Hastings, England, March 18, 2025
The building being purchased. Photo: justgiving.com
The parish of the All-Merciful Saviour of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in Hastings, England, has outgrown its current small building, which was built largely by the parishioners themselves less than three years ago.
The parish “grows each month in size and is now bursting at the seams,” the ROCOR Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe reports.
To meet its growing needs, the parish has reached an agreement to purchase a former Protestant church located just around the corner from its current building. The present owner has agreed to sell the building for £140,000 ($181,850).
This comes as a long-awaited answer to the parish’s prayers. During the recent visit of the wonderworking Hawaiian Iveron Icon, its guardian Fr. Nectary Yangson and local rector Fr. Aleksandr Groves took the sacred icon to the church “in the hope that one day it might be for sale.”
An artist’s rendering of what the transformed interior might look like. Photo: orthodox-europe.org In addition to the nave, the building includes a kitchen, a fellowship hall, and gardens at the front and back.
“This new building would not only allow us to welcome more worshippers, but our small but flourishing Orthodox Church is in great need of a larger and more suitable place of worship. By God’s grace, we have the opportunity to acquire an old chapel, which we hope to transform into a beautiful and fitting house of prayer—a place where the Divine services can be offered with dignity and reverence,” Fr. Aleksandr writes on the parish’s fundraising page.
The parish has launched a JustGiving page, with a goal of £150,000 ($194,860)—the cost of purchasing the building plus another £10,000 ($12,990) for renovations.
As of writing, £5,235 ($6,800) has been raised.
Donations can be offered via Visa or Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or bank transfer from UK bank accounts.
“Fr Aleksandr and the faithful on the south coast of England ask all readers prayerfully to consider supporting this opportunity to found a new temple to God’s glory in these islands! Please click here to make a contribution.”
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Source: Orthodox Christianity
