HISTORIC MOMENT IN HALIFAX: The entire Protestant church in England converted to Orthodoxy!

In the city of Halifax in England, a historic moment occurred – the entire Evangelical Protestant community decided to convert to Orthodoxy.

The newly formed Orthodox community of Saint Hilda celebrated its first Orthodox liturgy on August 17, which marked a turning point in their joint spiritual journey.

This decision was not made overnight. As early as the beginning of the year, the church community, led by Pastor Douglas Clark and Assistant Pastor Viviers Ferreira, started on the path of getting to know Orthodox teaching and tradition.

Most of the members officially entered the catechumen program, and the interest in converting to Orthodoxy spread to believers from other parts of Halifax and the surrounding area.

More than sixty believers gathered at the first liturgy, and fifteen of them received Holy Communion. The solemn reception of thirty-four members of the community into full membership of the Orthodox Church, through baptism or chrismation, is expected soon.

The community also looks forward to the ordination of the former pastor Douglas Clark to the diaconate, which will begin a new chapter of his service in the Orthodox faith.

This conversion is taking place under the auspices of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland, and the community was named after Saint Hilda of Whitby, known for her role in the early centuries of English Christianity.

While Protestants and Evangelical Christians are asking what happened to the community, Orthodox believers are joyfully welcoming them.