LEWISTON— St. George is one of the oldest and most popular saints, and the parishioners of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, on Saunders Settlement Road, belong to an ancient Christian church.

“Many of our parishioners serve our community as our very own Niagara Falls school teachers, doctors, attorneys, contractors, restaurateurs, realtors, Little League coaches and many others,” said Kellylynn Barberg, a member of St. George Church.

“You may have heard of us as Antiochian, Greek, Russian, Serbian, and the list of ethnic backgrounds goes on and on. We’re a diverse Christian group with many faceted cultures.”

These are busy days for St. George’s congregants. They are preparing for their Diocesan Parish Life Conference, to be held at the Niagara Falls Conference Center, running Thursday through Sunday.

Bishop Alexander Mufarrij, of the Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada, and Upstate New York, will preside. Each parish is represented, including those in the Canadian maritime provinces, Quebec and neighboring Ontario.

“To the east, the faithful from Geneva, Syracuse, Utica and as far as Glens Falls will make the journey,” Barberg said.

The weekend will include workshops for youth workers, on family and parenting, Bible studies, and Christian education, and sermons from visiting clergy. The keynote speaker, Dr. Khouiye Maggie Hock, will address marriage and family.

Each day begins with Divine Liturgy. Highlighted events will include a Bible Bowl competition, Oratorical Festival and a creative arts exhibit in which numerous young teens will present their insight based on this year’s theme: “Be mindful, 0 Lord, of those who bear fruit and do good works in thy holy Churches, and who remember the poor.”

On Friday’s Family Night, there’ll be a variety show and other fun activities. Saturday’s events culminate with a grand Hafli — a night of Arabic food, music and dancing. On Sunday morning, with the Bishop’s presence, a Hierarchal Divine Liturgy will be offered.

The conference is an opportunity “for our diocese to come together and worship God,” said St. George’s pastor, the Rev. Paul Solberg.

At St. George, they don’t stop at just running a food pantry. They also have an organic mission garden to get fresh vegetables to the needy. They give clothing to Everywoman’s Opportunity Center so women don’t lack interview clothes that will help them get a job.

St. George has inspired soldiers for more than a 1,000 years. Before his death as a martyr, he endured dozens of grisly tortures.

Solberg, a Vietnam veteran who went to the seminary on the GI Bill, said St. George congregants battle poverty in their mission to “remember the poor.”

Brother’s Keeper

You may have spotted a carnival Saturday in Lockport’s Ida Fritz Park, but “Carnivals 4 a Cause” signified more than games and clowns. The fundraiser supported the urgent work done at the nonprofit Brother’s Keeper Outreach food pantry at 175 Locust St., near First English Church — which hasn’t forgotten one of the first lessons of the Bible about being our brother’s keeper.

“Many residents of Lockport and the surrounding area are consumed by medical bills, laid-off and worried,” said volunteer Beth-Ann Guilmart. “They’re searching for friendship, for the access to nutritional food, personal health care items, school supplies and paper goods that Brother’s Keeper Outreach has to offer.

“These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. There’s been an increase of them, up 35 to 40 percent in the last two to three months. Most of the people we help are working poor and the disabled. We help those in their time of need.”

“Brother’s Keeper outreach serves approximately 100 families a month, but we can do more with help,” Guilmart points out. “We’re completely funded by donations. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different. We all know, and are in contact with, people affected by hunger, even though we might not be aware of it.”

Brother’s Keeper supporters include Lockport native and former NASA astronaut Lt. Col. William Gregory.

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