All Saints Orthodox Church, Basildon,Essex

All Saints Orthodox Church, Basildon,Essex A parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the UK & Ireland.

14/06/2026

ALL SAINTS: NOTICES — SECOND SUNDAY AFTER HOLY PENTEKOST, 2026

NEXT SUNDAY, 21st JUNE:
DIVINE LITURGY
VISIT of ARCHBISHOP SILOUAN
ORDINATION of Reader Aaron to the HOLY SUB-DIACONATE
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THE BEATITUDES
The Beatitudes tell us of those who are μακάριος (makários: 'happy', a beatific happiness not a mere worldly/emotional happiness). Why are the poor or the meek happy? Because they are blessed. Because their poverty and meekness is blessed, they are happy.
When we read The Beatitudes, we should understand that the opposites are not blessed. In fact, these are rejected and damned because they are things which exclude us from God: pride, a lack of compassion and mercy, selfishness, impurity of heart, aggression, violence... Such things, our Lord tells us, will bring their own consequences.
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ADULTS NEED TO LEARN, TOO
The children's magazine is not just for children! Many adults are ignorant of the Faith, and were never catechised. Instead, they have picked up skewed and folkish ideas from grandparents and from non-Orthodox sources. Those adults who are unversed in our faith cannot legitimately teach their children what they do not themselves know.
Feedback shows that the children's magazine has proven to be useful to many parents.
Adults: please don't just ignore the children's magazine- take a look!
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ARE THE SAINTS YOUR ROLE-MODELS...?
The saints should be our inspiration, not flaccid "celebs" and "influencers", not pop stars or footballers, certainly not angry politicians, but those who in their words and deeds have glorified Christ. The saints in heaven continually offer prayers and encouragement to us poor sinners to shoulder our Cross with faith and determination.
Turn away from online controversies and political rants, turn away from time wasting and self indulgence, turn away from pseudo-science and conspiracies. Instead, let us continually turn to the saints, to the Holy Mother of God, and especially to Christ, so that we may be made worthy of the Kingdom of the Heavens.
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
For the newly-illumined servant of God, Serafim, received today; for his godfather, the Reader Aaron; and the choir, and servers, and all who prayed and helped with today's Reception and the other holy services.
For those who have gifted to our parish, financially, in purchases, and hard work.
For those who cleaned the holy temple.
Ted - for bread and veg.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
Susannah - suffering from a painful back.
Adam, newly-illumined - recovering from surgery.
Darren (non-Christian) - suffered a stroke.

With love, in Christ,

Father Jakob
sinner and unworthy presbyter

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

All Glory to God! Here is issue 190 of our weekly children's magazine.
13/06/2026

All Glory to God! Here is issue 190 of our weekly children's magazine.

07/06/2026

ALL SAINTS: NOTICES — FEAST OF ALL SAINTS, 2026

A very Happy Feast of All Saints!

NEXT SUNDAY, 14th JUNE:
DIVINE LITURGY
Preceded by the RECEPTION of Serafim (Reece) by HOLY CHRISMATION
Starts at 10:00 am.
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SAINTHOOD: THE TRUE PURPOSE OF OUR LIFE
Beloved Christians,
Holiness is borne out of faith, and faith is perfected in weakness, in practice, in works, in asceticism, in bearing our cross cheerfully. The journey to sainthood is a difficult one, fraught with dangers and temptations.
We must be wary of those things and those people who inhibit our love for God or distract us or who prevent us from living the spiritual life. Yes, we must love those people but we must not fall under their spell.
The Church loves us and wraps us in Her arms and draws us to Her heart, we do not need to be trapped by the world- for God’s love is greater than our sin. By Christ sin is overcome and death is defeated.
Today is the patronal feast of our holy temple. Our clergy and people pray that enjoy a very blessed FEAST OF ALL SAINTS!
We are all called to be saints, called to ‘be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy’. Sainthood requires great effort which is product and concomitant of great faith. For our reward to be maximised our efforts must be maximised. Sainthood is directly linked to Holy Pentekost: sainthood is the work of the Holy Spirit; sainthood is the fruit of Holy Pentekost.
Today, the Holy Scripture readings offer us a stinging reminder that 'true Christianity' is a very serious business, certainly not a hobby or a part-time interest, nor reassuring facet of ethnic identity. Today’s Holy Gospel is a composite, an assortment of Christ’s sayings about holiness (Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30); whilst today’s Epistle describes the sufferings of the Holy Martyrs. This Epistle is also a call to holiness addressed to us all- to you and to me!
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LOVE FOR GOD - LOVE FOR MAN
Our love for God is only genuine love when it includes all people. Our love for others is only true love when it contains God at its heart. Only in loving God above all can we truly love another person. For, only by including them in our prayer, can we love in a way which transcends the romantic and the sentimental forms of earthly love.
God’s love for us is never romantic or sentimental; it is strong, all-consuming fire, too demanding for many people...
God demands and deserves all of our life. Christ is emphatic that we cannot worship God and worship money, we cannot love our job or our hobbies or even our own life more than we love God. We cannot see God as a part-time interest and still claim to be a Christian. When we love someone, we long to be with them, we miss them when they are not around, we want to spend more time with them. This is how the saints are with God and this is how we must be. If you do not feel like this, if you do not long for God, if you are not eager to fast or pray or come to Church please, please speak with the priest!
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THE SAINTS ARE OUR ROLE-MODELS
In their holy deaths-in-Christ the saints are more alive than we are. In glorifying Christ the saints are themselves glorified. They continually offer prayers and encouragement to us to run our own race with faith and determination. Let us turn to the saints, to the Holy Mother of God, and especially to Christ, so that we too may be made worthy of the Kingdom of the Heavens.
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
For the godparents, choir, and servers, and all who prayed and helped with today's Receptions and the other holy services; in particular, the katekhoumen Harry, who helped with many tasks.
The newly-illumined for their generous donations to Father Jakob.
Simona, Lucian, and Evelyn - for beautiful diptych eikon, and other gifts.
Susannah - for the lovely cake for the newly-illumined.
Ted - for bringing the marquee.
Delia & Adrian - for the soil and plants.
Paraskevi - for incense and charcoal.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
For the newly-illumined: Adam, Daniel, Gabriela, Lucy, Michael, Paraskevi, and Samuel.
Ieremias (Jeremy) - In India on business.
Elizabeth (non-orthodox) - May God bring strength.

With love, in Christ,

Father Jakob
sinner and unworthy presbyter

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

All Glory to God! Here is issue 189 of our weekly children's magazine.
06/06/2026

All Glory to God! Here is issue 189 of our weekly children's magazine.

31/05/2026

ALL SAINTS: NOTICES - HOLY PENTEKOST, 2026

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DESCENDED!
Beloved Christians,
Today we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Holy Pentekost, fifty days after our Lord’s glorious Resurrection.
Pentekost (Πεντηκοστή) is considered the birthday of the Church; the Church is where Jesus is present in His Most Precious Body and Blood; the Church is guided, indwelled, by the Holy Spirit.
The fire of Pentekost is God's unconditional LOVE which both cleanses and illumines our heart. Katharsis - photisis – theosis is the process of our salvation: cleansing through Baptism, enlightenment by the Spirit, union with God.
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FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Church is a pentekostal phenomenon; and for us Orthodox Christians, every day is a Pentekost because the Holy Spirit has never ceased to be poured out upon the Church in the Church’s sacramental Mysteries (Mυστήρια). Christ is the light of the world (John 9:5); and because of the descent of the Holy Spirit, we too can become participants - we are granted the ‘light of life’; we too may become the 'light of the world' (Matthew 5:14).
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AS ONE
This brings us to one final and not unimportant aspect of Pentekost, the coming together of the Apostles ‘with one accord in one place’. Such divine unity, as we also see in Ephesians 1:10, is significant and unique. This is contrasted with the ‘dispersion of the Greeks’ [John 7:35] and the wicked plottings of the Pharisees seen in today’s Holy Gospel (John 7:37-52, 8:12). The Church, the Eκκλησία, is not dispersed, fragmented or sectarian, but ‘gathered together’; the Church is ‘one and holy’, it is the sole place of our rebirth into Christ.
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
For everyone who is attentive, sees opportunities, and joyfully helps (especially with singing and serving, producing our weekly children's magazine and maintaining our web platforms, cleaning the holy temple, gardening, offering hospitality.
All those who prayed for, helped, and sent lovely messages to Presbytera Susanna. She is much recovered. Thank you!
Ted - for veg & bread.
Otilia - for prosforon.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
For peace in the middle-east, in Ukraine, and in southern Russia.
Priest Alexander - Suffered a stroke. May God give strength.
Reader Aaron, Emily Katherine, baby Irene - travelling; flying tomorrow.
Simona, Lucian, Evelyn - travelling, on Thursday.
Ieremias (Jeremy) - travelling to India on business, on Saturday, 6th June.
Ted & Elizabeth - facing challenges.
Susannah - bad back
Those being prepared for reception into the Holy Church, next Sunday - the Feast of All Saints:
Adam, Daniel (Bailey), Gabriela (Sharon), Lucy (Lacey), Michael, Paraskevi (Evie), Samuel (A.J.);
and on 14th June: (Serafim) Reece.
Hayley (non-orthodox) - undergoing minor surgery on Wednesday.
All students, teachers and support staff - returning after half-term

With love, in Christ,

Father Jakob
sinner and unworthy presbyter

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

30/05/2026

Please pray for the priest, Alexander. He has suffered a stroke.
Father Alexander is a young priest, he is married with a son.
Also, please pray for his wife, Kh. Mihaela, and their son, Alexander.

May God bring strength and healing to His servant!

Please post this request online, and share it with your friends and family

30/05/2026

SATURDAY, 6th JUNE
NO DIVINE LITURGY
Instead, Father Jakob will be at All Saints hearing Lifetime Confessions.

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

30/05/2026

Christ is ascended!

Beloved Christians,

I pray that you are well.

It is with all glory to God (and great personal joy!) that I inform you all that Reece (Serafim) will be received into Church by Holy Chrismation, on 14th June.

We have a truly blessed and rather busy month ahead of us at All Saints!

Forthcoming Sundays look like this--

31st MAY — HOLY PENTEKOST Divine Liturgy, followed by Esperinos & Kneeling Prayers

7th JUNE — PARISH FEAST Holy Baptisms & Holy Chrismations of seven individuals, followed by festal picnic lunch

14th JUNE — Holy Chrismation of Serafim

21st JUNE — Archiepiscopal Visit, with Ordination of Reader Aaron to the Holy Subdiaconate

I humbly pray that you attend as often as you are able during this busy period. Please support one another, please support the clergy. Pray!
God willing I will see you at All Saints this afternoon.

With prayers, in the ascended Lord,

Father Jakob

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

Christ is Ascended! All Glory to God, here is issue 188 of our weekly children's magazine.
30/05/2026

Christ is Ascended!
All Glory to God, here is issue 188 of our weekly children's magazine.

24/05/2026

ALL SAINTS: NOTICES — SUNDAY OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE FIRST COUNCIL, 2026

CHRIST IS ASCENDED!
Beloved Christians,
Today, on the seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Holy Church commemorates the 318 God-Bearing Fathers of the First Council. The Council (Synod) at Nikaia was convened to counter the toxic influence of the arch-heretic Arios. Arios and his followers spread the lie that Christ was not consubstantial with God the Father but merely a man- a created being.
To protect us against lies our Symbol of Faith (the Creed) clarifies that we believe:

'in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages.
Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten not made; one in essence with the Father, by whom all things were made'.

In today’s Holy Epistle (Acts 20:16-18, 28-36​) there is a warning that 'savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock'; and that 'from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves'. Let us be continually thankful that we, by God's grace, are Orthodox Christians. May almighty God keep us safe against all errors that surround us, and that we may continually worship the one True God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Trinity consubstantial and undivided, now and ever and until the ages of ages.
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
For everyone who is attentive, sees opportunities, and joyfully helps (especially with singing and serving, producing our weekly children's magazine and maintaining our web platforms, cleaning the holy temple, gardening, offering hospitality.
All those who bought gifts and cards, and sent lovely messages to Presbytera Susanna. Thank you!
Larysa - for incense.
Delia - for incense and cheese.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
For peace in the middle-east, in Ukraine, and in southern Russia.
Monk Sophroniy - Happy name day (old style). Many years, holy father!
Presbytera Susanna - Happy birthday! Many years!
Aidan - facing difficulties.
Adam (katekhoumen) - facing challenges.
Ted & Elizabeth - facing challenges.
Simona, Lucian, Evelyn - travelling on Tuesday.
Those katekhoumenoi being prepared for reception into the Holy Church on the Feast of All Saints:
Adam, Daniel (Bailey), Gabriela (Sharon), Lucy (Lacey), Michael, Paraskevi (Evie), Samuel (A.J.).

With love, in the Ascended Christ,

Father Jakob
sinner and unworthy presbyter

Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family

Address

North Benfleet Hall Road
Basildon
SS129JR

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