October 16, 2016

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council

Titus 3:8-15: On this Sunday we read from St. Paul’s letter to Titus, whom he warns to avoid delv­ing into unprofitable and foolish questions about doctrine, and to reject heretics after two admonitions.

Luke 8:5-15: Our Lord tells the parable of the sower in which he teaches us that the believer who perseveres with honest and good hearts will bear much fruit.

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 the Holy Fathers: Thou, O Christ, art our God of exceeding praise who didst establish our holy Fathers as luminous stars upon earth, and through them didst guide us unto the true Faith, O most merciful One, glory to thee.

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, October 16 (Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, October 17

Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, October 18 (Apostle Luke)

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Wednesday, October 19

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

7:30 p.m. — Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, October 20

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, October 21

Saturday, October 22

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

Sunday, October 23 (Apostle James, Brother of the Lord)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

October 16 Henderson Schelver/Lavric/Karam

October 23 Algood Stewart/Turner/Waites

October 30 Katool Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy

November 5 (Sat. a.m.) Schelver Sh. Charlotte Algood

(Feast day of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn)

November 6 Morris Pigott/Meadows/Alaeetawi

November 13 Jones POT LUCK MEAL

(set-up: Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker)

November 20 Meadows D. Root/Dansereau/Davis

November 21 (Mon. a.m.) Davis Kh. Sharon Meadows

(Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple)

November 27 D. Root Algood/Lasseter/Strain/Dabit

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#

October 16 Phillip Lasseter Titus 3:8-15 322

October 23 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Gal. 1:11-19 188

October 30 David Turner II Cor. 11:31-12:9 183

November 5 (Sat. a.m.) Brenda Baker Heb. 7:26-8:2 334

November 6 Walt Wood Gal. 1:11-19 188

November 13 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 7:26-8:2 334

November 20 Warren Strain Gal. 6:11-18 198

November 21 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 9:1-7 337

November 27 Mildred Morris Eph. 2:4-10 202

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.

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

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl 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.

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.

Our Condolences go to Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family on the passing of Fr. Leo’s brother, Phillip Schelver, last week. Please keep them in your prayers.

Welcome to Maria Grillis who has recently moved her membership from Holy Trinity-St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church to St. Peter’s!

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

* We will celebrate the Feastday of St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn, with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday, November 5th, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

* The second Annual Pan-Orthodox Ladies’ Retreat will be held at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton on Saturday, November 12th. V. Rev. Fr. Stephen Rogers, Pastor of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN will be speaking on the topic of God’s Gardens. Registration forms are available in the hall.

* The remaining date for serving at the Stewpot Ministries this year is November 26th.

* The MS Valley Deanery will hold its annual Teen Retreat February 3-5, 2017 at Camp Hopewell in Oxford, MS. Fr. Daniel Bethancourt, Retreat Master this year, will be addressing issues related to self-esteem. Please mark your calendars now.

MS Valley Deanery Clergy Retreat: The MS Valley Deanery will hold its annual Clergy Retreat at St. Peter’s October 24-26th. The meetings will be for the Pastors of the Orthodox Parishes in our Deanery. However, they will also be praying Ninth Hour followed by Daily Vespers on Monday and Tuesday evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Daily Orthros on Tuesday morning, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Anyone wishing to attend these services is welcome to do so.

Fasting Discipline for October

In September 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 October

October 18 Apostle Luke

October 23 Apostle James, Brother-of-the-Lord

October 26 Great-martyr Demetrios

Quotable: “According to Orthodox teaching God governs the world through his uncreated energies. Just as God acts in nature, so the soul moves and activates each member of the body to perform its function, according to St. Gregory of Sinai. Therefore, just as God governs the world in the same way does the soul govern the body.

As St. Gregory Palamas expresses it, the soul occupies the body with which it was created. It fills the entire body, giving life to the body. In other words, the soul is not enclosed in the body, but it occupies the body to which it is attached.”

Orthodox Spirituality by Metropolitan HIEROTHEOS of Nafpaktos

Worship: Sunday, October 23, 2016 (Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord)

Scripture: Galatians 1:11-19; Luke 8:26-39

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver

Prosphora: Algood

Coffee Hour: Stewart/Turner/Waites