Our parish exists solely on donations from people like you. Apart from weekly collection donations, you can send money by one-off bank transfer, standing order and even PayPal. Also please remember Gift Aid when donating, since that enables us to claim more funds from the government.
The PayPal button can be found at the bottom of every page of our website. This will take you to our official PayPal page, where you can make a one-off donation or set up a repeating payment.
We need help every Sunday with the setting up and taking down of the altar and icon stands. As we are in rented space, it takes a lot of effort to get everything ready in the morning and clear everything after the service is over every Sunday. We welcome any help, there are tasks for all willing souls, whether you are tall, short, weak or strong. If you can be of assistance, please aim to be at St. Botolph's by 09:30 latest.
Leit-ourg-ia, Liturgy, means the work of the laos, the people, not the priest. The rubrics of Orthodox worship forbid any bishop or priest from serving the divine services without at least one layperson to sing responses. Those who chant and those who serve in the holy altar are the priest's con-celebrants. We always need reliable, committed men to serve in the holy altar and both men and women to chant at the kleros. If you believe that you have what it takes to serve, please speak to Subdeacon Chris or Subdeacon Ioannis. If you believe that you have what it takes to chant, or wish to learn, please speak to Reader Romanos. You can also find their contact details in the Contact section of the website, if you would like to email them first before speaking face-to-face.
We also need more people to be on the rota for baking prosphora.
People donating money to the parish are sometimes unsure where it goes and how it helps.
Here is a rough idea of what your money can provide:
£1 — a single roll of charcoal, to burn incense every divine service, following
the commands of God (Exodus 35.15, Leviticus 16.13).
£3 — a pack of tealights to light the seven-branch candlestick on the Holy Table
of sacrifice (Exodus 37.18).
£4 — a pack of taper candles, lit on the Holy Table and in the hands of the servers
when the Holy Gospel is read (John 8.12).
£5 — a pillar candle to stand in front of a holy icon on the iconostasis, the portal
of the Kingdom (John 12.46).
£6 — a bottle of wine to become the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
(Matthew 26.28, John 6.55, 1 Corinthians 11.25).
£14 — a packet of palm crosses to salute our Saviour on Palm Sunday, the
beginning of Passion Week.
£15 — a box of incense, such as the Magi brought to Bethlehem (Matthew 2.11) and the
angels offer at the throne of God (Revelation 8.4).
£20 — the average cost of monthly repairs and replacements of items necessary for the
holy temple (Exodus 30.13, 1 Kings 6).
£100 — a Great Vespers service on the eve of a Great Feast, to signify the dawning
of a holy day (Genesis 1.5, Psalm 141.2).
Every donation is important and serves a purpose in the divine worship. Nothing goes to waste. Your generosity alone determines whether we can offer the holy worship commanded by God in our parish, in a language and a place accessible
to all.