With the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, and under the guidance of Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis, the GO Fellowship Melbourne initiative organised a series of spiritual talks, in the context of which, on Thursday, 21 September 2023, Bishop Themistocles of Nicopolis, of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, was invited and spoke to an audience of over 100 people. The talk was hosted in the Hall of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Parish in Bentleigh, Melbourne.
Bishop Themistocles spoke about spoke about the Orthodox Church’s presence in Africa. He explained how the Orthodox Church did not come to Africa to exploit its natural resources but rather has been present since early Christianity to preach the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Bishop Themistocles who is serving in Sierra Leonne (one of the poorest nations in the world) explained the plight of the people living there. For example, many children beg for food and do not have shoes to wear. Through the Grace of God and the support of the Orthodox faithful across the world, the Bishop has established different compounds across Sierra Leonne to help the sick, the hungry and the poor.
At the conclusion of the talk, the audience asked questions and were treated to light refreshments catered by the parish.
