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Approximately 30-40 of us attend each Sunday morning Divine Liturgy, sometimes more, sometimes less. This can increase to around 100 on major feast-days like Pascha, Theophany, our patronal feast of Saint Panteleimon, and our special occasions, such as when our Archbishop visits. There are fewer of us at evening services, which are generally attended by only about 12-15 people. Our morning Divine Services are predominantly in Church Slavonic. The Epistle and Gospel are read in both languages. The sermon is usually given in English. In the evenings, more English is used in the services. There are lots of opportunities for people to help with the reading and singing at evening services, and people are welcome to join the readers and singers in the choir. There are approximately 35 households in our parish. Nearly half of us are families with young children and teenagers. Children are welcome in church. We have no separate Sunday school or children's services. Our children are baptised and participate fully in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, receiving Holy Communion from their infancy. All people of goodwill are welcome at our services, although only baptised Orthodox Christians can participate fully in the sacramental life of the Church. Visitors may be surprised to find very few seats in our church; this is because we generally stand throughout the Divine Services. Our parishioners are encouraged to dress modestly and in such a way as to avoid drawing attention. Men should wear long pants and women should wear skirts. Married women generally – although not always – cover their heads with a scarf. The evening services are usually between one and a half and two hours in length. These services are largely made up of alternating readings and short hymns. There is generally no preaching or teaching at evening services, the prayers, hymns and reading from Sacred Scripture providing the best instruction. Morning services are generally between two and two and a half hours in length. Readings from the Epistles and the Holy Gospel take place about one-third of the way through the service. The reception of Holy Communion and preaching occur close to the end. After morning services we usually sit down together for a cup of tea or coffee, a chat, and something to eat. We pray together before we eat. If we are lucky, our hard-working ladies' committee will have cooked piroshki (tasty Russian pastries with savoury fillings)! There are always cakes and other things to share. Our background is predominantly Russian. Of the Russian people amongst us, most came to Australia from China, or our parents and grandparents did. Others amongst us came from Eastern Europe after WW2, and still others came to Australia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Quite a few of us are not Russian: Orthodox Christians of Serbian, Romanian and Middle Eastern background, and a number of us are converts to Orthodox Christianity. Almost everyone in the parish speaks English fluently. English is the main language used for preaching, announcements, meetings, and general conversation. As one would expect in a Russian Orthodox parish, Russian is also often used. We live throughout the Central Coast. Some of us live on the Woy Woy peninsula, some in the coastal areas around Terrigal and Avoca, and others in the inland townships between West Gosford and Ourimbah.
Services were initially conducted in hired premises in East Gosford, and later in Narara. This required a great effort from the community, including the transport of all items necessary for the celebration of the Divine Services. Various clergymen from Sydney served the parish in 2000 and most of 2001, with services held once a month. Priest James Carles was appointed to the parish in September 2001, initially visiting from Sydney every third Sunday. After a period of significant growth, the parish decided in late 2003 to purchase the premises that now house the church and hall. Services began to be celebrated fortnightly. Father James and his family relocated to the Central Coast in March 2004. The new parish centre was opened in April of that year, and in May the new church was blessed by Archbishop Hilarion. Our parish has continued to grow and prosper. On the spiritual front, we strive to ever more diligently live Orthodox Christian lives. On the material front, we are working hard to pay off our mortgage and to build a lively Orthodox Christian parish of Russian tradition with a permanent church and parish centre that will serve the needs of Orthodox Christians into the future. |
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Sometimes it helps to know a little bit about a parish before you visit or start reading their website. This page aims to give you enough information to know what to expect of us and where we're “coming from”. 
Our parish was established by a resolution of Archbishop Hilarion on November 22 nd 2000. The first service was conducted by the Archbishop himself on the following Sunday, November 26 th 2000.