St Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church

After  3 years of remodeling, the Desert Wisdom Bookstore is again open for business. Please drop by as we are weekly adding to our stock and have a number of books and gifts that will interest everyone. We have created a space not just for purchasing Orthodox Christian merchandise, but a nice place to hang out, with a loft and special places to sit and enjoy our little oasis in the city. The current hours of operation are Monday and Wednesday 10am-4pm. Tuesday 11am-7pm, Friday 10am-5pm, 1st Saturday of the month 10am-6pm and Sunday after Liturgy. CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURES IN THE GALLERY!

The 16th Annual Ancient Christianity Conference hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black is scheduled to take place May 29-31, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Martin House Hotel.  The theme of the conference this year is “Jesus Christ: Joy and Sorrow“.   The conference features prayer, spiritual music, Divine Liturgy, and fellowship, with a focus on Orthodox spiritual life. To learn more, View the Conference Poster.

This past March the St. Mary of Egypt family and Reconciliation Services welcomed the arrival of Fr. Justin Matthews, Matushka Katherine/Jodi and sons.  We are blessed to have them here  as members of our parish and as co-workers in the ongoing effort to help those in need.

Fr. Justin is the Executive Director of FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) which was started this year  as a “network of Orthodox Christian social action ministries and social action workers“. This  newly formed non-for-profit organization  is a much needed and long awaited aspect of  mission and outreach for the Church. The Mission of FOCUS is “to express Christ’s love in North America for those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick or in prison (Matt. 25:35-6) by providing aid including food, occupations, clothing, understanding, and shelter.”

Please visit the website and find out more at http://www.focusnorthamerica.org/

The Fifth Annual Troost Festival was held this past Saturday (May 16th) at 31st and Troost Avenue.  The goal of the Troost Festival is to promote racial reconciliation on a street that was once the racial dividing line in Kansas City. CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURES IN THE GALLERY!

A roundtable discussion occurred prior to the event on The Walt Bodine Show (KCUR radio - 89.3 FM), with guests Father David Altschul, Lori Buntin of Hoop Dog Studios, and Alexander Austin, a muralist and artist.  Listen to the show at KCUR.org.

Father Paisius (David) Altschul, Executive Director and Clinical Social Worker at Reconciliation Services in Kansas City, is the 2009 recipient of the Shirley Chisholm Leadership Award.  The award is sponsored by the University of Central Missouri in honor of Shirley Chisholm, notable politician and activist who espoused the viewpoint: “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on the earth.”

Fr. Paisius obtained a Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Central Missouri in 2005, and a Master’s in Social Work from University of Missouri/Kansas City in 2006. This education enabled him to receive further training in psychotherapy, community development, program evaluation, and co-occurring disorders to better serve the community around the Troost Corridor. Practicum training was provided at Jewish Vocational Service, Operation Breakthrough, and Don Bosco’s “Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages” (TESOL) program. Prior to founding Reconciliation Services, Father Paisius was the Social Work Coordinator with Jewish Vocational Service, working primarily with refugees and “Temporary Assistance for Needy Clients” (TANF) program recipients. In the Fall of 2005, he helped to establish Reconciliation Services.

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