SPC is Serbian Orthodox Church.

Very simple. You just go to the next SPC Church.

Fast or abstinence is a specific period of time during which the faithful, being advised so by the Church, double their prayers and abstain from eating foods containing animal fats. Lord Jesus Christ Himself has said when referring to demons: "This kind is banished by fasting and prayer". Holy Fathers say that fasting and prayer are two spiritual wings, which serve to carry us to the Lord. The Church has prescribed following fasts: Christmas fast, lasting from 28/15. November to the Christmas Day (7. January / 25. December). The Great Lent or the Easter Fast lasts seven weeks. Apostle's fast starts on the Sunday of All Saints and lasts until the Feast of the Holy Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Its length depends on the date of Easter celebrations in the particular year. If it happens that Easter is celebrated earlier in the year, than this fast is longer, and vice-versa. Fast preceding the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos starts 14/1. August and brakes on the Feast day itself. Should the Feasts of Saint Peter and Staint Paul, and the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos fall on a Wednesday or a Friday than the fast preceding the Feasts is continued to cover the Feast days themselves. Christmas Day is never a fasting day even if it should fall on a Wednesday or a Friday. In addition to seasonal fasts lasting several days or more, there are also those that last only one day: every Wednesday and Friday of the year except Compact Weeks, Holy Cross Day being the day before the Feast of Epiphany (18/5. January), Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (11. September / 29. august), Elevation of the Precious Cross (27. September). It should be emphasized that marriage ceremonies are not allowed on fasting days. Compact Weeks are fast free and they occur: from Christmas Day until the Day of the Holy Cross (18. January); week after Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee; week following Meat-Fare Sunday; week after Pascha (Bright Week); week after Pentecost.

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For more Prayer Please go to our web.site on Preyer

Divine Liturgy (meaning common work, common service, or common action in Greek), or Eucharist (thanksgiving), is the focal point of the life of the Orthodox Church. Holy Fathers define it as the Sacrament above all sacraments or as the Sacrament of the Church. It is the source of all, and it is the final destination to all. It is both the journey to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom's very presence on earth. All other Sacraments are connected to and derive from the Holy Liturgy. It is in Liturgy that the visible communion of the faithful, with their bishop or bishop's delegate - the presbyter at their head, becomes the very Church itself, the Body of Christ, and the People of God. Lord Jesus Christ himself founded the Holy Liturgy at the occasion of the Last Supper. He broke the bread, gave it to His holy disciples, and followed it with a cup of wine saying: "Do this in remembrance of me". In its broadest sense, the Liturgy consists of prayers, chants, readings and sacred rites. During Liturgy the entire Church, acting on behalf of Christ himself, offers God the sacrifice of thanksgiving thus reviving the memory of our Lord's death and His Resurrection. After our gifts of bread and wine turn into the body and the blood of Christ we consume them as the Holy Eucharist. By being thus embedded into His structure, we form the perfect communion with Christ and become wholly fulfilled by Him. Basic structure of the Holy Liturgy is as follows: ++Proskomede++ (preparation of bread and wine with the mention of all members of the Church, both living and the departed); ++Liturgy of the Catechumens++ (which was in early times obligatory for the catechumens, i.e. those preparing themselves for Baptism; some also call it the Liturgy of the Word because it also includes readings from the Bible - gospels, epistles, and their interpretation - the sermon itself); ++Liturgy of the Faithful++ (it starts with the Grand Entrance - transfer of the gifts to the Holy Altar, continues with the offering of gifts and of ourselves to God through the sacrifice of Christ suffered for our sake, and with the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the transformation of gifts); ++Holy Eucharist++ and the ++Dismissal Prayer++ (priest's prayer after which we are ready to "depart in peace" back into the world). Liturgy is celebrated every Sunday, this being the day of the Resurrection of Christ, and on the occasion of all Grand Feasts of Christ, Theotokos and the Saints. It can be served every day and most monastic communities do so regularly. Most of the time the Church celebrates the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysotomos. Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is served only on special occasions (ten times per year), and the Liturgy of Pre-sanctified Gifts is served exclusively during the Great Lent before Easter.

Prosphora or Oblation are leavened loaves of bread stamped with a seal. Before the Holy Liturgy the priest ceremonially removes sections and particles from at least five of these loaves, one of these sections being the Lamb that will turn into the body of Christ during Liturgy. He removes particles for the Most Holy Theotokos and saints, mentioning names of numerous faithful, both living and the departed. The remaining pieces of the prosphora are cut into smaller sections and distributed to the faithful at the end of Holy Liturgy as the Antidoron.

Chalice or the Cup is a consecrated church vessel used exclusively at Holy Liturgy. Red wine and some water are poured into the Chalice. Both elements are consecrated at Holy Liturgy and they turn into the blood of Christ. Chalice derives from the cup offered by Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples at the occasion of the Mysterious (Last) Supper so that they might drink His blood from it. In its history the Church used Chalices made of wood, glass, stone, silver, gold and other materials.

Ektenial or Litanies represent an established sequence of calls for prayer, which the deacon (or presbyter if there is no deacon present) directs to the assembly of the faithful. The faithful respond depending on the type of the ektenial with "Lord have mercy", "Grant it o Lord", or with a threefold "Lord have mercy". Ektenial is one of the main forms of liturgical prayer, common to practically all church services. It confirms the communal character of church services and provides them with the form and the rhythm of a dialogue.

Light is a symbol of good, of God. The significance of the candle and the censer as a cult of the source of light is in the flames which gleam with light. Fire cleanses impurities while light dispels the darkness and thereby drives away the unclean spirits. The light of the candle in the Divine Liturgy as at a Slava celebration, is a substitute for the sacrificial fire. The candle next to the Old Testament thurible entered into use in the Christian cult in the early centuries of Christianity. The candle is made of beeswax and the bee is a symbol of diligence and purity and this is precisely why its product was taken as a ritual element. Of recent times, due to the shortage of pure wax, paraffin is used as a substitute. The light from the censer comes from the oil in it. For-merly, this was exclusively olive oil but now the oil of other plants is also used. The olive had great value in the economy of the Mediterranean countries but it is much more important for the Church and its rituals that the olive is a biblical symbol of peace.

Incense is a fragrant, inflammable matter, well-known to many religions. The old Hebrew religion, the natural pre-decessor of Christianity, also knew of it. In the Christian faith, using incense is prescribed either as an act of preparation and consecration or as an expression of deep respect. Through the use of incense before the icon or the worshippers, every person is made aware that the icon is God's and that sacredness is loftily invoked. The meaning of the in-cense also signifies that evil spirits are stifled and dispelled. The Slava sacrifice is burned by incense so as to be clean of the presence and influence of evil spirits. This act has the same meaning as that in the church and during holy liturgy. The pleasant fragrance of the incense has a beneficent effect on man's mood and it intensifies the need for prayer.

The word Church with a capital C is used to name the Communion of Christians, while the same word with a small c serves to name the edifice were Church services are being held. This speaks clearly that the Communion of the faithful realizes itself as the Church of God, as a spiritual temple, in such a place where the Holy Liturgy is being served, i.e. in the church. Orthodox architecture, therefore, has its liturgical significance through symbolism complementing the very symbolism of the Liturgy itself. History of church architecture is extensive and it includes a grand manifestation of national expressions and styles that depend on moments in time coinciding with the actual time respective churches were being built. However, all Orthodox temples have one thing in common and this is the central idea that the temple of God is "Heaven on earth", i.e. the place where by partaking in the Holy Liturgy of the Church we enter into communion (communication) with the "coming ages", or the Kingdom of God. The temple is usually seen as divided into three respective sections: entrance area or the vestibule (nartex), central section or the nave (naos), and altar section or the sanctuary - the mystical heart of the church. All three sections are decorated with fresco paintings and icons, which assist us in forging strong ties with saints - our intercessors in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is thus that we are able to taste the fullness of the Church at every Liturgy. The material temple - the church, is not an end to itself. It is there to help us construct a spiritual temple - the Church of God.

Christian temples-churches are built to be orientated east-west. Altar section or the sanctuary takes up the eastern part of the structure. This is the most holy section of the temple containing the Holy Altar - Holy Table or the Throne, Prothesis or Proskomidia (Offertory), and Diakonikon (Sacristy). The Holy Altar must have following items placed upon it: Antimens, a Gospel Book, a crucifix, the Tabernacle (a receptacle in which the Holy Gifts of the Eucharist are preserved for the communion of the sick, or for the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts during Lent), oil container - required for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, an oil candle, and a service book.

Vestibule or nartex once included a baptismal font (Gr. kolymbethra) containing the water for immersion in Baptism. In fact, Baptism was performed in the inner vestibule, and new members of the Church were then led in a solemn procession into the main area of the church. During church service, apart from the catechumens (unbaptized learners, those preparing themselves for Baptism) vestibule was also intended to accommodate penitents waiting to be allowed to participate fully in the Eucharist again.

Nave or naos is the central area of the temple where the faithful gather for the celebration of Eucharist and for communal prayer. This is the place where they form the visible part of the Church headed by Christ. Its members are also the Most Holy Theotokos, prophets, apostles, martyrs and the holy who are visibly present owing to their images on icons and fresco paintings on the walls. It is in the nave of the church that we participate in the liturgical journey towards the end of history while we are, at the same time, being already received in the Kingdom of God.

Central doors on the iconostasis (altar screen), located in front of the Altar Table itself. Royal doors derive their name from the fact that it is through these doors that the Holy Gifts are being transferred from the Offertory table to the Altar Table; it is through these doors that the King of Glory passes through, in order to become food for the faithful. They are also called Royal because it was the practice for Orthodox emperors to be anointed in front of it. At certain occasions emperors could also enter the altar area through this door to offer gifts to God. Only clergy, monks and those of the laity serving in the church may enter altar area. To the left and to the right of the Royal Doors there stand the north and the south door, also called deaconic or angelic since it is the deacons who come and go through them symbolizing angels. Royal doors carry icons depicting the event of Annunciation. Archangel Gabriel is presented on the left wing, whilst it is the Most Holy Theotokos that is presented on the right wing of the doors.

Oak or cerris tree log, which the master (head) of the household brings to his home on Yule Log Day (Christmas Eve Day) and eventually burns on the hearth at the occasion of the Eve of the Yule Log (Christmas Eve). Yule Log flames transfigure the Old Testament and the pagan religion of our ancestors into the light of the New Testament. Christian Yule Log tradition derives from that wonderful Bethlehem night when shepherds, guarding their flocks close to the cave where Christ was to be born, made fires to keep warm. After the announcement made by an angel of the Lord concerning Christ's birth they cut some logs and branches so that they could light a fire at the side of the Newborn and His Mother.

Christmas cake or Chesnytsa is also part of Serbian traditional customs for Christmas. This cake is really a type of a flat round bread which is usually made on Christmas Day early in the morning. A coin is inserted into the dough together with some other items symbolizing various types of accomplishments. Tradition says that once the cake is broken and shared, persons finding these items in their portions of the cake would achieve particular types of success in their lives. Christmas cake sometimes takes form of a corn bread or a pie.

Shroud is a large rectangular peace of cloth bearing the image of Lord Jesus Christ laid out in His tomb and covered with white burial garments. It also bares the following inscription: "With your body in the tomb, with your soul in Hades as God, in paradise with the thief, and on the throne, oh Christ, You were with Father and the Holy Spirit, fulfilling all, o Infinite One." During the evening service on Great Friday the Shroud is brought out of the altar section of the church and laid out on the improvised tomb of Christ where it is to remain until Easter. Ahead of Easter matins it is returned to the altar section and laid out on the altar table itself only to be kept there until the Feast of the Holy Ascension of our Lord. After this Great Feast of our Savior, the Shroud is put away in the church treasury for safe keeping until next Great Friday.

It is the location where Joseph of Arimathea laid the body of our Lord Jesus Christ to rest after it was taken down from the cross. Our Lord's body rested there for three days in anticipation of Easter Day - the day of Resurrection. In every church there is a location where the Shroud is being laid every Great Friday and this spot is called Christ's Tomb. See Shroud.