July 14, 2024

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council

Titus 3:8-15: Titus, my son, faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire you to affirm confidently, that those who have believed in God may be thoughtful of how to preside in honorable occupations. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, and genealogies, and contentions, and controversies about the Law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man who is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that such a one is subverted, and sins, being self-condemned. When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicós, give diligence to come to me to Nicopolis; for I have determined to winter there. Set forward Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that they may be lacking in nothing. And let our people also learn how to preside in honorable occupations, so as to help in cases of urgent need, that they should not be unfruitful. All who are with me salute you. Salute those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Matthew 5:14-19: The Lord said to His Disciples: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Troparion of the Resurrection: When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life! Glory to thee, O our God!

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

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: All services listed on the calendar will be available through streaming and webcast. (Instructions can be found on the parish website.)

Sunday, July 14 (Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

12:00 p.m. – Pot Luck Meal

Monday, July 15

Father Herman off

Tuesday, July 16

NO Services

Wednesday, July 17 (Great-martyr Marina)

5:20 p.m. – Catechism Class

6:30 p.m. – Daily Vespers

Thursday, July 18

NO Services

Friday, July 19

NO Services

Saturday, July 20 (Prophet Elias)

8:30 a.m. – Workday at the Church

4:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

6:00 p.m. – Great Vespers

Sunday, July 21 (Fourth Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Eucharist Bread Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

July 14 Davis POT LUCK MEAL

D. Root/Lively

July 21 D. Root Miller/Weatherly

July 28 Karam Lasseter/Pacurari/Lavric

Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the Chanters’ stand at the front of the nave. Please be sure to use this book when you read.

Reader Reading Page#

July 14 Brenda Baker Titus 3:8-15 322

July 21 Walt Wood Rom. 6:18-23 102

July 28 Reader Basil Baker Rom. 10:1-10 108

Also, please remember that we still need your tithes and offerings which may be placed in the tray that is passed during the Divine Liturgy, in the tithe box at the back of the nave or be mailed to: St. Peter Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 2084, Madison, MS 39130-2084.

His Grace Bp. NICHOLAS will make his next Arch-pastoral visit August 10-12. The schedule for this visit will be forthcoming.

Father Herman will be out July 22 -26 for the Clergy Symposium at the Antiochian Village. If you need a priest during this time, please contact one of the other priests.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Lamia Dabit and her family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Jay and Joanna Davis; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver and their family; Kathy Willingham; Marilyn (Kyriake) Snell; Jack and Jill Weatherly; Sh. Charlotte Algood and their family; Reader Basil and Brenda Baker and their family; Buddy Cooper; Georgia and Bob Buchanan; Fr. Joseph Bittle; Steve and Sheryl Chamblee; Rick Carlton; Very Rev. Fr. Nicholas and Kh. Jan Speier; Dora Lambert (Dimitri Zouboukos’ fiancée); Lee Greene; Joseph, Amanda and Hunter Hines; Fr. John and Kh. Janet Henderson and their family; Galina Singletary; Emily and Cole Parker; Dane and Stephanie Skirtech.

On Saturday, August 3 at 9:00 a.m. we will be baptizing Jenny Rodriquez and chrismating Bryce Henderson, Grady Fisher, and Kurtis Petrel into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as they become members of Christ’s Holy Church.

The Sacred Music Institute for the Archdiocese is scheduled for July 10-14 at the Antiochian Village. Several members of our choir will be attending.

The Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in North America has designated the last Sunday in July (28th) Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday. Our Hierarchs are reminding us to consider how we might serve those in prison. They are calling us again to remember the words of Christ Himself: “I was in prison, and you visited Me.” In keeping with these words of Christ, we, as a parish, will be hosting a letter writing night on Wednesday July 31st after Daily Vespers. If you would be interested in participating in this letter writing night please see Will Lively. This is a wonderful opportunity to minister to those who are incarcerated and are in desperate need of encouragement and love. Please consider participating.

On Sunday, June 16th, we began to phase out the individual snacks available at Coffee Hour and return to the way we did it prior to Co-vid. The church will provide beef sticks, cheese cubes, crackers, cookies and orange juice. Those in charge of a Coffee Hour may bring other things if they so desire, but this is NOT obligatory. Please limit these items to fruit, veggies and a cake if there is a celebration. Coffee Hour is not meant to be a meal, but a means to break the fast with a snack and visit with each other. (We will still have our Monthly Pot Luck Meals.) During Fasting seasons, the church will provide bagels, peanut butter, jams, jellies, cookies and orange juice. Since this will involve a little more with clean-up, we ask that everyone pitch in to help the families hosting Coffee Hour, just as we do with our Pot Luck Meals. Instruction sheets for set-up for both Non-fasting and Fasting Coffee Hours are located on the bureau in the foyer and also taped to the Refrigerator in the kitchen.

** We ask that families go through the Coffee Hour line together, so that children are under the supervision of their parents. **

NO children are allowed to be in the pantry or in the refrigerator and children under the age of 12 are not allowed in the kitchen without the presence of a parent or a responsible adult. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to access the icemaker. Parents, we ask for your assistance with enforcing this policy. Thank you.

Calendar Items:

* The men of the parish meet for lunch at 11:00 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month.

* The Ladies meet at the church at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children on behalf of our children.

* The Ladies meet for lunch at 1:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month.

* The Fast of the Dormition begins on August 1st and runs through the 15th. As is our parish custom we will pray the Paraklesis service to the Theotokos on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings during the fast with the exception of Monday the 5th and Wednesday the 14th. On those evenings we will have Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy in celebration of the Feasts of the Transfiguration of our Lord and the Dormition of the Theotokos.

* Saturday, August 3rd – Baptism and Chrismations, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

* His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will be with us August 10-12 (Schedule TBA).

* Remaining Stewpot date for 2024 will be November 30th.

Fasting Discipline for July

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

Major Commemorations for July

July 17 Great-martyr Marina

July 20 Prophet Elias

July 27 Great-martyr Panteleimon

Quotable: “Now there is no need to tell of the loving-kindness of Christ, bathed as it is in peace. But we must learn from it to cease from strife within ourselves, against each other and against the angels. We must work together and with the angels to do the things of God, and we must do so in accordance with the Providence of Jesus ‘Who works all things in all,’ making that Peace which is ineffable and was fore-ordained from eternity, reconciling us to himself and in Himself to the Father.”

+St. Dionysius the Areopagite

Worship: Sunday, July 21, 2024 (Fourth Sunday after Pentecost)

Scripture: Romans 6:18-23; Matthew 8:5-13

Epistle Reader: Walt Wood

Prosphora: D. Root

Coffee Hour: Miller/Weatherly