We couldn't have started without you!

It's almost the middle of August already! Summer is flying by. We wanted to show you how donations from the last couple of Bridegroom's Banquets are being put to good use. The chapel renovation project is underway. 

The day before renovations started, after Divine Liturgy, some of our regular guests stayed behind to help us remove the last remaining things from the chapel. 

On August 1st, the crew arrived bright and early as we prayed Matins in our new outdoor tent-chapel (we've been calling it our "tabernacle"). Over the next few days, as nuns crossed the street from the monastery to poke their heads in the chapel, we were amazed to see the place we know so well looking so different, stripped down to its frame. 

In a photo below, you can see what the pitch of the new ceiling will be like. You can also just barely see in the back that the bathroom and meeting room/confessional in the vestibule are coming into existence. We are looking forward to having a space in our chapel for those who pray with us to be able to visit after liturgies without disturbing the silence of the chapel or having to go out in the rain, snow, or cold. 

Throughout the first week, we slowly adjusted our "tabernacle" to better meet our needs. We added a smaller tent in the back, to block the low evening sun from roasting us during Vespers. We got some more bins to keep our liturgical books out of the rain and humidity. We also added some lights after praying the Paraklesis to the Theotokos with flashlights the first night of the Dormition Fast. We're slowly figuring out how to wander in the wilderness, exiled from our chapel. It's definitely an experience we are going to remember for a long time!  

Now, we are in the second week of praying in the "tabernacle," and we discovered that the tent we have used for years for Girls' Camp is no longer waterproof. There's always some new adventure. The bottom photo shows our attempts at protecting our things from the leaky roof. 

Of course, we could not have started this exciting process without the help of all of our benefactors. We are so grateful and can't wait to be able to pray with you in our newly renovated chapel once it's finished. 

There are many more projects we'll need to do in the future, as well as maintaining our day-to-day life, and we rely on God to provide for us for all of it. The most significant way we are supported is through our Bridegroom's Banquet which is coming up in less than a month on Saturday, September 10th. If you'd like to come, please register by August 29th. Donations will be doubled up to $100,000. 

For those who live far away and are unable to attend the event in person, donations can be made online here. Donations can also be mailed to us. Please mark it "Bridegroom's Banquet" so that it will be doubled by the matching fund. Our address is Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, 17485 Mumford Road, Burton, OH 44021. 

Thank you for your help and prayers! We are praying for you!