‘RETEORA‘4 in central ‘Greece lea a magical place where wind and water have . @33 top of which the pious, driven by faith and - cirved out strange, gigantic shay ; ‘persecution, have lived for hune reds of years. ! WEST VANCOUVER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH : ine Ir, West Van 926-2812 "10:30 ar SUNDAY SERVICE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE 7:30 Guest Minister Rev. Uy. Brian Fraser I. . Children's: Progra & dlursery available | ; Everyone Welcome : 7 COMMUNITY CE CHURCH * 10:60 a.m, Family Worship ~ Meeting at 3590 Mt. Highway. Pastor Harder - 986-7400 hep://www.newhope.be.ca Ate aes VN Nd "630 E. 19th Si. N. Van. ZRMAKSOBHD) . RE : BR wae: OES - +8322 ST. CHRISTOPHER ’S oor Youth Pastor Ken nee 85-1132 CAN WAV, 922-5323! 4:00pm A Fuaily Christmas Excharist sete aie Your Worker: 40:00asn Eyias DAY. Communion 3380 Lonsdale 985-4911." coh 10:00am Murming Prayer IAG Rector: The Venerable Lou Rivers [SUNDAY "WORSHIP 10: oe: | Archdeacon of Capilano Sunday School £ ? Nursery NORTH ‘SHORE ALLIANCE CHURCH 201 East 23rd Street, North Vancouver 984-6422 > Join Us For Wership this Weekend. Saturday: 7:90 p.m. Sunday 9:15 aus Sunday. § 6:45 am. 3 ~ |” Nursery, Preschool, Weekend Bible School -- * for Grades K.-6 in ali services. Hollday Services: : 5:00 & 7:09 pm Neo Service S15 & US am No Service “Celebration 2000” 11:00 am. @ the Capitano College Spersplex | Fiona Hughes Contributing writer WE knew we were in for a memorable encounter when the bearded and bespecta- cled monk in black robes welcomed us into his home in the sky with an offering of cookies. But before we could set foot inside Agia Trias (Holy Trinity), we pulled our sarongs out of our daypacks and wrapped them around our waists to foliow the strict dress codes required to enter Metcora’s extraordinary monasteries. As he sent a trio of Greek visitors on their way with a batch of biscuits, the monk ushered us into his 523-year- old dweiiing and asked us where we were from. cyes light we told him, ie eyes ting up with delight. “Oh, P ve been there four times,” he said in perfect, but heavily accented English. “I’ve also been many times to the United States. 1 go to have operations on my cycs.” Poor eyesight required the Greek orthodox monk to wear coke-boitle glasses, a physical characteristic that only served to make the talk- ative man even more unfor- gettabie. Once inside the monastery, tay friend and 5 went our separate ways to explore the darkened nooks and corners, and to examine the icons and tiled mono- grams that adorned the place. St. Mariin’s Anglican _ 195 E. ‘Windsor Rd., North ‘Bl 714- 20th Suet, w. Van. - (604)922-2023 Sun. Serv,‘/Sun. School: 10 am Wed. Testimony Mesting*: 7:30 pm READING ROOM: 1353 #Aarine Dr, W. Van. Mon-Sat W0ain-S pre 185 E. Keith Road, N. Van. (604) 985-1144 Sun. Serv,“/Sun. School: 11 am ES. a 3: am Heiy Eucharist 10:00am Choral Eucharist : with Nursery & Sunday School * TA prayer book parish on the North Shore] Rev. Dr. Timothy Cooke 995-5919 _ Wed. Testimony Meeting: 7:30 om wuiay 12n00n Holy Commurion Sundays Sam Holy Communion BCP. ivan Foch Commanion 5. BAS. READING ROOM: : Ground Floor Church, N. Van. jad, Fri, Gat: 10 am - -2pm | frtcas +The Rev senteecdnnees Church 515 West Windsor Rd SES5-4GN 5 - (Oh yes, child care is always provided on Sunday mornings) Agia Trias, the most prim- itive of the six restored monasteries open to the pub- lic, attained fame when it was featured in the James Bond film For Your Eves Only. As my friend explored the interior, I headed directly outside to the opposize end to marvel at the view of the other monasteries, the rocks and the snow-capped Pindus mountains, It’s a sight most visitors to Greece don’t see. Meteora is a six-hour bus ride riorth of Athens in ccn- tral Greece. It’s a magical place where wird and’ water have carved out strange, gigantic shapes -— grey, nar- row stalagmites rising toward the sky on top of which the pious, driven by faith and rsecution. have lived for undreds of years. As seen from the bus travelling west from the city of Trikais “across the Thessalian plain, these jaw- dropping vertical pinnacies don’t show them- selves until you’re z!most in their shadow. Crowning the tops of these geological eniginas are places of worship that were built as refuges tor ninth- century hermits who first set- ded in the caves and fissures of the rocks before climbing to the top to escape invading Turks. Meteora, meaning “suspended in air,” has since been seen as a place of of prayer for acetic: Greek mo where the “will is disciplined and the faith is forged. It is said that monks took seven decades to hau) up the necessary material using a system of wisdlasses and removable ladders before St Andraw’s | United ewes 1044 Si Georges Avenue: North Vancouver 985-0408 Christmas Eve Caneite - pre Light Service - 7:C0zm & Mount Olivet: construction could even begin on Agia Triados. My friend, wanting to learn more about the Greek Orthodox religion, asked our monk to explain certain architectural features of the monastery. As they strolled across the cool stone floors, the monk asked about my friends religious status. “I don’t belong to any rcli- gion,” she answered. The monk, not compre- hending or believing the words, continued his queries. “Tam Greck Orthodox. Arc you Protestant, Jewish, Cathotic?” “I didn’t grow up in any religion. My parents didn’t attend any church,” replied my friend, when to her astonishment, the monk raised fis haaids and uttered in Greek, “Po, po, po, po.” (We later feared the expres- sion translated as “oh, my God.”) “You must go now. The monastery is closing. Please go now.” Trying to defuse the situ- ation, my friend Gras dat straws and blurted, “But my friend is Catholic.” (Not anymore, but why-nutpick, I thought.) As he was shufiling us- toward the decor, I checked . my watch and noticed there was another 20 minutes before closing time sol bravely asked if I could have a peek at the soot-covered -' chapel of St. John the . / Baptist, which is off-limits to... the public but will be opened if politely requested’ - Seé more next page 3201 Mountain Hi = ‘987-2134. a 10:30 AM WORSHIP ‘SERVI Minister Rev, S : ~ Youth Group Ind & 4th Sundays" 7-991 "Sunday School & Nursery Cure - 700 Mountain Highway North Vancouver * 987-5710, Nfs: FIN Christmas Eve “The Real ni Mien . - Celebration - Come celebrate 2600. years , of Christian Witness” : New. Years Eve Service 8:00 pm Eucharist © with short reception to follow - St. Francis-in-the-Wood 4773 South Piccadilly Lane- : West Vancouver 922-3531.