Two extreme ice storms have caused severe damage to our beloved Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia.

In the midst of COVID-19 turmoil, I know you are deeply concerned about protecting your health and that of your loved ones. On behalf of everyone at FFA, I hope you stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time.

If you were a business owner, I’m sure you’d love to have him on your team.

He is highly educated.

He lives for his work.

Never takes vacations.

Never says “no” to new projects.

Is supremely efficient and dedicated.

Is always ready to help.

He inspires others.

Have you noticed what’s been happening in the Church during the Coronavirus pandemic? While the entire world is gripped by fear and uncertainty, our bishops and clergy remain calm. Fr. Nectarios Yangson is the guardian of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron icon of the Mother of God. He spoke to Peter S. Lukianov from the Fund for Assistance to ROCOR on March 19th about how we should respond as Orthodox Christians to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in October we asked you to help the widowed Matushka Alexandra pay for the funeral expenses of Fr. John Moses. You heard the call for help and you answered. Not only were you able to cover the costs, but thanks to your generosity, we now have the Fr. John Moses Funeral Grant for clergy families faced with similar situations. Matushka Alexandra was extremely touched by your kindheartedness. Here's what she had to say:

If you ever wanted to know more about FFA and how it came to be, now you can thanks to Deacon Andrei Psarev (Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary) who wrote it all down for you! Read below to learn more about the history of FFA.

Recently, as you may know, we had a campaign to raise funds for Fr. Aleksander Kobesi in Bali. We were so pleased when many of you answered the call for help. But not as pleased as Fr. Aleksander. He literally relies on your generosity for food and Liturgical supplies. When I first had the pleasure to share the news of the fundraiser success Fr. Aleksander was speechless. He was so moved that generous donors like you raised enough funds for over a year's worth of food and Liturgical supplies for an unknown priest. Thank you for supporting hard working clergy like Fr. Aleksander. It brings us so much joy to work with kindhearted donors like yourself! A few days later I followed up with Fr. Aleksander and here's what he had to say.

One time, a priest in Virginia named Fr. John Moses, gave a sermon at his church about being a servant. You can watch it here. A servant is a person who helps other people. Fr. John said, “Servanthood is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives.” He talked about all the people who serve us every day: monastics who pray for us, priests who serve church services, and teachers who give us knowledge. And he gave the example of Jesus being a servant to us for his whole life on earth.

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How much help do we, the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, offer to our own brethren, never mind those who are further afield?  Often, we think that our Christian duty consists solely of prayer, church attendance, observance of fasts and the participation in the sacraments.  However, helping our neighbour is also our direct responsibility. The Lord says that this will be asked of us on the Day of Judgement, “for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me” (Matt. 25:35)