to sacrifice and do for others as was done for us. Let us create a home where Baptism and Weddings may be celebrated; that those departed may be remembered; and a home that we can evangelize to – bringing the masses to Christ!
In prayer and love for each of you,
Rev. Father Jon Boukis
Proistamenos
“Attract, Serve, Illuminate”