Become an Orthodox Mission Supporter
Britain in the 21st century is a mission field no less than the countries of Africa, Asia and South America. Although a large proportion of the population consider themselves Christian in some sense, nevertheless, the vast majority have no living and life-giving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, and even fewer have a knowledge of the Orthodox Church and the fulness of the Christian Faith which has been preserved for the salvation of all.
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ command us to be concerned for the salvation of those around us, and as far as we are able we are seeking to obey the Great Commission.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
More than in many African countries, we find ourselves as missionary Christians, and our priest must be a missionary Priest.
Father Peter Farrington is a priest of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in the British Orthodox diocese. He was brought up in a faithful evangelical family, and served in his local congregation before spending three years studying at an evangelical Bible College. His discovery of the Orthodox Faith led him through several years of enquiry until he was baptised into the Coptic Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Seraphim in 1994.
After many years of service in various ministries he was ordained a priest in 2009 and is the pastor of St Alban and St Athanasius British Orthodox Church in Kent, England. This is a small, but growing, missionary community, seeking to reach out in prayer, witness and evangelism to those around. Father Peter is also engaged in many other ministries and is presently the Secretary of the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK, the Co-Secretary of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum, and the Co-Secretary of the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Forum.
Since his reception into the Orthodox Church, Father Peter has been a student of the Christology of the Oriental Orthodox communion, and especially that of St Severus of Antioch. He writes regularly on spiritual and theological themes and has recently published a selection of some of his articles and papers. He is very active on the internet and created and maintained the British Orthodox website until 2010.
There are 1,500,000 people living in Kent, and many millions more living in London, just a short train ride from our small Church. We have already begun to baptise adult converts to the Orthodox Faith, but there are so many more people that we believe God would have us reach, and educate, and bring into the Church.
What are our aims?
Father Peter would like to prayerfully extend his ministry, and that of the local congregation to encompass the following objectives over the next 12 months as God wills.
i. Write and publish an Introduction to our Orthodox Faith which would be produced to a high standard and would be suitable for reaching British people with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Orthodox Faith and our Orthodox Church.
ii. Write and publish an Introduction to our Orthodox Spirituality which would also be produced to a high standard, and would explain and describe our traditional Orthodox spirituality for those seeking to understand our Faith, as well as for members of the Coptic and other Orthodox Churches to better understand how we are called and taught to live.
iii. Develop and produce a series of instructional videos to a professional standard describing and explaining our Faith as part of a catechetical instruction package for British and other enquirers, and for new Orthodox Christians, and for Coptic Orthodox Christians seeking to understand our Faith better.
iv. Produce a monthly spiritual newsletter to be distributed by email and containing news, spiritual advice, biblical instruction, and evangelistic material directed at enquirers and other supportive and interested contacts.
v. To work and pray using a variety of means to see our local congregation grow to 50 people with more than 30 people attending the liturgy each week.
vi. To continue to be able to participate in various ecumenical and inter-Orthodox events, and to arrange joint events and services with other local Orthodox communities.
vii. To produce a greater quantity of online educational and spiritual resources, including audio files of sermons, talks and lectures, study notes and daily reflections.
viii. Write and publish a new commentary on the Gospel of St Luke using a translation of the text of the Coptic New Testament, and providing patristic notes and comments as well as spiritual and historical insights.
ix. Establish a second mission elsewhere in Kent or in Central London and begin holding regular services directed at enquirers and local British Christians.
How can you support Orthodox Mission?
Our mission will not be successful without a team of faithful supporters both locally and internationally. Nor will any of these objectives be fulfilled without the provision of greater resources than we have at present. We have great faith in God, but we believe that it is right that we share these needs since we have in mind not our own comfort but the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the first place we need to develop a team of prayerful supporters who are willing to intercede for our mission every day. There is a small form in the right hand column which allows you to submit your email address so that you can receive our monthly Mission News by email. This is not the regular newsletter we send to congregational members, friends and enquirers, but is a special email sent to our supporters making known the developments in our missionary work, and those things for which we most need prayer.
We would ask you to pray for us each day. Pray for Father Peter, and for the other members of the congregation. Pray for all of the enquirers we are reaching. Pray for the activities we are organising. Some enquirers are travelling 3 or 4 hours on a Sunday to be with us. Pray that we will be given the resources by God to establish other missions. Pray for the other clergy of the British Orthodox Church, of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, and for all Orthodox in the UK, so that our mission might bear great fruit and see many thousands discovering Christ for themselves in the Orthodox Church.
We would like to have a fellowship of at least 100 people around the world praying for our missionary activity and receiving our Mission News so that they can pray intelligently. Could YOU be one of these prayerful supporters?
In the second place, Father Peter receives no income from the Church and must work for his living. While God has been gracious in meeting all of his needs until now, it is a plain matter of fact that there are only a finite number of hours in each day. If these missionary objectives are to be met then Father Peter needs some additional financial support to allow him to spend some time on these activities.
Please pray that the Lord would provide such financial resources. We take it as a matter of faith that God will provide enough for us to do all those things He wills us to do. There are many things that could be done to support the missionary work we are engaged in but it will be YOUR prayerful response to this challenge which determines what we are able to do.
As well as prayer, we ask that you consider if you can support our mission by making either a one off contribution, or committing to a regular small amount of support. We do not believe that such support is a donation or gift, rather we understand it as being an aspect of truly sharing in our missionary activity.
So do please pray, and consider receiving our monthly mission newsletter. (Don't forget to leave your email address) But do also consider if you can provide some of the resources needed to allow Father Peter and others to spend quality time on the missionary aims and objectives we are prayerfully considering. If you are unable to give yourself, or even if you have been able to support us in a material way, then please share this request appropriately with others.
In practical terms, £1000 or $1600 a month would allow Father Peter to spend 50% of his time working full time on mission and educational work. If 100 people were able to commit to £10 or $16 a month then many of these missionary and educational objectives could be met. Every level of support, even a one time commitment does make a difference.
There are links on the right hand bar to make a commitment using Paypal. Other methods are available if required.
In a very real sense, your prayers and your practical support will determine what we are able to do. We are praying that through your prayerful and financial support it will be clear to us what God would have us do,
Become a Supporter
Please support the ministry of Father Peter Farrington and St Alban's Orthodox Church.
You can help us by making a one off donation, or a regular commitment to support us each month.
We are trying to reach the area in which God has placed us with the Orthodox Faith, but we need your prayers and financial support.
Visit Father Peter's Orthodox Mission blog
To receive our monthly Mission News by email please submit your email address in the form.
Why not visit our Coptic Missionary Blog at Orthodox Mission