St. George. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church W. 14th Street, Cleveland OH Sunday of the Paralytic

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1 St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church 2587 W. 14th Street, Cleveland OH Sunday of the Paralytic Serving the Orthodox Christian Community of Greater Cleveland

2 St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church V. Rev Father John Ojaimi, Pastor Office: (216) Fax: (216) Cellular: (440) Archdeacon Yarid Sahley Subdeacon Sam Elias Pastor s frjojaimi@msn.com Parish office@stgeorgecleveland.com Sunday May 07, 2017 Tone 3 / Eothinon 5; Fourth Sunday of Pascha Sunday of the Paralytic Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross in the heavens above Jerusalem (351 A.D.); Martyr Akakios the centurion at Byzantium; John of Beverly, Bishop of York; Priest Alexis Toth of Wilkes-Barre, confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America WELCOME TO OUR GUESTS We are glad you are worshiping with us today. There are Service Books in the pews. Orthodox Christians must be prepared for Holy Communion through Confession, Fasting, Prayer and by being at peace with others. Please seek and give forgiveness before receiving Holy Communion. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, please join us for coffee hour in the Parish Hall. t ½Êà The mission of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church Is to serve God and the community by commitment to the Gospel s command to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ through faith, hope, and love. It is a parish of the Self Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The Orthodox Church follows the faith and practice of the apostles and disciples of Christ handed down by the ancient Christian fathers and twenty centuries of Church tradition. Genuine Christian life nurtures and stimulates our spiritual and moral development. The liturgical life of the Orthodox Church has been developing over the last 2000 years. By taking part in the mysteries of Christ s life, death and resurrection at the liturgical services, the community members are drawn to repentance and the gradual change of their inner selves. To join the community of St. George or to find out more information, please fill out the Guest Book in the Narthex. We hope this day will be spiritually rewarding for you. Fr John will be happy to answer any questions. Join us in the hall after Liturgy for our Coffee Hour and Fellowship.

3 Bread of Oblation, Trisagion Prayers, Wheat and Coffee Hour are offered in memory of Norma Carouba by her husband Dr. George Carouba, her daughter Madlain Hachwe & Family Bread of Oblation is offered in memory of Emile & Zakia Jarrous by Bassam & Camilia Saliba Bread of Oblation & Coffee Hour are offered in memory of Marie, Elias, Adam and Maggie Aboumrad by George and Nayla Aboumrad Candles are offered for the Health, Safety & Spiritual Welfare of: Bassam & Lida Abdul-Karim (30 th Wedding Anniversary) by their Children Children & Grandchildren by Nuha Karsheh Family & Friends by George & Joie Haddad Candles are offered in Beloved Memory of: Michel Hayek by the Hayek Family My Beloved, Mother Mary, Father Abraham, Brothers Emile and James, Sitteh Zaineh & Uncle Kaiser by Emilie L. Easa Wadia Ameen by his wife Mary & Family Edward Haddad by his wife Edward Fadel by his wife & family Prayers are requested for the sick, sufferings, shut-ins, needy, homeless, victims of disasters, war and violence in the whole universe. Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:52-54 With fear of God, faith And love draw near. Come to Church, Jesus loves you, we love you we are waiting for you. UPCOMING DIVINE SERVICES Sunday May 14, 2017 Matins 9:30 am, Divine am Confessions will be heard on Sundays Morning before Liturgy starts or by appointment. Sign up and take your turn in offering a Coffee Hour. Pick a birthday, memorial, anniversary etc.. or just a day that no one has sponsored.

4 Divine Liturgy Variables on Sunday May 07, 2017 Tone 3 / Eothinon 5; Fourth Sunday of Pascha Sunday of the Paralytic Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross in the heavens above Jerusalem (351 A.D.); Martyr Akakios the centurion at Byzantium; John of Beverly, Bishop of York; Priest Alexis Toth of Wilkes-Barre, confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America The Priest begins Divine Liturgy with Blessed is the Kingdom and the choir responds Amen. Bearing the Paschal Candle, the Priest then leads the singing of the Paschal Apolytikion and censes the west side of the Altar Table. The Choir then sings this twice, and the Liturgy continues with the Great Litany.

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9 The Teens Group Meets every Sunday after Church In The Teens Room If you re a Teen Join us For fun and Education ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN OF ST. GEORGE We will be having our next Meeting on Monday, June 05, :00 p.m. St. George s Men s Club Meets every First Sunday of the Month In The Yarid 7:30 pm Join us for Fellowship & Fun In Yarid Hall at the Church. God willing, see you there! St. George Orthodox Young Adult Ministy Thursday MAY 11, :30 pm St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church 2587 W.14th St. Cleveland.

10 My Journey to Ministry--Fr. John Ojaimi Christ is Risen, truly He is Risen! I was born in Lebanon in a city called Amioun that is known as a stronghold for Orthodoxy. As a child my great grandmother use to take me with her to Church every Sunday morning. My parents, like everyone else in the city, were so proud for being Orthodox but never went to church except for Pascha and a few other celebrations. My father was the acting Mayor in the City, and my whole family was looked at as people of honor, high in society. Our priest performed services to the best of his knowledge and tried to keep everyone happy so that he could collect money from his parishioners in order to survive. Growing up, what bothered me was the discovery that almost everyone in my city considered himself born Orthodox, their faith was inherited, and not transmitted, from generation to generation, learning about their faith wasn t even an option for the vast majority. Culture and traditions were considered part of their faith and more important than anything else in their worship. To be fair many among them, especially the elderly, had a good heart and maybe by instinct or by having their antecessors as their perfect model they acted as true Christians. Our priest didn t have any theological background, but he was so proud because he descended from a priestly family. Priesthood in my city was looked at as a job for the jobless. It was no wonder the ϐ ǡ Ǥ The situation made me feel sad and sick at the same time. Something needed to happen. Along with this situation, a thriving Young Orthodox Movement Group was trying to witness to God amongst the young generation, and I joined to become a very active member, leading meetings, discussions, and Bible studies. Later on after graduating college I became the youth director for the whole Archdiocese. I always felt joy while witnessing to others, especially my peers. When the time came to decide about my future, I told my family, Jesus loves me He is calling me to serve His Church. I am going to become the new priest in Amioun. Without hesitation Dad screamed in my face, No way! Do you want to become a begger? What wrong did we do to you to scandalize us? I explained my intention. I reminded my whole family how important for them to be Orthodox and that Orthodoxy is not a gene or a skin color we inherit but it is all about living the life of Christ on earth and witnessing to His words and actions. I told them the entire picture of priesthood has to change. Their answer came: You will become an engineer. Prepare yourself to go to Europe to study. ǯ Ǥ ǡ ǡ ϐ Ǥ prayed, asking help and guidance from the Lord. I couldn t disobey my father, or in any other way up Ǥ ϐ ǡ my family. ǯ ϐ ϐ Ǥ welcome me at the airport. What was important to my parents was for me to be far away from the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, known as the Balamand.

11 In Madrid, I was alone. Anyone else in a situation like that might rejoice, having freedom away from home and its rules, but I felt myself suffering imprisonment. I considered the whole city as a big pris Ǥ ϐ Ǥ the youth and my work for Metrpolitan Elias Korban of thrice blessed memory, they accepted me ϐ Ǥ answer God s call to me to become his servant. I returned angering everyone at home. I expected the worst, but seeing my determination they didn t bless my move but made me understand that I will be responsible for the consequences of my decision. While in Balamand studying, I started visiting the neighbor parishes along with my own, helping in the services and meeting with groups from different ages. The most enjoyable meeting was always the meeting with the college group. The years passed and I became the pastor of one of my city s churches. I worked very hard to change the concept of ministry. I can tell you that with the help of God, endless prayers, lot of tears and sufferings, the people received the message of their Lord and and changed their behavior toward their Church, ignoring the opposition of my brothers and partners in my ministry, the older priests. As always my main target was the youth and the young families. I am so thankful to God who entrusted me this ministry and who allowed me to become His messenger. We grew together in the faith, I learned from my parishioners more than I taught them. After serving God for almost eight years in Lebanon, in 1998 I moved with my family and my parents to the United States to reunite with my two brothers who had relocated to the US. The territory has changed but never the motive or the ministry. It didn t take long to engage in Campus Ministry or to work with the youth and young adults again. I m very thankful for all the talents that God entrusted me and this is a summary about how I m investing His Trust: In 1990 I married May Mansour the mother of our three children Hiba, Marina, and Jamal to whom I m very thankful for being true Khourieh and for helping in the Ministry. I was ordained by Metropolitan Elias Korban, of thrice blessed memory, to the diaconate on April 22,1992 and to the Priesthood on August 09, 1992 to serve St. Marina Church in my hometown Amioun as a pastor. In July 17, 1995, and within the vesper service for St. Marina Feast, Metropolitan Korban elevated me to the dignity of Stavroforos and surrounded my neck by the chain that hold the Holy Cross. In 1996 Metrpolitan Elias Korban, of thrice blessed memory, assigned me As an associate Judge in the Spiritual Court of his Archdiocese. ͳͻ ͻ ϐ Patriarchal Monastery, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Al Islah Orthodox High School. In the summer of 1998, and after seven years of my ministry at St. Marina, I asked the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip Saliba, of thrice blessed memory, his blessing to join the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Sayedna welcomed me and my family and he assigned me to serve as an Associate Pastor at St. George the Antiochian Orthodox Church of Boston.

12 In 2002 Metropolitan Philip elevated me to the dignity of Archpriest within the Vespers Service for the Feast of St. George, Patron of the Church. August 01, 2006 I was assigned to serve Saint George Antiochian Christian Orthodox Church in Cleveland, Ohio as a Pastor. In June 2008 I was appointed as The Spiritual Advisor for The Diocese of The Midwest Fellowship Of St. John The Divine. In 2008 I was elected as the treasurer for the Greater Cleveland Council Of Orthodox Clergy. I m active in the Campus Ministry, I served as a chaplain for The Orthodox Christian Case Western Reserve University Campus from ʹ ͳǡ ʹ ͲͲͺ ϐ the Metro Health's Cancer Care Center. October 5, 2010 His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP, of thrice blessed memory, has me as the Dean of The Ohio Deanery. In 2015 I became a member in The Faith + Health Cooperative Organization by Cleveland Clinic. Fellowship, appointed I thank the Lord for his love to all of us, I thank my Parishioners for giving me the opportunity to serve them, for their love, and their passion to connect with their Creator. The unworthy servant of God, V. Rev. Fr. John Ojaimi I am most grateful for the outpouring of support and kindness on the occasion of my 25th anniversary of priestly ordination. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all who were able to attend the Dinner, as well as the support and prayers of many others. I am particularly grateful to his Grace Bishop Ozone for blessing us by his presence, to the Parish Council Committee who coordinated the celebration, and the many parishioners who volunteered their time and effort in making the celebration so enjoyable. I am grateful to Almighty God for all the many blessings I received throughout my life, including being pastor of St. George s Parish. My years as a priest have been filled with many opportunities to serve others for God. I pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and for a more active laity. Together we are called by God to serve Him with our whole heart and soul. Please be assured of my prayers for you and your families, and I ask for your prayers, as we journey together in the Orthodox faith. God Bless Fr. John

13 ZOE Women s Center Needs You! We have created ZOE Women s Center Medical Committee to help us move forward with our plans to expand the services we offer women in distress due to unplanned pregnancies. Some of these services are parenting classes, abortion healing classes, child raising classes, as well as offering some abortion vulnerable women limited obstetrical ultrasounds, pre-natal vitamins and referrals to doctors for obstetrical care. If you have a few hours a week, and can volunteer to be a: Client Advocate Receptionist Community Coordinator Nurse Sonographer Fund Raiser Medical Assistant Physicians Assistant Administrative Assistant WE NEED YOU! Please contact Despina at: despina@mavrakisfamily.com. THANK YOU!

14 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:48) Thank you to previous years wish list contributors List The Elevator and The Outside Ramp Project started 01, 02, The cost is $ We already received $179 Anonymous 20 In memory of Edward Khouri by Son Clifford Imad Nader 1200 Pierre Aboukaled Dr. Salim Hayek 1200 Archdeacon Yarid Dr. Adib Al Souss Dr. Marwan Hilal Ted Ziton Dr. Amir Alamir 2000 James Hussney George Dawed 200 Greg Caraboolad 150 Elias Karsheh 3000 Dr. George Hawwa Fadi Chaccour 250 Rami Karsheh Edward Caroll 30 Dr. Bachar Dergham 1 Dr. Wael Khoury 3000 St. George Fundraiser 9104 Sub. Sam Elias 200 Hani Nader 3 Jerry Koncz George Sarkes 5 LSAJL of Cleveland 125 Dr. Fadi Bashour 4000 Anonymous 2000 Dr. Afaf Zayat Tony Abdulkarim Leo Koury Dr. Bassem Zraik Archdn. Yarid Sahley Anonymous Dr. Emile Sabbagh 1 Fred Koury 2 Nagi Abdulkarim Anna Deeb Dr Ghassan Ashkar Dr. Lutfi Nassar Dr. Basem Haddad Awwad Khourieh Barbara Sevchek Joyce Nader 200 Joseph & Audrey Bendetto 25 Fr. John Ojaimi Ronnie Harb Azar Khouri Ripepi Funeral Home Najdat Asad Dr. Khalil & Alma Korkor Daniel & Claudia Tanoos Irene Georgantas 150 Norma &Amelia Jacob Dr. Dergham Dergham George Bouchahine Dr. Ibrahim Bshara In memory of Samir Abdelkarim 250 Ronald Makhol American Lebanese Community Council 200 Elias Haddad Linda Ziton 20 Dr. George Jurjus Drs. Fadi & Samar Bashour 1 Dr. Gaby & Lea Khoury Eric & Georgina Barnett 150 Joseph Maalouf Nuha Karsheh 300 The Arthur Gallagher Found.

15 George & Joie Haddad 250 Beverly George 200 Jennie Sadallah William & Laverne Ameen 250 Mary Abdallah 25 Dr. Helen Hattab Mary Ameen in memory of Wadia Ameen 300 David & Cathy Jones 2000 Drs. Hassan & Julia Abbass in memory of Fr. Youssef Maalouly The Namy Family 3000 Please Help us to reach our Goal, we have to raise $53821 more. Also needed Two Cases of Orthodox Liturgical Wine for Communion $240 by William Tegreene 3 Communion Spoons and the Star for the Offering Tray $350 by Barbara Aboid Change the Yarid Light Hall Bulbs to LED $800 By Anonymous Remodeling the bathroom under the Church Labor are donated by Mazhar Kanneh $ needed for construction materials Fixing damaged walls and Painting the Yarid Hall $1340 Six cases of Taper Candles $89 each Forty Altar Pure Liquid Paraffin Quarts $8.50 each Change the carpet on the stairs and the entry to Church area along with the Yarid Hall Part Change the rear end carpet in Church and fix the middle Runner. Sell the rest of the memorial tiles at the entrance of the office area. $150 each Replace the Carpet at the Rectory ChangeThe Metropolitan Hall Light Bulbs to LED Replace the Aluminum Entry Door, back entrance to the Sunday school $4690 Thank you and may God bless you all. RESERVE THESE DATES ON YOUR CALENDER June 17, 2017 Our Spring Annual Parish Mill Stream Run ZĞƐĞƌǀ ĂƟŽŶ ^ƚƌžŷőɛǀ ŝůůğ K, June 21-Ϯϰ ϮϬϭϳ WĂƌŝƐŚ >ŝĩğ ŽŶĨĞƌĞŶĐĞ ŚŝĐĂŐŽ D ĂƌƌŝŽƩ K ĂŬ Brook, 1401 W. 22nd St. Oak Brook, Illinois July 23-ϯ Ϭ ϮϬϭϳ ϱϯ ƌě ŝğŷŷŝăů ŶƟŽĐŚŝĂŶ ƌđśěŝžđğɛğ ŽŶǀ ĞŶƟŽŶ - The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, 3555 South Ocean Dr. Hollywood, FL ƵŐƵƐƚ ϭϰ ϮϬϭϳ ^ĂŝŶƚ D ĂƌLJ Ɛ ŝŷŷğƌ ĂŌĞƌ ƚśğ ǀ ĞŶŝŶŐ ŝǀ ŝŷğ >ŝƚƶƌőlj ŽĨ ƚśğ ŽƌŵŝƟŽŶ Feast August 27, 2017 Our Summer Annual Parish Redwing Picnic Area, West Drive Hinckley, OH (off Bellus Rd. - between Hinckley Hills Rd. & State Rd.) October 07, 2017 Our Annual Clam 6:00 pm November 19, 2017 Our Annual Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Thanksgiving Banquet

16 What is Orthodoxy? First of all, Orthodoxy is right faith in God; it is that mighty power which makes each truly believing Orthodox Christian unwavering on the righteous and pious path of his life. To be Orthodox means to know correctly with the mind, to believe correctly with the heart, and to confess correctly with the lips all that God Himself has revealed to us about Himself, about the world and man, and about the tasks and aims of our life in the teaching on the attaining of our spiritual union with Him and our eternal salvation. Without such right faith, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Orthodoxy is not only right faith and a right confession of the fundamental truths and dogmas of the Church of Christ, but also a right and virtuous life, founded on an unshakable law: the fulfilling of God s commandments, the permeating of the heart with humility, meekness and love for one s neighbor, the rendering of help to the needy and unfortunate, and the serving of one s church. The Apostle James teaches: Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the future Judge of the whole world, promises to reward every man according to his works (Matt. 16:27). The Apostle Paul testifies that every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor (1Cor. 3:8). Here is the Orthodox point of view. Right faith must be expressed in deeds, and deeds must serve as a manifestation of faith. One must be closely united with the other indissolubly, like soul and body. This only, then, is the Orthodox, the correct way leading us to God. Orthodoxy is not only right faith and a life according to faith, but also correct service to God. Our Lord Jesus Christ expressed the essence of the right worship of God in these brief but profound words: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Only the inspired divine service of the Holy Orthodox Church, which is permeated by prayer, has realized this sacred worship of God in truth. Moreover, Orthodoxy is strict proportionality and correctness in the manifestations of all the powers of soul and body. In Orthodoxy, a proper place is allotted to everything: to the intellect, to the wants and needs of the heart, to the manifestations of man s free will, to labor and prayer, to abstinence and watchfulness, in a word, to everything of which man s life consists.