ST. ELIJAH ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Transcription

1 ST. ELIJAH ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH N. May, Oklahoma City, OK Church Office: Church Website: Church FEBRUARY 1, 2015 Issue 27 Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican; and The Forefeast of the Presentation of the Lord. WELCOME DIRECTORY V. Rev. Fr. John Salem Pastor Rev. Fr. Jeremy Davis Associate Pastor V. Rev. Fr. Constantine Nasr Pastor Emeritus V. Rev. Fr. Basil McMurry Attached Rev. Dn. Ezra Ham Administrator Erin Ghata Youth Director Mom s Day Out & Pre-K Roxy Self Director mdo@stelijahokc.com Facebook: St Elijah Mom s Day Out Twitter: StElijahMDO DYNAMIS: Daily Bible Readings Ancient Faith Radio ancientfaith.com Number 5 We welcome all our visitors. It is an honor to have you worshipping with us. You may find the worship of the Ancient Church very different. We welcome your questions. Please join us for our Reception held in the Church Hall immediately following the Divine Liturgy. We understand Holy Communion to be an act of our unity in faith. While we work toward the unity of all Christians, it regrettably does not now exist. Therefore, only baptized Orthodox Christians (who have properly prepared) are permitted to participate in Holy Communion. However, everyone is welcome to partake of the blessed bread that is distributed at the end of the service. We look forward to meeting you during the Reception that follows the service. PARTICIPATION IN WORSHIP Orthros: The Divine Liturgy Memorial Service Churching Service Removal of Crowns Red Divine Liturgy Book p. 44 p. 9 p. 183 p. 216 p. 181

2 VARIATIONS IN TODAY S DIVINE LITURGY A B C D E The 1 st Antiphon: As usual... The 2 nd Antiphon: As usual... The 3 rd Antiphon: Troparion of the Resurrection - Tone 1 The Entrance Hymn O come let us worship... Troparion of the Resurrection Tone 1 While the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world; for which cause the heavenly powers cried aloud unto Thee, O Giver of Life: Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ; glory to Thy Kingdom; glory to Thy Providence, O Thou Who alone art the Lover of mankind! Troparion of the Forefeast - Tone 1 The Heavens' choir looked down from the vaults of the Heavens, and gazing on the earth, they beheld with amazement the First-born of all creation brought forth as a suckling babe to the Temple by a pure and virginal mother; and with us, they now do sing a hymn for the Forefeast, astonished and full of awe. Troparion of St. Elijah - Tone 4 Angelic Body, Pillar of Prophets and their Corner Stone, Forerunner of the Second-Coming of Christ; thou didst send Grace from on high to Elisha, to dispel sickness and to purify lepers, Glorious Elijah, thou dost overflow with healing to those who honor thee. Kontakion of the Forefeast - Tone 4 On this day in purest thought with hearts embrace the Lord; as in arms receive him as he maketh now his sojourn, O ye the faithful, and bring to him in songs your offerings of pre-festal praises. F G The Thrice-Holy Hymn THE READINGS THE EPISTLE Make your vows and pay them to the Lord our God. God is known in Judea; His name is great in Israel! The reading is from St. Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy (3:10-15) My child Timothy, you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings, what things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. What persecutions I endured! And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Indeed all who would live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But people who are wicked and deceivers will proceed from worse to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and how from infancy you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. THE GOSPEL From the Holy Gospel according to Luke (18:10-14) The Lord spoke this parable: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But

3 the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself with be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." H I J The Megalynarion It is truly meet... The Communion Hymn Praise the Lord from the heavens... We have seen the true light... OFFERINGS HOLY BREAD is offered by Aarron and Brandi Fraysur for their good health and the good health of their children and godchildren. It is especially offered for the Collett family on the occasion of their baptism and chrismation. It is also offered for Brandi (1-1), Gloria (1-21), and Catherine (1-30) on the occasion of their birthdays. May God grant them many years. HOLY BREAD is offered by Todd, Libby, Justin, Monique, Blair, and Stephanie Naifeh for their good health and the good health of the Naifeh family. It is especially offered for Franklin Naifeh on the occasion of his birthday. May God grant him many years. HOLY BREAD is offered by Saundra and Jim Farha for their good health and the good health of their children and grandchildren, Andrew, Christopher and Hilaree, Jennifer, Sammy, and Sammy IV and for the Farha and Shadid families. It is especially offered for Andrew on the occasion of his 30th birthday and for Nadia Shadid on the occasion of her birthday, both last week. It is also offered for the good health of Sam Shadid. May God grant them many years. HOLY BREAD is offered by Kathy Killam for her good health and the good health of the Killam and Stephenson families. It is especially offered for Matt, Stoli, and their daughter Emery Kate on the occasion of her birth (1/23/15). May God grant them many years. ANNOUNCEMENTS WELCOME. We welcome all visitors. We are delighted you are worshipping with us and look forward to meeting you personally. COFFEE HOUR is hosted today by the Hospitality Committee. Please join us immediately following Divine Liturgy. Visitors are especially welcome. CONGRATULATIONS to Christopher and Elizabeth Haggard on the baptism of their daughter Mary Elizabeth yesterday, January 31. May God grant her many years. FAST-FREE WEEK. This week (following the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican) is fastfree. All types of food and drink may be consumed throughout the week. SaGE" GRADES 5-7 meets today. Those children who will be participating should go directly to the teen room after communion. Lunch will be provided, and we'll finish up around 2pm. Parents are encouraged to attend Deacon Ezra's seminar: "An Intimate Marriage" (see below). "AN INTIMATE MARRIAGE." This discussion with Deacon Ezra will help parents and future parents prepare for the often dreaded task of teaching their children about sexuality. It meets today, 12:30-2pm, in the classroom that opens off the north end of Naifeh Hall (aka "Fr. Basil's classroom"). Lunch will be provided. CLERGY RETREAT. Fr. John, Fr. Jeremy, and Deacon Ezra will be in Wichita for the annual diocesan clergy retreat this Tuesday through Friday, February 3-6. The church office will remain open this week, and services next weekend will proceed as usual. NO TUESDAY MATINS this week, February 3.

4 NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMS this week, February 4, including Vespers, Teen Chats, and Family Night. NO ORTHODOX STUDY FELLOWSHIP this Thursday, February 5. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who helped to prepare and deliver the Hamburger Delight casseroles. We had a fabulous turnout. It was truly a team effort and a huge success. We made 19 large and 20 small casseroles that were delivered to our community agencies, the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter and the Holy Family Home, as well as our Agape casseroles to our St. Elijah families. It would not have been possible without all your hard work and labor of love. On behalf of the Community Connection and myself, thank you for taking the time to help with this rewarding project. God bless you. Your sister in Christ, Tami Simon THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD: Tomorrow, February 2, we will celebrate the "churching" of Jesus Christ with 7:45am Festal Matins and 9am Divine Liturgy. Come all ye feast-lovers! EXERCISE! It's a new year, so join the exercise class! We are meeting with a personal trainer twice a week in the church gym. Tuesday and Friday mornings at 8am. Come be a part of the group. Stay fit and have fun. Very reasonable rates!??? HELP! We love that you are supporting the Building Restoration and Maintenance Fund, but it would be a great help if you did not include that donation on the same check with your other giving to the church. These are separate bank accounts and, if you give us a combined check, then we have to write a check from the General Fund to the Building Restoration Fund. Thanks for helping us out. VIGIL CANDLE is lit by Mike and Teese Mullings for our troops serving in harm's way. It is especially lit for those serving in Afghanistan. May they be kept safe from every enemy and adversary. C O F F E E H O U R Below is the schedule of those who will host Coffee Hour on upcoming Sundays. February March 8 - MDO 1 - (Fasting) 15 - Adult Fellowship 8 - (Fasting (Meat Fare Brunch) 15 - (Fasting) 22 - Orthodox Supper Club 22 - (Fasting) 29 - (Fasting) HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK FEB. 1-7 Lukasz Baker Dr. Neil Woodward Raegan Coffey Dorothy Harroz Erika Kouri Dr. Gary Rahill Mark Loftis John Klopp Mary Sweis Sydney Farris Nazek Sweiss John Wilson Chris Waters Jake Kouri Dina Hamman Haitham Sweis Lucy Shanbour Today we remember those who reposed in the Lord during this week in years past: Helen B. "Buster" Naifeh Kamil D. Eddie, Jr. Frank Varis Lorene Farha Massad Kamees (M. K.) Massad Lillie Wunneburger Moses F. Jabara Meeble N. Deeba Igor Sofronow Ruth Kamas Albert Calling All Seniors! On Thursday, February 12, we will visit the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur. Please be here no later than 8:15am, as the bus will LEAVE St. Elijah at 8:30am. Admission is included. Lunch will be on your own at the Cultural Center Cafe. We will stop at Bedré Chocolates on the return trip. The bus will accommodate 39 people; so please RSVP to Kay in the church office at ASAP.

5 Start Lent strong with Pure Week Services February 22-27, 2015 Sunday, February 22 5pm Forgiveness Vespers (nursery provided) Monday, February 23 6pm Great Compline with the Canon of Repentance Tuesday, February 24 6pm Great Compline with the Canon of Repentance Wednesday, February 25 6:30pm Presanctified Liturgy followed by Lenten potluck (at St Elijah) Thursday, February 26 6pm Great Compline with the Canon of Repentance Friday, February 27 6:30pm Akathist to the Theotokos

6 Presanctified Liturgies Every Wednesday during Great Lent 6pm Ninth Hour and Typika 6:30pm Presanctified Liturgy followed by a Lenten potluck supper (nursery provided) February 25 at St Elijah March 4 at St George Church March 11 at St Elijah Sunday School Scoop High school and 8th grade will meet in the 7th and 8th grade room today due to SAGE. Parents: PLEASE, you do not need to stay in the Communion line with your students. The Narthex is crowded and hectic and having extra people makes It's time to start preparing for the 2015 Bible Bowl competition. This year's questions will come from the book "Saint Raphael Hawaweeny," and will be all about the life of St. Raphael. Anyone interested in participating talk to Erin. Please note: all participants must be able to attend the March 18 at St George Church (March 25 Vesperal Liturgy at St Elijah) April 1 at St George Church SAGE (Sex and God Education) for grades 5-7 will begin right after Communion in the Teen Room. If you have a student in this age group, and you do NOT want them to attend, please keep them with you in your pew through the end of Liturgy (there will not be Sunday School today for these grades). 5th-7th graders who will participate in SaGE should proceed to the Teen Room for lunch! Parents, don't forget about Deacon Ezra's parent class beginning immediately after Liturgy. No Teen Chats this Wednesday due to the Clergy Retreat. Applications for campers, staff and CIT's for Camp St. Raphael 2015* are now available online at YABOY! *Apply soon. Spots fill up very quickly!

7 Worship and Spiritual Life Sunday Matins at 8:50 am Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am Wednesday Vespers at 6:15 pm Tuesday Matins at 7:00 am Saturday Vespers at 5:00 pm Confessions throughout the week. Call one of the Fathers for an appointment. Study Sunday Sunday School: Children s Classes after Communion Adult Class at 9:00 am. No classes during the summer. Wednesday Family Night 7-9 pm. Runs in 8-week blocks. Look for announcements of upcoming sessions. A full Program of Seminars and Classes for Adults, Children and Youth for both Orthodox and Non-Orthodox. Bible Study Thursdays at 10:30 am; nursery provided Fellowship & Parish Development Coffee Hour Sundays following the Divine Liturgy 20/40 Fellowship monthly as announced Ladies Aid Meetings as announced Teen Chats Wednesday Nights Adult Fellowship Meetings as announced Antiochian Women s Guild as scheduled and announced Parish Council every 3 rd Tuesday at 7 pm Choir see Al Mamary ( ) St. Elijah Charities To be determined Membership To become a member, you need to pray with us at our worship services, complete the Inquirer s Classes, and talk with our priests about your interest in the Orthodox faith. This process normally takes 12 months. We welcome you on your journey of faith and invite you to learn of the ancient and unchanging Holy Orthodox Church. FEBRUARY 1, 2015 USHERS: Dru Alleman, Aarron Fraysur, Ray Hibbard, Jr., Dr. Naji Karam, Malek Massad, Toby Pedford, Vesko Sariyski, F. S. Simon ALTAR SERVERS: Joseph Eid, Isaac Wilson, Alexander Weddington, Konstantin Ganchev, Roman Baker, Conner Swearingen, Jack Naifeh, Samuel Shadid, Amir Sweis EPISTLE READER: Carol Comp ELDERS: Cecil Garlin, Harvey Homsey, Mike Malone, Bob Miller, Richard Samara, Ned Shadid, Sr. BOOKSTORE: Tari Tibbits DEADLINE FOR THE BULLETIN IS 5:00 PM ON TUESDAY CALENDAR Sunday Feb. 1 SaGE for 5th-7th Graders following Communion SaGE Parents Discussion 12:30 pm Monday Feb. 2 Festal Matins 7:45 am Divine Liturgy for the 9:00 am Presentation of the Lord in the Temple Choir Rehearsal 7:00 pm Tuesday Feb. 3 NO MATINS CLERGY RETREAT IN WICHITA Wednesday Feb. 4 CLERGY RETREAT IN WICHITA NO VESPERS NO TEEN CHATS NO FAMILY NIGHT Thursday Feb. 5 CLERGY RETREAT IN WICHITA NO ORTHODOX STUDY FELLOWSHIP Friday Feb. 6 CLERGY RETREAT IN WICHITA Saturday Feb. 7 Great Vespers 5:00 pm