SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. 6 th Sunday after Pentecost. July 8, 2018

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1 THIS WEEK S SERVICES July 8 July 15 Sat. July 14 6:00pm: Reader (no confessions) Sun. July 15 9:00am: Orthros Sun. July 15 10:00am: Divine PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS WELCOME to all who are visiting with us today! We hope you will feel at home here and, if you do not already have a church home, will consider becoming a part of the Saint Herman Church community. FR. MATTHEW WILL BE OUT OF TOWN JULY He will be attending the Archdiocese Clergy Symposium at Antiochian Village in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. If you have an emergency during this time, please call Dn. Thomas Ross at Fr. Thaddeus Werner will be serving liturgy at St. Herman s next Sunday July 15. Please welcome him warmly. READER VESPERS SERVICES July 14 & 21 There will be no confessions heard on those nights due to Fr. Matthew s travel schedule. PARISH COUNCIL - Next meeting will be July 12 at 6:00pm. GOOD WORKS BASKET July Project: Back to School Backpacks - FOCUS North America We are now collecting school supplies for local elementary students through July 22. Please take an item ticket from the bulletin board in the Parish Hall to bring individual supplies, or contact Stephanie Hopkins if your family would like to complete a full backpack. Donations can be dropped off upstairs in the Parish Hall. Thank you! CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ON BREAK UNTIL SEPTEMBER SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West PRIMATE and DIOCESAN HIERARCH His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOSEPH PASTOR Rev. Fr. Matthew Howell DEACON Rev. Dn. Thomas Ross Contact Information 6988 N. En Dove Road Wasilla, Alaska Pastor s Phone: (907) priest@sainthermanwasilla.org 6 th Sunday after Pentecost July 8, 2018 A NOTE REGARDING HOLY COMMUNION Welcome! In the Orthodox Church, reception of the Holy Eucharist is reserved for baptized, chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared by prayer, fasting and a recent confession. If you are visiting from a non-orthodox church or otherwise are not prepared to commune today, you are welcome to receive some of the unconsecrated, blessed bread which the acolytes are holding. We pray for all to be united in the Body and Blood of Christ! If you would like to learn how you can enter into communion with the Orthodox Church, please speak with our clergy.

2 THE EPISTLE V (For Sixth Sunday after Pentecost) Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve us and keep us from this generation. Save me, O Lord, for the Godly man hath disappeared. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. (12:6-14) Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, and serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. THE GOSPEL (For Sixth Sunday of Matthew) The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (9:1-8) At that time, Jesus got into a boat, crossed over and came to His own city. And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven. And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man is blaspheming. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins He then said to the paralytic Rise, take up your bed and go home. And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they marveled, and they glorified God, Who had given such authority to men. SAINTS & FEASTS OF THE DAY Sixth Sunday after Pentecost & Sixth Sunday of Matthew; Great-martyr Procopius of Caesarea in Palestine; New-martyrs Theophanes and Anastasios of Constantinople; Venerable Theophilos the myrrh-streaming of St. Basil Kelli on Athos; Procopius of Ustug, fool-for-christ A GOOD WORD People were not created merely to live here on earth like animals that disappear after their death, but to live with God and in God, and to live not for a hundred or a thousand years, but to live eternally. But only Christians can live with God: that is to say, those who rightly believe in Jesus Christ. Everyone, whoever he may be, desires and seeks prosperity and happiness. To desire what is good for oneself and to seek prosperity or happiness is part of man s nature and, therefore, it is not a sin or vice. But we need to know that here on earth there has not been, and is not, and never will be true and perfect happiness and prosperity; for all our prosperity and happiness is only in God. No one will ever find true happiness and perfect prosperity without God or outside God. Nothing in this world but God can fill our heart or fully satisfy our desires. A fire cannot be put out with brushwood and oil, because only water will put it out. In exactly the same way, the desires of the human heart cannot be satisfied with the goods of this world, because only the Grace of God can quench the thirst of our desires Let a man own the whole world and all that is in the world, yet all that will not interest him for more than a minute, so to speak, and it will never satisfy his heart; for the heart of man can be fully satisfied only by the love of God, and therefore God alone can fill the heart and soul of man and quench the thirst of his desires. And so, do you wish to live with God there, in the kingdom of Heaven? Be an Orthodox Christian. Do you want prosperity and happiness? Seek it in God. Do you want your heart to be fully satisfied? Turn it to God from Whom you have been separated by your sins But there is only one way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and that is the very way that Jesus Christ went when He lived on earth. There is no other way, and never was, and never will be, for Jesus Christ said: I am the way, and if anyone wishes to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. -- Saint Innocent of Alaska, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven, pages 5-6 And so, do not be afraid to follow Jesus Christ; He is a powerful Helper; follow Him, hasten and do not delay. Go while the doors into the heavenly Kingdom are open to you. And even while you are still a long way off our heavenly Father will come to meet you on the way, will kiss you, will put on you the best garment, and will lead you into His bridal-chamber where He Himself dwells. -- Saint Innocent of Alaska, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven, page 48

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4 SAINT HERMAN OF ALASKA ORTHODOX CHURCH 6988 N En Dove Rd - Wasilla, AK Reverend Matthew Howell, Pastor (907) JULY 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Parish Life Conference in Portland July :00pm Parish Council Meeting Archdiocese Clergy Symposium in PA July :00pm Reader (no confessions) 15 St. Vladimir Prophet Elijah 21 Archdiocese Clergy Symposium in PA July : fish, wine, & oil 6:00pm Reader (no confessions) Aug 1 Procession of the Cross Aug 2 Aug 3 Aug 4 Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus 6:00pm Parish Council Meeting Please consult the Sunday bulletin for changes to the monthly calendar. Confessions heard after and by appointment.

5 YOU CAN HELP THE YOUTH GROUP OF SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH EARN DONATIONS JUST BY SHOPPING WITH YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD! Every quarter Fred Meyer sends a check to our church, which gets deposited into our Youth Group account to be used for camp and retreat scholarships and other activities. Here is how you can support our youth group: 1. Go to 2. At the top right of the screen, click Sign in or Register 3. After signing in, click Re-enroll or link your Rewards Card now under the section Are you a Fred Meyer Customer? 4. In the search box, enter or Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church 5. Click the button next to our church s name, then click Enroll. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping the Youth Group of Saint Herman Church earn a donation! You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today. If you do not have a Rewards Card, it is available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store. For more information, please visit