December 20, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

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1 Sunday Bulletin December 20, 2015 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Hillcrest Road, Dallas, Texas Office Fax Reverend Father Christopher Constantinides Reverend Father Peter Kostakis Reverend Father John Essa Reverend Deacon Mark Pakes Reverend Deacon Athanasios Clint Sharpley Reverend Deacon Christopher Stern

2 COMMUNION ETIQUETTE If you are either baptized and or confirmed as an Orthodox Christian and have spiritually prepared to receive Holy Communion, please come up from the middle aisle of the Church with reverence and humility, row by row, in a QUIET and ORDERLY fashion, and depart as directed. Please remain seated in your pews until a council member indicates your row should go forward. If you are standing in the back of the nave, please wait until all seated parishioners have gone forward and a council member indicates you should go ahead. In receiving Communion, you should place the cloth under your chin, recite your CHRISTIAN NAME, and wipe your mouth after receiving. Women, please remove your lipstick prior to receiving Communion. THANK YOU! PRAYERS FOR OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN Robert Adler, Commander, USN Dale Alexander Michael Artemis, Marines Dana Ray Austin, USN Arthur John Athens, Commandant, USMC Chris Ballas, USN Reserves Brandon Bell, USAF Joseph Biasatti, US Army Michael Bocan-Collins, USN Joseph Bowley, US Army Stephen Cariotis, SSgt. USMC Angelo Carter, 1st Lt., US Army Reserves Peter Costas, Major USAF Michael Gomez, USN Fr. John Kalantzis, Commander, USN Konstantinos Kostibas, 2 nd Lt. USAF Chris Krucke, USN Jeff Lohmann, Lance Corporal, USMC Ryan Lontos, USNJ Nicholas D. Patitsas, USN John Politz, SSgt. US Army Stephen Serniak, Major, USAF Alexander Steiber, PO3, MMN3, USN David Thomas, Staff Sgt. US Army Dr. Jim Thornton, Commander, USN Ben Winfrey, US Army Corey Zarras, ET3 USN 2

3 Sunday, December 0,, 0,5 Hymns at the Small Entrance RESURRECTIONAL HYMN, FOURTH TONE GREEN BOOK PAGE 84 THE TIDINGS PRIEST ENTRANCE HYMN, SECOND TONE Come let us bow down to Christ and worship Him the Son of God. Save us O Son of God, who did arise from the dead. We sing to You, alleluia! RESURRECTIONAL HYMN, FOURTH TONE GREEN BOOK PAGE 84 THE TIDINGS HYMN OF THE FOREFEAST, FOURTH TONE Be ready, Bethlehem, Eden has opened unto all. Ephratha, prepare yourself, for now, behold, the Tree of life has blossomed forth in the cave from the Holy Virgin. Her womb has proved a true spiritual Paradise, wherein the divine and saving Tree is found, and as we eat thereof we shall all live, and shall not die as did Adam. For Christ is born now to raise the image that had fallen aforetime. HYMN FOR THE FATHERS SECOND TONE Magnificent are Faith's accomplishments! The three holy Youths exultingly stood in the fountain of fire as if beside the still waters of rest. And Daniel the Prophet was shown to be a shepherd of lions. At their entreaty, O Christ God, save our souls. HYMN FOR THE CHURCH, PLAGAL FOURTH TONE GREEN BOOK - PAGE 115 KONTAKION OF THE FOREFEAST OF NATIVITY, THIRD TONE The Virgin comes today, unto a cave, to give birth ineffably to the Word preeternal. Hearing this, be of good cheer, all earth and its people; glorify Him, with the angels and the shepherds, whose will was to appear, as a young Child, the Pre-eternal God 3

4 Epistle Reading St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-10; BRETHREN, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us,that apart from us they should not be made perfect. English Reader: Chrysanthie Yianitsas Gospel Reading Matthew 1:1-25 The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the 4

5 father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. 5

6 Daily Commemoration of Saints Dec. 20 Dec. 21 Dec. 22 Dec. 23 Dec. 24 Dec. 25 Dec. 26 Our Righteous Father Philogonius, Bishop of Antioch; John the New Martyr of Thassos; Forefeast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; Ignatius the God- Bearer, Bishop of Antioch; Holy Father John of Kronstadt Forefeast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; Juliana of Nicomedia & her 630 Companion Martyrs; Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow; Themistocles the Martyr of Myra Anastasia the Great Martyr; Chrysogonos, Theodota, Evodias, & Eutychianus, the Martyrs; The opening of the gates of the Great Church of God; Forefeast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Ten Martyrs of Crete; Rememberance of the Founding of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, Hagia Sophia in Constantinople; Naoum the Illuminator of The Bulgarians; Paul, Archbishop of Neo-Caesarea; Nicholas & John the New Martyrs; Forefeast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ Eugenia the Righteous Nun-martyr of Rome; Eve of the Nativity of Christ The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; The Adoration of the Magi: Melchior, Gaspar, & Balthasar; The Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks and came to see the Lord Synaxis of the Holy Theotokos; Euthemios the Confessor, Bishop of Sardis; Holy New Hieromartyr Constantine of Russia, Who Struggled in Constantinople (1743); Constantius the Holy Martyr; Barlaam the Righteous of Valaam; Afterfeast of the Nativity 6

7 Calendar of Events Sunday, Dec. 20 8:15 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (S) 10:30 a.m. Parish Christmas Pageant (following Divine Liturgy) 10 a.m. Catechetical School (Community Center) and NO Adult Catechetical School (C) after Holy Communion. Coffee hosted by GOYA following Divine Liturgy (Community Center) 12:15-12:30 p.m. HTHD Practice - Pre-K 12:30-1 p.m. HTHD Practice - 1st - 2nd 1-1:30 p.m. HTHD Practice - 3rd & 5th 4-5:30 p.m. GOYA Basketball Practice 6:30-7:45 p.m. GOYA Jr. Girls Basketball Practice Monday, Dec. 21 HTA Christmas Break (until Jan. 5, 2016) 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cancelled Yarn Guild Tuesday, Dec. 22 HT Greek School Christmas Break (until Jan. 4, 2016) 1:30 p.m. Pickleball (Gym) 6-7:15 p.m. GOYA Jr. Girls Basketball 7-8 p.m. No Adult Evening Bible Study (BR) Wednesday, Dec p.m. No Paraklesis (C) 7 p.m. No Faith Enrichment (BR) 7-9:30 p.m. GOYA Baskeball Practice (Gym) Thursday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve - OFFICE CLOSED 9 a.m. Christmas Great & Holy Hours (C) 6 p.m. Christmas Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (S) Friday, Dec. 25 Christmas Day - OFFICE CLOSED 8:15 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Christmas Liturgy: Nativity of our Lord (S) Saturday, Dec p.m. GOYA Basketball Practice (Gym) 5 p.m. Great Vespers (C) 7

8 Sunday, Dec. 27 8:15 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (S) NO Catechetical School (Community Center) and NO Adult Catechetical School (C) after Holy Communion. Coffee hosted following Divine Liturgy (Community Center) 4-5:30 p.m. GOYA Basketball Practice Parish Council Schedule December 20 Tasos Kaiafas, Wade Stephens, Matt Naftis, Alin Voicu, Mary Ann Trapalis, Fotis Papanicolaou December 27 Jim Dolmas, Dimitri Tsevoukas, Kerry Tassopoulos, Jimmy Horiates, Tina Yampanis Please Note: Catechetical School will begin at 10 a.m. TODAY, Sunday the 20th! Parish Christmas Program December 20, 2015 Immediately following the Divine Liturgy in the Sanctuary This is a Parish Event and all are invited! 8

9 Sponsor a Real Break Student This Spring Break, Alexandra Bercich and Ana-Maria Frampton will be traveling to Anchorage, Alaska Orthodox Christian Fellowship s Real Break program. There they will join other Orthodox students in serving those in need and learning more about service, education, worship, and fellowship. If you are interested in assisting them make their way up to Alaska, or simply have any questions, please feel free to contact Ana-Maria at or ana-maria@grasslaw.com. You can also donate directly at: sponsor/. Simply Sponsor a Real Break Student by clicking on DONATE and include the name of the individual (at the bottom under Honoree) you will be sponsoring. All help is appreciated, and a big THANK YOU in advance! Church Office Hours for the Holidays Closed on December 24 &25, 2015 Closed on December 31, 2015 & January 1, 2016 Regular Church Office Hours Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 9

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11 Holy Trinity Greek School HTGS is undertaking the Wish Star project, a program of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greece, (An affiliate of the Make-a-Wish Foundation International). ALL HOLY TRINITY FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE! By making a donation, by purchasing a star (or more), children of all ages may write their name and wishes for the wish children. Holy Trinity Greek School will be taking donations during the Coffee Hour, November 29, December 6, & 13 One star: $3 2 stars: $5 Fill out the stars and return to the Greek School to mail to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greece. You will receive all information with your purchase! All the relatives over for Christmas What could go wrong? DVD Available TODAY at Coffee Hour $20 benefitting Holy Trinity Greek School 11

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13 MISSION BLANKETS We are currently communicating with Fr. Alaniz in Anjara, Jordan about the logistics of sending our 32 blankets to the children of the Mother of Hope Orphanage where he is the director. As soon as the details have been arranged we will ship them. He has sent his blessings and appreciation in advance to all of you who have contributed to this effort, as well as our entire church. He is expressing great happiness in anticipation of receiving these "presents" for the children. Thank all of you who have given of your time, talent and treasure toward the orphans in Jordan. Now, while we start thinking about Christmas shopping, let's consider adding an orphan to our list. In spring next year we plan to reach out to a brand new children's home being started in Sierra Leone, West Africa. This is being done by another Orthodox priest in response to the aftermath of the Ebola crisis. It will be our 10th shipment, and we thank God for blessing us so that we in turn, can bless these precious children. WAYS YOU CAN GIVE: Ready- made twin blankets Hand made twin blankets Gently-used twin blankets Spools of ribbon or trim Checks made out to HTGOC (for shipping) "Mission Blankets" in memo line. Look for the box in the church hall marked "Mission Blankets." Contact one of us for any questions or suggestions: Nancy Hebert Karen Antos

14 St. BaSil S annual new Year S DaY Celebration/Brunch Everyone is invited to attend the St. Basil Fellowship's annual celebration in the Arthur L. Sarris Community Center immediately following Divine Liturgy on the first day of the new year, Thursday, January 1, Our fellowship is honored to host you, your family, friends and anyone visiting our parish that day. If you are new to the community and have someone in your family named after our patron saint, St. Basil, please contact Bill Karahal at , bkarahal@aol.com or Basil P. Xeros, , bexeros@att.net. It would be an honor to have you or your family member become a new fellowship member. There are no membership dues. 14

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19 Weekly Bulletin Stewardship Report as of 12/16/15 Contributions received 1/1/15 to 12/16/ Stewardship Pledges Number of Pledges $ 2015 Pledges No Change to Pledge 329 $360,513 Decreased Pledge 114 $103,132 Increased Pledge 234 $390,550 New Pledges 72 $54,845 $ Contributed to 2015 Stewardship % of 2015 Pledge Contributed TOTAL # of Pledges 749 $909,040 $787, % Jim Dolmas Harry Yianitsas 2015 Parish Council President 2015 Stewardship Chairman Merry Christmas from the Holy Trinity Bookstore! This month we are excited to have available THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE in soft leather! It would make a very nice gift for that someone special on your list. Also, THE WAY OF THE PILGRIM and THE NAMES OF JESUS are books we think you will surely enjoy during this wonderful season. Other good books to consider reading are HEAVENLY BANQUET and THE POCKET PSALTER handbook which is new to the Bookstore. We have several outstanding children s books for Christmas such as CELEBRATING THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, PICTURES OF GOD, FROM GOD TO YOU and THE HIDDEN GARDEN! There are always new gift items to discover and in addition to these items we have key chains, komboskini's for your car and home, wedding crown holders, Kantili, komboskini bracelets and much more. Don t miss the handmade byzantine jewelry from Gallery Byzantium in sterling silver and gold. We also have colorful ribbon crosses that are quite unique and beautiful. And, if you can t decide, we have Gift Certificates! Come in and browse around, you ll be glad you did! Your Bookstore Team: Mary Zotos, Betty Boyd, Alin Voicu and Mary & John Benson Sundays after Divine Liturgy until 12:30 p.m. & Wednesdays 1-3 p.m. 19

20 Let s see, the end of one year has once again arrived with the arrival of a new year. Do these years come and go, or go and come? Huh? What s Your Impression On This Year? All you can take with you is that which you ve given away (Hung on the wall of Bailey Brothers Building and Loan) By Harry Yianitsas, 2015 Stewardship Chairman How did you go for this year? What was your impression on this year? Ok, what am I talking about? Don t I really mean, How did this year go for you? and What was your impression of this year? If you re reading this, you certainly lived each day of this past year. Some may say this year was a good one, while others may say it wasn t so great. But all of us can reflect back on the passing year and how it was for us. It s in our nature to reflect back on how the year was for us. But that s not what this is about. Surely, the year had its high and low marks. Happy and sad. Memorable and forgettable. But what we should ask ourselves is what did we do to leave a lasting mark on this year? What s your impression on this year? What good did you accomplish? At Christmas, we receive many gifts, but what about the gifts we already have? What have we done with those? Did we volunteer our gift of time to help others? Did we use the gift of our talents to make a difference? What good became of our gift of treasure? Hopefully, we gave them away, because they are only useful when they are given away. Otherwise they re just things. How much did you give away? Each year leaves us with the chance to reflect back on what we accomplished, and the New Year gives us the opportunity to do decide to do better. What impression will we leave on this New Year? What gifts will we give away? As we pass from one year to the next, let s remember the above quote from the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. You never heard of Bailey Brothers? Why, that was George Bailey s bank in the film It s a Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart s character knew how to leave his impression. What impression will you leave?