December 30, 2018

After-feast of and Sunday after the Nativity of Christ

Galatians 1:11-19: St. Paul defends his ministry in his letter to the Galatians, telling them of how his former way of life was changed by a direct revelation from the Lord, and of his actions immediately afterwards.

Matthew 2:13-23: From the Gospel of Matthew we hear the fulfillment of several prophecies concerning the incarnation of our Lord.

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 Nativity: Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath given rise to the light of knowledge in the world; for they that worshiped the stars did learn therefrom to worship thee, O Sun of justice, and to know that from the east of the Highest thou didst come; O Lord, glory to thee.

Troparion of the Sunday after Nativity: Proclaim, O Joseph, to David, the grandparent of God, the amazing wonders; for thou hast seen a Virgin great with child; for with the shepherds thou didst give glory, with the Magi thou didst worship, and by the angel it was revealed to thee. Wherefore, plead thou with Christ God to save our souls.

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 Nativity: On this day the Virgin beareth the Transcendent in Essence; to the Unapproachable, the earth doth offer a small cave; Angels join in choir with shepherds in giving glory; with a star the Magi travel upon their journey; for our sakes is born a young Child, He Who existed before the ages as God.

CALENDAR

Sunday, December 30 (Sunday after the Nativity)

[NO
FASTING THROUGH JANUARY 4^TH]

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, December 31

Father John’s Day Off

6:30 p.m. — Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia

Tuesday, January 1 (Circumcision of our Lord and Feast-day of St. Basil)

NO Daily Orthros

Wednesday, January 2

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

Thursday, January 3

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch

Friday, January 4

7:00 a.m. — Royal Hours

Saturday, January 5

[STRICT
FAST DAY]

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

Sunday, January 6 (Feast of Theophany)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — POT LUCK MEAL

TBA — Outdoor Blessing of the Water

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Daniel Roots for the Feast of the Nativity this past Monday evening and by the Karams for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

December 30 Karam Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 31 (Mon. P.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(January 1-Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and Feast of St. Basil the Great)

January 6 Brock POT LUCK MEAL

(Feast of Theophany) Set-up: Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

January 13 R. Root Algood/Jones/Turner/Bowman

January 15 (Tues. p.m.) Algood Kh. Janet Henderson

(Feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter)

January 20 Henderson Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

January 27 Katool R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper

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#

December 30 Sh. Charlotte Algood Gal. 1:11-19 188

January 6 Warren Strain Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 361

January 13 Mildred Morris Eph. 4:7-13 364

January 15 (Tues. p.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 12:1-11 50

January 20 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver II Cor. 4:6-15 163

January 27 Sam Habeeb Heb. 7:26-8:2 334

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 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 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); 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; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family.

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.

Welcome and Many Years! to Cain (Joshua) Johnson who comes to St. Peter from Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in McComb, MS.

Fasting Discipline for December/January

There will be no fasting of any kind from December 25th through January 4th. The Fore-feast of Theophany, January 5th, is a strict fast day. The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.

Major Commemorations for January

January 1 Circumcision of our Lord

Feast-day of St. Basil the Great

January 6 Feast of Theophany

January 7 Synaxis of the Forerunner

January 11 Theodosios the Head of Monasteries

January 16 Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter

January 18 Athanasios and Cyril of Alexandria

January 20 Euthymios the Great

January 25 Gregory the Theologian

January 27 John Chrysostom

January 30 The Three Hierarchs

January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Winter Retreat: The Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 25-27th at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver will be the Retreat Speaker. Registration (which covers meals and all other retreat expenses) is $50. You may register at http://bit.ly/DMC-Winter-Retreat. Hotel information is also available at that site.

Camp St. Thekla applications are now available. Scholarship money is also available for a limited time. If you would like your children to attend Camp, please get your applications in as soon as possible. The sessions fill up very quickly!

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.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* As is our parish custom, we will celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and the Feast-day of St. Basil the Great with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia TOMORROW evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

* Since the Feast of Theophany falls on a Sunday this year, we will have the Royal Hours on Friday morning, January 4th, beginning at 7:00 a.m.

* In celebration of the Feast of Theophany next Sunday, we have moved our monthly Pot Luck Meal from the second Sunday to the first.

* We hope to have our traditional Blessing of the Water at the Ross Barnett reservoir, but plans are still a little up in the air. As soon as we have them finalized we will let everyone know the time and place.

* We will celebrate our patronal feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter with Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday evening, January 15th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

* January 23-24 is the Diocesan Clergy Retreat in Atlanta.

* January 25-27 is the Diocesan Mid-Winter Retreat for all in Atlanta.

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.

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

Quotable: “How could the human race go to God if God had not come to us? How should we free ourselves from our birth into death if we had not been born again according to faith by a new birth generously given by God, thanks to that which came about from the Virgin’s womb?”

St. Irenaeus of Lyon

Worship: Sunday, January 6, 2019 (Feast of Theophany)

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Matthew 3:13-17

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Warren Strain

Prosphora: Brock

Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

December 23, 2018

Forefeast of and

Sunday before the Nativity of Christ

Hebrews 11:9-10,17-23,32-40: Reading from Hebrews we hear the Apostle tell us of the faith of Abra­ham and other saints of ancient times who endured hardships and death and yet still did great things because of their faith.

Matthew 1:1-25: In the Gospel we hear the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and of how Joseph was visited by an angel of God who told him of the child that Mary bore in her womb.

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 the Forefeast: Be thou ready, Bethlehem, Eden hath opened unto all. Ephratha, prepare thyself, for now, behold, the Tree of life hath blossomed forth in the cave of the holy Virgin. Her womb hath proved a true spiritual Paradise, wherein the divine and saving Tree is found, and as we eat thereof we shall all live, and shall not die as did Adam. Verily, Christ shall be born, raising the likeness that fell of old.

Troparion of Sunday before the Nativity: Great are the accomplishments of faith; for the three holy youths rejoiced in the fountain of flames as though at waters of rest. And the Prophet Daniel appeared a shepherd to the lions as though they were sheep. Wherefore, by their pleadings, O Christ God, have mercy upon us.

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 Preparatory for Nativity: Today the Virgin comes unto the cave to give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word before the ages. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when you hear, and glorify with the angels and the shepherds him who shall appear by his own will as a new babe, being God before the ages.

CALENDAR

Sunday, December 23 (Sunday before the Nativity of Christ)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, December 24

Father John’s Day Off

7:00 a.m. — Royal Hours

10:00 p.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

Tuesday, December 25 (Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ)

NO Daily Orthros

[NO
FASTING THROUGH JANUARY 4^TH]

Wednesday, December 26 (Synaxis of the Theotokos)

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

Thursday, December 27 (Protomartyr Stephen)

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, December 28

Saturday, December 29

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

Sunday, December 30 (Sunday after the Nativity)

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 Davises for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

December 23 Davis Baker/D. Root/Dansereau

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) D. Root 1. Sarah Milnor

(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ) 2. Natalia Aleetawi

3. Cheryl Pigott

December 30 Karam Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 31 (Mon. P.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(January 1-Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and Feast of St. Basil the Great)

January 6 Brock POT LUCK MEAL

(Feast of Theophany) Set-up: Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

January 13 R. Root Algood/Jones/Turner/Bowman

January 15 (Tues. p.m.) Algood Kh. Janet Henderson

(Feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter)

January 20 Henderson Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

January 27 Katool R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper

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#

December 23 Brenda Baker Heb. 11:9-10, 32-40 348

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) Walt Wood Gal. 4:4-7 351

December 30 Sh. Charlotte Algood Gal. 1:11-19 188

January 6 Warren Strain Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 361

January 13 Mildred Morris Eph. 4:7-13 364

January 15 (Tues. p.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 12:1-11 50

January 20 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver II Cor. 4:6-15 163

January 27 Sam Habeeb Heb. 7:26-8:2 334

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.

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); 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; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family.

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.

Father John, Kh. Janet and all their family deeply appreciate all the words of encouragement, food, flowers and support that was given to them following the falling asleep of his father Jack Henderson. Please continue to keep all of them in your prayers. May his Memory be Eternal!

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Winter Retreat: The Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 25-27th at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver will be the Retreat Speaker. Registration (which covers meals and all other retreat expenses) is $50. You may register at http://bit.ly/DMC-Winter-Retreat. Hotel information is also available at that site.

Camp St. Thekla applications are now available. Scholarship money is also available for a limited time. If you would like your children to attend Camp, please get your applications in as soon as possible. The sessions fill up very quickly!

Fasting Discipline for December

During the Fast of the Nativity the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted. There will be no fasting of any kind from December 25th through January 4th.

Major Commemorations for December

December 25 Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos

December 27 Protomartyr Stephen

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.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* The Fast of the Nativity has begun and continues until the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord on December 25th.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ with Royal Hours on Monday morning, December 24th, beginning at 7:00 a.m. and Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy that evening, beginning at 10:00 p.m.

* As is our parish custom, we will celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and the Feastday of St. Basil the Great with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on December 31st, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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.

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: “Repentance has no end on earth, because the end of repentance would mean that we become like Christ in everything. The least difference between Christ and ourselves requires of us deep repentance: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.’ This word expresses the difference we feel between Him, the absolute and eternal Being, and our selves. ‘If we are not really like the Lord in all things, how can we dwell eternally with Him/’ wonders Saint Symeon the New Theologian. For Him, as for us, it is impossible. The only thing that remains for us is to have patience.”

Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life

Worship: Sunday, December 30, 2018 (Sunday after the Nativity)

Scripture: Galatians 1:11-19; Matthew 2:13-23

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood

Prosphora: Karam

Coffee Hour: Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 16, 2018

Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ

Colossians 3:4-11: As we read in Colossians, we see St Paul encouraging the Church to practice the virtues of compassion, kindness, and humility. He reminds us that love is the bond which holds us together and calls us to let the peace of Christ to rule us.

Luke 14:16-24: In the parable of the man who gave a dinner we see that not all who are called to dine will come and that the consequences of refusing the invitation are great.

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 the Forefathers: Thou hast justified by faith the ancient forefathers and through them thou hast gone before and betrothed unto thyself the Church of the Gentiles. Let the saints, therefore, take pride in glory; for from their seed sprouted forth a noble fruit, and she it was who gavest birth to thee without seed. Wherefore, by their pleadings, O Christ God, save our souls.

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 Preparatory for Nativity: Today the Virgin comes unto the cave to give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word before the ages. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when you hear, and glorify with the angels and the shepherds him who shall appear by his own will as a new babe, being God before the ages.

CALENDAR

Sunday, December 16 (Sunday of the Holy Forefathers)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — POT LUCK MEAL

12:00 p.m. — Children’s Nativity Play

Monday, December 17

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, December 18

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Wednesday, December 19

6:30 p.m. — Advent Paraklesis

Thursday, December 20 (Ignatios the God-bearer of Antioch)

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, December 21

Saturday, December 22

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

Sunday, December 23 (Sunday before the Nativity of Christ)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

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.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

December 16 Meadows POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Stewart/Meadows

December 23 Davis Baker/D. Root/Dansereau

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) D. Root 1. Sarah Milnor

(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ) 2. Natalia Aleetawi

3. Cheryl Pigott

December 30 Karam Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 31 (Mon. P.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(January 1-Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and Feast of St. Basil the Great)

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#

December 16 Sam Habeeb Col. 3:4-11 233

December 23 Brenda Baker Heb. 11:9-10, 32-40 348

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) Walt Wood Gal. 4:4-7 351

December 30 Sh. Charlotte Algood Gal. 1:11-19 188

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 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); 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; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family.

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.

Father John, Kh. Janet and all their family deeply appreciate all the words of encouragement, food, flowers and support that was given to them following the falling asleep of his father Jack Henderson. Please continue to keep all of them in your prayers. May his Memory be Eternal!

Memory Eternal! Martha Rowell, who was a member of St. Barnabas Orthodox Church in Lexington, SC and a friend of several members of St. Peter, fell asleep in the Lord this past week after a battle with cancer. Please keep her husband, Subdeacon Kent and all of their family in your prayers.

We will pray the Trisagion Prayers of Mercy during the Divine Liturgy this morning for Sara Cooper.

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Winter Retreat: The Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 25-27th at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver will be the Retreat Speaker. Registration (which covers meals and all other retreat expenses) is $50. You may register at http://bit.ly/DMC-Winter-Retreat. Hotel information is also available at that site.

Camp St. Thekla applications are now available. Scholarship money is also available for a limited time. If you would like your children to attend Camp, please get your applications in as soon as possible. The sessions fill up very quickly!

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.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* The Fast of the Nativity has begun and continues until the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord on December 25th. As is the custom in our parish, we will pray the Advent Paraklesis on Wednesday evenings during the fast in place of Daily Vespers, beginning Wednesday, November 28th.

* The Children will present their Nativity Program on Sunday today during our Pot Luck Meal.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ with Royal Hours on Monday morning, December 24th, beginning at 7:00 a.m. and Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy that evening, beginning at 10:00 p.m.

* As is our parish custom, we will celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and the Feastday of St. Basil the Great with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on December 31st, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Fasting Discipline for December

During the Fast of the Nativity the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted. There will be no fasting of any kind from December 25th through January 4th.

Major Commemorations for December

December 20 Ignatius of Antioch, the God-bearer

December 25 Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos

December 27 Protomartyr Stephen

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.

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: “We must preserve the spirit of repentance all our life, right to the end. Repentance is the basis of all ascetic and spiritual life. The feeling, or intuition, of sin can become so acute in us that it really engenders a repentance from the depths of our being.”

Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life

Worship: Sunday, December 23, 2018 (Sunday before the Nativity; Sunday of the Genealogy)

Scripture: Hebrews 11:9-10, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-25

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Brenda Baker

Prosphora: Davis

Coffee Hour: Baker/D. Root/Dansereau

December 9, 2018

Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna

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 13:10-17: By healing a woman held in bondage to an illness for eighteen years, our Lord dem­onstrates that the Law does not prohibit righteous action on the Sabbath.

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 Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna: Today have the bonds of barrenness been loosened; God having heard the prayers of Joachim and Anna, promised them openly that they should give birth, beyond hope, to the Maiden of God, from whom He, the infinite One was to be born, becoming man, commanding the angel to shout to her: Rejoice, O full of grace; the Lord is with 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 Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna: All the world doth celebrate Anna’s conception on this day with festive joy, because it came to pass through God; for by divine grace she hath conceived her that beyond words conceiveth the Word of God.

CALENDAR

Sunday, December 9 (Conception of the Theotokos)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — Santa Lucia Celebration during Coffee Hour

Monday, December 10

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, December 11

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Wednesday, December 12 (Spyridon the Wonder-worker)

6:30 p.m. — Advent Paraklesis

Thursday, December 13 (Herman of Alaska)

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, December 14

Saturday, December 15 (Hieromartyr Eleutherios)

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

Sunday, December 16 (Sunday of the Holy Forefathers)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — POT LUCK MEAL

12:00 p.m. — Children’s Nativity Play

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Jones for the Divine Liturgy this morning. The Artoklasia Bread for the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker this past Wednesday evening was offered by the Hendersons.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

December 9 Jones Pigott/Dabit/Strain/Lavric

December 16 Meadows POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Stewart/Meadows

December 23 Davis Baker/D. Root/Dansereau

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) D. Root 1. Sarah Milnor

(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ) 2. Natalia Aleetawi

3. Cheryl Pigott

December 30 Karam Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 31 (Mon. P.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(January 1-Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and Feast of St. Basil the Great)

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#

December 9 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Gal. 4:22-27 314

December 16 Sam Habeeb Col. 3:4-11 233

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) Walt Wood Gal. 4:4-7 351

December 30 Sh. Charlotte Algood Gal. 1:11-19 188

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 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 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); k; 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; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family.

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.

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.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* The Fast of the Nativity has begun and continues until the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord on December 25th. As is the custom in our parish, we will pray the Advent Paraklesis on Wednesday evenings during the fast in place of Daily Vespers, beginning Wednesday, November 28th.

* We will have a Santa Lucia celebration today during Coffee Hour.

* 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.

Fasting Discipline for December

During the Fast of the Nativity the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted.

Major Commemorations for December

December 9 Conception of the Theotokos

December 12 Syridon the Wonder-worker

December 13 Herman of Alaska

December 15 Hieromartyr Eleutherios

December 20 Ignatius of Antioch, the God-bearer

December 25 Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos

December 27 Protomartyr Stephen

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Winter Retreat: The Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 25-27th at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver will be the Retreat Speaker. Registration (which covers meals and all other retreat expenses)is $50. You may register at http://bit.ly/DMC-Winter-Retreat. Hotel information is also available at that site.

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.

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

Quotable: “Of course, it is better not to sin. But repentance, if it is like a flame, can restore every loss.”

Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life

Worship: Sunday, December 16, 2018 (Sunday of the Holy Forefathers)

Scripture: Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Sam Habeeb

Prosphora: Meadows

Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Stewart/Meadows