We have an immediate need to purchase our own space! Our initial goal of $100,000 (plus fees) will make a large down payment to make up the difference in the cost of the property and our bank loan.
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By God's grace and your prayers, we have reached our goal for our down payment! We are closing this fundly campaign, but we are continuing to raise funds for our building in the St. Nicholas Auction!
https://snoc.betterworld.org/auctions/st-nicholas-orthodox-church
Our parishioners have crafted and donated beautiful items for this event. They will make lovely Christmas gifts, and all proceeds go to our building fund. Preview items now, and start bidding on Thanksgiving!
St. Nicholas is an Orthodox Christian Mission Church in Jackson, TN. Since 2013, our worshiping community has benefited from a beautiful space, graciously made available for our use free of charge. Now our community needs to purchase our own place of worship. We hope to purchase the property we are currently located on if we can raise the money quickly enough. We need to raise a large down payment to make up the difference in the cost of the property and our bank loan. Our initial goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of 2021.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS CAMPAIGN
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL. Almost ten years ago, St. Nicholas was founded as a Mission Church of the AOCA by a small group of people hungry to bring Orthodox Christianity to Jackson, TN. In 2015, we were able to bring on Father Matthew Snowden as our full-time priest. Over the years, the church has seen the richness of its parochial life deepen, and it is now a growing, multi-ethnic community with a rich liturgical life, deep pastoral care, and a strong, inter-generational, community bond. Through our St. Brigid Pantry and Little Free Pantry, we serve the poor, the hungry, and all those in need of prayer, support, and advocacy. We’re a small parish in this for the long haul. We feel a connection as a community and as part of the Jackson community. Acquiring a building of our own is a physical representation of our commitment to those bonds. It’s a big inspiration to go forward.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A BUILDING. It may seem like an obvious thing, but sometimes it’s important to state the obvious. The church building is at the heart of the congregation’s life, serving as a symbol of our unity as a spiritual community and of the good work we are called to accomplish. From this heart, the worshiping households of our community are like streams of living water issuing into the larger community to help change and save lives.
BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN A BUILDING. The Church has never been about buildings, but you need buildings that become temples! It’s our dream to deeply root the richness and beauty of the Orthodox Church in Jackson. A church building represents the unity we have as a community, and our commitment to stay here. It is a symbol of our goal to manifest the Kingdom of God. In fact, we ourselves are called to become temples of the living God! Finally, a church building meets the needs of our parish family and expands our work in the community.
OUR MISSION IS TO CARE FOR PEOPLE AND HELP THEM GROW IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE. We made a commitment to pursue the fullness of the Church to lead us into the bosom of the Holy Orthodox Faith. In fulfilling this commitment, our goal has always been to develop and build relationships within the congregation and our community through our liturgies, ministries, fellowship groups, and outreach. All are essential to our purpose and growth.
Meeting our $125,000 capital campaign allows us to prepare for the future while maintaining our Holy Orthodox Faith rooted in the past. We are looking to build stability for the generations to come after us who will be baptized, married and worship in this holy space.
YOU CAN BE PART OF THE MISSION This is about more than a building, but a building makes possible so many opportunities. It’s part of our story, our mission, and a movement anyone can join. Our ultimate mission is to bear witness to the life-changing love of God.
We want to tell our story. And we want you to be part of this story.
Will you be part of this story by supporting our Fundly Campaign?
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By God's grace and your prayers, we have reached our goal for our down payment! We are closing this fundly campaign, but we are continuing to raise funds for our building in the St. Nicholas Auction!
https://snoc.betterworld.org/auctions/st-nicholas-orthodox-church
Our parishioners have crafted and donated beautiful items for this event. They will make lovely Christmas gifts, and all proceeds go to our building fund. Preview items now, and start bidding on Thanksgiving!
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Glory to God!
We recently lowered our fundly goal to $100,000 (plus fees) when we received more specific details from the bank. We have now exceeded that goal! Any additional donations will still go to the down payment, which will help lower our monthly payments, but we are now able to meet our immediate needs. We will close the Fundly campaign soon.
Through the hard work of the last few weeks, we have grown ever more grateful for our church building, our parish family, our Jackson community, and for all of you who have loved and supported. We have truly seen the kingdom of God manifest in your love. Thank you!
[Picture of some of our volunteers at the recent Jackson International Food and Arts Festival]
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Meet Louise! We have a parish full of children, and she is one of our teens. All of our children serve the parish in a variety of ways: singing in the choir, passing the plate, serving in the altar, or volunteering at events. They bring life to our community and know that they are an integral part of the Church.
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Hi I’m Louise, I’m 14 years old and I grew up at St. Nicholas. But we didn’t always have a church here. Before my family had to drive two hours to go to church on Sunday, so we didn’t go too often. We had to start a mission from scratch. It was hard. It still is. We took a building and turned it into a church. I was only about 6 years old, but I remember when people came and used a crane to lift the big gold dome onto the top of the church. We sat on a picnic blanket with one of our friends and watched them.
Without this church I wouldn’t have met the people who became my best friends. I probably wouldn’t have gone to church very often. Now every Sunday I ring the bell and worship God with my family under that same dome. We were baptized and receive communion here. Please help us keep our beautiful church. Christ is in our midst!
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Glory to Jesus Christ! By God's grace and your love, we are nearing the 50% mark for our goal! It has been awe-inspiring and humbling to see how all of you have rallied around us. The sense of support we feel--that I personally feel--is beyond words. Thank you a thousand times! May God bless you for your love and generosity! I humbly ask that you please continue to share our Fundly Campaign with friends and family. It means the world to us. All of you are in my prayers and those of our whole parish. May God bless you and keep you!
In Christ,
Fr. Matthew
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Emily Anki faithfully bakes the prosfora (communion bread) for our weekly services, and then makes her hummus and kulaj for our meals and events. She is a mother and sister to all of us, showing us the spiritual heart of our ancient faith. We are 45% toward our goal. Please consider making a donation to support our mission!
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“Hi, I’m Emily. I’m from Jordan. I have no family in Jackson, TN. I was so thankful when they finally opened the Orthodox Church. I love worshipping God here. The members of our church are my family. I always enjoy seeing theme very Sunday! I love our Pastor Fr. Matthew, he has a great heart, and he gives support towards our community. Please help us keep our church open.”
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Maria Looney has served as a parish council member and perennial volunteer for St. Nicholas. This is her story of how she found her way from a large parish to a little mission in Jackson, TN. She is anything but invisible at St. Nicholas. Your support helps secure a church home for Orthodox Christians in West Tennessee!
"The expression “Come and See” occurs often in the New Testament. We hear it as Jesus is calling His first apostles, when Philip answers his skeptical friend Nathaniel, when the Samaritan woman runs to tell
her neighbors about the Man who spoke with her at the well.
Come and See. A small phrase that is both invitation and challenge, rich in
both promise and uncertainty. They are the words that led us to St. Nicholas mission.
When we moved to Jackson ten years ago, we had imagined that it would be no problem to drive back to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Memphis every Sunday, but it didn't take long to realize the futility of that goal. The problem seemed to have no solution, and my husband and I often were downhearted at the loss of our Orthodox Liturgy on a regular basis.
At that time we worked in the RIFA Thrift Store, and became friends with
the young man who was in charge of their volunteer program. John was a
ministerial student at Union; through his studies he had become intrigued
with Byzantine icons. Once he found out that we were “genuine Orthodox”,
he had many questions about the style and symbolism of iconography. And thus it happened that while driving home one day, he spotted an unusual sign which had just been erected on Old Humboldt Road. He literally couldn't wait to tell us about his find.
“Guess what I saw ? I'm pretty sure it was a building with an icon in front.
It just might be an Orthodox church ! You guys should go over there and
check it out. See what you think and let me know.”
We did indeed locate the place John had discovered and cautiously decided to attend a Sunday Liturgy. What would the people be like? Would we fit in ? My husband and I were familiar with congregations which traced their roots back several generations, large churches where a visitor could be invisible. Would a “mission” church be too much of a stretch for us?
“Check it out. “ Contemporary words, but the Biblical invitation nonetheless. Our young friend's words stayed with us. And we kept coming back...and learning from enthusiastic people who were determined to raise their young families in the Faith, to reach out in service to the Jackson community, to establish an Orthodox presence in West Tennessee.
“Check it out. Come and see.” This invitation from an unlikely source led us
to the place we now call home, to loving people who are now our true family in every sense of the word. And we are forever grateful for this gift which the Lord bestowed on us through His messenger, a young pastoral student named John."
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Thank God, great fun and fellowship was had at our Rummage Sale and Car Wash! Plus, we raised money and received blessings from all who supported our church today! We have so much good stuff left over we're going to do it again next Saturday!
Please continue to share our Fundly Campaign with friends and family. It means the world to us.
In Christ,
Laura
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Glory to Jesus Christ! It has been two days since we began our Capital Campaign, and by God's grace and your love, we have already raised $6,000! That, with the parish's initial kick-off drive, already puts us at 10% of our goal! Thank you a thousand times! May God bless you for your love and generosity! Please continue to share our Fundly Campaign with friends and family. It means the world to us. All of you are in my prayers and those of our whole parish. May God bless you and keep you!
In Christ,
Fr. Matthew
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