Newspaper Page Text
In ancient birthplace, Egyptian
monks revive desert tradition
By Anthony Shadid -
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
WADi NATRUN, Egypt
Dressed in the flowingblack robe
of his 1,600-year-old tradition,
Father Agathon casually reaches
foraringing cellular phone tucked
away in his pocket.
. Heis quick to hand out his busi
ness card, printed in English and
Arabic, and nonchalantly volun
teers a fax number.
. The Internet? Don’t get him
started.
Father Agathon is a monk, an
initiate of a tradition born in
Egypt’s deserts in the 4th century
who is at ease with the accouter
ments of modern-day society.
. In a stunning revival, he and
hundreds of others have helped
transform their monasteries— the
world’s oldest — from lonely out
posts on the verge of extinction
into pilgrimage sites, retreats and
modern communities that play an
important role for Egypt’s Chris
tian minority.
Eleven of the 12 major monas
teries have seen their numbers
grow dramatically, some witness
ing a tenfold increase in just 20
years. The rush has forced abbots
to turn initiates away. Those who
do enter are remarkable for their
education: doctors, dentists, engi
neers, businessmen.
While the growth of Islamic ac
tivism capturesattention in Egypt,
a phenomenon in many ways par
allel but less visible has emerged
among' the country’s Christians.
They account for 10 percent of the
population and belong mainly to
the Coptic church, an indigenous
Orthodox church that traces its
origins back to St. Mark.
Coptic Christians have become
targets for extremist Muslims, but
the monasteries are largely away
from towns, where the radicals
are active, and have not been at
tacked. A few monasteries are even
revered by some Muslims as holy
sites.
Their revival in the desert is the
most tangible sign of a growing
Christian fervor, encouraged by a
Bethel African Methodist
T Episcopal Church ..I.
623 A Crawford Avenue
Augusta, Georgia 30904 '
- Rev. Larry W. Hudson, Sr. Pastor
Office: (706) 736-4060
Sunday
9:30 SundaK School
11:00 Worship Service
Universal Ministries
l Christian Fellowship
* A Dynamic Spirit Filled Church
* Positive & Practical Biblical Messages
* Uplifting Gospel Music
* Certified Bible Studies -
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® * BisLE STUDY, THUR. 7:00 P.M.
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M
Services Hewp Ar: Tobacco Rd. Elementary School Audiorium « 2397 Tobacco Rd.
| Mail Address: P.O. Bx 1461 + Augusta, GA 30903-1461
: Ph: 1(800) 731-2310 « E-Mail: umin@csra.net ,
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FOCUS your church luncheons or
dinners in a fine restaurant. Visit
BL’s Restaurant at 1117 Laney-Walker
Blvd. or call (706) 828-7799t0
arrange your church
celebrations.
resurgent church as an answer to
society’s materialism.
“We’re looking for the holy life.
We’re looking for a place in para
dise,” a sun-burnt Father
Deuscoros said. “Outside every
one is running for money, looking
for money. But here you are free.”
Deuscoros is one of 66 monks at
St. Anthony’s Monastery, a desert
redoubt near the Red Sea re
nowned as the world’s first. It was
founded by disciples of its name
sake, one of the earliest and most
influential hermits, who died in
356.
Nestled against ajagged, barren
mountain, it is surrounded by
stretches of scraggly terrain once
inhabited by leopards and wolves.
The monastery wassoisolated that
only a monthly camel caravan sup
plied it, Visitors were pulled up by
rope and a backet over the wall
that kept out marauding Bedouins.
Some of the monks, practicing a
vow of poverty, obedience and chas
tity, lived for years on bread and
water in nearby caves.
Today, a two-lane ribbon of as
phalt connects the monastery to
the outside world, turning what
once was a three-day journey into
an afternoon drive. The monks
have set up guest houses for the
hundreds of visitors who come to
see the churches, flour mill, gar
den and spring.
St. Anthony’s has four times as
many monks as it did 20 years ago,
most of them educated men in
their 30s and 40s.
“We are like a candle in the
darkness,” said Deuscoros, who
left his job at a Cairo bank to
become a monk 13 years ago.
The Coptic church recruits its
patriarch and bishops from the
monasteries, and some monks are
sent toservein churcheselsewhere
in Egypt and abroad.
Their vow is a lifetime obliga
tion — they give up their names,
grow beards and don a black robe
as part of a spiritual rebirth.
Prayers start as early as 4 a.m.
and work can last until the evening.
The monks’ soft chants can some
timesbe heard outside, fadinginto
Wednesday
7:00 Bible Study
Ny
. il
+ 01‘ !
Dr. REGINALD D. StmMmons
' Senior Pasror
the Muslim call to prayer in nearby
villages.
The revival is not just in num
bers. The monasteries themselves
have undergone a revolution as
younger and more educated monks
experiment with agriculture and
animal husbandry, introducing
new crops and breeds of cattle to
their neighbors.
The Monastery of St. Macarius,
in a desert valley west of Cairo
known as Wadi Natrun, is the best
example.
In 1969, the Coptic church or
dered a priest and 12 monks to
leave their desert caves and settle
at the crumbling monastery. They
rebuilt the compound, a stunning
clash of Islamic, Byzantine and
Yom Hashoah observance
in Augusta May 4
OnSunday, May 4, Congregation
Children oflsrael, 3005 Walton Way
Extension, willhost theannual com
munity Yom Hashoah commemo
ration. This year, they will honor
the righteous Gentiles who aided
Jews in their struggles during the
Shoah. Inparticular, they willhonor
Raoul Wallenberg, whooffered Swed
ish transit papers to thousands of
desperateJewsinthelastdaysofthe
war and whose own life ended all too
mysteriously after the warended.
Their partner this year is the
United States Post Office. In coop
eration with the USPS, Congrega
tion Children of Israel will become
the Wallenberg Memorial Station.
The Post Office will sell their new
Wallenberg 32 cent stamp, to be
issued on April 22, with this spe
cial branch cancellation. In addi
tiontoadaylongseriesof filmsand
a“cyberchat” onthe Internet tobe
hosted at the temple, a special
FOCUS your church news in the Augusta Focus. Fax
them to (706) 724-6969 or mail them to: 1143
Laney-Walker Blvd., Augusta, Ga. 30901.
ORI e e T e
@“@m Williams Memorial
&Y/ C.M.E.Church
Rev. Alex R. King
1630 Fifteenth St. Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 733-9430
Sunday: Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Ist Sunday Evening 6:30 p.m.
Wed: Praise Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Thurs: Senior Services 10:00 a.m.
Day Care Center:
6:45 a.m. -5:30 p.m.
smugosTA'S BEST GISPEL oo -
A Sonshine 16 @
L . e
=" Love You Can Listen To
(706) 738-9191 Business
P.O. Box 1454 (706) 738-0044 Request
Augusta, Georgia 30903 (706) 733-0044 Request
modern styles, and greatly ex
panded the grounds. .
The monks now number 105,
many of them engineers, veteri
narians or agricultural specialists.
They grow watermelons, wheat,
olives, dates and bananason 1,000
acres reclaimed from the desert.
Farm buildings house cows, sheep
and poultry, and a printing press
publishes a monthly magazine.
Not uncommon is the sight of a
bearded monk in black robe and
hat driving a tractor with farm
hands on back.
“Worship must be an invest
ment,” said Father Yohanna. “The
religious life shows itself in work,
not in words.”
ceremony willbe heldat 2 p.m. in
the temple sanctuary.
Participatinginstitutionsinclude:
Congregation Children of Israel,
Ades Yeshurun Synagogue, the Jew
ish Community Center and the Au
gusta Jewish Federation.
Yom Hashoah schedule for May 4,
1997 will be:
*Ongoing: International Internet
chat with Joey Korn and Konnelyn
Feig in the Social Hall.
*Noon - 3 p.m. - United States
Post Office booth will be set up tosell
the Wallenberg stamp with special
commemorative cancellation.
©lO-11:30a.m.-MovieAu Revoir
Les Enfants.
*11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Movie
Song of the Butterfly.
©12:30 - 2 p.m. - Movie America
and the Holocaust.
*2 -3 p.m. - Yom Hashoah com
memorationin Sanctuary.
*3-sp.m. Movie Europa, Europa.
Race promoters
asked for refund
From page one
their own association called PROP.
The River Race had a contract
with IOGP, which had two years
left, and it had to be upheld even
though most well-known drivers
were no longer members of the
association. “When we asked the
lawyer if we could go with the new
driversassociation instead of stay
ing with the old one, he said we
had to stay with IOGP,” Patrick
said. “As a result, the 1995 River
Race Augusta only had about 5,000
people show up. In previous years
there were 15,000. We lost a tre
mendous amount of money be
cause of the change in both 1995
and 1996,” he said. “People
‘wouldn’t go see stock car races if
Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and
Andretti weren’t there, and they
won’t come to the River Raceifthe
drivers aren’t there either,” he
said. “We were able to go with the
independent drivers in 1996 but
we had to take a loan out to do it.”
The dilemma for the commis
sion began when Augusta-Rich
mond County attempted to re
trieve the $50,000 from River Race
Augusta in order to help fund a
national women’s amateur boxing
event to be held in the city. Race
officials then stated that the money
was never intended for funding of
arace for 1997, but in fact, was to
be used to pay back debt owed
from 1995 and 1996.
The only record the county has
of the $50,000 gift is the paid check
and a note from Butch McKie to
the accounting director to issue
the check to River Race Augusta
as an advance on the 1997 budget.
The note also stated, “This has
been discussed with several com
missioners and the Mayor. They
approve.”
However, the commissionersand
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| We I:’lVitC You To ;
BEULAH GROVE
BAPTIST CHURCH
Dr. Sam Davis, pastor
1434 POPLAR STREET
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA 30901
TELEPHONE: (706) 724-1086
Sunday Services at 7:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Baptist Training Union (BTU) at 6:00 p.m. Sunday
Sunday School at 9:30 Sunday morning
Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Wednesdag,aand 9:30 a.m. Saturday
Prayer Service at 11:00 Saturday morning
Thirty-five Christian Ministries
All Services Are Bible-based and Holy Spirit-led
AUGUSTA FOCUS APRIL 24, 1997
Mayor Sconyers have little recol
lection, if any, of such a matter
being discussed or even brought to
their attention in an official meet
ing. “I wish now that I could have
gone before the commission and
presented our case to them per
sonally,” said Patrick, “I guess we
[River Race Augusta] were wrong
in not doing so, but I can’t go back
and change it now.”
Patrick stated that River Race
Augusta has a meeting with an
auditor this week to provide proof
of where and how the $50,000 was
spent. “We have receipts for ev
erything.”
Some commissioners feel that
illegal action may have taken place
to disburse the money. Commis
sioner Moses Todd said he felt the
district attorney should look into
the matter.
“Idon’t think we need to get the
D.A.involved unless we determine
that there are definitely some
criminal charges,” said Commis
sioner Rob Zetterberg. “I'd like to
do a little fact-finding first. The
biggest question in my mind is
who approved the funding to be
used for that [prior debt] in the
first place. I think that has to be
answered first.”
County Administrator Randy
Oliver has asked River Race offi
cials to return the money, but was
unavailable for comment on the
likelihood of receiving the funds.
Zetterberg also stated that the
funds for Mr. Tom Moraetes and
the boxing event are still pending.
“We [commission] now have to
decide whether we can give the
funds for the boxing event if the
money isn’t returned,” he said.
According to Commissioner Lee
Beard, most commissioners would
support giving the $25,000 to bring
the boxing event to Augusta if
there are any fundsavailable other
than from the city’s general fund.
13