Byzantine, Texas

( AOB ) - The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America will hold its sixth annual meeting September 15-17, 2015 at the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel. This year’s meeting will include two sessions devoted to canonical regional planning. In the first of these sessions, the Assembly’s 12 jurisdictional first hierarchs will have an opportunity to offer their comments on a proposal that has been prepared by the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning for submission to the Great and Holy Council in 2016. In the second session, the Assembly's hierarchs will engage in a facilitated discussion about the proposal. This year’s meeting also includes a working session on pastoral practices of marriage and divorce. On Tuesday evening, September 15, the Assembly will sponsor a pan-Orthodox youth gathering for high school and college students in the Chicago area. The event will provide an opportunity for dialogue between the youth and a panel of hierarchs...

We would do well to remember the words of the saint whose feast we celebrate today... "He Himself warns us in His Gospel, and teaches saying: 'And there shall be one flock and one shepherd.'And does anyone think that there can be either many shepherds or many flocks in one place?" - St. Cyprian of Carthage The Unity of the Church ( OCL ) - Canonical Orthodox Churches have always been Churches in specific geographical areas. Where the Bishop is, so too is the Church. The Church is not a colonial extension of bishops ruling or directing from other geographic areas. Canonical order is bishops in a geographic area meeting as a Synod, electing their own head and working with clergy and laity to build up the body of Christ. This is not true for the Churches outside the boundaries of the old Roman Empire. In the USA, the situation is chaotic. We have 14 parallel jurisdictions of Orthodox Bishops directed from foreign lands. In 2008, the Autocephalous Patr...

( mospat.ru ) - On August 28, 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria was accompanied by Bishop Meletios of Naukratis. Participating in the meeting were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the department for external church relations (DECR), Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrene, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox Relations. Addressing his high guest, Patriarch Kirill said, ‘We have an opportunity to meet and talk from heart to heart and exchange our opinions. I would like to stress once again the very good nature of relations between our two Churches. To a great extent, this nature is determined by your personality: you know Russia, the Russian people and the Russian ...

( Cyber Desert ) - Over the next few days a total of 140 archbishops and bishops will participate in a five-day event in Istanbul (Constantinople) between August 29 and September 2. The Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne is an annual event of the Patriarchate to celebrate the beginning of the Ecclesial Year and coincides with the Orthodox day for the Environment. This year’s event is quite unique, as this is perhaps the first time that the fullest cohort of bishops possible was invited (rather than just representatives) and a large number came. All the bishops of the “new lands” in Greece were invited, for example. These are diocese now within the Republic of Greece who find spiritual authority in the Ecumenical Throne but were cut off from the Ecumenical Throne some eight decades ago with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and while still under the spiritual aegis of the Ecumenical Patriarch are also members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. The purpose of...

Only the ROCOR's Diocese of the East can match Trisagion Films in terms of content and professionalism for a US-based source of Orthodox videos. On that point, it has been 9 months since the last ROCOR-EAD video.

( ROC-The Philippines ) - With great joy and gladness, we announce the reception through a mass baptism the parish and catechumens from St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. Photos taken during the mass baptism last August 21, 2015, Friday, of the newly accepted St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Ladol, Alabel, Sarangani Province, Philippines. A total of 239 catechumens are baptized including two Aglipayan (Philippine Independent Catholic Church) "bishops" and four Aglipayan "priests". Aglipayan "bishop" Esteban Valmera was baptized as STEFAN; Aglipayan "bishop Rogelio Ringor was baptized as GREGORY; Aglipayan priest Elieser Delfin was baptized as ELEASAR; Aglipayan priest Dioscoro Bergado was baptized as Alexy; Aglipayan priest John Collado was baptized as Timothy and Aglipayan priest Renato Buniel was baptized as ROMANUS. Also baptized during this event are the five candidates for seminary in Russia. The baptism was performed by Fr. Kirill S...

( Hurryiet Daily News ) - The Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul seeks to remove the graves of the founder of the self-declared Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate and his successors out of their historic cemetery in Istanbul, daily Cumhuriyet reported Aug. 22. The old controversy that took a new twist has been revolving around the graves of Papa Efthim, who declared himself the pope of the church he founded in 1921, and his sons and successors, Turgut Erenerol and Selçuk Erenerol, in the Şişli neighborhood of Istanbul. "This is the Greek Orthodox cemetery. These men were not even Orthodox, let alone Greek. They were excommunicated," Cumhuriyet quoted Mihail Vasiliadis, who owns the Turkey-based Greek daily Apoyevmatini. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul's Fener neighborhood, which has an estimated 300 million Orthodox believers around the world, had excommunicated Papa Efthim I, Efthim II and Efthim III after the church's foundation, which was support...

Some days ago a fellow priest asked me if I had a prayer for a married couple who wanted to have children. I checked my four volume Book of Needs, my smaller Book of Needs, my Greek Mikron Euchologion, and then searched online. There was no such prayer to be found. I then asked an online clergy brotherhood forum for help. Much discussion was had on the value of pilgrimages, St. Irene Chrysovalantou, and the relic of the belt (zone, cincture) of the Theotokos. Eventually, someone mentioned that the Priest's Service Book (Mikron Euchologion, Agiasmatarion) by Fr. Evagoras Constantinides of blessed memory has such a prayer. He supplied me with a photo of the page and I was able to pass it on. Sadly, I am unable to find a hard copy of this book and Holy Cross Bookstore no longer carries it. Pastorally, I would personally advise a couple to make a pilgrimage and send them off with this prayer. God willing, this prayer will be useful to priests and couples praying for the blessing of a...

H/T: The Orthodox Pathway This is an interesting take on a story from the Desert Fathers. A brother came to see Abba Macarius the Egyptian, and said to him, 'Abba, give me a word, that I may be saved.' So the old man said, 'Go to the cemetery and abuse the dead.' The brother went there, abused them and threw stones at them; then he returned and told the old man about it. The latter said to him, 'Didn't they say anything to you?' He replied, 'No.' The old man said, 'Go back tomorrow and praise them.' So the brother went away and praised them, calling them, 'Apostles, saints and righteous men.' He returned to the old man and said to him, ‘ I have complimented them’. And the old man said to him, 'Did they not answer you?' The brother said no. The old man said to him, 'You know how you insulted them and they did not reply, and how you praised them and they did not speak; so you too if you wish to be saved must do the sa...

Think back to yesterday when you're listening to the choir, the altar boys are visibly milling about through the open spaces in the icon screen, and you've picked up the same small child 4 times to keep him happy an quiet. Now imagine a crashing sound at the front door. People you've never seen before are rushing in and begin forcing everyone out the of the building. That was the experience of people in a church in Ukraine. Please pray for an end to this terrible conflict. As to the photo above, this story reminded me of this incident from last year. Moscow, August 24, ( Interfax ) - The incident has happened at St. Vladimir Church in the village of Malye Dmitrovichi, the Obukhov District, the Kiev Region, Ukraine. Unidentified people rushed into the church during the liturgy, they called themselves representatives of the local self-defence. Priests of the self-proclaimed Kiev Patriarchate later joined them, press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports. ...

Without fail the number one question I get asked when I post conference dates is "Will it be recorded?" The answer here, as last year was, is a very probable yes. Please join us for our ANNUAL CONFERENCE Nov. 5-7, 2015 “CAREGIVERS AS CONFESSORS AND HEALERS” Holy Cross Seminary – Boston, Massachusetts Keynote Speaker: Holy Confession and the Freedom to Be, Fr. Stavros Kofinas, D.Min., Coordinator of the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care. The Conference will begin at 7pm on Friday, Nov. 5, and end at 6pm on Saturday, Nov. 7. Members, non-members, students, clergy, healthcare professionals and nonprofessionals are invited to attend! Please click here for more information and to register! We would be delighted to add you to our email Contact List; please let us know at ocamprinfo@gmail.com. Click here for the Program of our 2014 Conference, “Exploring the Mind, Body, Soul Connection: Spirituality in Illness and Healing.” The 2014 c...

The prayer from the Book of Needs (Trebnik / Small Euchologion) is posted below for those interested: Bless, O Lord, this new fruit of the vine, which, through the wholesomeness of the air, and through showers of rain and temperate weather, Thou art well-pleased should attain to ripeness at this time. May our partaking of this birth of the vine be for gladness, and for the offering of a gift unto Thee for the cleansing of sins, through the sacred and holy Body of Thy Christ, with Whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy Most-holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ( Santa Maria Times ) - For winemaker Louis Lucas, the continuing severe drought means fewer grapes, a whole lot fewer. So he'll take any help that he can get, even from the divine. Lucas, who is a co-founder of Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards Winery, which has estate vineyards in the Los Alamos, Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys, said they were looking at harvesting a...

God bless Kevin Allen. Orthodoxy in America needs his special brand of journalism. How did David Daleiden - The Man Behind the Planned Parenthood Expose - make it through those undercover interviews without being overcome by despondency? The Jesus Prayer. Ponder that. ( AFR ) - In this special edition of Ancient Faith Today, Kevin speaks, in this extensive interview, with David Daleiden, the director of the Center For Medical Progress , the pro-life activist organization that planned and produced the ​expose videos that have shaken the abortion industry in the United States.

( Pravoslavie.ru ) - For two weeks, Archpriest Michael Boyle and the faithful of Saint Michael the Archangel Cathedral here have been praying for relief from the torrential rains that have pounded the region and flooded the historic structure’s basement. “While the cathedral, which stands in the middle of the downtown district, has been spared from mudslides, it has been significantly affected by rain—especially over the past 48 hours during which at times up to an inch an hour fell,” said Father Michael on Wednesday, August 19, 2015. “For the hearty Sitka faithful, who live in the Tongass National Rain Forest, being wet is not just a part of life—it is life! “We are thankful to God that none of the icons or artifacts that belonged to Saint Innocent, nor any other sacred items, have been damaged or affected by the water,” Father Michael added. “However, the cathedral’s main dome began to leak, so buckets and tarps now cover the floor.” Sitka was placed on a State of Alaska em...

( Armenian-WD ) - On August 19, the preparatory works for the Blessing of the Holy Muron commenced in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the Evening Service, the silver cauldron filled with olive oil was placed on the Main Altar of the Mother Cathedral and was covered with an embroidered veil. For 40 days until the Blessing of the Holy Muron, prayers will be offered each day following Evening Services. This year, the Blessing of the Holy Muron will be held on September 27, the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag; in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, during which His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; will bless the Holy Muron with Holy Relics of the Armenian Church. The newly blessed Muron will be distributed to all the dioceses of the Armenian Church.

( Christian Today ) - Thousands of Syrian and Iraqi Christians who have fled the atrocities of Islamic State are expected to attend the beatification of a Syriac Catholic bishop later this month. The celebration comes after Pope Francis authorised a decree declaring Bishop Flavien-Michel Malké to be a martyr. The beatification will take place in Lebanon exactly a century after Bishop Malké was killed in Turkey on 29 August 1915, victim to the Ottoman Empire's attempt to exterminate Christian minorities. The beatification liturgy will be celebrated by Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Patriarch of Antioch, at the Our Lady of Deliverance convent. Patriarch Younan said: "In these painful times experienced by Christians, especially the Syriac communities in Iraq and Syria, the news of the beatification of one of their martyrs, will surely bring encouragement and consolation to face the today's trials of appalling dimension. "Blessed Martyr Michael, intercede...

This book is ubiquitous. I consider it one of the 25 most important, formative modern Orthodox books in the English language. ( Antiochian ) - A new prayer section was recently launched on Antiochian.org. The section is linked on the Archdiocese website's homepage "Worship & Devotion" sidebar and in the footer navigation, and is available across all devices. This means that the most popular sections of A Pocket Prayer Book, the well-loved Antiochian Archdiocese spiritual resource affectionately known as "The Little Red Prayer Book," are now readily available to Antiochian.org's many weekly visitors. So far, the collection of online prayers includes: Morning Prayers, Midday Prayers, Evening Prayers, Occasional Prayers, Prayers in Preparation for Holy Communion, Prayers of Thanksgiving After Holy Communion, Self Examination Before Confession, and Prayers After Confession. Other prayers may be added as appropriate. The original prayer book, contai...

H/T: Mode of Life

( OCA ) - Chaplains representing many different faith traditions—including Orthodox Christianity—ministered to an estimated 40,000 scouts from 160 countries at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan in mid-August 2015. For the first time, the American contingent of over 1,900 scouts included an Orthodox Christian chaplain—Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America and member of the Boy Scout’s Religious Relations Task Force. A priest of the Moscow Patriarchate also ministered to Orthodox scouts from Russia. Also present was His Eminence, Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy for some 300 Orthodox Christian scouts during his four-day visit. DESMOS, the international Orthodox Christian scouting organization, maintained a popular booth that, for many scouts, provided their first exposure to the faith. Held every four years, the Jamboree gathers scouts in fellowship and the spirit o...

( OCA ) - On Friday, September 11, 2015, the Board of Trustees and Faculty of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary here will bestow a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, upon His Holiness, Irinej, Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and Patriarch of Serbia. At the Academic Convocation, Patriarch Irinej will deliver an address titled “Theology as a Hope for the Future of the Church.” Patriarch Irinej will arrive on the seminary campus, briefly visit Three Hierarchs Chapel, and then proceed to the Academic Convocation. The public ceremony will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building. An open reception will follow. Patriarch Irinej, the 45th Patriarch of Serbia, was enthroned in his present position in January 2010. He was ordained as a hieromonk in 1959. After his consecration to the episcopacy, he served as Bishop of Moravica and Nis prior to his election as Patriarch. He also was bo...

Some weeks ago, Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and South East Asia put out yet another excommunication notice to a non-Greek priest operating in the Philippines (see here ). As has been posted here in the past, the Antiochians and Russians have been in the Philippines and the rest of South East Asia for many years and often operated in these areas before the Greeks. Met. Nektarios' assertion that his presence in Hong Kong means there can be no non-Greek priests in the east is a contentious one and something that the Russian Church has stated unequivocally to be untenable (see here ). The below story comes out a few days after the aforementioned encyclical. Note that the permission to go to the Philippines was granted by the Patriarch of Moscow and not the Greek Metropolitan of Hong Kong. This is a "diaspora" problem and one that is only held in check in US because of the large numbers of people involved that make such a Canon 28 assertion impossible. God willing, we ...

Occasionally you read some words from the fathers and reflect, "There is no way I could say that today." I think if I tried to deliver these words today I'd have some more words returned to me at coffee hour. That is not to say that there's no need for these words to be said, but the delivery would be... less pointed. The below is from the blog Orthognosia . Women usually have no sense of moderation when it comes to household chores. They’re constantly finding things to do. While they do have a lot of heart and could do much “housecleaning” in their soul, they often waste their heart on insignificant things. Let’s say we have a delicate glass with very intricate designs. Now, if this glass didn’t have all these designs on it, it would still serve its purpose as a glass. But no, women go to the store and start: “No, I want the designs up higher, to this point; no, not this way, the other way…” And if there should be some floral details on it, well then the heart ...

Head over to Pappas Post for more photos and background.

( RBTH ) - A group of five bell-ringers arrives in Moscow from Harvard University on Aug. 12. "The Harvard University students study the Russian bell-ringing tradition in their free time. They will come specially to learn the Russian bell-ringing culture and boost their bell-ringing level. At Harvard, they ring copies of 18 Danilov bells," the press service for the Moscow Danilov Monastery told Interfax-Religion. The ten-day program includes training sessions using bell-ringing simulators, participation in the bell-ringing in the Danilov Monastery, getting to know with their Russian colleagues, visits to churches, bell-towers and museums, and a short trip in Russia. Harvard University and the Danilov Monastery earlier reached an agreement on a cultural exchange.

Every year without fail I get to post a couple of Old Believer stories. They're fascinating to cover and severely underreported on. I still have not made it to a community in the US (but hope to visit Erie someday soon). Also, they are an important reminder in many ways of pre-Nikonian Orthodoxy. It is not uncommon at all for someone to say that this or that practice has "always" been done only to do some research and find out that it only dates back to the changes of Patriarch Nikon or some of the Westernizing or modernizing influences in the decades after those changes. Sometimes a thing is not done in one tradition because they never added it on and other times a thing is not done because a group removed it. Let the person of many opinions beware lest he claim one way is the "right" way without doing sufficient study to support that assertion. ( mospat.ru ) - On 7-10 August 2015, an international meeting of Old Believers took place in Ulan-Ude, marking ...

Some days ago the people from Orthodox Christian Supply contacted me to see if I'd like to review their products. I agreed and in no time found a package at my door. The packaging is layered and quite well thought out. The initial wrapping, found after opening the box, is newspaper. Inside that is bubble wrap. Inside that  the icon is a smartly sealed in paper that both protects it from scratches and would be suitable for gift wrapping. I have ordered icons in the past from other companies and had a dented corner hanging out of the cardboard of one, a long crack on the back of another, and a set that was placed together (face to face) that wanted to stay that way so that when I pulled them apart sections of each icon were on the wrong icon (if icon delivery often takes a while to make it to you, returns make one think everything is shipped on river barges harried by outlaws and indians on the warpath) I have a very strong feeling that none of those things would happen with...

( The Independent ) - Ireland's national treasure, The Book of Kells, has now become a registered global trademark owned by Trinity College - despite fast-food giant Burger King beefing about it. The worldwide restaurant chain had to be convinced that the use of the initials "BK" didn't infringe on their trademark as purveyors of burgers, fries and milk shakes. The new venture to commercialise the sumptuously illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels may not please everyone. But the reality is that Trinity College needs to balance the books to ensure that its priceless collection of ancient texts is properly cared for. As a result, admirers of the Book of Kells will soon be able to make the masterpiece of medieval art a part of their daily lives. Trinity, the keeper of the world famous book, has joined with the prestigious art book publisher Thames & Hudson in the UK to produce what it calls "five exquisitely designed gift products" making...

( The Independent ) - A Jewish peer who fled occupied Austria as a child is funding the rescue of up to 2,000 Christians from Syria and Iraq as a way of showing his gratitude to the religion whose members saved him from the Nazis. Lord Weidenfeld says he has “a debt to repay” to Christians fleeing Isis, because the Quakers and the Plymouth Brethren fed and clothed him and helped him to reach Britain in 1938. The publisher is spearheading Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund, which last week supported the flight of 150 Syrian Christians to Poland on a privately chartered plane to allow them to seek refuge, making them the first beneficiaries of the resettlement project. Having arrived in Britain on a train a year before the start of the Second World War with just a few shillings to his name, Lord Weidenfeld went on to establish the Weidenfeld and Nicolson publishing business a decade later. He was made a life peer in 1976. The 95-year-old told The Times: “I had a debt to repay. It ap...

Why didn't their head, the leader of the second largest Eastern Catholic Church with 5 million faithful, not do this? Because the diaspora is run at the papal level. For the Latin Church even Catholic Churches that have a bishop in the new world have to seek permission from Rome to do rather commonplace things like raising a parish to the level of cathedral . It is, to my thinking a poor setup that reconfirms the secondary place of the so-called Uniate churches in the wider world. ( Vatican Radio ) Pope Francis on Thursday erected an Apostolic Exarchate for Syro-Malabar Catholics who are residents in Canada, nominating Father Jose Kalluvelil of the Eparchy of Palghat as its first Exarchate and assigning him the titular seat of Tabalta. The Exarchate extends throughout Canada, where Syro-Malabar Catholics have been present since the 1960’s. On 16 February 2001, besides being named the first Bishop of the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Chicago for the Syro-Malabar Cathol...

( Archaeology in Bulgaria ) - Archaeologists excavating the so called Bishop’s Basilica of the Ancient Roman and Early Byzantine city of Parthicopolis located in the town of Sandanski in Southwest Bulgaria have discovered the last fragment from a marble slab with a christogram, a Christian symbol consisting of a monogram of letters standing for the name of Jesus Christ. The “monogram of Christ”, also known as the “seal of God” and Chi Rho after the respective Greek letters, which has now been put together by the archaeologists from the Sandanski Museum of Archaeology, has been discovered piece by piece over the last 25 years, reports the Bulgarian National Television. The christogram from the Bishop’s Basilica in Sandanski I, which has not been fully assembled, is dated to the 6th century AD. “This is a christogram, from the Greek letters Chi Rho which stands for Jesus Christ. It also features the Greek letters alpha and omega which also appear in the central part of the chri...

For short background: Jerusalem, in rather obvious violation of Church order, installed a bishop in Qatar which is the territory of Antioch. It was claimed that Antioch had not taken care of the Christians there and so Jerusalem stepped in to serve the Christian migrant workers there. There has been a back and forth for many months now that culminated in the breaking of communion with Jerusalem by Antioch just a few weeks back. Jerusalem responded with a letter putting forth her position and now Antioch has done the same. Again, we are indebted to Notes on Arab Orthodoxy for pointing us to this statement and for previous translation work. ( Church of Antioch ) - A statement from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East DAMASCUS, 8 August, 2015 The Patriarchate of Jerusalem recently issued a statement claiming that it pretends to «tell the truth with honesty,» regarding its aggression toward the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch and regarding establ...

( UCANews ) - More Christian and Catholic groups and bishops, both inside and outside China, are protesting the Chinese government's cross-removal campaign in Zhejiang province. On July 31, two separate groups of priests who graduated from the Central and Southern Seminary in Wuchang and the Sheshan Seminary in Shanghai condemned the campaign in public statements circulated on the Internet, with one group comparing it to the persecution that occurred during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution. One of the priests, who identified himself as Father Ambrose, told ucanews.com that he and 20 classmates from the 2001 class at Central and Southern Seminary lobbied their respective bishops to protest the campaign. “The prelates may need more time to think over and consider the timing of their remarks. In order to not pressure them, we decided to speak out in the name of our graduate class,” Fr. Ambrose said. In a separate statement, nine priests who graduated from Sheshan Seminary...

To be precise, in a monastery on the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Who else could write the line " Phanar Ecumenist Kallistos Ware to Speak at Monophysite-Coptic Feminist Conferences "? ( NFTU ) - Well-known heretical Phanar Ecumenist, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, a proponent of “women’s ordination”, plans to speak at a conference run by heretical Coptic Monophysite “Orthodox Women’s Ministry” conference. The event will take place in Heythrop College, University of London, in the United Kingdom from Friday, September 11, 2015, to Sunday, September 13, 2015. The Conference website states that two prominent ecumenist Phanar notables will speak, which includes Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diocletia, and the well-known feminist ecumenist ‘theologian’ of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s, Dr. Kyriaki Fitzgerald (Clinical Psychologist and activer member of the WCC). Dr. Fitgerald is well-known in the “women’s ordination” movement in the World “Orthodox” groups. The tilt by the Phanar and the organization’s acolytes towards feminism and “wom...

( Focus on the Family ) - Because of friends like you, Focus on the Family is able to come alongside the families of martyrs executed by ISIS. ‪Construction in Samalout, Egypt, of homes for these families is well underway, and it is a project that has impacted an entire community (see pictures in the Photos section). The construction contractor is hiring local laborers to help build the homes, providing new jobs. The local Coptic Bishop has offered two buildings that will be turned into Vocational Training Centers, creating new potential. Families from around Samalout are bringing the construction crews meals while they work. Teams from Focus on the Family Egypt regularly make the 2 hour trip to the community to meet with the families and grieve alongside them. What began as a horrific tragedy has brought the whole community together. The houses are not extravagant, by any definition. But they are safe, they provide shelter, and they are giving members of a marginalized community...