Scotland's first Romanian Orthodox Church to open in Glasgow
Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 16:32 (GMT)
A church in the east end of Glasgow is to be consecrated as the first place of worship for the Romanian Orthodox Church in Scotland.
Shettleston Old Parish Church will host a special inauguration ceremony at 3pm this Sunday as it becomes the home for Romanian Orthodox followers in the city.
Metropolitan Joseph Pop is flying in from Romania to bless the hall, and he will also bring with him a message from the country’s ex-King Michal.
The idea came from Romanian Daniel Manastireanu, who is training for the ministry with the Church of Scotland in the area.
He explained, "The Romanian Orthodox community approached me to ask for help in finding a space where they could start the first Romanian Orthodox Church in Scotland.
“Having already experienced the warm hospitality of Glasgow churches, I appealed to Shettleston Old Parish Church for help in this matter.
“I was overjoyed to see the minister and the elders taking on this challenge with great enthusiasm and desire to be helpful and welcoming to a migrant community in their church buildings."
The Shettleston congregation will still worship in the main sanctuary with Interim Moderator Rev Adah Younger, and the Orthodox worshippers will meet in the old church hall.
She said: “We wanted to offer our space and hospitality, and the office bearers have been working extremely hard getting everything ready in time.”
Former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Very Rev Sheilagh Kesting, will be there with guests which include Linda Fabiani, Scottish Minister for External Affairs, Europe and Culture, and the Romanian Ambassador Doctor Ion Jenga. There will be a message of support from the British Royal family,
The new congregation will be called “The Presentation of Our Lord”. As part of the celebration two Romanian choirs will perform a Byzantine music concert after the main ceremony.
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Saturday, January 24, 2009, 14:51 (GMT)
The orthodox church was the first christian church, established on the day of Pentecost, and continues until the present day. It was the first church in Scotland and all christians in Scotland should seriously think of returning to that church which constitutes its original Christian roots.
ronald Leith, aberdeen scotland
Added: Saturday, January 24, 2009, 10:45 (GMT)
Bishop J C Ryle once said of Christian unity: "Unity in the abstract is no doubt an excellent thing, but unity without truth is useless. Peace and uniformity are beautiful and valuable: but peace without the Gospel - peace based on a common episcopacy, and not on a common faith - is a worthless peace not deserving of the name"
The invasion of "icons" into Shettleston Old Parish Church, and the installation of a permanent "icon wall" in the church hall is regrettable. It is bad enough when English churches are taken over by Rome or Romish churches, but it is very much worse when a Church of Scotland building is invaded like that, because the Church of Scotland was never part of Rome in the first place.
The leprosy is in the house at Shettleston Old Parish Church. What would John Knox think?
Andrew Forsyth, Glasgow, Scotland
Added: Friday, January 23, 2009, 2:50 (GMT)
All Romanians in Scotland -- and particularly in Glasgow -- should be commended for their establishment of the first Romanian Orthodox Church in Scotland. This is another example of the significant impact that Orthodoxy has been having in recent years on additional nations of the world.
George Patsourakos, Billerica, MA -USA
Added: Friday, January 16, 2009, 19:28 (GMT)
It is sad that a church which is not reformed in the Biblical sense is being allowed this property for its worship.
Raymond Stewart, Newtownabbey
