Bristol, February 19, 2016
A multi-ethnic Orthodox community in Bristol, England, is making an appeal for financial help in purchasing a building for worship:
The Parish of The Holy Trinity is a Russian Orthodox community in Bristol, England, belonging to the Diocese of Sourozh of the Moscow Patriarchate. Since its foundation in 1997 by Metropolitan Antony of Sourozh, our parish has been worshiping in various rented accommodations. We began in a house of Ecumenical prayer, then moved to a cemetery chapel and now share the Catholic Church of St. John Fisher in the Frenchay suburb of Bristol.
The building is used by Scouts and we can only have it on Sundays. This means that we cannot celebrate important dates of the Orthodox calendar on other days of week.
Before each service we have to unpack and install the iconostasis, icons and other church objects needed for the service. We need to put them away afterwards.
During these years the parish has developed a strong spiritual life. Our parishioners are Orthodox people from several countries including the UK, with a variety of nationalities and backgrounds. Bristol is a great university city and the capital of the west of England, visited by people from all over the world. We believe the presence of churches like ours, bearing a humble witness to faith, will enrich the spiritual life of the city.
The church we hope to buy for our Orthodox parish is a highly suitable building close to the city center. Southville Methodist church at Stackpool Road (BS3 1NW) was built in 1934 in a neo-Gothic style. The stone building consists of two parts —the Church part with a bell tower on one side and the big church hall with amenities on the other. It is no longer used for church services.
We aim to continue the lease of the church hall to Southville Community Center, which uses it as a nursery school. The property is registered as an “asset for the community under the localism act 2011.” We wish to maintain the church as a home of spiritual worship.
The church is for sale for 350,000 pounds. We need to raise a deposit. In addition, we would need approximately 100,000 pounds for refurbishment, including upgrading the electrical and heating systems and to transform the interior into an Orthodox Church.
We totally depend on the generosity of parish members, friends and benefactors. We are asking for your help either with moral support, or by a small donation.
Any help is priceless, and no gift is too small. Thank you.
Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain and Ireland has also contributed to this request:
Dear brothers and sisters and all our friends! We thank all the benefactors of our Diocesan Parish in Bristol, from the bottom of our heart. Their names are remembered in our prayers at the Altar of God. We are offering the opportunity for everybody to make a contribution to developing our multilingual community and obtain a new church building. It will become one of the important spiritual centers in Bristol. Please support people in their spiritual needs, so enabling them to pray in church, and those prayers may help us in our own lives.
May God bless you all!
+Elisey of Sourozh
CHARITY NUMBER: 277508 (as part of the Diocese of Sourozh)
ACCOUNT DETAILS FOR DONATIONS:
Lloyds Bank, Corn St. Bristol
Account name: Russian Orthodox Parish of the Holy Trinity
Account number: 01620935 Sort code: 30-00-01
Website: www.bristol-sourozh.org.uk
Email: theorthodoxchurchbristol@gmail.com
Rector: Archpriest Michael Gogolev
