Oaks of Mamre

  We launch this series of writings on the week following Pentecost. And while I didn’t plan it that way, I can’t think of a better time! On Sunday we heard these words from St. John’s Gospel:
   On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” He spoke concerning the Spirit. (Gospel of St. John 7.37, 38) What might a stranger, visiting Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit, experience? Are they encountering God, the Holy Spirit? They certainly could! And in many ways, they are - though they may not fully realize fully what is happening. What is their experience of us? Are they encountering us as vessels of the Holy Spirit, as people from whom “rivers of living water are flowing”? Again, they could. I have at times experienced this in our community. And I am grateful for that. At other...

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ, "He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water'." (Jn. 7:38) This is the beginning of a new blog series coming from our Oaks of Mamre Ministry. The chair of that committee is Kevin Rains, and what Kevin writes below is a fine explanation of the work and goal of that ministry. Briefly stated here, it is about parish hospitality as a key component on assisting visitors and inquirers to experience the fulness of life offered in an Orthodox Christian community.   - Fr. Steven   ~  ~  ~   Abraham and Sarah serve the Lord by the Oaks of Mamre (Genesis 18) Hi. This is Kevin Rains. I lead the Oaks of Mamre ministry for Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit. The title of our ministry may be a little obscure to some but it’s based on a story told in The Book of Genesis (ch. 18) and further enlarged in a famous icon about Abraham providing hospitality to three stran...