September 18, 2011
Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross
Galatians 2:16-20: We hear from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians that we are justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the Law; and that we now live our lives by faith in the Son of God.
Mark 8:34-9:1: In our reading from the gospel of Mark we hear our Lord tell His disciples that self-denial is required for true spirituality.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.
Troparion of the Holy Cross: O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance, granting our believing kings victory over the Barbarians, and by the power of thy Cross preserving thy commonwealth.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Holy Cross: Do thou, who of thine own good will wast lifted up upon the Cross, O Christ our God, bestow thy bounties upon the new nation which is called by thy Name; make glad in thy might those who lawfully govern, that with them we may led to victory over our adversaries, having in thine aid a weapon of peace and a trophy invincible.
CALENDAR
Sunday, September 18 (Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 P.M. — Ladies of St. Peter
(There will be NO Daily Services this week due to the Men’s Annual Fishing Trip)
Monday, September 19
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, September 20
NO Daily Orthros
Wednesday, September 21
NO Catechism Class
NO Daily Vespers
Thursday, September 22
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, September 23 (Conception of the Forerunner)
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, September 24
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, September 25 (Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Woods for the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross this past Tuesday evening and by the Dn. Richard Roots for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
September 18 R. Roots Ellis/Zouboukos
September 25 Hendersons Meadows
October 2 Algoods POT LUCK MEAL
Set-up: R. Roots
October 9 Katools Hendersons
October 16 Schelvers Woods
October 23 Morrises Algoods
October 30 Joneses Schelvers
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
September 18 Tom Skirtech Gal. 2:16-20 193
September 25 Walt Wood II Cor. 4:6-15 163
October 2 Sh. Charlotte Algood II Cor. 6:1-10 168
October 9 Warren Strain II Cor. 6:16 to 7:1 173
October 16 Kh. Sharon Meadows Titus 3:8-15 322
October 23 Mildred Morris Gal. 1:11-19 188
(The reading for the feast of St. James is the same as the 20th Sunday after Pentecost)
October 30 Phillip Lasseter Gal. 1:11-19 188
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle and their daughter Abigail in your prayers. Abigail, who was born prematurely and only recently came home after months in the NICU, has developed meningitis.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Maria Costas; Amy and Michael Surratt and Amy’s family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and Jennifer’s mother, Jessamine Hinkson; Warren and Sandi Strain and Warren’s mother, Ouida Strain; Fr. Leo, Kh. Be’Be’, Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner’s mother Mary Jean.
Congratulations to Stephen Chamblee on his graduation from High School!
25th Anniversary Celebration:
The Church is planning a celebration of our being received into the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in March 1987. The weekend of May 4th-6th, 2012, has been set aside for some special events, including visits from Bishop ANTOUN and V. Rev. Fr. Jon Braun, with a celebratory banquet planned at the Mississippi Museum of Art on Saturday evening, May 5th.
The planning committee (composed of Dn. Terry, Kh. Janet, Sh. Charlotte, Brenda Baker, Elizabeth Root and Paul Katool) is working on some other projects and we need your help! An “Anniversary Book” is being compiled and will be printed and made available that weekend. It will contain, among other things, articles on the life of our church, our church’s history, and photos (new and old) of church members and activities. We are asking you to look through your files and albums for pictures that can be included in the book and also in a special video presentation. These photos will of course be returned to you as soon as they are scanned, etc. We need photos of church events going back 25 years or longer – but also events and photos from recent activities – from newer church members as well as the “old heads!” These can include our chrismation weekend in ’87, teen retreats, work-days, our renovation project, ladies’/men’s activities, feast day celebrations, etc., etc., etc. Please put your photos in an envelope –CLEARLY LABELED WITH YOUR NAME, AND ON THE BACK OF EACH PHOTO INCLUDE YOUR NAME, DATE OF PICTURE (IF KNOWN) NAMES OF THE PEOPLE, AND WHAT THE EVENT WAS. Give these either to Deacon Terry or Kh. Janet NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST.
We will also need a host of volunteers to help with various things over the next several months. If you would like to help, please contact Deacon Terry. THANK YOU!!!
Breakfast and Bible Study: we are continuing our Bible Study of 1st Peter. The Bible Study will meet every 2-3 weeks on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast. This is open to all who are interested. Be sure to come and enjoy the fellowship.
Bright Sadness: A 40 Day Lenten Journey to Pascha: In our bookstore, we have 15 copies of a book prepared by Sh. Myrna Martin of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN. It contains meal plans and quotations for all days during Great Lent. The cost of the book is $15, with ALL proceeds going to the Hogar Raphael, the orphanage in Guatemala supported by our church. Great idea for Christmas gifts, etc!!
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Annual Knucklehead Family Reunion (aka Men’s Fishing Trip) will be held in
Arkansas, on September 16-23 this year.
* A Fall Festival is scheduled here at the church on Sunday afternoon, October 30th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. More details will be available at a later date.
* We will be serving our next meal at the Stewpot in Jackson on November 19th.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be at St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Pensacola the weekend of December 4th to consecrate their church. Father John and others from our parish plan to attend.
* The Annual Deanery Youth Retreat will be held on February 10-12, 2012 at John W. Kyle State Park in Sardis. Joel and Sarah Finley will be addressing the topic of the Culture of Dating. More information will be available as the time draws near.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here the weekend of May 6, 2012 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary as a parish. The planning committee is working very hard to make our celebration a memorable one. There will be an evening event at the MS Museum of Art on Saturday, May 6th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
Fasting Discipline for September
In September the traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. September 14th is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the Elevation of the Cross.
Major Commemorations for September
September 20 Martyr Eustathios and his family
September 23 Conception of the Forerunner
September 24 Holy Great Martyr Thekla
September 26 Apostle John the Theologian (repose)
September 28 Venerable Chariton the Confessor
Happy Anniversaries in September:
September 4 — Ben and Jenna Skirtech (#10!)
September 6 — Richard and Vickie Curtis (#25!)
September 15 — Tom and Kathy Willingham (#21!)
September 26 — Rod and Emily Parker (#7!)
If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is turned off.
Happy Birthdays in September:
September 3 — Lee Greene
— Geraldine Quirk
September 4 — Fr. John Henderson
September 8 — Nikki Lasseter
September 9 — Rebecca Dansereau
September 10 — Dorin Lavric
September 12 — Alvin Buckles
September 15 — Lynda Costas
September 18 — Carolina Lavric
September 25 — Rick Carlton
September 30 — Laura Yeatts
Quotable: “The Holy Fathers teach us that it is very hard for a man to see his sins. They explain this with the blindness caused by the devil. Abba Isaiah says: ‘When a man separates from the one on his left side, i.e. from communion with the demons and from following their suggestions, then he will see his ins against God in full; then he will know Jesus. But a man cannot see his sins until he separates himself from them through a separation filled with labor and distress. Those who have reached this condition have found tears and prayers; as they remember about their sly friendship with the passions, they do not dare to look towards God, and live constantly with a broken spirit.'”
Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev
Worship: Sunday, September 25, 2011 (Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: II Corinthians 4:6-15; Luke 5:1-11
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Walt Wood
Prosphora: Hendersons
Coffee Hour: Meadows
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 