The Philip Ludwell III Orthodox Fellowship
“Nurturing the roots of Orthodoxy in Dixie’s Land”
P.O. Box 174
Brown Summit, NC 27214
Great Lent 2022
Beloved Brothers and Sisters:
Greetings in the Lord! On behalf of everyone involved with the Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship, we want to extend our warmest regards and prayers as we continue our struggle through this Lenten season toward Calvary and the bright Day of Holy Pascha.
Every Lent presents its own challenges, but this Lent in particular is overshadowed by the tragic, fratricidal war in the Ukraine. We join our prayers with those of Orthodox Christians throughout the world in behalf of the suffering Ukrainian people. That said, we would do well to heed the recent words of Fr. Zacharias of St. Sophrony’s monastery in England:
We do not know everything about the conflicts of this world, nor is it necessary to know. We just pray with a compassionate heart for the peace of the world and for all. We do not take sides, because each side will be responsible for crimes, and we do not want to share in these crimes and be condemned. If we pray for those who are more wrong than right, well, we perform the commandment to love even enemies. And if we pray for those who are more right than wrong, we do well. Therefore, we cannot go wrong if we pray that God save all and grant peace to the world.
As it happens, things have not been entirely quiet here on the home front. Our webpage, SouthernOrthodox.org, was offline for more than a week due to an issue with malware. Whether this was a direct attack on us or on an affiliated site (probably the latter), we do not know. However, we are back online now, thanks be to God! You are probably aware also that our humble efforts have attracted the attention of those whose mission it is to bring the Orthodox Church kicking and screaming into the modern (or is it post-modern?) world, thereby abandoning the “faith once delivered to the saints.”
If you are wondering if we are going to respond to these attacks, the answer is an emphatic, “No!” Those people can rage all they want (as is their wont); we are simply going to continue doing what we have been doing from day one. However, so that there can be no misunderstandings or misapprehensions among our friends and supporters, I want to reiterate what is written in our mission statement and what I have emphasized before on various podcasts: The Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship has one purpose, and one purpose only: to facilitate the evangelization of the South by exploring the ways in which the traditions of the Orthodox Church can be enculturated here and now. Or, as our motto has it: “nurturing the roots of Orthodoxy in Dixie’s Land.” One of the primary ways of doing this is to search for those things within traditional Southern culture which are expressive of the eternal verities—ie. the true, the good, and the beautiful—and which are, therefore, capable of being “baptized” and becoming bearers of an authentically Orthodox tradition.
The LOF is not a Southern heritage organization. Nor are we an historical association, much less a Civil War remembrance society. Ironically, it is our detractors who are obsessed with the Confederacy. As our co-founder Don Livingston never tires of pointing out, the Confederacy lasted for all of four years. Yet the South, as a unique culture, has a history spanning more than four centuries! We are neither obsessed with the Confederacy, nor are we ashamed of it. It is not our task either to defend history or to apologize for it, but to learn from it. No, more than that: to understand all the ways in which we ourselves have been shaped by our history, and to consider the ways in which this complex story—our story—enables us to respond to and live according to the Gospel today.
Our website went “live” on November 11. I have received many compliments from people who are appreciative of what we are doing. It is thanks to the generosity of good folk like yourselves that we were able to pay for professional web development as well as for our initial operating expenses. However, we do have ongoing expenses. While none of us are paid for what we do, the board feels very strongly that Rebecca Dillingham—without whose energetic efforts this website would never have seen the light of day—deserves to be reimbursed for the many hours (up to 40 hours a month) she spends updating content on the website as well as general problem solving. “The workman is worthy of his meat” (Matt. 10:10).
Therefore, we ask you to prayerfully consider financially supporting the work of the LOF, either with a one-time gift or by becoming a monthly contributor. Donations may be made through our Support page. We are working on applying for 501(c)3 status and will let you know more as information becomes available.
On a further note, we hope to have the first issue of The Ludwell Review out before or shortly after the start of summer. This issue will be an encounter between the Southern Agrarian and the Orthodox traditions and will feature articles on Alan Tate, Andrew Lytle, Richard Weaver, and Ward Allen, who was a direct link between the two. Also, we hope to have the Ludwell Press up and running before the end of the year. It is our goal to get the Faith Series back in print. Exciting times ahead! We will keep you posted.
Until then, asking for your prayers for us and for the work of the Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship, I remain,
Yours in Christ,
Clark Carlton
Editorial Director
The Philip Ludwell III Orthodox Fellowship
A pdf download of this letter is also available.
