July 23, 2017

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 15:1-7: St Paul encourages us to deny ourselves on behalf of others for our own edification. He reminds us that the Lord has brought salvation to the Gentiles, thus giving hope to those who were lost.

Matthew 9:27-35: The Lord Jesus again demonstrates His mercy by healing two blind men and cast­ing out a demon from a man possessed. We see that the Lord has compassion for all those who are op­pressed by sin, death and Satan.

Troparion of the Resurrection: When Mary stood at thy grave looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above thy revered tomb, and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world; O thou who art risen from the dead! O Lord, 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, July 23 (Seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, July 24

Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, July 25 (Dormition of Righteous Anna)

NO Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Ladies’ Lunch

Wednesday, July 26

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

Thursday, July 27 (Great-martyr Panteleimon)

NO Daily Orthros

Friday, July 28

Saturday, July 29

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

Sunday, July 30 (Eighth 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.

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

July 23 Baker Stewart/Turner/Waites

July 30 R. Root Ellis/Zouboukos

August 6 Henderson POT LUCK MEAL

set-up: Pigott/Meadows/Alaeetawi

August 13 Algood Algood/Jones/Strain/Dabit

August 14 (Mon. p.m.) Katool Christina Katool

(Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

August 20 Schelver Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker

August 27 Morris D. Root/Dansereau/Davis

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 23 Kh. Sharon Meadows Rom. 15:1-7 119

July 30 Mildred Morris I Cor. 1:10-17 124

August 6 Phillip Lasseter II Pet. 1:10-19 401

August 13 K. Be’Be’ Schelver I Cor. 4:9-16 135

August 14 (Mon. p.m.) Brenda Baker Phil. 2:5-11 403

August 20 Sam Habeeb I Cor. 9:2-12 141

August 27 David Turner I Cor. 15:1-11 146

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George and Michael Johns (Georgia’s grandsons) and their family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sue Thayer (Charlotte Wood’s mother), Walt and Charlotte and their family; Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; Tom and Kathy Willingham and Tom’s stepdaughter, Marica, who has been diagnosed with MS; Peggy (David Turner’s paternal aunt) who is suffering from cancer and related complications; Alexa (Lou Turner’s very close friend) who sustained multiple injuries in a serious car wreck; and George (Dorothea and Daniel Staursky’s uncle) who sustained injuries in a bad fall.

His Grace, Bp. ANTOUN will retire this summer. He has continuing health problems, so please keep him in your prayers. We thank God for all that he has done for us. We are especially thankful for his role in bringing us into canonical Orthodoxy. Many Years to you, Master!

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.

Memory Eternal! Our condolences go to the family of Costas Pavlou. He was a dear and faithful member of St. Peter’s for many years. Please continue to pray for his 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 Fr. John Morris and Kh. Cheryl in your prayers. Fr. John has been ill and was hospitalized this past week. He is home now but is still ill. Kh. Cheryl has also been ill.

Update on the health of Caroline Halley . . .Anna has sent a letter to the church giving an update on Caroline’s health (she was diagnosed with Lewy Bodies Dementia last November and has experienced a marked decline). Copies of the letter are available in the foyer. Please keep Caroline and all of her family in your prayers.

Welcome and Many Years! to Hazel Dansereau who was baptized yesterday morning.

Many thanks to all who helped to make Christina and Matt’s wedding such a wonderful affair!

Preston and Brittany Salisbury will be moving in the near future. Preston has accepted a job in Austin, TX and the family will be moving out there to be closer to Brittany’s parents.

Father John and Kh. Janet will be out of town July 23rd -August 3rd for the Archdiocese Convention followed by vacation. If you need a priest during this time, please contact Father Leo or Father James.

Our Pot Luck Meal in celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration on Sunday, August 6th will also be a time when we will honor Phillip and Nikki Lasseter who will be leaving in August for Holy Cross Seminary.

Thatcher Jude Lasseter will be baptized on Sunday, August 13th following Coffee Hour. Please keep him, his parents and his godparents in your prayers.

Fasting Discipline for July

The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays in July.

Major Commemorations for July

July 25 Dormition of Righteous Anna

July 27 Great-martyr Panteleimon

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 first Saturday in July to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month, beginning in September. They will still meet for lunch on the fourth Tuesday in July and August.

* The fast of the Dormition will begin on August 1st and run through August 14th. During this time we will pray the Paraklesis Service to the Theotokos on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as is our parish custom, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

* The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord will be celebrated on Sunday, August 6th. We will celebrate our monthly Pot Luck Meal then instead of the usual second Sunday of the month. At that time we will also honor Phillip and Nikki Lasseter who will be leaving for Holy Cross Seminary later in the month.

* Thatcher Jude Lasseter will be baptized on Sunday, August 13th following Coffee Hour.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on Monday evening, August 14th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

* Our next time to serve a meal at the Stewpot will be November 18th.

If you are the last to leave, please make sure that the doors in the Fellowship Hall, the kitchen and the hallway are all locked.

Parents of Young Children: Please make sure that your children are supervised if they are in the Nursery during Coffee Hour, just as they are supervised if out on the Playground. The Nursery is being left in a mess on Sunday mornings following Coffee Hour and the clean-up is falling on the same people (i.e. those who teach Sunday School classes in that room). If you leave and there are still children using the room, please make sure that your children pick up the things with which they have been playing.

Quotable: “To be sober means not to let the heart cling to anything except God. Cleaving to other things makes the soul drunk, and it begins to do quite unaccountable things. To be vigilant means to watch carefully, lest something evil springs up in the heart.”

St. Theophan the Recluse, The Art of Prayer

Worship: Sunday, July 30, 2017 (Eighth Sunday after Pentecost)

Scripture: I Corinthians 1:10-17; Matthew 14:14-22

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris

Prosphora: R. Root

Coffee Hour: Ellis/Zouboukos