July 31, 2016

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 12:6-14: In the reading from Romans, St Paul encourages us to practice the use of the gifts which the Lord has given to us and to serve the Lord with diligence.

Matthew 9:1-8: Jesus demonstrates His authority by both healing the physical illness of a paralytic and by forgiving him of his sins.

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 St. Eudokimos: The One that hath called thee from earth to Heaven to dwell preserveth thy body uncorrupted after thy death, O saintly Eudokimos; for in living modestly and chastely, O blest one, thou didst keep thy flesh free of all stain and defilement; with boldness, therefore, pray unto Christ that we all be saved.

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 Transfiguration: Thou wast transfigured on the mount, and thy Disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld thy glory, O Christ our God; so that, when they should see thee crucified, they would remember that thy suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that thou art truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.

CALENDAR

Sunday, July 31 (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — Brief Meeting of Ladies of St. Peter

Monday, August 1 (Procession of the Holy Cross)

Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off

[FAST
OF THE DORMITION BEGINS]

6:30 p.m. — Paraklesis Service

Tuesday, August 2

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Wednesday, August 3

6:30 p.m. — Paraklesis Service

Thursday, August 4

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch

Friday, August 5

6:30 p.m. — Great Vespers

Saturday, August 6 (Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor)

Before His Passion, Jesus ascended Mount Tabor with His disciples Peter, James and John, for the purpose of prayer. There the three disciples beheld Him transfigured and saw a vision in which Moses the Lawgiver (shown on the icon on the right holding the tablets of the Law) and Elijah the Prophet appeared and spoke with Him. “And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him” (Matt. 17:2-3). The fact that Moses and Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration is very significant in that these two men were the leading figures of the Old Testament – which confirms the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 5:17). Their presence confirmed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah whom the people of the Old Testament had been anticipating. The Gospel account also says that a voice from a bright cloud said “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5), further confirming the person of Jesus as the divine Messiah. When the three disciples saw and heard these things they fell on their faces and were filled with awe (this is shown on the icon by the way Peter, James and John are depicted at the foot of the mount). When they came down the mountain Jesus told His disciples to “tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead” (Matt. 17:9). Jesus did not want everyone to know what had happened until the time was right. The Kontakion of the feast gives understanding as to why Jesus allowed Peter, James and John to be present at His transfiguration: “On the mountain wast Thou transfigured, O Christ God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, and would proclaim to the world that Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father.”

9:00 a.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, August 7 (Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Bakers for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

July 31 Baker Algood/Lasseter

August 6 (Sat. a.m.) R. Root Brittany Salisbury

(Feast of the Transfiguration)

August 7 Henderson R.Root/Habeeb

August 14 Algood POT LUCK MEAL

(Set-up: Schelver/Lavric/Turner)

August 15 (Mon. a.m.) Katool Kh. Sharon Meadows

(Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

August 21 Schelver Henderson/Baker/Lockhart

August 28 Morris Karam/Stewart/Meadows

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 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#

July 31 David Turner Rom. 12:6-14 113

August 6 (Sat. a.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood II Pet. 1:10-19 401

(Feast of the Tranfiguration)

August 7 Warren Strain Rom. 15:1-7 119

August 14 Mildred Morris I Cor. 1:10-17 124

August 15 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Phil. 2:5-11 403

(Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

August 21 Phillip Lasseter I Cor. 3:9-17 130

August 28 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver I Cor. 4:9-16 141

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; 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; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Lynda Costas; Kevin and Angelina Speier; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Demitrius Zouboukos; Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family.

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 remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please keep Phillip, Nikki and Titus Lasseter in your prayers as Phillip is seeking the Metropolitan’s blessing to attend seminary in the fall.

Gabriel Salibury will be baptized on Saturday morning, August 20th. His godparents will be Anthony and Athena Zouboukos. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Supper Club!! Supper Club is not dead—merely delayed. If you wish to participate, please sign the list located on the information table in the hallway.

Burial Plots at Natchez Trace Cemetery: Mr. Michael Hudgins, the Director of the Natchez Trace Funeral Home has made a very generous offer to the members of St. Peter who wish to purchase a burial plot and pre-arrange their funeral needs. The offer will expire at the end of 2016. Copies of Mr. Hudgins letter may be found on the information table in the Fellowship Hall. If you are interested in this offer, please contact Mr. Hudgins for an appointment. (We will not have another meeting of the parish as previously announced.)

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.

* The men of the parish will meet at the church once each quarter for a Saturday morning Father-Son Prayer Breakfast.

* The Fast of the Dormition begins tomorrow and runs through August 14th. During this time, as is our custom, we will pray the Paraklesis Service to the Theotokos on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings of the fast (with the exception of Great Vespers instead on the evening of the 5th).

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, August 6th. We will have Great Vespers on Friday evening, August 5th, in place of the Paraklesis Service.

* His Grace, Bishop THOMAS will be with us August 12-15th. Be sure to mark your calendars now.

* The Feast of the Dormition will be celebrated with Divine Liturgy on Monday morning, August 15th.

* Gabriel Salisbury’s Baptism will be on Saturday morning, August 20th.

* The remaining dates for serving at the Stewpot Ministries this year are September 17th and November 26th.

* The MS Valley Deanery Clergy Retreat will be held at St. Peter October 24-26th.

Fasting Discipline for August

From August 1st through August 14th (the Dormition Fast), the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all days, except August 6th (the Feast of the Transfiguration) when fish and wine are permitted. After the 15th, the traditional fasting discipline is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. August 29th is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the beheading of the Forerunner.

Major Commemorations for August

August 1 Procession of the Holy Cross

August 6 Feast of the Transfiguration

August 15 Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos

August 25 Apostles Bartholomew and Titus

August 29 Beheading of the Forerunner

August 31 Deposition of the Belt of the Theotokos

Quotable: “In this grievous state of forgetfulness of God, man feels an emptiness which cannot be satisfied and a nightmarish insecurity; he tastes of the constriction of death and his soul is oppressed by torment. The passions multiply, filling his being with every kind of vice, and craftily extinguishing all traces of even the memory of God. Man thus becomes incapable of loving, and this inevitably leads him into even greater estrangement from God and his neighbor, and therefore from the primary purpose of his having been created.”

The Hidden Man of the Heart by Archimandrite Zacharias

Worship: Sunday, August 7, 2016 (Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after the

Transfiguration)

Scripture: Romans 15:1-7; Matthew 27-35

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Warren Strain

Prosphora: Hendersons

Coffee Hour: R. Root/Habeeb

July 24, 2016

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 10:1-10: St Paul, writing to the Romans, contrasts the righteousness of the law with the righ­teousness of faith and goes on to say that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, then we shall be saved.

Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1: In the gospel reading we see the authority of Jesus over the demons, who know that they have been defeated even before the appointed time of His resurrection and later His second advent.

Troparion of the Resurrection: Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel, the women Disciples cast from them their parental condemnation, and proudly broke the news to the Disciples, saying, Death has been spoiled. Christ God is risen, granting the world Great Mercy.

Troparion of Great-martyr Christina: O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live with Thee: accept me offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in 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 the Theotokos: O undisputed intercessor of Christians, O mediatrix, who is unrejected by the Creator, turn not away from the voice of our petitions though we be sinners; come to us in time, who cry to thee in faith, for thou art good. Hasten to us with intercessions, O Theotokos, who didst ever intercede for those who honor thee.

CALENDAR

Sunday, July 24 (Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, July 25 (Dormition of Righteous Anna)

Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, July 26

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Ladies Lunch

Wednesday, July 27 (Great-martyr Panteleimon)

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

7:30 p.m. — Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, July 28

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, July 29

Saturday, July 30

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, July 31 (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — Brief Meeting of Ladies of St. Peter

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Fahmys for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

July 24 Fahmy Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker

July 31 Baker Algood/Lasseter

August 6 (Sat. a.m.) R. Root Brittany Salisbury

(Feast of the Transfiguration)

August 7 Henderson R.Root/Habeeb

August 14 Algood POT LUCK MEAL

(Set-up: Schelver/Lavric/Turner)

August 15 (Mon. a.m.) Katool Kh. Sharon Meadows

(Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

August 21 Schelver Henderson/Baker/Lockhart

August 28 Morris Karam/Stewart/Meadows

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#

July 24 David Turner Rom. 10:1-10 108

July 31 Phillip Lasseter Rom. 12:6-14 113

August 6 (Sat. a.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood II Pet. 1:10-19 401

(Feast of the Tranfiguration)

August 7 Warren Strain Rom. 15:1-7 119

August 14 Mildred Morris I Cor. 1:10-17 124

August 15 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Phil. 2:5-11 403

(Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

August 21 Phillip Lasseter I Cor. 3:9-17 130

August 28 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver I Cor. 4:9-16 141

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 continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.

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 the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; 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; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Lynda Costas; Kevin and Angelina Speier; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Demitrius Zouboukos; Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family.

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 remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please keep Phillip, Nikki and Titus Lasseter in your prayers as Phillip is seeking the Metropolitan’s blessing to attend seminary in the fall.

Our condolences go to Walt and Charlotte Wood on the falling asleep of Walt’s mother this past week. Please keep them in your prayers.

Gabriel Salibury will be baptized on Saturday morning, August 20th. His godparents will be Anthony and Athena Zouboukos. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Burial Plots at Natchez Trace Cemetery: Mr. Michael Hudgins, the Director of the Natchez Trace Funeral Home has made a very generous offer to the members of St. Peter who wish to purchase a burial plot and pre-arrange their funeral needs. The offer will expire at the end of 2016. Copies of Mr. Hudgins letter may be found on the information table in the Fellowship Hall. If you are interested in this offer, please contact Mr. Hudgins for an appointment. (We will not have another meeting of the parish as previously announced.)

Fasting Discipline for July

In July the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.

Major Commemorations for July

July 25 Dormition of Righteous Anna

July 27 Great-martyr Panteleimon

Supper Club!! Supper Club is not dead—merely delayed. If you wish to participate, please sign the list located on the information table in the hallway.

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.

* The men of the parish will meet at the church once each quarter for a Saturday morning Father-Son Prayer Breakfast.

* There will be a brief meeting of the Ladies of St. Peter at Coffee Hour on Sunday, August 31st.

* The Fast of the Dormition will begin on Monday August 1st and run through August 15th. During this time, as is our custom, we will pray the Paraklesis Service to the Theotokos on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings of the fast (with the exception of Great Vespers instead on the evening of the 5th).

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, August 6th. We will have Great Vespers on Friday evening, August 5th, in place of the Paraklesis Service.

* His Grace, Bishop THOMAS will be with us August 12-15th. Be sure to mark your calendars now.

* The Feast of the Dormition will be celebrated with Divine Liturgy (only) on Monday morning, August 15th.

* Gabriel Salisbury’s Baptism will be on Saturday morning, August 20th.

* The remaining dates for serving at the Stewpot Ministries this year are September 17th and November 26th.

* The MS Valley Deanery Clergy Retreat will be held at St. Peter October 24-26th.

Quotable: “Man’s mind then cleaved to created things and its vision was obscured. Though its lifting towards God had been lightning-quick, it was now heavy-laden with the sensations of his body. His heart was deprived of the Lord’s visitation and all that accompanies this wonderful Presence. He was turned into stone. His mind gradually lost the memory of the supernatural experiences of grace, these being immaterial by nature. Finally, he was bound to the visible world, no longer able to go beyond the immediate reality surrounding him. So did man become unmindful of his Maker, delivering himself up to sin and to its wages of corruption and death.”

The Hidden Man of the Heart by Archimandrite Zacharias

Worship: Sunday, July 31, 2016 (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

Scripture: Romans 12:6-14; Matthew 9:1-8

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Phillip Lasseter

Prosphora: Baker

Coffee Hour: Algood/Lasseter