The Anglican Church of

St. Thomas, Kefalas.

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We are the only Anglican church on Crete. However, all Christian denominations are welcome at our services. We are situated within the Apokoronas area of Crete, east of Chania, in the picturesque rural village of Kefalas.

 

We hope that this website will guide you around the Parish - our worship, events and organisations and contact points for any further information.

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"Why do bad things happen?" 

​​Good Saturday morning!

Some of you may have seen the book "Why do Bad Things happen to Good People?" that came out way back in 1981.

 

It was a bestseller and made it's author, Harold Kushner, one of the best known Jewish rabbis in the United States. His views were not without controversy; in his attempt to explain why bad things happen he downplayed the omnipotence of God and instead suggests that God is with people in their suffering, but is not fully able to prevent it.

 

Scripture has at least two approaches to the problem of evil (which is known in academic theology as "theodicy").

 

One is that God is indeed in charge of all things, and that, in general, God has set up the world so that in this life bad things happen to bad people, and good things happen to good people. Follow the ways of God, and you will do well. Abandon God and worship idols, use false weights in the marketplace, accept bribes in court cases, defraud the widowed and orphans, persecute the stranger in your midst, well, don't be surprised if the Assyrians or Babylonians invade and make you slaves and deport you to foreign lands. One can see this in the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, and continuing on in the books of Samuel and Kings, and in the preachings of many of the prophets.

 

A minority view in opposition to this is found in the Book of Job, where the protagonist suffers at the hands of God in a contest between the divine and Satan, and Job and his companions discuss the origins of suffering. Job is presented as a righteous man who does not know why evil things happen to him. He does not abandon God, but he does demand a hearing. In the end Job is answered by God from out of the whirlwind, and in the face of the overwhelming glory Job admits that he can neither understand nor has any right to demand an explanation.

 

A third view might be found in Daniel and some of the later prophets, as well as the New Testament, in the doctrine of the Resurrection. It may appear that the wicked triumph and that evil goes unpunished, but God is divine justice will raise all people to judgment by the Son of Man, some to everlasting rewards and others to destruction and condemnation. Thus, on Good Friday it appears the powers of pagan Rome and collaborationist Jewish leaders have defeated God in Christ by putting him to a shameful death upon a cross, but on Easter Sunday we see him vindicated, and we hear that what he is will will become.

 

Yet another view is that put forward by the French Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995), who argued that after the Holocaust (in which most of his family were killed), it is blasphemous to try to justify why God allows such evil to happen. It is better to acknowledge that it is evil and then move on to seek to do what is righteous.

Obviously, there are a variety of views on the matter, and I will not be solving the issue tomorrow in my sermon. However, in the gospel reading we hear of people dying in horrible ways and asking Jesus as to why they died. His response is not to explain but to encourage his listeners to turn to God. Is this enough?

 

That may be what I focus on tomorrow, as we contemplate the evil in this world today and how the righteous among us seem to continue to suffer.​

 

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Please join us at 11:00 am EET, either in-person or via Zoom. To get into the Zoom room click here, or, if you prefer, you can type or copy https://zoom.us/j/91269383194 into your browser, or, sign in to your Zoom account and use the Meeting ID: 912 6938 3194; there is no passcode, just a waiting room as a security feature.

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Below are the readings for Sunday. You can get the full text by clicking on the links, and if you click on "The Psalm and the Hymns" you can download a PDF of the lyrics and psalm texts for that day.

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23 March

Third Sunday of Lent

The Hymns and the Psalm  
Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
Luke 13:1-9
 

Next Sunday, March 30th, is Mothering Sunday, and we will be marking that in a special way.

 

Below are the usual announcements.

 

May you and your loved ones have a blessèd week.

 

 

​​​​​Bruce+

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Announcements

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THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS, KEFALAS IS HOLDING A

SPRING COFFEE MORNING

AT ST. THOMAS CHURCH, KEFALAS

ON

SATURDAY 05 APRIL 2025

11AM – 1PM

ADMISSION 5 EUROS INC

COFFEE/TEA & CAKE

 

GIFT & BOTTLE TOMBOLA  ++   HOMEMADE CAKE STALL         

SALE OF QUALITY SECOND-HAND HOUSEHOLD WARES

INDIVIDUAL CONTEMPORARY HAND-MADE JEWELLERY

HOMEMADE SAVOURIES  TABLE

PLANT STALL ++++  WOODCRAFTS

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SPRINGCOFFEE MORNING COFFEE MORNING ON SATURDAY, 5 APRIL

We urgently require offers of assistance with serving coffee, tea & cake and clearing away on the day.  
Also general assistance with setting up on Friday, 4th April at 10am

(NO BOOKS TO MOVE AT THIS EVENT!) 

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE PROVIDED DONATIONS OF TOMBOLA PRIZES ........More would be welcome with Bric-a-Brac items, home-made cakes, plants etc 

There will be a short meeting for volunteers after the Service this Sunday

Many thanks,

Mary and David

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Celebrating Nicaea Lent Course
in our online Wednesday Night Small Group

This year is the 1700th anniversary of the the Council of Nicaea (in what is now Iznik in Tukey). Our online Small Group will continue our Lenten study of the Nicene Creed using materials prepared in the Diocese in Europe. We meet for discussion and prayer at  https://zoom.us/j/95398454424 (Zoom Meeting ID: 953 9845 4424); no passcode is needed, we just use a waiting room as a security feature.

I will be bringing some books about the creeds and the Council to church this Sunday. Some are rather academic, but others are very accessible, so I encourage you to come and borrow them for a read.

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Charities Distribution

We have decided on how we will do our Charity Distribution. Each year we take 5-10% of our general income and give it to three charities. In the Spring we choose the three charities to support, and at the end of the year the treasurer calculates what the distribution should be. It is then given out early in the new year.

At the Annual Meeting each person in attendance will be given three ballots, and the person will write the name of one of the charities of each slip. As this is not a matter regulated by canon or measure, persons not in attendance or who are not on the electoral roll are welcome to participate as well, perhaps by submitting the names of the charities in advance to Bruce.

It was noted that at a time when some nations are cutting back on International Aid it is important for us to expand our charitable support beyond our usual recipients. Below is a list of some of the charities we will be considering:

• AGIA SOFIA & BONTHEIA STO SPITI  - Help in the home for elderly and disabled people

• ELEPAP  - The Hellenic Society for Disabled Children

• GREEK ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION DAY CARE CENTRE , CHANIA – only centre in Crete ( and Greece)

• HORIZON (ORIZONTAS) – Help for children and young people with Cancer but will consider people of all ages

• KIFAAMEA  Day Care Centre for Children from 3yrs and Adults up to 34yrs with Special Needs

• MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS (Doctors without Borders) - humanitarian organisation that provides medical care in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.

• SPLANTZIAS FOOD KITCHEN – Volunteers provide daily cooked meals for up to 500+ people of all races and creeds. Based in Chania.

• TEARFUND - an international Christian relief and development fund based in the UK.

• TOUCHING THE TONGA – A medical and missionary centre providing care for the Tonga tribe in Zimbabwe

• VAMOS HEALTH CENTRE - Provides 24hour medical cover.

• WATERAID - International Non-Governmental Organisation focused on clean water and sanitation. 

For your information, we supported these charities in the past few years:
2021  -  Touching the Tonga, Splantzias, Anamnisi
2022  -  Greek Alzheimer’s Society, Kifaamea and Touching the Tonga.
2023  -  ELEPAP, Splantzias, Touching the Tonga

2024 -  ELEPAP, Splantzias, Touching the Tonga

We have also supported the Hellenic Red Cross for disaster relief in the fires in Evia and the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. We are not restricted to just the organisations listed above, and you may well know of some not listed that are worthy candidates.

 

Please contact Bruce at bbryantscott@gmail.com to let him know if you know of any others.

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2025 Bishop’s Lent Appeal:
Diocese in Europe & USPG collaborative work with refugees across Europe

Bishop Robert Innes invites us to support our work with refugees across Europe.

 

During the rest of Lent we will have a basket at the back of the church for this, and there are other ways to make donations (if interested in these other ways, please speak to Mary Hurley, our treasurer). More information about how the funds raised will be used can be found at https://www.europe.anglican.org/news/latest-news/bishops-lent-appeal-2025.

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Annual Meeting of Parishioners
 

 

The annual meeting of the Chaplaincy of the Anglican Church of St Thomas, Kefalas, Crete, will be held after divine worship on Sunday April 6, 2025. The Convening Package will be available in print on March 30th.

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Nominations for church positions are now open.

 

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  ​​Safeguarding

in

the Anglican Church of St Thomas, Kefalas, Crete

If you see something that you think may be a safeguarding issue, you should speak to the
Chaplaincy Safeguarding Officer here on Crete or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team:

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Chaplaincy Safeguarding Officer:
Jan Lovell +30 69791 64716 jand.lovell@yahoo.com

and/or

Diocesan Safeguarding Team:

 For urgent enquiries during operational hours (9 am to 5 pm UK time, Monday to
Friday), please call: +44 (0)207 898 1159
For non-urgent enquiries contact: +44 (0) 7464 544715
For urgent enquiries outside operational hours call our
partners  Thirtyone:eight  on +44 (0) 303 003 1111. 
Email: europe.safeguarding@churchofengland.org
https://www.europe.anglican.org/resources/safeguarding-diocese-europe

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