“I was glad when they said, let us come into the house of the Lord.” –Psalm 122:1

“For one day in thy courts is better than thousands. I would rather be an outcast in the house of God, than dwell in the tents of sinners.” –Psalm 83:11

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, we held the first service in our modest new St. John Russian Orthodox Mission Church Temple, off Felmey Road in Winfield, PA, Vigil for St. Nicholas Day. The video below recounts our thanks to God, as well as our thanks to friends and neighbors who helped us reach this day. Glory to God!

There is still much to do to beauty the Temple of the Lord according to Orthodox Christian Tradition. This includes construction of a permanent Altar Table, Iconostasis, and also installation of the planned Onion Dome and Cross on the roof.

Please consider supporting this effort for the worship of God in the beauty of Orthodoxy. A character in Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot is quoted as saying, “beauty will save the world.”

The illumination of our lives by God’s goodness is the deepest beauty leading us to empty ourselves in Christ. One important way we participate in that deepest harmony is through traditional worship of Him in the beauty of the coming together of His Kingdom with Earth in His Church, “on earth as it is in heaven.” Glory to God!

A link to donate to our Church beautification fund and more information can be found here. Thank you!