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Fr. Moses Berry to Speak in Iowa City + February 5, 2011

DESCENDENT OF DANIEL BOONE SPEAKS AT THIRD ANNUAL EVENING IN THE EAST

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Iowa City, IA – January 19, 2011 – On Saturday, February 5, St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Mission is hosting their third annual Evening in the East at Old Brick, 26 Market Street, Iowa City. The benefit runs begins at 5:30 PM, includes authentic cuisine from Greece, the Middle East, Romania, Georgia, and Russia, prizes, silent auctions, a performance by St. Raphael Church Choir, and this year will feature speaker Fr. Moses Berry presenting “Linking Ancient African Christianity to the African American Experience.”

Fr. Moses Berry is President of the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black and founder of the Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum. Fr. Moses is a descendent of frontier legend Daniel Boone through his son Nathan Boone and Nathan's slave Marie Boone. At a moment of crisis as a young man, Fr. Moses began a search for his religious heritage that took him from the church of his youth to the Orthodox Christianity found throughout northern Africa.

St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Mission began in 2001 with a handful of families, faculty and students, dedicated to building an Orthodox Christian parish in Iowa City, the last Big-Ten college town without an Orthodox church. It is a growing, vibrant parish focused on worship and devoted to reaching out to the community. In 2009 St. Raphael Mission was able to place a down payment on its building at 722 East College Street and is working diligently to pay off the remainder of the mortgage. All proceeds from Evening in the East will go toward this goal.

Tickets for this benefit are $40 at the door, with students admitted for $20. Seating is limited, so advance tickets may be purchased by calling 319-337-ORTH (6784). Checks and cash are accepted at the door.

ABOUT – St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Mission is a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America located at 722 East College Street in Iowa City. St. Raphael Mission currently has a membership of over 100 people and meets in Iowa City for regular weekly services. While the Mission is a member of the Antiochian Archdiocese, its membership is made up of over twelve ethnic groups and offers all services in English. St. Raphael Mission is the home of the University of Iowa’s Orthodox Christian Fellowship, and supports many local charities such as the Crisis Center, the Shelter House, and the American Cancer Society's Iowa Hope House. St. Raphael Mission has also participated in the University of Iowa's Celebrating Cultural Diversity Festival. Learn more about St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Mission at www.straphaelorthodoxchurch.org. St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Mission is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization.