Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church June 2015 Bulletin From His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios

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1 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Metropolis of Atlanta Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 255 Beauvoir Road Biloxi, Mississippi (228) June 2015 Bulletin From His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios "It is necessary most of all for one who is fasting to curb anger, to accustom himself to meekness and condescension, to have a contrite heart, to repulse impure thoughts and desires, to examine his conscience, to put his mind to the test and to verify what good has been done by us in this or any other week, and which deficiency we have corrected in ourselves in the present week. This is true fasting. St. John Chrysostom The rhythm of the Church year, with its cycle of feasts and fasts, provides a good way for us to live our lives in the world but not of it. As we know, our everyday life has its ups and downs. Our spiritual life is no different. In order to help us, our Church has wisely set aside times during the year for us to renew our focus on our spiritual lives. During the fifty days of Pascha we have celebrated Christ s Resurrection, then His Ascension and finally the sending forth of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. Now it is time to return to the somewhat "everyday" practice of our life in Christ. The struggle to put on Christ, demands a renewed effort of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. On Monday, we will begin the Apostles Fast or the Fast of St. Peter and St. Paul, also often referred to as the Summer Fast. According to Holy Tradition, fifty days after the Resurrection, the Apostles began a fast with prayer to ask God to strengthen and guide them in their mission to bring the Gospel of Christ to the whole world. As we know from the Acts of the Apostles, prayer and fasting was their custom and practice. St. John Chrysostom has told us that "the Apostles almost always fasted. Of course, we know that fasting is not simply abstaining from certain foods, or eating less. As St. Basil the Great reminds us, True fasting lies in rejecting evil, holding one's tongue, suppressing one's hatred, and banishing one's lust, evil words, lying, and betrayal of vows. Thus, for a Christian, fasting is a time of self-restraint in all aspects of our lives. Message from Fr. George Wilson, Holy Trinity, New Orleans, Louisiana The Divine Liturgy, the ultimate Church School program, never stops. Please do not stop either. Bring your children and yourselves to Church throughout the summer. If you are in town, you and your family need to be in worship. If you are vacationing elsewhere, you and your family need to visit an Orthodox Church in that area for worship.

2 Our Orthodox lifestyle is reflected in our choices. We must show and teach our children this lifestyle by making choices that please God. Make the choice to live your Orthodox Faith through the worship and the Liturgical life of the Church. God does not take a vacation from us. May we not take a vacation from Him. No matter our age we are always learning and growing in our knowledge of God. Pass on this important message through your lifestyle and example. Schedule of Services Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am June 7 with Fr Ezekiel Saturday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am June 14 with Fr Ezekiel Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am June 21 with Fr Dean Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am June 28 with Fr Dean Visitors A warm welcome to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church! We are glad to have you worship with us today. Please join us for Fellowship Hour in our social hall after Liturgy. Flag Day, June Don't forget to fly your American Flag proudly and show your support for America and what we stand for. Father's Day June To all dads a Happy Fathers Day. There is no one like a father to care so completely, give so quietly, teach so gently, and love so much. Look at the adoration in your sons and daughters eyes when they look at you. Look at the shine in their eyes when they see you on the sidelines at their sporting events, knowing you're there, you care about them to give your time, cheering them on. You're that special dad, so keep up the loving, gentleness, kindness and guidance that your children so need and want. A Father's Day Luncheon will be served for all the dads. Happy Name Day in June...Peter and Paul June 29 th, we will celebrate those of you who have this name day. June Birthdays... Happy June Birthdays to: Jason Bigelow June 2, Karen Kohl June 7, Anna Slepova June 8, Marc Beddoe June 16, and John David Burkart June 21, Mike Lawrence June 27. June Anniversaries... Happy Anniversary to Marina and Antonio Lucangeli, and Nataliya Petrovska and her husband Joe, all on June 8, Nata and Ricky Molsbee, June 15, Maria Liapustina and her husband, Vikas, June 19. Baptisms in June...June 14 Serghei Karaivanski and Alexandra Macheeva will have their son Maksim baptized.

3 Fellowship Hour After Liturgy...Holy Trinity needs every parishioner to sign up and host a fellowship hour after Sunday Liturgy. Everyone should be proud to host a fellowship hour. Show your culinary creativity. Bring your favorite ethnic foods. Hosting a fellowship hour makes everyone more a part of the church community. Thanks to everyone who has stepped up to host fellowship for the next month, but we still need volunteers in the future. Religious Education Fr Dean and Fr Ezekiel will continue their weekly religious education classes after Sunday Coffee Hour. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. Religious Needs Clergy are available for talk, confession, pastoral counseling, spiritual care, individual prayer, etc. Tours of our church can be arranged. If you want to set up an appointment, please contact George Yurchak or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com. Many thanks to all who helped and volunteered their time and effort at Holy Trinity. It is hard work but spiritually rewarding. It shows us how we can all come together as an Orthodox Family and grow spiritually by giving of ourselves. Get Well...Prayers and blessings to Helen Taylor, Irene Stevens, Mary Makris, Alan Koskan, Pete Carter, Photine and Angelo Hagicostas, George Vaporis, Thanos Kosmopoulos, Sophia Beddoe, and Dorothy Porter. Fr Dean or Fr Ezekiel will conduct home visitations and give communion to those parishioners who are ill and can't be with us for Liturgy. Please contact a parish council member or the priest to make arrangements. If we missed someone please contact Nancy Malek at We want to pray as a community for those that may be too ill to be with us during church services. Prayer Box... We have a prayer box in the Narthex. If there is anyone you wish a prayer said, place their name in the box, or contact Nancy Malek at Greek Specialties Store/Pastry Sale...The Greek Specialties Store has several items for sale which include extra virgin olive oil, kalamata olives, orzo, feta cheese, chocolate and vanilla halva, other Greek cheeses, and Turkish delight candy. We have pasty sale items for sale including spanikopita, tyropita, and tsoureki. Future Activities...Family Retreat, Ladies Retreat, Young Adult Retreat, Youth Retreat, Quarterly Movie Night in the Fellowship Hall, Cookout and Pool Party, and Greek Night. Looking Ahead...Parish General Assembly, June 28, 2015, after Liturgy and

4 Fellowship Hour. Please put it on your calendar as we have many items to discuss. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR PLEDGE FOR 2015 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is grateful for every donation received throughout the year. Your generous support enables Holy Trinity to spread the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ, serve regular Divine Liturgies and Sacraments and provide spiritual nourishment to our faithful, their families and those in need. Your pledge of support is a sign of your heartfelt participation in the life of our parish family and it plays a vital role enabling us to meet our financial responsibilities. We pray that everybody who attends Holy Trinity and cares for its financial security will make a pledge for If you have not pledged, please take the time to fill out a stewardship form. You may pick up a hard copy either at the candle counter in the narthex, or from any Parish Council member. Please submit it to either Craig Henderson (Vice-President, Parish Council), George Yurchak (President, Parish Council) or Rodney Bridges (Treasurer, Parish Council). HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEWARDS FOR 2015 Thank you to everyone who has filled out and returned his/her 2015 Stewardship Commitment Pledge Form. As of April 30, Holy Trinity has received stewardship commitments from the forty-three parishioners listed below. If you have not yet done so, please consider your 2015 financial stewardship commitment. Stewardship forms are available. Please let George Yurchak or Craig Henderson know if we have missed someone. Stewardship pledges total approximately $27, for the year. Chrisanthi Beach Michael Bodisch Rodney & Karen Bridges Alexander Bujan Pete & Margaret Carter Galina Chetverikova CoCo & Steve Collins George Contas John Demetrakopoulos Bernie & Callie DeSantis Angelo & Photine Hagicostas Craig & Karen Henderson Elen Ifantis Meri & Cristian Ionesco Volodymya Kunat Chrisie Soula Kiessling Karen Kohl Al & Cathy Lawson Maria Lyapustina Eva Magiros Mary Makris Nancy & Karl Malek Stratus Mandos George Mavromihalis John & Nikol Michailos Louis & Linda Peters Tom & Pat Portaritis Mitch & Lela Roberts Jerry Strickland Helen Taylor Lisa Taylor Angelos & Elizabeth Vamvakas Akaterina Vamvakas George Vaporis Eleni Vganges Spiro Vganges Demetri Vlahos Karen Weinberg George & Sheila Yurchak

5 Liturgical Services Sundays Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Church Clergy Rev. Fr. Dean Gigicos Rev. Fr. Ezekiel Vieages Choir Chair Photine Vlahos Chanter Angelos Vamvakas 2015 Parish Council President George Yurchak Vice President Craig Henderson Treasurer Rodney Bridges Secretary CoCo Collins Member Nancy Malek Librarian Katerina Vamvakas Maintenance and Repair Chair Craig Henderson Youth Education & Culture Committee Chair George Yurchak Church Directory Greek Culture Chair George Yurchak Russian Culture Chair Anna Slepova Parish Ministries Youth Ministries George Yurchak Sunday School Akaterina Vamvakas Ladies Group Chair Eleni Vganges Stewardship Chair Craig Henderson Reader Helen Taylor Adult Education George Yurchak Outreach Karen Komenko Weinberg, Akaterina Vamvakas Technology Karen Kohl, Spiro Vganges, Web Master Karen Kohl, Steve Collins Pastoral Assistant Craig Henderson, Spiro Vganges Staff Kiosk George Yurchak Office Administrator Sheila Yurchak Cleaning Chrisanthi Beach, Akaterina Vamvakas