About 12 years ago, when Brandy and I were only engaged, I had taken her for a moonlight drive to see where I spent my workdays. At the time, I was living in northern Massachusetts, attending graduate school, and working full-time as a groundskeeper on a vast estate (yes, despite popular opinion, priests are actually capable of manual labor!). It was good, honest work—painting, cutting grass, laying down mulch, planting trees, etc. The estate was beautiful, striking in different ways throughout each season.

On this particular night, we were deep into a steamy, humid New England summer. It really was magical—the moonlight was playing on the rolling hills and the sound of the crickets and “peepers” deep in the woods was mesmerizing. Despite the heat, we had the windows down so we could enjoy the sights and sounds. We stopped in front of a pond where purple strife and Queen Anne’s Lace grew in wild abundance. We took it in, smiled, and sighed at the perfect moment. As we were making our way back to my truck—the mosquitoes quickly were getting the best of us—we were approached by the warm glow of three fireflies. They erratically dipped, ducked, dodged and dived in a host of directions. It was as if they were penning some mysterious message with their radiant light against the night sky. We watched them as long as we could bare the attacking mosquitoes, then hopped back in the truck, satisfied and warmed deep inside by this rare summer treat.

Recently when it came time to name our new Wednesday night program, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to capture that feeling of something glowing, warm and radiant lighting up the dark night. Something that suggested familiarity, peace and good times with people we love. I wanted to capture the essence of the moment I just shared with you—“Fireflies”!

If you’ll join us the first Wednesday of each month, if you become a Firefly, here’s how we’ll keep the lights on in the dark of the night—our Philoptochos ladies will begin the evening with their monthly meeting, filled with the spirit of outreach, philanthropy and sisterhood they’re so well-know for; we’ll share a community dinner (no cooking for all of you parents!); give our children an opportunity to join in the fun of JOY, GOYA, and Youth Chorale—and spend time with our loving nursery leaders; we’ll meet new friends and reconnect with old ones; and be enlivened by a host of thoughtful, practical and inspirational guest speakers. A night to be together … with something for everyone. Not bad for a Wednesday night, right?

It will maximize your time and make for a warm, loving and enriching evening for you and your family. Together, we’ll take one more step toward making sure our Church never becomes just a “Sunday Church”—we’ll keep the place alive, glowing and bustling throughout the week. We don’t want our Church to become a museum, where we look but don’t touch, and dust off the pews and scatter the cobwebs every once in a while for Liturgy. The Church needs to be alive and vibrant all the time—and this is all dependent on our commitment, as a community, to making the Gospel real in our lives.

I know this new ecclesiastical year (begins Sept. 1st) will be a grand one for our community. Engage in Fireflies, engage in the Festival, engage in Liturgy, engage in parish outreach efforts, engage in our Orthodox Life series. Engage in the life of the Church—this is how you keep the lights on in the dark. This is how you help make our Church come alive!