May 3, 2015
Sunday of the Paralytic
In the miracle of the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, we see the Son’s power over life and sin, power which becomes fully evident in the Resurrection. The paralytic is a man crippled in body and spirit, for, even as He heals the body, Jesus warns against results of further sin. Christ frees us from our bodies of corruption and grants us flesh glorified in Him; He also frees us from the power of sin and grants us perfection in His Spirit. As the man at the pool accepted God’s grace and found life, so let us walk in His light and come into His presence.
Acts 9:32-42: Empowered by the Holy Spirit, St Peter heals a paralyzed man and raises a woman from the dead; both acts lead to many people believing in the Lord.
John 5:1-15: Jesus demonstrates His lordship over creation and the Sabbath when He heals a sick man at the pool of Bethsaida.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; for the Lord hath done a mighty act with his own arm. He hath trampled down death and become the First-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
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 Pascha: When Thou didst descend into the grave, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades. In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming ARejoice@ to the myrrh-bearing women, granting peace to Thine apostles and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.
CALENDAR
Sunday, May 3 (Sunday of the Paralytic)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Young Adults
Monday, May 4
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, May 5
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
11:30 a.m. — Ladies Lunch at Sambra (Rescheduled from last week)
Wednesday, May 6
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, May 7
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, May 8 (Apostle John the Theologian)
Saturday, May 9
10:00 a.m. — Ladies meet for Akathist
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, May 10 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Pot Luck Meal honoring High School Graduate Tiffany Strain
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Algoods for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
May 3 Algood Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy
May 10 Katool POT LUCK MEAL
(set-up: Pigott/Dabit/Strain)
May 17 Schelver Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker
May 20 (Wed. pm) Morris Kh. Janet Henderson
(Feast of the Ascension) Mary Guy Lockhart
May 24 Jones D. Root/Dansereau
May 30 (Sat. am) Meadows Brittany Salisbury
(Saturday of the Souls) Koliva:
May 31 Davis POT LUCK MEAL
(Feast of Pentecost) (Set-up: Elizabeth Root
Brittany Salisbury)
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.
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#
May 3 David Turner Acts 9:32-42 45
May 10 Mildred Morris Acts 11:19-30 52
May 17 Phillip Lasseter Acts 16:16-34 58
May 20 (Wed. pm) Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Acts 1:1-12 63
May 24 Brenda Baker Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66
May 30 (Sat. am) David Turner Acts 28:1-31 72
May 31 Tom Willingham Acts 2:1-11 77
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
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 continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
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;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Vivian Haddad from Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton is at home again, having been hospitalized earlier with a stroke. She and her husband Charles have been dear friends of many here at St. Peter. Please keep them and their family in your prayers.
Parish Life Conference 2015: This year St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 10-14. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. Registration forms are available in the office or you can go online at www.saint-ignatius.org to register. The Conference will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs and the last day to book the special conference rate is May 20th.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* We will be serving at the Stewpot on Saturday, May 23rd, along with members of Holy Resurrection and Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Orthodox Churches.
* Vacation Church School will be held Thursday, July 2nd through Saturday, July 4th.
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, May 3rd and 17th.
Our Pot Luck Meal on May 10th will also be our Special Coffee Hour to honor Tiffany Strain our graduating High School Senior!
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Fasting Discipline for May
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) will be observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for May
May 3 Sunday of the Paralytic
May 8 Apostle John the Theologian
May 10 Apostle Simon the Zealot
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
May 17 Sunday of the Blindman
May 21 Feast of Ascension
Sts Constantine and Helen
May 24 Sunday of the holy Fathers of Nicea
May 25 The Forerunner (3rd Discovery)
May 30 Saturday of the Souls
May 31 Feast of Pentecost
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Happy Birthdays in May:
May 5 — Dale Cooper
— Joanna Davis
May 7 — Tiffany Strain (#18!)
May 8 — Kh. Janet Henderson
May 10 — Fr. Leo Schelver
May 11 — Meghan Brock
May 15 — Tom Skirtech
May 21 — Jacob Skirtech (#8!)
May 24 — Paul Katool
— Daniel Root
May 26 — David Turner
— Julian Dabit (#3!)
May 27 — Luke Habeeb (#10!)
May 30 — Dn. Terry Algood
May 31 — Stephen Chamblee
Happy Anniversaries in May:
May 12 — Cliff and Anna Kathryn Stewart (#8!)
May 19 — Jay and Joanna Davis (#3!)
May 25 — Nicholas and Carrie Henderson (#1!)
May 30 — Tom and Jennifer Skirtech (#38!)
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Quotable: “How Should We Conduct Ourselves in the Morning?
In the morning, conduct yourself in the following manner:
2. If the time at which you woke is the time at which or near which you should get up, then without any delay say, ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,’ while making the sign of the cross. And then, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
How to Live a Holy Life by Metropolitan GREGORY of
St. Petersburg
Worship: Sunday, May 10, 2015 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)
Scripture: Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris
Prosphora: Katool
Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL honoring Tiffany Strain
(set-up: Pigott/Dabit/Strain)
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 