To the President and the members of the Board of Directors of the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood Dear All, I wish you the New Year to be spiritually and missionary fruitful and to sanctify yourselves by experiencing the will of God. My joy in communicating with you is the same as the joy I feel in seeing your faces. I feel the special connection between us every time I see you. The same fire, the same response to the Lord’s command: “go…”, the same care and concern for the spreading of His word, the same concern for finding the resources that will materialize the continuation, the same care for the spectacular realization of every project. So I thank you for every expression of your love that supports my personal effort, my journey and my struggle, which often becomes an agony there in Africa.

Ι. Church of St. Demetrios

With this note I would like to convey the wholehearted thanks of the faithful of Saint Demetrios in Point Noire to the children of the saint, his fellow Thessalonians, you, who are financially supporting the construction of his church in our missionary centre. Because I have lived the way this gesture on your part began, I see the presence of the Saint alive in your work. From a rough budget that I have made, I estimate that another 50,000-60,000€ will be required to complete the building of this cathedral for our cathedral.

Orphanage

Regarding your call for the needs of our orphanage in Dolisie, these will be served immediately and extremely well with the launching of a container that your Brotherhood is sponsoring. I would like to thank you especially for your help with the offer of 4,200€ to send a container of food, etc. to Point Noire, Congo.

Opening to the North

I also want to confess to you that I was comforted to hear your willingness to fund our missionary outreach in the northern heartland of Congo. I feel control and pain over the financial wreckage of this project so far. You have given me hope again. She is usually my only and constant partner and companion-and as they say she will outlive me. You have asked me to present a financial proposal for this missionary effort in Impfondo. It is as follows:

• Rental and maintenance of a mission centre: 150€ per month
• Clergyman and cantor tickets (2 persons with return): 500€ per month
• Food and expenses of the above: 100€ per month
• Equipment, Sunday school material, consumables: 100€ per month
• Total 850€ per month

Radio station

I am taking this opportunity to express to you in writing the last need that exists in our missionary centre of Point Noire and that is related to our radio station there, which is your contribution. Since the inauguration the station has been operating incompletely (usually every other day) due to power outages. It is therefore necessary to have a generator capable of providing this service, the cost of which is estimated at 6,000€. Please respond positively. With warm wishes to the Lord and His love. May the Lord repay you one hundredfold with His blessing in the New Year that we are experiencing.

With His love

Monk Theologian

Small comment:

The expansion of the Mission to the northernmost regions of the Congo in the vast jungle in ipfondo excites us and we are in agreement, so the Brotherhood has supported financially to make the opening possible. We also supported Fr. Thologos for the supply of an electric generator for the radio station, for the shipment of containers and for the continuation of the St. Demetrios Point Noire Church.