Memorials: Vasiliki Kyritses 40 Days John Kyritses, Constantinos Kourouvasilis, Ethel Kourouvasilis. Opportunities for the Week. Monday, February 11

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1 St. John Greek Orthodox Church Sterling Heights, Michigan Phone: /Emergency Web site: Parish Priest: Father Nicholas Kyritses February 10 th ~Sunday of Canaanite Holy Communion can be received only by those who have been baptized according to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church and are spiritually prepared through prayers, fasting, and almsgiving! Epistle Reading: II Timothy 2:1-10 Page Not in Book Gospel Reading: Matthew 15:21-28 Page 93 Today at St. John 9:00am Orthros ~ 10:00am Divine Liturgy Memorials: Vasiliki Kyritses 40 Days John Kyritses, Constantinos Kourouvasilis, Ethel Kourouvasilis Opportunities for the Week Monday, February 11 Basketball Practice for kids of all ages 6:30pm at Joe Dumars Philoptochos Meeting 7:30pm Tuesday, February 12 Greek School 4:30 pm / Adult Greek School 6:30pm Council Meeting 7:00pm Wednesday, February 13 Paraklesis- Supplication Service Lecture by Dr. Strubakos 7:00pm Thursday, February 14 Greek School 4:30 pm / Adult Greek School 6:30pm

2 The invincibility of Christianity is epitomized by the superhuman endurance of the priest Charalambos, who suffered inhuman tortures and martyrdom at the hands of pagan tormentors. No single martyr was recorded to have endured as much physical punishment as Charalambos. He was an obscure Orthodox priest who earned his sainthood solely by his steadfastness to the Christian faith in the face of prolonged agonies. Although this seemingly indestructible servant of the Lord had that divine courage and steadfastness of faith, which placed him among the saints, he was human, and his flesh and blood felt the pain of torture as sharply as any ordinary man. Few Christians have been asked to pledge their allegiance to Christ under interminable cruelty. Charalambos proved faithful to the end. For his steadfast refusal to renounce the Lord, he is venerated as a saint in the highest tradition of the martyr. Charalambos lived in the town of Magnesia in Asia Minor during the second century. He was ordained a priest at an early age to serve his hometown in a province fiercely hostile to Christians. His reputation as a preacher and man of God placed him as the leader of the tiny Christian body that grew steadily under his influence in spite of great odds. A man of the people, Charalambos brought the light of the Lord's love to everyone in his community. In so doing he also brought down upon himself the envy and wrath of those in power. The provincial governor, Lukianos, had little regard for the welfare of his people; for the Christians he had nothing but utter contempt. A confrontation between the governor and Charalambos was inevitable, as was the result of their meeting. After a brief exchange of formalities, the governor unequivocally declared that Charalambos must renounce Christ or be punished. This set the scene for the longest period of human suffering in the name of the Savior. When he refused to worship the idols, his persecutors began a planned assault on his body. Lukianos unleashed his merciless hatred for Christians. Charalambos was first lashed to a post in the public square to be held up to public scorn and ridicule. Then they slashed him repeatedly with sharp knives, taking care that no wound would be fatal. When Charalambos refused to denounce the Lord, they cut him down and dragged him through the streets by his beard. He endured the extremely painful grating of his skin by the pebbled surface as well as the merciless kicking of sandaled feet. Finally propping him up on his feet, they demanded that he renounce Jesus; once again he refused. All of the various tortures applied to Charalambos are over shadowed by the cruel fact that he endured them all. After a systematic series of cruelties that spanned several months, the derision of the pagans turned to wonder at the power and the faith of this Christian. When their methods of punishment only served to draw converts to Christianity, Charalambos' enemies sought to put him quickly to death. The local people, however, rose in opposition to his planned death. Charalambos had helped many afflicted people who were brought to him. The matter was brought up before Emperor Servius, who ordered the battered priest to be brought to Antioch, Syria. Once there, Charalambos was led through the streets with a horse's bit in his mouth. Then they nailed him to a cross. Not only did Charalambos refuse to relent, but he also refused to die. Then they ordered him to be beheaded. Just as his executioners were about to carry out the sentence, a voice said, "Well done, my faithful servant; enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." At that moment he died with a blow being struck, thus denying the pagans their revenge. The two executioners were immediately converted. He died for Christ in A.D. 192.

3 March 3, 2019 Macaronatha May 10, 2019 St. John Reverse Raffle Dinner August 19, th Annual St. John Golf Outing Introducing the Orthodox Church Classes at St. John Greek Orthodox Church By: Christos Strubakos, PhD Every Wednesday evening following Paraklesis service. Service at 7:00pm, lecture immediately following. January 16: The Sacraments: Baptism and Chrismation January 23: The Divine Liturgy Part 1: Preparatory Service January 30: The Divine Liturgy Part 2: What the actions and symbol mean February 6: The Sacraments: Marriage and Ordination February 13: The Sacraments: Unction and Confession February 20: What we believe about the Old Testament: Salvation and Prophesies February 27: What we believe about the New Testament March 6: What we believe about prayer *Note: The Lenten discussion topics will be released in the February Dear Friends IONIAN VILLAGE- METROPOLIS SUMMER CAMP-CROSS ROAD St. John Parish will offer: $2000 to each Goyan who will participate in the IONIAN VILLAGE program in the summer of Half of the Tuition of St. John boys and girls who will participate in the SUMMER CAMP of our Metropolis. Half of the expenses (travel and tuition) of St. John boys and girls who will participate in the CROSS ROAD program of our Archdiocese. All the parents of the participants must be members in good standing of St. John Greek Orthodox Church of Sterling Heights for the years 2018(at least $200 per individual or $350 per family) and 2019(at least $350 per PLEASE TAKE YOUR 2019 OFFERING ENVELOPES. If you do not see your name on an envelope box but would like to have offering envelopes, please contact he church office

4 SAINT JOHN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STERLING HEIGHTS MICHIGAN What is Stewardship? Stewardship is the management of the gifts bestowed upon us by God. These gifts are time, talent and treasure. It is through these gifts we are brought closer together as a Church and as a community. What is a Steward? A steward is a member of our St. John community that volunteers their time, talent and treasure. How can I volunteer my time and talent? Our St. John community offers many ministries! To find out more and volunteer, contact the church office. How much treasure should I give? This is a personal decision. Every year we should look at our finances and determine how much we should give back to God. These funds are used for the daily usage of the church and for funding our ministries. TO BE A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING AT ST. JOHN, the suggested minimum Stewardship for an individual is $350 per year ( less than $1 per day) or for a family $700 per year (less than $1 per day for the husband and the wife) PLEASE USE YOUR CREDIT CARD OR YOUR WEEKLY OFFERING ENVELOPES St. John S 2019 BUDGEt is $ It costs around $1,125 a day to run our church. Name: Spouse Name: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Orthodox Christian: Y or N Date of birth: Date of birth: Home Phone: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Cell Phone: Address: Address: City, State, Zip: City, State, Zip: Child 1: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 2: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 3: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 4: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 5: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: In gratitude for God s blessings, I/We commit to Christ and His Church the following amount: $ /day $ /week $ /month $ /year Credit Card (Visa/Master Card): Exp: CSV: Name: Signature: Date: Visit to register as a Steward or turn this form into our church office.

5 Join us for the Annual ST. JOHN PHILOPTOCHOS MACARONATHA Sunday, March 3, 2019 St. John Community Center Metropolitan Parkway, Sterling Heights, MI Please Reserve & Purchase Tickets by February 24, 2019 Adults: $25 Students (under 18): $15 Children Under 5: Free Doors Open at 5:00 p.m. - Dinner at 6:00 p.m. *Basket Raffle with proceeds going to Friends of Foster Kids* DJ S-Chilly & Dio Reservations: Church Office , Georgia Mansell , geemansell@comcast.net, or parish@stjohngoc.net Please list names and put a check(x) under either Adult, Student, or Child under 5 Also please list seating request (will do our best to accommodate) (table of 8 maximum) Name Adult - Student - Under 5 Seating Request Free

6 St. John Greek Orthodox Church Macaronatha Donation List 6 cases Chicken $75.00 each Total $ Meatballs $50.00 each Total $ Fr. Nick Fr. Nick Vegetables $50.00 each Total $ Feta Cheese $25.00 each Total $ Vegetable Oil & Spices $50.00 each Total $ Bread Rolls w/butter ($200.00) $50.00 each Total $ Pasta Sauce $50.00 each Total $ Tomatoes (3cases) $25.00 each Total Pasta $20.00 each Total $ Iceberg and Spring Mix Lettuce $35.00 each Total $ Greek Dressing $25.00 each Total Pop $75.00 each Total $ Linens/Plasticware $50.00 each Total $ DJ $ each Total $ Wait Staff/Cleaning $ each Total $ Basket Raffle items $50 each Total $250 Basket Raffle items $75 each Total $375

7 ORDER OF AHEPA DISTRICT #10 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association January 3 rd, 2019 TO: Michigan Parish Priests Sunday School Teachers Greek Orthodox Young Adults (GOYA) Sponsors The Order of AHEPA District #10 Educational Foundation will be awarding educational scholarships to high school students who are graduating in June In addition, the Foundation will also be awarding scholarships, to current college students. It is extremely important that applicants review the individual application requirements in advance to qualify for these scholarships. You will find our NEW REVISED 2019 high school graduate scholarship application as well as the new revised 2019 college student scholarship application at the website The revised forms can be filled out in a computer (fillable PDF) and are designed to streamline the scholarship application process. A checklist at the end of each application assists applicants in better organizing their efforts to apply. Scholarship applications can be downloaded at: Make sure you discard any applications that do not say 2019 on the cover sheet. Submitted applications using older application forms will not be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to submit the entire completed application so it is received, by APRIL 1 ST, 5:00pm Eastern Time in order to be considered for an award. Please make sure to advise all students to contact the Executive Secretary of the Educational Foundation, by telephone, , to confirm that their application was received on time. Sincerely, Milton A. Gust Executive Secretary Order of AHEPA District #10 Educational Foundation imgust@yahoo.com Telephone: cc George Mortis Chairman AHEPA Distrisct#10 Educational Foundation

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