February 21, 2012
Ft. Myers, FL: Volunteers in Mission held a Work Week at St. Nicholas Monastery

On February 5-12, a work week was organized by the Eastern American Diocese’s Volunteers in Mission (VIM) program at St. Nicholas Monastery in North Fort Myers, FL.

Fifteen volunteers, led by Archpriest John Moses (rector of All Saints of North America Church in Middlebrook, VA) and Priest Eugene Antonov (cleric of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in Atlanta, GA), spent six days at the monastery, constructing a patio for the refectory.

Originally, more people had planned to take part in the Volunteers in Mission trip, but for various reasons were unable to attend, and the group size was insufficient to undertake any large-scale projects.

In the words of Fr. Eugene, the energy of the monastery’s abbess helped the situation greatly:

"The monastery is run by Mother Andrea, who is possessed of outstanding organizational skills. She maintains friendly relations with all of the neighbors (the monastery is located in a typical residential neighborhood). About 100 people help the monastery, of whom many are non-Orthodox. Mother Andrea found additional volunteers, and we were able to tile the patio on the refectory, so that various functions can now be held there for the benefit of the monastery. There remains, certainly, more than enough work for several more trips.

Fr. John is planning more than one work week for the future, not only to St. Nicholas Monastery, but to other spots around the country and even to Haiti, to help the ROCOR mission parishes build a new church. Fr. John believes these trips unite people and grow our Church.

"VIM brings members of ROCOR together and strengthens the bonds of friendship and understanding between them. It lets a local parish or mission know that they are truly connected to the Diocese and that they are not alone. The Lord calls us to build His Church. By doing physical construction, we also build the faith and hope of many."

During the trip, two Sunday services, as well as services for the Meeting of the Lord, were held. This is especially important, since the monastery currently lacks a permanent priest.

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