September 23, 2018
Conception of the Forerunner and Baptist John
Galatians 4:22-27: In the reading from Galatians we hear of the two sons of Abraham, one by Hagar and one by Sarah. We are reminded that these children symbolize the two covenants, and the two Jerusalems, one in slavery and the other free and she is our mother.
Luke 5:1-11: In the reading from the Gospel of St Luke we see Simon Peter, James, and John become disciples of our Lord.
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 Conception of the Forerunner: Rejoice, O thou barren one, who hadst not borne until now; for lo, in all truth, thou hast conceived the lamp of the Sun, and he shall send forth his light over all the earth, which is afflicted with blindness. Dance, O Zachariah, and cry out with great boldness: The one to be born is the blest Prophet of God Most High.
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, September 23 (Conception of the Forerunner and Baptist John)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
Monday, September 24 (Proto-martyr Thekla)
Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, September 25
NO Daily Orthros
12:00 p.m. — Ladies Lunch
Wednesday, September 26
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, September 27
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, September 28 (Venerable Chariton)
Saturday, September 29
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, September 30 (Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
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 Morrises for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
September 23 Morris R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper
September 30 Jones Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi
October 7 Meadows Stewart/Meadows
October 14 Davis POT LUCK MEAL
Set-up: Baker/D. Root/Dansereau
October 21 D. Root Pigott/Strain/Dabit/Lavric
October 28 Karam Schelver/Karam/Pacurari
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#
September 23 Walt Wood Gal. 4:22:27 314
September 30 Warren Strain II Cor. 9:6-11 178
October 7 Kh. Sharon Meadows II Cor. 11:31-33; 12:1-9 183
October 14 Mildred Morris Titus 3:8-15 322
October 21 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Gal. 2:16-20 193
October 28 Sam Habeeb Gal. 6:11-18 198
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 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.
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 the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Lou Turner’s cousin Amy and her husband John.
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. They have both been ill recently.
Congratulations and Many Years!! to Sam and Dana Dabit who were married last Saturday!
Fr. John and Kh. Janet will be in Florida spending time with Jordan’s family September 24-28th. If you need a priest during this time, please contact Fr. Leo or Fr. James.
Our annual parish Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 27th, beginning at 4:00 p.m. We will not have 9th Hour prayers or Great Vespers that day. More information will be made available in the near future.
Orthodox Women’s Retreat: V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver, the pastor of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Murfreesboro, TN, will be the speaker for the annual Women’s Retreat to be held this year at St. Peter’s on Saturday, November 10th, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Fr. John will be addressing the topic: “Anxiety, Despondency, Despair: Helping Orthodox Women Cope”.
The Ladies of St. Peter will have a brief meeting at Coffee Hour on Sunday, September 30th. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter 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. However, we will not do this in September due to the liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos and other conflicts later in the month.
* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.
* The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Thursday evening, September 13th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 27th. More information soon.
* His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will be visiting St. Peter November 2-6. Please mark your calendars now.
* V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver, the pastor of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Murfreesboro, TN, will be the speaker for the annual Women’s Retreat to be held this year at St. Peter’s on Saturday, November 10th. Fr. John will be addressing the topic: “Anxiety, Despondency, Despair: Helping Orthodox Women Cope”.
* The next date for serving meals at the Stewpot will be Saturday, November 17th.
* The Children will present their Nativity Program on Sunday, December 16th during Coffee Hour. We will also have a Pot Luck Meal that Sunday to add to the festivities.
St. Peter will be hosting the Lower MS Valley Deanery Clergy Retreat October 22nd-24th.
Unsupervised children in the Kitchen: For health and safety concerns children are not to be allowed in the kitchen unless accompanied by a parent. Please get ice for your children and do NOT allow them to use the icemaker themselves.
Fasting Discipline for September
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 September
September 23 Conception of the Forerunner
September 24 Proto-martyr Thekla
September 26 Apostle John the Theologian (repose)
September 28 Venerable Chariton
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.
For Parents: Children in the nursery during Coffee Hour MUST be supervised just as they are on the playground. This room is used for Sunday School each week. Children who are unsupervised create disarray and use materials set aside for the teaching of Christian Education. This creates extra work for the Sunday School teachers who have to come in and set the room in order before class or who find supplies depleted unexpectedly. A parent must be in the room with their children at all times. Please help us with this! — Fr. John
ead of ManHead of Maonasteries
Quotable: “Christ is infinite God. He was crucified not only for believers, but for every being, from Adam until the last man to be born of woman. To follow Christ means to suffer so that all humanity be healed and saved. It cannot be otherwise.”
Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life
Worship: Sunday, September 30, 2018 (Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: II Cor. 9:6-11; Luke 6:31-36
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Warren Strain
Prosphora: Jones
Coffee Hour: Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi
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