St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Monthly Parish Bulletin

Transcription

1 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Monthly Parish Bulletin Orthodox Church in America 2143 S. Center Road Burton, Michigan Website: Fr. Matthew s lanscoal@sbcglobal.net Home: Church: Fax: Services: Sunday - 9:30 a.m. Third Hour 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy Holydays, Vigil and Vespers as announced Confessions are heard before all morning services and after all evening services. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. St. Jude: 20 November 1-30, 2009 ICON OF THE ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS at Saint Nicholas Church

2 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES November 1-30, 2009 Sunday, November 1 9:30 AM Third Hour 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy 6 month Parastas for +Stella Branoff Saturday, November 7 4:30 PM Great Vespers Sunday, November 8 SYNAXIS OF THE HOLY ANGELS 9:30 AM Third Hour 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy 12:00 PM Annual Meeting Saturday, November 14 4:30 PM Great Vespers followed by Confessions Sunday, November 15 BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTMAS FAST 9:30 AM Third Hour 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy Tuesday, November 17 7:00 PM Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord Friday, November 20 EVE OF THE ENTRANCE 6:00 PM Divine Liturgy at St. George Church Saturday, November 21 THE ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS INTO THE TEMPLE 2:00 PM Crowning in Marriage of Amanda Shapas and Corey Treloar NO VESPERS Sunday, November 22 9:30 AM Third Hour 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy Monday, November 23 7:00 PM Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord Saturday, November 28 4:30 PM NO VESPERS Sunday, November 29 9:30 AM Third Hour 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy REMINDER: The Orthodox Book Club meets on Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 at St. Nicholas Church. The session will be on the book Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life by Archimandrite George, Abbot of St. Gregorios Monastery on Mt. Athos. This book is 76 pages. It is available on-line Deacon Michael Bassett can also order copies for approximately $10. Translator s Note: The beauty of this book is its simplicity. In clear and simple terms it states the original purpose of the Christian life namely Theosis. Its author Archimandrite George has been the Abbot of St. Gregorios Monastery since He is well known throughout the Orthodox world both as a theologian and spiritual father. He has written many books and articles on theology and the spiritual life. For more information contact Deacon Michael Bassett / FrDnMike@chartermi.net /

3 READER SCHEDULE November December November 1: Alexander December 6: Esteban November 8: Esteban December 13: Johnny November 15: Shari December 20: Kathy November 22: Kathy December 25: November 29: Alexander December 27: Shari ANNUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 8, 2009 The Annual Meeting of Saint Nicholas Parish will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2009 beginning with a short prayer service after the Divine Liturgy. The Meeting will then be adjourned and reconvened in the Parish Hall one hour later. Only members in good standing both spiritually and in regards to stewardship are allowed to vote or speak at this meeting. The Agenda will include the regular reports on Parish life. Five nominees will be elected to the Parish Council for a period of three years and one nominee for the post of Auditor for three years. The Nominating Committee for the New Year will be elected from the floor at this meeting. After the approval from the Diocese, the newly-elected Parish Council members, along with the other Parish Council members and Auditors will be sworn into office. All Parish Council members and Auditors should make their Confession and receive Holy Communion on the day of installation. As of October 15, 2009, the nominees are: Parish Council Nominees: Barbara Brown Auditor Nominees: Phillip Brown David Houser Arlene Timma Joe Oginsky Mike Stikovich Tim Seeley Gloria Zelenko If you wish to nominate a candidate for parish council or auditor please see a member of the Nominating Committee: Anna Branoff, Allison Borkovich, Susan Oginsky, Peggy Russell, Jo Sredich, or Rosemary Vuckovich. ***Absentee Ballots are available in the parish office *** Lunch will be provided. NO need to bring any dish to pass. The Parish Council will meet on Monday, November 2 at 6:45 pm. Please call the parish office if you are unable to attend this meeting TEEN NEWS OYO (Orthodox Youth Outreach) will meet the weekend of November 20-22, St. George. All of the teens of our parish are invited to attend. For more information contact Leslee Abud at laabud@aol.com. COMING EVENTS International Dinner: Thursday, November 5, See flyer for more information. Pan-Orthodox Advent Retreat: Saturday, December 5 at Saint Nicholas concluding with Great Vespers. St. Nicholas Day Potluck: Sunday, December 6 following Divine Liturgy. Please, bring a Lenten dish to pass. St. Nicholas Cookie Walk: Saturday, December 12. See flyer for more information St. Nicholas Church School Program: Sunday, December 13 at 3pm.

4 CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS Visit from St. Nicholas December 6 St. Nicholas Church School Program December 3 pm Choir Rehearsal Schedule November 7 November 14 All Rehearsals are at 5:30pm or following the 4:30 Vespers All rehearsals are subject to change if needed. Please call me on my cell phone if you cannot attend at Thanks! Joseph Tome ST. CATHERINE S WOMEN S LEAGUE will meet on Wednesday, November 4 at 6:30pm. New Members are welcome! PARISH PRIDE PROJECT UPDATE The total donations to the Parish Pride Project now total $51, of that amount; $22, has been spent for the handicap restroom project and $2, has been spent for the beautification of the grounds. There is now $26, left in the Parish Pride fund for the other projects that need to be done: new sign and furnaces. We still need $48, to meet our goal of $100,000 for the all the Parish Pride projects. Please be generous in supporting our parish. SONS AND DAUGHTER OF SAINT NICHOLAS Your help is needed on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 to change the altar cloths from gold to red for the Christmas Fast. Men, your help is especially needed to remove items from the altar and table of preparation to help make the change-over. Lunch will follow. PROSPHORA BAKING CLASS There is a sign-up sheet in the parish hall for those interested in learning how to bake the bread we use at the Divine Liturgy for Holy Communion. Once all the details are known, the class date and time will be scheduled and announced. HELP NEEDED We are in need of help during Hall/Pavilion rentals. We are looking for any parishioner that would be willing to supervise during rentals; you would be paid $8.00 per hour. If you would be interested or would like more information call Debbie at the parish office. Coffee Hour Volunteers November 1: Branoff Family - 6months +Stella Branoff November 8: ANNUAL MEETING November 15: November 22: November 29: We need your Help!!!!!!!!

5 MEMORY ETERNAL The servant of God +Lewis Elieff, strengthened by the Holy Eucharist and Holy Unction, fell asleep in the Lord on October 16, Funeral services were held here in church on October 19, 2009 with interment at Evergreen Cemetery. May God grant His servant + Lewis a blessed repose and eternal memory. SAINT NICHOLAS NEEDS A complete set of the blue glass globes (candles are inserted into the globes) that are used during August & September for the feasts of the Dormition & Nativity of the Theotokos have been donated. Thank you to our donors who we will acknowledge in next month s bulletin. 14 of the 7 day glass globes - $50.00 each DONATED 204 (17 dozen) of the 10 hour glass votives - $18.00 per dozen - DONATED 48 (4 dozen) of the 7 day glass holders for the insert candles - $25.00 per dozen - DONATED FOR RENT Our current tenants at our Lapeer Property will be moving at the end of the month. The house will be available for rent beginning December 1 st. If any parishioner knows of someone that would be interested in renting the house, please have them contact the parish office for more information. The home is located at 4220 W. Oregon Rd, Lapeer, MI. Hey Kids, Were you able to solve last month s puzzle? I know you did because you are all so smart. Here are the answers just in case you had a little bit of trouble. Don t forget to pick up your Sunday bulletin every week at the candle stand, there is on especially for children. Chester ONSACR: Acorns CEIDR: Cider PEILPEAP: Apple pie BONRIFE: Bonfire PEPSAL: Apples CORLO: Color NMUATU: Autumn CETSOSUM: Costumes TUDNOS: Donuts FOALOLBT: Football VAHREST: Harvest RAIDYHSE: Hayrides SEEVAL: Leaves NKSIMPUP: Pumpkins CAERORSCW: Scarecrow Phrase: Fall is a beautiful time of year

6 CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY As we all know, our community has been hit hard by unstable economic times. Most of us in this parish are fortunate enough that we do not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from, if we have clothes to keep us warm, or if we have a roof over our heads. Unfortunately, not everyone in our community is that lucky. It is our duty as Christians to help our fellow man. So, we will be starting a new program to help people in our area. We will be working with some of the charitable organizations to identify families in need. In the coming weeks, we will be placing labeled boxes in the church hall. Your help is needed in filling these boxes. We will be collecting nonperishable food items, new toys and clothes, personal care products, and gift cards for groceries or gas. We hope to continue this project through out the year, not just at the holiday season. There are people in need all year round, not just at Christmas. So please look for the boxes in the hall and please be generous. This is just one way of giving back what we have been blessed with.

7 FROM FATHER S DESK Dearly beloved faithful and friends of Saint Nicholas, Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! This autumn of 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the revolutions that spread through the then-iron Curtain countries of Central and Southern Europe. These were remarkable events that no one really had imagined. I remember when I was growing up how I never believed that I would live to see the countries of my grandparents and great-grandparents liberated from the yoke of communist oppression. And in a matter of months in 1989 the people of Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania overthrew their communist governments. By 1991 the entire Iron Curtain had collapsed under the weight of its own false doctrine. In the years of the communist yoke the clergy and faithful in those countries struggled to keep aflame the light of faith. They faced persecution, imprisonment and even death for daring to confess Christ. Here in America we do not face gulags or firing-squads for professing and living out our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God incarnate for our salvation. We face something that is perhaps more insidious: relativism. It isn t politically correct to say the Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. It will be pointed out to us that Jesus is merely one among many great men and prophets the world has known. Some will simply marginalize us by close their ears to what we as Orthodox Christians have to say. And worse still, it will be said that all truth is relative. Yet the faith we profess in Jesus Christ is central to our self-understanding as human persons, what our life in this world is for and where we are headed. It is a message that we need to proclaim to the world by words and deeds. What we profess as Orthodox Christians is that truth is not some abstract concept, but rather Truth is a person: our Lord Jesus Christ who has told us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). His words to us are true words full of wisdom and knowledge and truth. He has revealed to us the fullness of truth about God and about ourselves. He has shown us that our destiny is to become by grace what He is by nature. God became man so that men could become gods is how Saint Athanasius was bold enough to put it. We bear in us the divine image. And we grow in likeness to God by grace, by acquiring and living the virtues. And our purpose in this life is to enter into communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit which will lead us to the eternal communion with the Trinity in the heavenly kingdom. This is the joyous Good News which our Lord Jesus Christ preached and entrusted to His disciples. This is the truth of the gospel with which we also have been entrusted. And, we, like they, are called upon to bear the fruit of a life in Christ. As God s chosen ones we are to put on compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven (us), so (we) also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in (our) hearts, to which indeed (we) were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in (us) richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in (our) hearts to God. And whatever (we) do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:12-17) A life so lived will bring many to know Christ. It will let the light of faith shine forth so that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father Who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) And our culture needs to hear the voice of our witness by our faith incarnated in our lives and by our lips which confess Christ as The Way, The Truth and The Life, the Son of the everlasting Father Who sends upon us the Holy Spirit. To the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be honor and glory unto ages of ages! With a remembrance in my prayers, Fr. Matthew

8 Daily Intercession for our Sick and Homebound: The following are our brothers and sisters of St. Nicholas who are currently homebound, suffering from chronic illness, in recovery or in need of special prayers. Please remember them in your prayers and reach out to them with a card, a phone call or a visit! Holy Communion is available upon request. Anna Allen Domna Batzos Bogdon Beslac Helen Bibilikow Mary Lou Brayan Joe Eckert Mickey Gonser Mary Harrison Bill Haw Olga Haw Maria Ilijev Goldie Johnson Stella Kantor Mary Karayanis Nick Karayanis Daisy Karkoski Alfred Keeler Lydia Keeler Athena Kosman Daisy Marvosh Julie Michalsky Evdokia Naumoff Elva Paul Anne Smith Aspasia Stathopoulos Luba Stevens Walter Sudia Marion Sztaba Bill Tadrick Wendy Tadrick Helen Todorow Gloria Zelenko To aid in your outreach, here is a listing of the addresses and phone numbers of our Homebound: Anna Allen 4444 Court St. # 4113 Flint, MI Bogdon Beslac 3005 Blue Grass Lane Swartz Creek, MI Joseph Eckert 5080 E. Baldwin Rd. #A6 Holly, MI Olga Haw 1085 Oak Rd Davison, MI Daisy Karkoski 3011 N. Center Rd Flint, MI Lydia & Alfred Keeler 4104 Squire Hill Dr. Flushing, MI Athena Kosman 8481 Holly Rd #48 Genesys Convalescent Center Grand Blanc, MI Daisy Marvosh Almost Home 305 Furlong Ct. Fenton, MI Julia Michalsky Bay Medical Care Facility 564 W. Hampton Rd Essexville, MI Clare Bridge 5130 E. Baldwin Rd A-1 Holly, MI Walter Sudia

9 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 2143 S. Center Road Burton, MI The St. Catherine s Women s League presents: International Dinner Thursday, November 5, :30 pm 7:30 pm Turkey Fillo Roll & Rice Piroshki Salad, Dinner Roll, Dessert & Beverage Included Cost $9.00 Macaroni & cheese w/chicken fingers-salad-dessert & beverage Cost $4.00 (10 & Under Kids Meal) Baked Goods for Sale Separately! Take-out orders available Take dinner home for family & friends! Phone:

10 Following the Divine Liturgy Please, bring a meatless dish to pass.

11 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 2143 S. Center Rd Burton,

12 The Orthodox Churches of Greater Flint Assumption (Greek) 3170 Beecher Rd Flint, MI St. George (Antiochian) 5191 Lennon Rd Flint, MI St. Nicholas (OCA) 2143 Center Rd Burton, MI The Holy Sacrament of Marriage An Informal Discussion of what the Orthodox Church teaches Everyone is invited to come with your questions and Fr. Joe, Fr. Matthew, and Fr. Angelo will answer them! Date: Wednesday, November 11th Time: 7pm Place: St. George Orthodox Church 5191 Lennon Road (¼ mile west of Linden Road) Member Churches of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA) A Vision of Orthodox Unity

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15 November 2009 Sun 1 6 month Parastas +Stella Branoff Mon 2 Tue 3 Wed 4 8 Synaxis of the Holy Angels Nativity Fast am Sons and Daughters of St. Nicholas :30 Great Vespers Choir Practice Eve of the Entrance OYO at St. George for teens :00pm Divine Liturgy at St. George Thanksgiving 27 Entrance of the Theotokos 2 pm Marriage of Amanda Shapas and Corey Treloar NO VESPERS NO VESPERS pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord Church School Church School 4:30 Great Vespers Choir Practice 13 7 pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord 7 7 pm Adult Education at St. George Church School 29 6 Sat 22 Fri Diocesan Clergy Retreat at Dormition Monastery, Nov. 4-7 Annual Meeting Church School 15 5 International Dinner 4:30 to 7:30 pm Book 7:30 at St. Nicholas Parish Council Meeting at 6:45 pm Church School Daylight Savings ends Thu

16 December 2009 Sun Mon Tue 1 Wed 2 7 pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord Dates & Times are subject to change Thu 3 Fri 4 Sat 5 Advent Retreat at Saint Nicholas 4:30 Great Vespers with Litiya St. Catherine s League Meeting at 6:30pm 6 St. Nicholas Day Parish Council Meeting at 6:45 pm Church School Program 20 Cookie Walk Church SchoolStump the Priest pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord 4:30 Great Vespers Choir Practice pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord 24 Christmas Eve 9:30 pm Carols 10:00 pm Divine Liturgy Church School 4:30 Great Vespers Choir Practice pm Moleben in Preparation for the Nativity of our Lord St.Nicholas Potluck & St. Nicholas Visit 13 Choir Practice Office Hours NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 26 4:30 Great Vespers 31 Office Hours 9-1 This is a Fast-Free week from December 25 to January 4. Enjoy!