November 22, 2011
Bristol, VA: Bishop George led the Patronal Feast Day at St. Tikhon of Moscow Church

On Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of November, on the day of the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, His Grace George, Bishop of Mayfield, visited the parish of St. Tikhon and led the divine services on the occasion of the parish’s patronal feast day. His Grace was co-served by Archpriest John Moses (rector of All Saints of N. America Church in Middlebrook, VA), Archpriest Onouphry Keith (rector of St. Nicholas Church in Fletcher, NC), Priest Michael Furry (rector of St. Innocent of Alaska Mission in Roanoke, VA), Priest Gabriel Weller (cleric of All Saints of N. America Church), parish rector Priest Matthew Williams, and Deacon Jeremiah Davis (cleric of Holy Cross Monastery).

In his sermon at the end of the Liturgy, Bishop George mentioned that St. Tikhon always emphasized the importance of the laity in missionary work in this country, helping to spread the word of God in whatever way they could. He called on the faithful to heed the words of the Gospel: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Since the parishioners hope to build a new church, Vladyka instructed them to actively work together to make the new church a place where they could worship and glorify God, and attract others to the Orthodox faith.

During its 12-year existence, St. Tikhon’s has experienced many difficulties and has not been able to have regular services because it had no permanent priest. The parish was able to survive through the grace of God and by the prayers and dedication of its parishioners, who worked tirelessly to create an Orthodox community in Bristol. For many years, Fr. Onouphry Keith and other priests of the Southern Deanery traveled great distances to perform the divine services and tend to the spiritual needs of the growing flock. In February 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion assigned Priest Matthew Williams as rector of the parish and shortly thereafter, Fr. Matthew and his family moved to Virginia.

Since the assignment of Fr. Matthew as rector of St. Tikhon’s Church, parish life has strengthened and stabilized.

"This year, we had five infant baptisms and there are two adults preparing for baptism," said Fr. Matthew. "Prior to February of this year, priests visited irregularly and often on weekdays. Now we have a full cycle of services on weekends and feast days."

The parish is growing but there are many challenges that come with growth and expansion.

"With an average of 35 faithful in attendance on most Sundays, we are still relatively small," explained Fr. Matthew. "As such, we must find ways to work with limited human and financial resources. Despite continuous efforts to improve it, our current church building is in very poor condition. Even so, with God’s help, we hope to build a new church in the not so distant future."

After hosting their first hierarchal visit, the parishioners are enthusiastic to expand the parish community, which is home to many children.

"It is wonderful to see how the parish is growing and that there are so many children," said Bishop George. "The children are the future of the parish."

The parishioners of St. Tikhon’s are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their ruling bishop, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, who will make his first archpastoral visit to Bristol on December 21, 2011.

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