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The Stream
Metropolitan's Column
Metropolitan's Column
Beloved in Christ,
By the grace of God, we are moving forward with the plans to relocate to the newly acquired
property in Beasley, Texas on Saturday, November 30th which will henceforth be known as
‘Urshlem’ (city of peace). The information about this Orthodox Christian Center and the event
taking place on November 30th has already been communicated to you, and we seek your
valuable prayers and presence for this event.
There are many dreams regarding the development of this new center and the desired projects
associated with it. In considering the future, it is necessary to look at both the North American
context in which we live in while focusing on the present and future needs of the Malankara
Orthodox Church community. As the first task, we have initiated the building of a chapel and
museum. It is our prayer that this will serve as the spiritual strength from where we can be
empowered and guided by God’s wisdom for future initiatives including a conference center,
counseling center, retirement home, monastery, convent, theological seminary, youth center,
etc. It is also absolutely essential that we seriously consider projects that will help strengthen
the bond of family and community living. Many basic Christian morals and values have
diminished in this modern era, and the Church has a responsibility to uphold Biblical teachings
including its perspective on marriage and family life. It is our humble request that you join us in
this venture with your full prayerful and financial support so that we can achieve the many
goals and visions we have for our diocese in this part of the world.
As we have entered into the liturgical period in preparation for the Nativity of Christ, let us
prepare ourselves to receive our Savior through 25 days of proper prayer and fasting centered
around spiritual discipline. We must set apart time for meditation in the midst of the busy
schedules we all have, truly spend time evaluating our spiritual journey and come back to His
presence through repentance. The stars or lights we put in our homes during this season is not
intended to simply illuminate our home,but they serve as a reminder of the Divine light, the
Christ, who is born and ever-present among us. This light should lead us to the cave (manger) to
bow down and worship our Lord and not the place where innocents were killed. Rather than
being an avenue through which evil deeds such as alcoholis