How are you doing?
We are so used to the idea that church services must either be geared to newcomers or meet the needs of those who attend regularly that we rarely consider whether this dichotomy is true. Our special service on Good Friday, the “Liturgy of Shadows,” proves that this distinction is quite wrong. We follow the ancient rite of Tenebrae. Basically, we read the last seven words of Christ on the cross. After each word, the audience hears a brief piece of classical music that heightens the effect of the scripture read, and one of seven candles is extinguished so that the cathedral slowly grows darker and darker. Recently, we also added art projections onto the dome of the church for a fuller aesthetic experience of the service. We use my dad’s paintings that are very expressive and unique. The entire service could be called an “art performance” of sorts. Only this art performance is filled with Scripture.
There is a short sermon after the reading of the fourth word and a benediction at the end. The congregants leave while the cathedral is still almost completely dark. Only the light from the street paves the way for those leaving the church in silence. So, as you can see there is nothing “seeker sensitive” about this experience. If anything, it is ancient not modern. One could say that it is perhaps one of the most Christian services that we hold throughout the year. Yet it is one of the most evangelistic services at the same time, with the music and art easily connecting the unbelievers to Christ and to the church. It is incredibly easy to invite to this service those who have never been to church before. Along with Christmas Eve and Easter, the “Liturgy of Shadows” is one of our best attended gatherings during the year, and every year it attracts a lot of unbelievers. Thank you so much for praying with us for the service this year! It was incredible and we are already planning on how we can make it better next year!
- We still need to sell my grandmother's appartment before we can seriously entertain options of buying a new place for us. Please join us in praying for selling this place and getting a new one for our family.
- We have begun planning our camps for this summer. As usual, we will have youth camp and kids’ camp. Please pray that we will have a strong team of volunteers and a very fruitful season of outreach.
- It is easy to forget about the war and it is very easy to get used to it. Please continue to pray with us for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
GIVING THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES OF EURASIA (ICC-E):
You can donate to the Lysakovs’ ministry via ICC-E by check or autopay from your bank (see address below), or with your credit card via the ICC-E web site http://icceurasia.com/
Website: http://icceurasia.com
Email: icc.eurasia@gmail.com:
Mailing Address:
ICC-Eurasia
P.O. Box 34035
Bethesda, MD 20827-0035
Phone +1 (301) 514-7433
GIVING THROUGH CRYPTO CURRENCY
It's a new age and a new dawn, so why not use this simple method if you are so inclined and you have etherium or bitcoin that you want to use to support our ministry. You can use our Metamask wallet that was set up for these purposes (0xE021dB34F65C0F5B1F0ccF4Def059233B67891DB)
