Orthodox Parish of the Nativity of Christ

Our Parish belongs to the worldwide Orthodox Church, being part of the Archdiocese of Thyateira & Great Britain, within the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Deanery's website: www.thyateira-deanery.uk.

Worshipping at the beautiful St Thomas a Becket’s Church,

Cliffe High Street, LEWES, BN7 2AW on most Sundays, at 11.30 AM.
See Calendar of Services for up-to-date information.

Rector: Father Ian Wallis,
15 Barnett Road BRIGHTON BN1 7GJ, telephone: 01273 55 32 30, email: ianoutwest@aol.com

Parish Warden: Mr Anthony Stunt,
email: silverinkwell@yahoo.co.uk 

Safeguarding Officer: Mr Paul Dariush Mohandes,

telephone: 07976 988 006

For Russian/Ukrainian speaking contacts:

Mrs Vitalina Fesyk, email: vitalinafesyk@gmail.com 

Follow us on Facebook: Facebook 

Members of all Christian communities are most welcome to attend our services, and share in the light refreshments afterwards. On this website you can read about our Mission as well as find the answers to many of your questions about our Church. Please have a look at pages about Christening, Wedding Service, Fasting and Giving as well as pages about our Church and its Sacred Icons.

PARISH CONSTITUTION

To read, click on the link below:

PARISH CONSTITUTION

THE PARISH OF THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN THE TOWN OF LEWES AND THE ADJACENT COUNTIES

St Thomas a Becket Church, Lewes

St Thomas a Becket is an ancient and peaceful church, situated at the end of Cliffe High Street. It is open daily, for services, meditation, prayer and visits.

Refreshments

After every service we have refreshments served in the Church Hall.

Feel free to come and join us and meet the members of the parish.

The atmosphere is warm and friendly and you can find out more about the church in this informal gathering.

После каждой службы мы пьем чай в Церковном Холле.

Приходите, пожалуйста, чтобы угоститься и познакомиться с прихожанами нашей Церкви в дружеской и неформальной обстановке.

Мы всегда рады новым людям!

Father Ian

Rector of the Parish: Rev Fr Ian Wallis, B.Ed.

Father Ian tells about himself:

I was born in Brighton in 1953, and educated locally, graduating from the University of Sussex in 1977 with an Honours Degree in Education and Religious Studies.  I was baptized as an infant in the local parish of the Church of England, but not confirmed until 1971.

It was while I was studying for my Degree that I first met Father Sergei Hackel (the first Rector of the Parish of the Nativity of Christ) when he was Reader in Russian Studies at the University of Sussex. 

After graduating, I moved to London, and attended services at the Cathedral of the Dormition and All Saints, in Knightsbridge; and I was received into the Orthodox Church at the Cathedral in 1978.

When I returned to live in Brighton, I became a member of Father Sergei’s parish, and was subsequently elected Churchwarden.  I was appointed a Reader to the Parish in 2001, having assisted in the celebration of services, by singing and serving, for a number of years.

After Father Sergei’s death (in 2005) the Parish was assigned to the care of Archpriest Alexander Fostiropoulos.  Father Alexander had responsibilities elsewhere (besides Lewes) and needed someone who lived locally to share his pastoral role, with a view to taking over from him completely; so after due consideration, I was ordained  to the diaconate on 21^st May 2005, and to the priesthood on 19^th November 2006. 

I was the Assistant Priest in the Parish for two years, and throughout that time the aim had been for me to get enough experience and training (including passing the Driving Test!) for me to succeed Father Alexander as Rector.  When Bishop Basil of Amphipolis visited the Parish on 7^th December 2008, he told us that both he and Father Alexander felt confident that I should be Rector, in place of Father Alexander, and this was subsequently confirmed by a Decree of the Archdiocese dated 8^th December 2009.

The Apostolic Tradition: MISSION

·         Mission as martyrdom: our English word ‘martyr’ comes from a Greek word that means ‘witness’, and the Parish has been (and continues to be) a witness by its prayerful presence in the church of St Thomas a Becket in Cliffe, Lewes.  There has been a place of Christian worship in this part of Lewes since at least the 12^th Century, and the church is a living part of the long root of Catholic tradition in Britain.  The Parish is committed to giving regularly to support Cliffe Parish Church, and we believe ourselves to be especially blessed in being able to worship there.  Our humble belief is that we as Orthodox Catholics, are in a communion with the living Father, mediated to us through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and through those who have drunk the Lord’s cup, and been baptized with his baptism (‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church’).  We are in that communion, and we receive that communion, for the life of the World. 

·         Mission as Liturgy: when we bring our ikons into the church, put up lights before them, greet them, and honour them with incense, there is a continuation of the practice of our ancestors, as well as a witness to our belief in the communion of saints as anamnesis (which means the ‘not-forgetting’ or re-membrance) not only of the recognised Saints, but also of those departed members of the parish, who were known to us (and dear to us) as well as the departed members of our own families and friends.  The Liturgy (our service of the Eucharist or Holy Communion) is our act of remembrance par excellence; and the anamnesis in the Liturgy is the core experience of what we believe to be a living tradition of Christ and the saints, in the communion of the Holy Spirit: a creative and collective reality, which is the Church’s true treasure.  In the Liturgy, each of us offers that part of the world which is ours, to God, and receives back from God the gifts that God wants to give to our world: we are to give those gifts to our families, our friends, our neighbours, our world. 

·         Mission to the world: The bread that is offered in the Liturgy is given by the Parish, and everyone has the opportunity to contribute to it, but there is a Liturgy beyond the Liturgy: we should live the Liturgy every day of our lives, and we should give to God every day of our lives.  The Parish asks its members to give into its bank account by means of Standing Order, on a regular basis, a proportion of what they have received from the ‘Father of lights’ (Jas 1,17).  This is as much a part of our ‘living sacrifice’ and ‘reasonable service’ to God (Rom 12,1) as what is offered at the services in church.  Our giving in support of the Parish is an expression of our communion with one another, and a means ‘for building up the body of Christ’ (Eph 4,12).  We have been born again through baptism into a family-like relationship with one another (a new covenant) in Christ, and we rejoice that we are being saved together, with the help of one another, living and departed; and that through us the world around us might be saved.

Giving

Dear All

Please remember that the Parish is here for all who need  it, when they need it, and it needs to be supported on that basis: people's support for the Parish should not be determined by whether they have managed to come to the Service on any particular day or not. 

That is why, members of the Parish are encouraged to give regularly in support of its mission, and a good way of doing this is to give a fixed proportion of your income by means of a Standing Order each month.

The Parish asks its members to give into its bank account by means of Standing Order, on a regular basis, a proportion of what they have received from the ‘Father of lights’ (Jas 1,17).  This is as much a part of our ‘living sacrifice’ and ‘reasonable service’ to God (Rom 12,1) as what is offered at the services in church.  Our giving in support of the Parish is an expression of our communion with one another, and a means ‘for building up the body of Christ’ (Eph 4,12).  We have been born again through baptism into a family-like relationship with one another (a new covenant) in Christ, and we rejoice that we are being saved together, with the help of one another, living and departed; and that through us the world around us might be saved.

(The Apostolic Tradition: MISSION)

Regular giving in this way is about offering our lives to one another as a church: it is about mutual self-giving.

In the Liturgy, each of us offers that part of the world which is ours, to God, and receives back from God the gifts that God wants to give to our world: we are to give those gifts to our families, our friends, our neighbours, our world. 

(The Apostolic Tradition: MISSION)

You can set up Standing Orders yourself:

The Parish of the Nativity of Christ
Account Number: 65766130
Sort Code: 08-92-99 (The Cooperative Bank)

Or - complete A Standing Order Mandate, which is available from Father Ian (see  ‘Contact us’).

You can give a one-off donation to the above Bank Account should you prefer it to Standing Order.


Gift Aid:

Why donate through Gift Aid?
Donating through Gift Aid means that the Parish – The Parish of the Nativity of Christ Orthodox Christian Property Trust Deed, Registered Charity no. 1161893 - can claim an extra 25p for every £1 that you give – and it won’t cost you any extra!
Paying enough tax to qualify for Gift Aid
If you have paid tax on either your income or on capital gains (or both) your donations will qualify, as long as they’re not more than four times what you have paid in tax in that tax year (6 April to 5 April) and you must tell the Parish if you stop paying enough tax.
What you need to do
You need to make a Gift Aid Declaration for the Parish to claim. Please contact Fr Ian for a form and return it to the Hon Treasurer at the address shown at the bottom of the form. You can include all donations from the last four years, but not for any years when you didn’t pay enough tax.
Higher rate taxpayers
If you pay tax at the higher or additional rate, you can claim back the difference between the rate that you paid, and the basic rate, on your donations; do this either -
through your Self Assessment tax return or by asking HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to amend your tax code
(With Payroll Giving, you don’t pay the difference between the higher and basic rate of tax on your donations.)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

Marriage (Wedding Service)

Father Ian says: 

MARRIAGE (WEDDING SERVICE)

With the Wedding Service (Marriage or Holy Matrimony): the couple are seen to be coming together in a relationship that can be considered an expression of the one new covenant in Christ that embraces all the baptized.  I quote again from the Mission statement,

Our humble belief is that we as Orthodox Catholics, are in a communion with the living Father, mediated to us through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and through those who have drunk the Lord’s cup, and been baptized with his baptism (‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church’).  We are in that communion, and we receive that communion, for the life of the World. 

The couple are crowned as a sign that their witness to Christ is now as husband and wife, in mutual giving, the one to the other; and they become a domestic church (within the parish) where the Holy Trinity is glorified and served throughout their married life.  As with Holy Baptism, our belief is that the proper context for celebration of that mutual giving is the Sunday Liturgy.

Anyone thinking about the possibility of our parish celebrating a marriage (wedding service) either for themselves or their family or friends, should contact the Rector (see ‘Contact Us’ for details) for more information about the practicalities involved.

Если вы хотели бы получить информацию о праздновании Венчания в нашем приходе (касается ли это Вас лично, Вашей семьи или друзей), пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Отцу Иану (его номер телефона указан на странице ‘Contact Us’) , чтобы обсудить все практические детали.

Baptism (Christening)

Father Ian says:

BAPTISM (CHRISTENING)

‘My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God, and do it.’ (Lk 8,21)  The evangelist of Luke’s Gospel has Jesus say these words, and there are very similar words in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 12,46-50).  Our baptism (or christening) has brought us into a renewed relationship with both God and our neighbour: to quote from our Mission statement,

We have been born again through baptism into a family-like relationship with one another (a new covenant) in Christ, and we rejoice that we are being saved together, with the help of one another, living and departed; and that through us the world around us might be saved.

The full expression of that relationship is experienced in the Holy Liturgy (or Eucharist, Holy Communion) and again I think it is worth quoting from our Mission statement,

The Liturgy (our service of the Eucharist or Holy Communion) is our act of remembrance par excellence; and the anamnesis in the Liturgy is the core experience of what we believe to be a living tradition of Christ and the saints, in the communion of the Holy Spirit: a creative and collective reality, which is the Church’s true treasure.

Our belief is that receiving Holy Communion is the completion of the rite of Baptism, and that the proper celebration of the service of Baptism is in the context of the Sunday Liturgy. 

Anyone thinking about the possibility of our parish celebrating a Baptism (Christening) either for themselves or their family or friends, please, contact the Rector (see ‘Contact Us’ for details) for more information about the practicalities involved.

Если вы хотели бы получить информацию о праздновании Крещения в нашем приходе (касается ли это Вас лично, Вашей семьи или друзей), пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Отцу Иану (его номер телефона указан на странице  ‘Contact Us’) , чтобы обсудить все практические детали.

The Sacred Ikons

The Principal Ikons

Whilst it is very common for Christian places of worship to have a space where an altar/table stands, the manner in which that space is marked off (if it is marked off) varies, e.g. a low wall, or a rail, or a screen may be in place.  

Our parish’s two principal ikons - one of Christ, and one of his Mother (her official title in Greek, ‘Theotokos’, means ‘the Birth-giver of God’), who is holding the infant Christ - have been painted in order to stand on either side of the central entrance into the space where the altar/table stands.

Christians believe that our approach to God is through Christ: but Christ did not suddenly appear from nowhere, and the stories to do with his Mother, Mary (and also his extended family e.g. John the Baptist) have always been considered as important for understanding both who he is and what he is about.  

Our two principal ikons are painted in a way that symbolizes this way of understanding who Christ is, e.g. the colour of Christ’s shirt is the same colour as his Mother’s veil, and this references both that he has taken flesh in the womb of his mother, and that she is clothed with his innermost nature, which is divine. 

We believe that Christ’s Mother was the first to experience the renewal of nature that begins with the conception of Jesus in her womb.

The infant Jesus is depicted as close to his Mother, and reaching out to embrace her; but he is also holding a scroll as a sign that he is both the fulfilment of the words spoken to her by the angel (Lk 1, 28-37) and that he embodies everything that the Prophets have heard of the Word of the Lord concerning Christ.  Mary is shown guiding our eyes towards her infant son, with her left hand: to all who seek an approach to God, she offers her son.

 

The Icon of the Nativity

When Father Sergei Hackel took up his teaching post at the University of Sussex in the1960’s, a small group of émigrés, converts, and other Orthodox Christians, gathered around him for the celebration of the occasional service. Archpriest Alexander Fostiropoulos was one of those early members (he was then a layman) together with his wife Patricia, and their friends Andy and Mary Sherwood. In the 1960’s, in the time of Khruschev, the Orthodox Church in Russia passed through yet another wave of persecution; but the Diocese of Sourozh, in Great Britain, kept free of this and was in the process of developing statutes (based on the proposals of the Russian Sobor (1917-18) that would form the basis for its own self-government.

Father Sergei, Archbishop Anthony (Bloom) and many of the clergy and people of the diocese (particularly those of the 2nd or 3rd generation from émigré families) knew the ways that the Russian State used to control all religious associations: the policy was aimed at the elimination of all religious groups, under the pseudo-Marxist pretext that religion would gradually disappear in the historical process of forming the New Society.

It was during this period of renewed persecution in Russia (at the direct instigation of Khruschev) that the visit of HH Alexis I (the Patriarch of Moscow at the time) to the Diocese of Sourozh took place; and it was a conversation between the Patriarch and Father Sergei that gave rise to the naming of this parish (the then loosely constituted group had yet to be recognized as such) after the Nativity of Christ. Father Sergei told Patriarch Alexis that he was celebrating services at his house in Barcombe Mills (near Lewes) in what had once been stables, and Alexis said: ‘Well, Father, you must name the parish after the Nativity of Christ, and then many people will come on its Feast of Title.’  

The Icon of St Maria

Father Sergei Hackel’s biography of Mother Maria (Skobtsova) was first published in 1965 (Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, London) under the title ‘One, of Great Price’, and it was subsequently re-published under the title ‘Pearl of Great Price’ (1981, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, New York). She was murdered by the Nazis at Ravensbruck concentration camp on the 31st March 1945, which happened to be Holy Saturday, by the Roman calendar.   

Researching Mother Maria’s life had left Father Sergei in no doubt as to the enduring quality of her witness to Christ. He had written the biography because he believed that many people would benefit (as he himself had) from a study of her life; and the book contributed in no small way to a widespread recognition of both Mother Maria, and the tradition that had inspired her.

Towards the end of his life (Father Sergei died in 2005) he had an opportunity to speak to His All-Holiness Bartholomew (the Ecumenical Patriarch) about Mother Maria, and the importance of her witness. Father Sergei raised the question whether the time had come to glorify Mother Maria as a saint, and to his delight the Patriarch replied: ‘Yes, why not?’ Our Holy Mother Maria was first glorified as a saint in 2004, at services in the cathedral at Rue Daru, Paris: Father Sergei was amongst the many clergy and laity in attendance.

Our parish is named after the Nativity of Christ, but through the labours (and at the express wish) of Father Sergei, our Holy Mother Maria has become our patron saint, to inspire and guide us. We feel connected to her in a number of ways, not only through Father Sergei’s work, but also because she was personally known to both Archbishop Anthony (Bloom) and Hieromonk Lev Gillet, who were both (in their separate ways) influential to the Orthodox-Catholic mission in Great Britain.

Father Dimitry Klepinin was one of Mother Maria’s companions in Paris, and was also arrested by the Nazis, because he worked with her (and a number of other companions - one of whom was her son, Yura) in helping Jews to escape from occupied France. During one of his interrogations by the Gestapo, Father Dimitri took his pectoral cross and pointed to the figure on it with the words: ‘And do you know this Jew?’

Father Sergei was acutely conscious of anti-Semitism both in Russian culture (he was frankly critical of the writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, for example) and contemporary church life (he had no hesitation in identifying anti-Semitism where it occurred amongst the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in Russia) and he would edit liturgical texts to avoid using anti-Semitic material. He was a member of The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) which has been working since 1942 to combat anti-Semitism and promote Jewish/Christian dialogue.

(As told by Father Ian, 2012)

DATA PRIVACY NOTICE

DATA PRIVACY NOTICE



Your personal data: your consent You may request at any time that any of your personal data – in our possession – be either removed/deleted or corrected, for whatever reason. However, members of the Parish (those people listed on the Membership Roll) should be aware that they are obliged to have their name and address recorded: a request to remove/delete their contact details would equate to them ceasing to be listed on the Membership Roll.

Electronic data The data currently collected is primarily your email address and/or phone number and/or postal address.

Paper Records The Parish has a Parish Register of baptisms/receptions, marriages and funerals; and included in this are copies of birth/civil marriage/death certificates: these records are permanent.

How is your personal data processed? Your personal data is used for the following purposes: -



 To serve our Parish membership i.e. those people listed on our Membership Roll;

 To serve the wider public, who call on the ministry of our clergy;

 To inform people of relevant news, events, activities and services;

 To maintain the accounts and financial records of our Property Trust (including the processing of Gift Aid);
On what basis is your personal data processed? Explicit consent is needed for us to keep people informed about news, events, activities and services; and also to process Gift Aid, when applicable. Processing relates only to members/former members of the Parish, or those who wish to have contact with the Parish and/or its clergy, for whatever purpose.

Sharing your personal data This information is treated as confidential, and not shared with anyone else, unless necessary to fulfil pastoral obligations.

How long is your personal data kept? The Membership Roll is updated every year; Gift Aid declarations, and associated paperwork, should be kept for up to 6 years, after the calendar year to which they relate; but the Parish Register, containing details of baptisms/receptions, marriages and funerals, is a permanent record.


May 2018