Johnstown , PA  [Diocesan Chancery] -- The New Jersey Deanery Clergy hosted a workshop at St. the Baptist Church in Rahway on Saturday, June 6, in preparation for the Apostles Fast.  The Christian Life in Action Workshop is part of a broader plan by the NJ Deanery to host workshops during the four great fasting periods of the church year.  Using the Apostles Fast as the background, this workshop focused on the ministries of the laity.

 

The day began with prayer in the church narthex followed by light refreshments in the church basement.  The program commenced with Fr. Konstantin Gavrilkin (St. Euphorsynia Church, South River, NJ) offering some historical reflections/analysis on the development of th Church and Her meaning in the life of the church.  He touched on the pragmatic and current status of good works in the Church and the need to follow the model laid down by Christ Himself.  "There is a gap between the New Testament and the Church today," Fr. said, "we see a parish - not souls.  We must following the example of Christ sending them two by two, with different perspectives, different understandings and different challenges.  Can there be something where there is nothing or it is broken, can we fill that?"

 

Seminarian Nicholas Cizin (Holy Ghost Church, Manville, NJ) spoke of the ministry to the imprisoned.  He discussed the good work currently being done by the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) and the need for more volunteers and workers to fill in the gaps and assist with programs sponsored by OCPM to live out the Gospel of St. Matthew in recounted in the Last Judgement.  

 

Fr. Andrew Wythe, host pastor, spoke next regarding the Ministry to the sick in his capacity as a hospital chaplain at a local facility.  Father's session focused on not simply what a chaplain does but how the laity have the ability to do this good work on their own with some guidance and a compassionate heart.  Referencing the parable of the talents, Fr. Andrew said, "There must be some interest returned on the gift that God has given to each of us."

 

To close out the day's event, Very Rev. Fr,. Michael Chendorain, Dean of New Jersey, spoke of the ministry to the hungry and poor, highlighting the work of St. John's Church (Perth Amboy) and their soup kitchen which ran for 20 years.  His talk centered on the Feeding of the 5,000 in St. Matthews Gospel and related it to the Eucharist and God's grace poured out upon us all.    Focusing on the ability of the faithful to do small things in great ways, Fr. Michael cited Proverbs 22:2,  "The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all." "And thus generosity is not optional in the Kingdom of God, it is essential. In Christ's Kingdom the poor are not forgotten, they are prioritized.", he elaborated.

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