we mourn & pray

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18555 88 Avenue, Surrey, British Columbia, V4N 5T1, Canada On July 19, 2021, the congregation of St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, B.C., woke up to news that their church had been burned to the ground. Flames broke out shortly before 3:30 AM and by the time firefights arrived, the building was engulfed in flames that were visible for miles. This nearly 70-year-old building was much more than just a building; Bishop Mina said in a statement, “… it was a place [where] we built community, where we shared meals, where we married our youth, baptized our babies and welcomed newcomers to the faith…” Our Church brought together a diverse congregation of Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Iraqi and Lebanese Orthodox believers. While we are thankful to all those who have reached out and offered their churches as a temporary location where our services can continue to be held, we hold strong in the belief that our Lord Jesus Christ will “restore its ruins and will rebuild it as it used to be.” (Amos 9:11). We rely on your generosity to be able to once again build a church that will be a beacon of light to all those around it and serve the needs of its congregation and the surrounding community. Update on August 30, 2021 4:00 PM: Surrey RCMP issued a press release regarding their investigation into the fire that destroyed our church. On Thursday August 26, 2021 they arrested a 35-year old woman and charged her with two counts of arson in connection with the incidents on July 14, and July 19, 2021. Four ways to donate 1. Credit Card through PayPal 2. Credit Card through GoFundMe 3. E-transfer Canadians can donate by E-transfer to donation@stgeorge.ca 4. Wire Transfer To do a wire transfer from the USA or […]

The Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Baptism of the Lord christ)

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Toba 11, 1741 January 19, 2025 On this day of the year 31 A.D., our Master, Lord and God, Jesus Christ, was baptized at the hands of St. John the Baptizer (the dyer). The feast is called in Greek the Feast of Theophany or the Feast of the Revelation of the Divine Nature of the Lord, for the Holy Trinity was revealed: our heavenly Father was heard from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son,” and the Son standing in the Jordan river, and the Holy Spirit was descending in the form of a dove, and alighting upon Him. St. John the Baptist bore witness that the Lord Christ, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” St. John the evangelist said about this day, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. This is He of Whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man Who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know him but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’” (John 1:29-31) The glory of our Lord Jesus Christ was revealed on this day, that He is the Son of God and that He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. For this reason, this feast has become a great feast for all believers, in which they are purified with water after the example of the baptism of our […]

Our Church

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HG Bishop Mina 1-647-772-2233 1-289-724-3300 anbamina762009@gmail.com Fr. Bisenty Abdel-Messih Gerges Fr. Armia Aziz Gerges peniot@hotmail.com fr.armia@stgeorge.ca