Monthly Archives: January 2013

2/3 announcements

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February 3, 2013
Thirty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Presentation
 
I Timothy 4:9-15:  From our reading in St Paul’s first letter to Timothy, we hear him exhort Timothy to teach concerning God, the Savior of all men, and by his conduct to be an example of godliness to unbelievers.
 
Luke 19:1-10:  In the story of Zaccheus we are reminded of why the Only-begotten Son of the Father became incarnate:  to save mankind from our sin and its consequences.
 
Troparion of the Resurrection:  When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life!  Glory to thee, O our God!
 
Troparion of the Presentation:  Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace; for from thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness.  Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, who granteth us resurrection.
 
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 Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
 
 
CALENDAR
 
Sunday, February 3   (Thirty-second Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after
the Presentation)
            8:50 a.m.         — Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         — Christian Education 
            10:00 a.m.       — Divine Liturgy
         1:00 p.m.         — Young Adults
           
Monday, February 4   
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
           
Tuesday, February 5   
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
           
Wednesday, February 6    
6:30 p.m.         — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m.         — Choir Practice
 
Thursday, February 7    
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
              11:30 a.m.       — Men’s Lunch
 
Friday, February 8    
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
 
Saturday, February 9   
            7:30 a.m.         — Bible Study with Breakfast
         5:45 p.m.         — Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers
 
Sunday, February 10   (Thirty-third Sunday after Pentecost)
            8:50 a.m.         — Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         — Christian Education
            10:00 a.m.       — Divine Liturgy
            12:00 p.m.       — Pot Luck Meal
         5:30 p.m.         — Youth Group
 
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Fahmys for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple yesterday morning and by the Bakers for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
 
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                                    Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour
February 3                 Baker                                        Algood/Bassinger/Yeatts
February 10               Wood                              POT LUCK MEAL
                                                                                      set-up: Jones/Stewart/Habeeb
February 17               R. Root                               Morris/Katool/Willingham
February 24               Henderson                         Meadows/Lasseter/Greene
 
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#
February 3                       Mildred Morris                    I Tim. 4:9-15                   252
February 10                     Phillip Lasseter                    II Tim. 2:1-10                  328
February 17                     Tom Willingham                  II Cor. 6:16-18, 7:1         173
February 24                     Tom Skirtech                        II Cor. 4:6-15                  163
 
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers. 
 
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
 
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.
 
Please remember the following in your prayers:  Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot.
 
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.

House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing.  Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their home blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 18th this year).
 
Parish Creative Arts Festival:  The Christian Education classes will have a festival to work on their entries for this year’s Creative Arts Festival on Saturday morning, February 23rd from 9:30-12:00.  There will be teaching about this year’s conference theme and then time to work on the projects themselves.  A Pizza lunch will be provided afterwards.  Please make plans now for your children to attend.
 
Pledge Letters were mailed earlier this month.  Please fill these out and return them to office as soon as possible.  Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming fiscal year.
 
Directory Update:   Dale Cooper has a new address:
                        572 Robinhood Road
                        Jackson, MS  39206
 
Ancient Faith Radio:  Ian Jones recently gave a talk at the St. Ambrose Society (a student pro-life group at St. Vladimir’s Seminary).  It is available on Ancient Faith Radio at the following link:   http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/svsvoices/st. ambrose society
 
Calendar Items:
*    The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
*    Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  More details later.
*    Parish Creative Arts Festival Workshop is scheduled for Saturday morning, February 23rd 9:30-12:00.
*    We will not be having Great Vespers on Saturday evening, March 9th , as all the clergy will be in Memphis for a wedding.
*    Julian Dabit will be baptized on Sunday afternoon, March 10th at 12:30 p.m.
*    The Youth Group will be hosting their annual Cheesefare Fundraising Luncheon on  Sunday, March 17th .
*    This year the Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers will be hosted by St. George Orthodox Church in Vicksburg on Sunday evening, March 24th.
 
The Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013 at Roosevelt State Park.  Sister Magdalene has had to cancel her plans to be here due to her sister’s critical illness in Australia.  Fr. John Henderson will lead the retreat instead.  More details will be available at a later date. 

Fasting Discipline for February
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for February
February 3             Simeon the God-receiver
February 10           Hieromartyr Haralampos
February 11           Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
February 24           The Forerunner (1st and 2nd Discoveries)
                              Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
 
Coffee Hour guidelines have been posted on the refrigerator in the kitchen.  These list the items to be set out for Fasting and Non-fasting Coffee Hours along with guidelines for setting out the food and for storage afterwards.  Please be sure that the power switch on the dishwasher is turned off when you are through with clean-up. 
 
Happy Anniversaries in February:
         February 7             —  Ben and Meghan Brock (#4!)
                                       —    Jeffrey and Anca Bassinger (#4!)
         February 18           —    David and Lou Turner (#7!)
         February 21           —    Michael and Amy Surratt (#15!)
         February 25           —    Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#7!)
 
Happy Birthdays in February:
         February 5             —    Andrei Anicescu
         February 11           —    Cassie Freundt
                                       —    Zoe Freundt
                                       —    Demetrius Zouboukos
         February 13           —    Clyde Ellis
         February 15           —    Mary Guy Lockhart
         February 17           —    Anthony Zouboukos
         February 18           —    Tom Willingham
         February 22           —    Kh. Sharon Meadows
         February 24           —    Nimr Fahmy
         February 28           —    Cole Parker (#8!)
 
Building Fund:  As we proceed with the plans for the approval by the City of Madison and Metropolitan PHILIP for our addition/renovation, we are reviewing our Building Fund.  We currently have over $150,000 in the fund and are regularly adding to it.  The Parish Council has decided to apply cash donations from the Sunday offering to the Building Fund – UNLESS it is specified or otherwise apparent that these are intended as a regular tithe/donation.  Of course, other donations by check, etc., specified for the Building Fund are always welcome!  So feel free to chip in a little (or lot!) extra as you are able.  With God’s grace, we look forward to this next phase of our building program and beyond to the next phase of building a new main church building/temple.
 
Parish Life Conference 2013:  This year St. Basil Orthodox Church in Metairie, LA will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 13-16.  His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker.  There will also be a special presentation by Fr. Philip Rogers on keeping our children in the church.  Parents are especially encouraged to hear his presentation.  Please mark your calendars now and make plans to attend.
 
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast, please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards.  On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
 
Quotable:  “Faith is both a mystery and a miracle.  Why does one person respond to the call       while another does not?  Why is one open to receive the word of God, while another remains deaf?  Why, having encountered God, does one immediately abandon everything and follow him, while the other turns away and takes a different road.”
                                                 The Mystery of Faith by Metropolitan HILARION Alfeyev
 
 
Worship:         Sunday, February 10, 2013 (Thirty-third Sunday after Pentecost;
St. Kharalampos)
 
         Scripture:                               II Timothy 2:1-10; Matthew 25:14-30
         Celebrant:                              Father John
         Epistle Reader:                      Phillip Lasseter
         Prosphora:                             Wood
         Coffee Hour:                          POT LUCK MEAL
                                                         (set-up:  Jones/Stewart/Habeeb)                                                  

1/27 announcements

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January 27, 2013
Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom
 
Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2: We read in He­brews that priests of the New Covenant serve as representatives of the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
 
Luke 18:35-43:  In our reading from Luke we see the Lord’s mercy toward those who have faith as He restores the sight of a blind man on the road to Jericho.
 
Troparion of the Resurrection:  The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world.  Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom! Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.
 
Troparion of St. John Chrysostom:  Grace shining forth from thy mouth like a beacon hath illumined the universe, and disclosed to the world treasures of uncovetousness, and shown us the heights of humility; but whilst instructing us by thy words, O Father John Chrysostom, intercede with the Word, Christ God, to save our souls.
 
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 Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
 
 
CALENDAR
 
Sunday, January 27   (Thirty-first 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
           
Monday, January 28   
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
           
Tuesday, January 29   
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
           
Wednesday, January 30    (The Three Hierarchs)
6:30 p.m.         — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m.         — Parish Council Meeting
7:30 p.m.         — Choir Practice
 
Thursday, January 31    (Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers)
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
 
Friday, February 1    
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
 
Saturday, February 2    (Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
            9:00 a.m.         — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
         5:45 p.m.         — Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers
 
Sunday, February 3   (Thirty-second Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after
the Presentation)
            8:50 a.m.         — Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         — Christian Education 
         10:00 a.m.       — Divine Liturgy
         1:00 p.m.         — Young Adults
 
 
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Freundts for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
 
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                                        Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour
January 27                      Freundt                                    Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
February 2 (Sat. a.m.)    Fahmy                                       D. Roots
         (Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
February 3                      Baker                                         Algood/Bassinger/Yeatts
February 10                   Wood                                       POT LUCK MEAL
                                                                                           set-up: Jones/Stewart/Habeeb
February 17                    R. Root                                Morris/Katool/Willingham
February 24                    Henderson                          Meadows/Lasseter/Greene
 
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#
January 27                         Warren Strain                      Heb. 7:26-8:2                  334
February 2 (Sat. a.m.)       Kh. Sharon Meadows        Heb. 7:7-17                     371
February 3                         Mildred Morris                    I Tim. 4:9-15                   252
February 10                       Phillip Lasseter                    II Tim. 2:1-10                  328
February 17                       Tom Willingham                  II Cor. 6:16-18, 7:1         173
February 24                       Tom Skirtech                        II Cor. 4:6-15                  163
 
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers. 
 
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
 
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.
 
Please remember the following in your prayers:  Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot.
 
Many thanks for your prayers on behalf of Jenna Skirtech and Kh. Sharon.  Both are doing better.
 
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.
 
House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing.  Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their home blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 18th this year).
 
Pledge Letters were mailed earlier this month.  Please fill these out and return them to office as soon as possible.  Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming fiscal year.
 
Directory Update: Jeff and Anca Bassinger have a new address and Anca has a new phone number:
                        113 Estes Street
                        Flora, MS  39071
                        Anca’s cell (662) 607-6647
 
            new mailing address:  
                        P.O. Box 592
                        Flora, MS  39071
 
Ancient Faith Radio:  Ian Jones recently gave a talk at the St. Ambrose Society (a student pro-life group at St. Vladimir’s Seminary).  It is available on Ancient Faith Radio at the following link:   http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/svsvoices/st. ambrose society
 
Calendar Items:
*    The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
*    Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  More details later.
 
The Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  Sister Magdalene from the Monastery of St. John in England will be the speaker.  Sister Magdalene will also be speaking at St. Peter’s for two evenings around the time of the retreat.  More details will be available at a later date.  But be sure to mark your calendars now for the retreat and Sister Magdalene’s talks!!
 
Fasting Discipline for January/February
The traditional fasting discipline(no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.

Major Commemorations for January/February
January 30             The Three Hierarchs
January 31             Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
February 2             Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
February 3             Simeon the God-receiver
February 10           Hieromartyr Haralampos
February 11           Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
February 24           The Forerunner (1st and 2nd Discoveries)
                              Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
 
Coffee Hour guidelines have been posted on the refrigerator in the kitchen.  These list the items to be set out for Fasting and Non-fasting Coffee Hours along with guidelines for setting out the food and for storage afterwards.  Please be sure that the power switch on the dishwasher is turned off when you are through with clean-up. 
 
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast, please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards.  On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
 
Happy Anniversaries in February:
         February 7             —  Ben and Meghan Brock (#4!)
                                         —    Jeffrey and Anca Bassinger (#4!)
         February 18           —    David and Lou Turner (#7!)
         February 21           —    Michael and Amy Surratt (#15!)
         February 25           —    Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#7!)
        
 
Happy Birthdays in January/February:
         January 30             —    Chris Dansereau
         February 5             —    Andrei Anicescu
         February 11           —    Cassie Freundt
                                        —    Zoe Freundt
                                        —    Demetrius Zouboukos
         February 13           —    Clyde Ellis
         February 15           —    Mary Guy Lockhart
         February 17           —    Anthony Zouboukos
         February 18           —    Tom Willingham
         February 22           —    Kh. Sharon Meadows
         February 24           —    Nimr Fahmy
         February 28           —    Cole Parker (#8!)
 
 
Building Fund:  As we proceed with the plans for the approval by the City of Madison and Metropolitan PHILIP for our addition/renovation, we are reviewing our Building Fund.  We currently have over $150,000 in the fund and are regularly adding to it.  The Parish Council has decided to apply cash donations from the Sunday offering to the Building Fund – UNLESS it is specified or otherwise apparent that these are intended as a regular tithe/donation.  Of course, other donations by check, etc., specified for the Building Fund are always welcome!  So feel free to chip in a little (or lot!) extra as you are able.  With God’s grace, we look forward to this next phase of our building program and beyond to the next phase of building a new main church building/temple.
 
Quotable:  “Faith is the path on which an encounter takes place between us and God.  It is God who takes the first step:  he fully and unconditionally believes in us and gives us a sign, an awareness of his presence.  We hear the mysterious call of God, and our first step towards an encounter with him is a response to this call.  God may call us openly or in secret, overtly or covertly.  But it is difficult for us to believe in him if we do not first heed this call.”
                                                 The Mystery of Faith by Metropolitan HILARION Alfeyev
 
 
Worship:         Sunday, February 3, 2013 (Thirty-second Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday
 after the Presentation)
 
         Scripture:                                 I Timothy 4:9-15; Luke 19:1-10
         Celebrant:                                Father John
         Epistle Reader:                        Mildred Morris
         Prosphora:                               Baker

      Coffee Hour:                   Algood/Bassinger/Yeatts                                  

1/20 announcements

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January 20, 2013
Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Euthymius the Great
 
II Corinthians 4:6-15:  From our reading in II Corinthians we hear St Paul discuss how his and the other apostles’ sufferings have brought forth life in the people of God.
 
Luke 17:12-19:  In the reading from St Luke we see the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ as He   heals ten lepers, only one of whom thanks the Lord for being healed.
 
Troparion of the Resurrection:  O compassionate One, thou didst descend from the heights; thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that thou might deliver us from passion.  Thou art our Life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to thee.
 
Troparion of St. Euthymios the Great:  Be glad, O barren one, that hast not given birth; be of good cheer, thou that hast not travailed; for a man of desires hath multiplied thy children of the Spirit, having planted them in piety and reared them in continence to the perfection of the virtues.  By his prayers, O Christ our God, make our life peaceful.
 
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 Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
 
 
CALENDAR
 
Sunday, January 20   (Thirtieth Sunday after Pentecost)
            8:50 a.m.         — Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         — Christian Education 
         10:00 a.m.       — Divine Liturgy
         1:00 p.m.         — Young Adults
           
Monday, January 21   
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
           
Tuesday, January 22   
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
           
Wednesday, January 23 
6:30 p.m.         — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m.         — Choir Practice
 
Thursday, January 24    
NO Daily Orthros
 
Friday, January 25    (Gregory the Theologian)
NO Daily Orthros
 
Saturday, January 26   
            7:30 a.m.         — Bible Study with Breakfast
         5:45 p.m.         — Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers
 
Sunday, January 27   (Sunday after Theophany)
            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 Bassingers for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                                    Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour
January 20                   Bassinger                                 R. Root/Abraham/Davis
January 27                   Freundt                                    Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
 
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#
January 20                         Walt Wood                           II Cor. 4:6-15                  163
January 27                         Warren Strain                        Heb. 7:26-8:2                 334
 
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers. 
 
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
 
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.
 
Please remember the following in your prayers:  Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot.
 
Many thanks for your prayers on behalf of Jenna Skirtech and Kh. Sharon.  Both are doing better.
 
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.
 
House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing.  Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their home blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 18th this year).
 
Fr. John, Stephanie Baker and Kh. Sharon will be in Jacksonville Thursday through Sunday for the Mid-Winter Delegated Meeting of the Archdiocese.  Please keep them in your prayers as they travel there and home again.  Please contact Fr. James or Fr. Leo if you need a priest in Fr. John’s absence.
 
Pledge Letters were mailed last week.  Please fill these out and return them to office as soon as possible.  Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming fiscal year.
 
Calendar Items:
*    The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
*    Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  More details later.
 
The Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  Sister Magdalene from the Monastery of St. John in England will be the speaker.  Sister Magdalene will also be speaking at St. Peter’s for two evenings around the time of the retreat.  More details will be available at a later date.  But be sure to mark your calendars now for the retreat and Sister Magdalene’s talks!!
 
Coffee Hour guidelines have been posted on the refrigerator in the kitchen.  These list the items to be set out for Fasting and Non-fasting Coffee Hours along with guidelines for setting out the food and for storage afterwards.  Please be sure that the power switch on the dishwasher is turned off when you are through with clean-up. 
 
Fasting Discipline for January
The traditional fasting discipline(no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
 
Major Commemorations for January
January 20             Euthymios the Great
January 25             Gregory the Theologian
January 27             John Chrysostom
January 30             The Three Hierarchs
January 31             Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
 
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast, please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards.  On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
        
Happy Anniversaries in January:
         January 10             —    Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#26!)
         January 17             —    Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#4!)
         January 19             —    Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#10!)
 
Happy Birthdays in January:
         January 1               —    Dn. Richard Root
         January 5               —    Sarah Anne Milnor
         January 10             —    Georgia Buchanan
         January 11             —    Nicholas Henderson
         January 12             —    Cheryl Pigott
         January 13             —    Nader Dabit
         January 19             —    Saliba (Sam) Dabit
         January 20             —    Alfred Katool
         January 22             —    Tatiana Lavric
         January 24             —    Oliver Yeatts
         January 30             —    Chris Dansereau
 
Building Fund:  As we proceed with the plans for the approval by the City of Madison and Metropolitan PHILIP for our addition/renovation, we are reviewing our Building Fund.  We currently have over $150,000 in the fund and are regularly adding to it.  The Parish Council has decided to apply cash donations from the Sunday offering to the Building Fund – UNLESS it is specified or otherwise apparent that these are intended as a regular tithe/donation.  Of course, other donations by check, etc., specified for the Building Fund are always welcome!  So feel free to chip in a little (or lot!) extra as you are able.  With God’s grace, we look forward to this next phase of our building program and beyond to the next phase of building a new main church building/temple.
 
Quotable:  “The pledge of the kingdom of heaven is the comfort that springs from sorrow.  According to the apostle,  ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,’ and the comfort that comes to the souls that mourn from the enlightenment of the Spirit is a visitation of God.  Upon them He bestows the reward of a humble mind, which is called ‘the seed’ (Lk. 8:5) and the ‘talent’ (Mt. 25:15ff), for when it grows and multiplies in the souls of those who struggle it bears fruit for God ‘thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold’ (Mk. 4:20), the holy fruit of the gifts of the Spirit.  Where there is unfeigned humiliation there is also the depth of humility, and, where there is humility there is also the enlightenment of the Spirit.  Where there is the enlightenment of the Spirit there is the outpouring of the light of God, there is God in the wisdom and knowledge of His mysteries.  Where these mysteries are to be found, there is the kingdom of heaven and the experience of the kingdom and the hidden treasures of the knowledge of God (cf. Col. 2:3), which include the manifestation of poverty of spirit.  Where poverty of spirit is perceived, there is also the sorrow that is full of joy.  There are the ever-flowing tears that purify the soul that loves these things and cause it to be completely filled with light.”
                                                            St. Symeon the New Theologian
 
 
Worship:         Sunday, January 27, 2013 (Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost; St. John
                                    Chrysostom)
 
         Scripture:                           Hebrews 7:26-8:2; Luke 18:35-43
         Celebrant:                          Father John
         Epistle Reader:                  Warren Strain
         Prosphora:                         Freundt

      Coffee Hour:              Henderson/Baker/Lockhart                                                      

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January 6, 2013
Theophany
 
    This Feast Day is one of the greatest days of the Christian year.  In English, we are accustomed to hearing this Feast Day called “Epiphany,” a word which means “manifestation” or “appearance.”  On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist (he is called “the Baptist” because he baptized Christ).  Epiphany is also called “Theophany” which means “God shows Himself to us.”  The importance of this Feast Day lies in the fact that for the first time the Holy Trinity was revealed for all mankind to know and believe (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  When Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan, a voice was heard from the heavens above saying, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  The Father whose voice was heard from the heavens was God.  The white dove was the symbol of the Holy Spirit which descended upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Thus, we have the Holy Trinity being revealed to all that day, almost 2000 years ago.  This is why we call this day the day of illumination (light) and manifestation (appearance).  The Holy Trinity made its appearance, and we have been illuminated by this wonderful truth and blessing.  On this day we have the traditional blessing of the waters.  Since the waters of the Jordan were blessed in the presence of Jesus Christ, it is a source of Divine Grace and blessing, and we bless ourselves and our homes with the waters of the “Sanctification Service” which is held during the Epiphany Services.
    Theophany Day is a day of illumination and sanctification.  Let us pledge ourselves to a greater participation in the sacramental life of the Church of Christ.  When the Priest blesses our homes, let us all pray that the blessing of the Theophany Season be with us throughout the year and may our homes be sanctified with our prayers, Christian living and spiritual direction in our lifetime.

Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7: In the reading from Titus, St. Paul reminds us that the grace of God saves us through baptism in Jesus Christ — the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.
 
Matthew 3:13-17: Our Lord did not need purification.  But by making the purification of humanity His own, He would wash away the sin of humanity, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
 
Troparion of Theophany:  By thy baptism, O Lord, in the River Jordan, worship to the Trinity has made its appearance; for the voice of the Lord didst come forth to thee with the testimony, naming thee beloved Son; and the Spirit in the likeness of a dove, confirming the truth of the word. Wherefore, O thou who didst appear and light the world, glory to thee.
 
Kontakion of Theophany:  Today thou hast appeared to the universe, O Lord, and thy light hast been shed upon us, who praise thee with knowledge, saying, Thou hast come and appeared, O unapproachable Light.
 
 
CALENDAR
 
Sunday, January 6   (Theophany)
            8:50 a.m.         — Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         — Christian Education 
        10:00 a.m.       — Divine Liturgy
        12:00 p.m.       — Pot Luck Meal
            4:00 p.m.         — Outdoor Blessing of the Waters at the Ross Barnett Reservoir followed
                                                by a meal at Cock of the Walk
           
Monday, January 7   (Synaxis of the Forerunner)
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
           
Tuesday, January 8   
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
           
Wednesday, January 9 
6:30 p.m.         — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m.         — Choir Practice
 
Thursday, January 10    
6:00 a.m.         — Daily Orthros
 
Friday, January 11    (Theodosios, the Head of Monasteries)
6:00 a.m.         — Festal Orthros

Saturday, January 12   
            7:30 a.m.         — Bible Study with Breakfast
         5:45 p.m.         — Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers
 
Sunday, January 13   (Sunday after Theophany)
            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 Daniel Roots for the Divine Liturgy this morning and the Artoklasia Bread was offered by the Bakers for the Feast of the Circumcision and Feastday of St. Basil the Great this past Monday evening.
 
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                                       Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour
January 6                       D. Root                                    POT LUCK MEAL
         (Feast of Theophany)                                (Set-up: Dansereau/Algood/Meadows)
January 13                    Yeatts                                      Schelver/Lavric
January 15 (Tues pm)  Abraham                                  Meadows
         (Feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter)
January 20                    Bassinger                                 R. Root/Abraham/Davis
January 27                    Freundt                                     Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
 
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#
January 6                             Tom Willingham                Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7        361
January 13                           Tom Skirtech                       Eph. 4:7-13                     364
January 15 (Tues pm)        Sh. Charlotte Algood         Acts 12:1-11                  50-51
January 20                          Walt Wood                           II Cor. 4:6-15                 163
January 27                          Warren Strain                        Heb. 7:26-8:2                 334
 
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers. 
 
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
  
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.
 
Please remember the following in your prayers:  Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot.
 
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.
 
House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing.  Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their home blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 18th this year).
 
Pledge Letters will be mailed next week.  Please fill these out and return them to office as soon as possible.  Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming fiscal year.
 
Calendar Items:
*    The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
*    The great Feast of Theophany will be celebrated today with a Pot Luck meal following the Divine Liturgy.  We will hold our traditional Blessing of the Waters at the Reservoir with our sister churches later this afternoon at Old Trace Park on the Ross Barnett Reservoir, beginning at 4:00 p.m.  Those who wish to do so will gather for a meal afterwards at Cock of the Walk nearby. 
*    Our Patronal Feastday (Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter) will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Tuesday evening, January 15th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  This is an important day in the life of our parish as we honor our beloved St. Peter.  Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend.
*    Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  More details later.
 
He is Worthy!  His Beatitude, JOHN X (Yaziji) was elected by the members of the Holy Synod on December 17th to succeed the late Patriarch IGNATIUS who reposed on December 5th.  Prior to his election as Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Western and Central Europe.  May God grant him Many Years! (Additional information on Patriarch JOHN is available on the table in the hallway.)
 
The Deanery Youth Retreat is scheduled for February 15-17, 2013.  Sister Magdalene from the Monastery of St. John in England will be the speaker.  Sister Magdalene will also be speaking at St. Peter’s for two evenings around the time of the retreat.  More details will be available at a later date.  But be sure to mark your calendars now for the retreat and Sister Magdalene’s talks!!
 
Coffee Hour guidelines have been posted on the refrigerator in the kitchen.  These list the items to be set out for Fasting and Non-fasting Coffee Hours along with guidelines for setting out the food and for storage afterwards.  Please be sure that the power switch on the dishwasher is turned off when you are through with clean-up. 
 
Fasting Discipline for January
The traditional fasting discipline(no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
 
Major Commemorations for January
January 6               Theophany
January 7               Synaxis of the Forerunner
January 11             Theodosios the Head of Monasteries
January 16             Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter
January 18             Athanasios and Cyril of Alexandria
January 20             Euthymios the Great
January 25             Gregory the Theologian
January 27             John Chrysostom
January 30             The Three Hierarchs
January 31             Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
 
When you host Coffee Hour or the meal for a Feast, please make sure that the oven, warmer, and coffee maker are turned off afterwards.  On several occasions in the past, the cleaning ladies have found the oven still on when they came in to clean later during the week.
        
Happy Anniversaries in January:
         January 10             —    Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#26!)
         January 17             —    Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#4!)
         January 19             —    Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#10!)
 
Happy Birthdays in January:
         January 1               —    Dn. Richard Root
         January 5               —    Sarah Anne Milnor
         January 10             —    Georgia Buchanan
         January 11             —    Nicholas Henderson
         January 12             —    Cheryl Pigott
         January 13             —    Nader Dabit
         January 19             —    Saliba (Sam) Dabit
         January 20             —    Alfred Katool
         January 22             —    Tatiana Lavric
         January 24             —    Oliver Yeatts
         January 30             —    Chris Dansereau
 
Building Fund:  As we proceed with the plans for the approval by the City of Madison and Metropolitan PHILIP for our addition/renovation, we are reviewing our Building Fund.  We currently have over $150,000 in the fund and are regularly adding to it.  The Parish Council has decided to apply cash donations from the Sunday offering to the Building Fund – UNLESS it is specified or otherwise apparent that these are intended as a regular tithe/donation.  Of course, other donations by check, etc., specified for the Building Fund are always welcome!  So feel free to chip in a little (or lot!) extra as you are able.  With God’s grace, we look forward to this next phase of our building program and beyond to the next phase of building a new main church building/temple.
 
Quotable:  “When the faithful man, who always pays strict attention to the commandments of God, performs all that the divine commandments enjoin and directs his mind toward their sublimity, that is, to a conduct and purity that are above reproach, he will discover his own limitations.  He will find that he is weak and lacks the power to attain to the height of the commandments, indeed he is very poor, that is, unworthy to receive God and give Him thanks and glory, since he has as yet failed to attain any good of his own.  One who thus reasons with himself in the perception of his soul will indeed mourn with that sorrow which is truly most blessed, which will receive comfort and make the soul meek. (cf. Mt. 5:5).”
                                                            St. Symeon the New Theologian
 
 
Worship:         Sunday, January 13, 2013 (Sunday after Theophany)
 
         Scripture:                              Ephesians 4:7-13; Matthew 4:12-17
         Celebrant:                             Father John
         Epistle Reader:                     Tom Skirtech
         Prosphora:                            Yeatts

      Coffee Hour:                Schelver/Lavric