Hello again,
As many of you may know that on September 4, 2010 New Zealand suffered a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4. It caused much damage to the city of Christchurch and surrounding areas. The quake caused at least NZ $4 billion in damages and more than 500 buildings have been condemned.
It is unfortunate that St. Mary & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church is one of those buildings that has been officially condemned by the authorities and will need to be demolished. As you can see from the photos above that the damage was extensive.
This has left our Coptic congregation there in a very dire and difficult situation. The insurance policy will not cover the rebuilding of the church. It may not even cover 10 to 15% of the cost of rebuilding the church and hall and amenities. The church may need to find land elsewhere which will be an extra burden on the small congregation of about 70 families.
If there is anyone out there that can assist financially in any way to help this congregation to rebuild their church and to be able to worship again it will be very much appreciated. God bless you all.
Please pray for Fr Sourial Youssef the parish priest, his family and for all the congregation of Christchurch, NZ
Kissing Your Blessed hands Sayedna.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your love and support to us during this time. It is not an each experience to go through especially seeing the church in it's current state. No doubt God has a plan and will continue to keep us in good spirit. Your prayers are definitely felt here. Hope Your Grace is well and in good health. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially during this time. It is quite unsettling not having our own place to pray but all will happen in due time.
Congratulations on finishing your PhD Sayedna.
Hope we can see you soon in New Zealand
Sherie Sourial