Sacramental Services

The Coptic Mission in Africa has brought the people the treasures of the sacramental life experienced in the Orthodox Church. The people of Africa really enjoy this life where they unite with our Lord Jesus Christ in each of the sacraments. Lives are being changed daily through these precious gifts. They also enjoy hearing about the lives of the saints because their culture greatly honors its ancestors.

“I feel like I have been taking the church for granted and all it provides in helping me experience heaven on earth. The people of Africa really value the tools that the Church has given them, and really seek the Lord earnestly.” ~Servant from Canada

The people in Africa greatly benefit from the experience of using all their senses to pray the liturgy. They enjoy smelling the incense, seeing the icons, hearing the beautiful hymns and tasting the Holy Communion. This full experience helps them feel the presence of our Lord and experience the heavenly life.

Liturgical Services

“It was amazing to see how long the Africans can worship with unceasing joy and enthusiasm. No one is left untouched by the spirit of unity in praise on Sunday morning.” ~Servant from Australia.

Due to the continuous increase in numbers in the congregation, there is a constant need for new churches to be built to accommodate the number of believers. However, the number of priests remains insufficient for the number of churches. To remedy this problem, each priest is assigned an area or town rather than a specific church. Every week, the liturgy is prayed in a different church. The energy in liturgy culminates during communion in the partaking of the Eucharist. People are singing, clapping and rejoicing, drums are being played and everyone is smiling as they lift up their voices to praise the Lord.

A service of prayer and worship is held instead of the liturgy when the priest is a different church. During this service, the hourly prayers are prayed and the daily readings are read. The service and sermon is lead by one of the senior deacons. Following the service, the schedule for the weekly meetings is carried out as usual, including Sunday school classes, secondary class meetings, youth meetings and family meetings.

Every week the congregation organizes the services for the remainder of the week, agreeing on where and when the fellowships and house visitations will be held. This is a time when the community comes together to serve each other. Out of their poverty, offerings are made and everyone pays their tithe. “One of the most moving experiences I've had in Africa, is when I witnessed a group of secondary school kids all poorly dressed, offering a couple of shillings each to a child who could not afford to buy himself any clothes.” ~Servant from the UK

Baptism

Many people are eagerly waiting to be baptized into the Orthodox faith. They immediately feel God’s presence in the church and cannot wait to have this new life in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Given the large amount of people converting and being baptized, a series of catechism classes are offered by the deacons preceding baptism to educate the new believers on the church beliefs and traditions. The baptism celebration is one of great joy where the congregation acquires a new brother or sister in Christ.

Marriage

Marriage in the Orthodox faith is an important decision and comes with much spiritual guidance. Some of the existing “marriages” of the people are unions outside the church and without the focus on God. The church assists in helping these existing unions become sanctified in the sacrament of marriage. One way the church encourages couples to have a sacramental wedding is by supporting the bride in purchasing a wedding dress and ring, as well as assisting the groom with the dowry, the traditional monetary gift presented to the parents of the bride.

There is also a major focus on teaching marriage principles, including topics on love, faithfulness and the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing two people together as one flesh. The church also explains the roles in marriage and responsibilities of each member to bring his/her spouse to heaven. These issues are emphasized during couples and family meetings.

Repentance and Confession

Many converts to Orthodoxy are so willing and eager to change their lives and maintain a new lifestyle. A new life is encouraged through the sacraments of repentance and confession. The Orthodox priests encourage daily repentance through self-examination and prayer. They also encourage regular confession to the priests and accountability through fellowship groups, servants meetings and other church ministry groups.

Hymns of the Coptic Church

There is constant enthusiasm by the deacons in learning the hymns of the Coptic Church. They enjoy singing for long periods of time and playing instruments to show their love and praise for our Lord. During communion, as they are singing Psalm 150, there is a great celebration because they are excited for the union with God that is approaching.

Get Involved

If you are talented in hymns and are willing to come and use your gift to teach deacons the hymns of the Coptic Church, please contact us via the E-mail Contact Form.