When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He gathered His disciples to teach, train, 
transform, and eventually send them out into the world as witnesses of His Resurrection. 
This passage describes how Christ calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. He 
calls the first disciples to leave their families behind, leave their work behind, and become 
f
 ishermen of souls. Saint John Chrysostom remarks that “He who casts his net into the 
water knows not what fishes he shall take, so the teacher casts the net of the divine word 
upon the people, not knowing who among them will come to God.” Jesus takes the first 
disciples with Him as He teaches and preaches His Gospel, as He presents the Good 
News of God’s plan for the salvation of the world, healing people along the way.
 What the Gospel is describing can seem rather strange to us. Leaving everything 
behind and following the Lord may seem disconnected from our daily reality, which is 
f
 illed with family and professional responsibilities. There is, however, tremendous purpose 
in being presented with concrete examples of Apostles who followed Him, who left every
thing behind to preach His word, the word of God. Some two thousand years later, we are 
also called to reflect on our own calling to follow Him. We are called to consider how we 
may respond to His invitation, and how we can participate in the mission of the Church.
 It may be tempting to think that this call to discipleship does not really apply equal
ly to everyone. Perhaps it relates only to those who are called to serve the Church in a 
more specialized capacity, such as priests or monastics. However, the call to discipleship 
is universal and applies to all of us — without exception. The Church often presents each 
one of us with specific invitations to participate in the apostolic mission of the Church. We 
might mistakenly think that only clergy truly participate in the ministry of the Holy Church. 
That clergy are more valuable than the laity, a “higher class of Christians.” Nothing could 
be further from the truth. 
Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that “...there are varieties of services but the 
same Lord…” (1 Corinthians 12:5). We are all called to participate in the apostolic min
istry. The clergy are those who serve at the Holy Altar as the leaders of the eucharistic 
community. However, this does not mean the ministries of the parish councils, religious 
education, youth, Philoptochos, and so on are in any way inferior to the clergy. We are 
one laity, in the one Body of Christ. The very word laity comes from the Greek word laos 
(λαός), which means people. We are all the laos, the people of God, both those who 
serve at the Holy Altar and those who serve in other capacities. In fact, in the word liturgy 
(λειτουργία in Greek), the first part is derived from the word laos (λαός). So, Liturgy means 
the work of the people (λαός + ἔργον = λειτουργία). 
Apostle Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that “Indeed, the body does not con
sist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not 
belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body” (1 Corinthians 
12:14-15). He explains that we cannot all have the same ministry in the Holy Church, be
cause the Lord distributes His gifts and callings to each one of us individually. The Church 
needs a variety of ministries to make it whole. Our Lord’s Church needs clergy, of course, 
and it just as equally needs each of us to participate in the ministry, in the service to which 
God has called us. Without the laity (laos), the people, the Body of Christ is not complete. 
Each of us is invaluable to the Church and to God.
 Just as our Lord called Peter, James, John, and Andrew, He now calls each of us to 
offer our talents to the Holy Church. Let us ask ourselves what we can do to participate in 
the Church’s ministry and to serve our parish. What are we good at professionally? How 
about academically? Or what hobbies do we excel in? 
The point is that the Church needs each of us, just as it needs the clergy, just as the 
Church needed the Apostles. We, though many, are one Body in Christ, with diverse and 
critical ministries in our parishes so that the evangelization of the Holy Gospel can contin
ue to grow unhindered. When we follow the Lord and serve Him together, we bring light 
to the world, and in this way, we become fishers of people because, through us, people 
come to Christ. 
God bestows everything to us. He provides for all of creation. Our very selves and 
everything around us come from God. Participating in the laity of Christ means reconcil
ing ourselves with God. It means uniting ourselves to Christ. We are all called to ministry 
through the Sacrament of Baptism, through our initiation into the faith. We are all called 
not in general terms but specifically. Some are called to serve in the altar as clergy and al
tar servers. Others are called to support the Church services as chanters. Others help run 
and grow the Church through the parish council, religious educators, and youth leaders. 
We are all called to help those in need through the ministry of the Philoptochos. Christ 
calls everyone to a role. If you are unsure how you can help, pray on it, ask your spiritual 
father, or speak with one of the numerous ministries in our Church.  
Most importantly, God calls us to live our faith. Not only when in Church, but ev
erywhere we go, with everyone we meet. To be shining examples and to be disciples of 
Christ. As He says, “everyone will know you are My disciples because of your love for each 
other” (John 13:35). 
Finding our place in the Church means opening ourselves up to all the blessings 
and resources the Church makes available to us. Living in Christ is relevant not only when 
we pass on from this life on earth. As persons created in the image and likeness of God, 
we are blessed with a certain potential. Christ came into the world to help us unlock this 
potential for our own benefit, for the benefit of those around us, and for the benefit of 
society. As we grow in the faith, we are called to help those around us do the same, and 
by doing so, we get even closer to reaching our own ultimate potential, which is to be 
with God, always and forever. 
God is love, perfect love. Therefore, salvation cannot be viewed merely as a per
sonal matter. It is challenging to reconcile salvation when people around us are suffering. 
But we are all in this together. Let us take the opportunity and try to understand better 
what the Church is presenting to us in terms of how we approach life, how we approach 
others, and how we approach God Himself. Let us open ourselves to discerning our spe
cific role in the Church’s apostolic mission. Let us answer the Lord’s call to follow Him just 
like the first disciples, to become fishers of souls.

We welcome you to worship with us on Sunday and whenever the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Matins begins at 9:00 am and the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.

Click here for Google Map & Specific Driving Directions »

DIRECTIONS TO THE DORMITION CHURCH FROM THE NORTH:

1. Proceed south on Interstate 81 South heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 317 for VA-37/ US-11 toward US-522 N/ US-50 W/ Winchester/ Stephenson (0.3 mi)
3. Turn right at US-11 S/ VA-37 S/ Martinsburg Pike, Continue to follow VA-37 S (3.8 mi)
4. Take the ramp to US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike (0.2 mi)
5. Turn left at US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike, Continue to follow US-50 E (0.6 mi )
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.

DIRECTIONS TO THE DORMITION CHURCH FROM THE SOUTH:

1. Proceed north on Interstate 81North heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 310 for VA-37 toward US-11/VA-642/ Winchester/ Kernstown/ US-50/ US-522/ Berkely Spgs/ Romney (0.2 mi)
3. Turn left at VA-37 N (5.2 mi)
4. Take the US-50 ramp to Winchester/ Romney (0.3 mi)
5. Turn right at US-50 E/ Amherst St (0.5 mi)
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.