THE CANON BUILDING BRIDGES. ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH October 2017 Volume 45 Issue 10. My Dear Spiritual Children,

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1 M/M Vasilios Tsardoulias Mrs. Maria Glavas Tuesday October 10 M/M James Kollias Mrs. Alexandra Deskins M/M Petros Nicolaou ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH October 2017 Volume 45 Issue 10 M/M Marc Jackson Andrea Nicolaou Monday, October 2 Mrs. Chris Grumbos Mrs. Maria Athanas Mrs. James A. Asimou M/M George Mehas Mrs. Kathy Plomaritis M/M Nick Bardosas M/M Steve Chekouras M/M Vasilios Boumis M/M Kevin Cullen M/M Albert Matlin M/M Kenny Asimou Tuesday October 17 M/M Gus Marzavas M/M Ted Pappas Dr. /M Peter Stamatis THE CANON BUILDING BRIDGES M/M Chris Kollias Mrs. Lavern Keron Tuesday, Octoer 3 M/M Dennis Christo Mrs. Vasiliki Ioanidis M/M Gay Adkins Miss. Andrea Korogianos Wednesday, October 4 M/M Louis Vlahos Mr. Chris Vlahos M/M James G. Asimou M/M Pete Paradissis Mrs. Donna Miller M/M Jack Huber M/M George Kantouros Monday October 9 M/M Benny Matos M/M Anthony Antonopoulos M/M Aris Varouh M/M Mark Varouh M/M John Geanos Wednesday October 11 Mrs. George Karas Mrs. Beverly Korgianos Mrs. Mary Kallis Mrs. Olga Delis M/M Pete Kamoutsis Friday October 13 Mrs. Danese Antonopoulos M/M Ron Varouh M/M Tom Asimou M/M Anastasios Koutsaftis Mrs. Kalliope Koutsaftis M/M George Kamoutsis Saturday October 14 Mr. George Georgas Mrs. Ketty Atheneos M/M Apostolos Makris M/M Kostas Fourlaris Mrs. Elaine Georgas M/M Zisis Kalivas Monday October 16 Demetra Lieb Mrs. Amalia Karaboyias M/M John Marzavas M/M James Marzavas Thursday October 19 Ms. Bessie Aslanidis M/M Alex Georgas M/M Chris Georgas M/M Ben Butkowski M/M Pete Epitropoulos Miss Dorothy Epitropoulos Mrs. Ula Fedor M/M Alex Karaboyias Friday October 20 M/M Sam Anadiotis M/M John Anadiotis M/M Nick Dalagiannis Mr. Paul Karras Saturday October 21 M/M Dave Karolak M/M Doug Bowman Mr. Peter Mellio M/M Mike Karniotis M/M Tony Chargaros M/M Dean Shelley My Dear Spiritual Children, Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms began to quarrel. It was the first time in 40 years that it became so serious. They would always work side by side. They shared machinery. They traded labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then it all fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference. Finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words. After that there was only silence. One morning there was a knock on John s door. He opened it to find a man wit a carpenter s toolbox. I m looking for a couple of days work he said. Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there that I could help with? Yes, said John, the older brother. I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That s my neighbor; in fact, it s my younger brother, Mark. Last week there was a meadow between us. But he took a bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I ll go him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence an 8-foot fence - so I won t need to see his place or face any more. The carpenter said, I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the posthole digger and I ll be able to do a job that pleases you. The older brother had to go to town so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! It was a fine piece of work, handrails and all. And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, with is hand outstretched. You are quite a brother to build this bridge after all I ve said and done. The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, (Continued on page 3)

2 October 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 11 HOME BLESSING SCHEDULE 2017 On Monday, September 18 th Father will begin Home Blessings. Monday- Friday: 4:00 p.m- 7:00 p.m. Saturday: 1:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m. Please prepare the following for Father s Visit: A table with a table cloth 1 Orth. 9:15 SUNDAY SCHOOL BEGINS 8 Orthros 9: AHEPA 6:30 PM Philoptochos 7:00 PM SENIORS 5:00 PM Parish Council 7:00 PM Philoptochos Buckeye Clambake A lit candle And Icon A bowl of water And a list of names of the immediate family for health (living) If you do not see your name on the list and want your home blessed or if you will not be home on your scheduled day and wish to reschedule, or do not wish to have your home blessed Please contact the Office ( ) LIST NOT IN ORDER OF VISITATION 15 Orthros 9:15 22 Orthros 9:15 29 Orth. 9:15 D. Lit 10:00 OXI DAY PRAYER AHEPA 6:30 PM 18 Night with Father 7:00 PM St. Demetrios Orthros 9:30 10:15 AM Monday, September 18 Mrs. Nick Barbaresso Mrs. Ekaterine Douzos Mrs. Katherine Gargalianos M/M George Kalamaras M/M Larry Kontokanis Mrs. Anita Fine Tuesday, September 19 M/M Al Wallace M/M Tom Demos M/M Konstantinos Antoniou M/M Kostas Peskiris M/M Gus Markou Sia Markou M/M Kris Kramp Wednesday, September 20 Mrs. Marie Carone Mrs. Martha Marshall M/M Chris Psaropoulos M/M Bobby Psaropoulos M/M Nick Nicolaou Mrs. K. Karomogianis-Kamp Mrs. Rita Vandengoobergh M/M Chris Patsios Thursday, September 21 M/M Steve Stevens Mrs. Jerasimos Keron M/M Brandon Hocking M/M Nick Reppas M/M Ferando Maskarinos M/M Seraphim Kollias Friday, September 22 M/M Zack Kantouros M/M Constantine Gulgas M/M Phil Vasilakis Monday, September 25 Mrs. Papouras Mr. Nick Kontos Mrs. Ted Patouhas M/M Nick Patouhas Tuesday, September 26 M/M Ted Ristas Mr. Mike Poulos

3 (Continued from page 1) and then they met in the middle, taking each other s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his took box on his shoulder. 3 I d love to stay on, the carpenter said, but, I have many more bridges to build. In Christ s Love, No, wait! Stay a few days. I ve a lot of other projects for you, said the older brother. + Fr. Michael TWO TRAYS NOT ONE (Stewardship) Someone said one Sunday during the offering, Here we go again! There s always a tray. The person was right in one way and wrong in another. There is not one tray but two! One tray is man s; the offering tray that is passed to us every Sunday. The other tray is God s. And that is the Paten (the diskos ), the tray that carries the Precious Body of our Lord during the Liturgy. Two trays not one! God gives first. He gives us our body, mind, life, health, talents. On the Paten- the plate of mercy, He give us Himself as the Bread of Life, the manna from heaven. He gives forgiveness, strength, courage. He gives victory over sin and death. He gives eternal life. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished upon us (Eph. 1:7-8) God gives. He lavishes upon us the riches of His grace. That is the meaning of the first tray- the Paten. The second tray which is passed every Sunday the offering tray- represents our response to the first tray. We are invited to give in gratitude for God s generosity, for His limitless forgiveness and mercy. The emptiness of the offering tray represents the aching needs of the Church which we are called upon to assist. The thought comes to me quite often that there will come a time for each one of us when we shall no longer be able to give. When death comes, our giving will be over. For all eternality God will be doing the giving to us. So, the time for us to give is now. The time for us to love is now. The time for us to share what God has given us is now. We give, but He gave first. Two trays not one! However much we give, it will never be more than just a minute fraction of what we receive from Him.

4 ST. JAMES THE BROTHER OF THE LORD (IAKOVOS) October 23 rd. St. James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, was not an Apostle. He is called Brother of the Lord (Aldelphotheos) because he s a step -brother to the Lord. Joseph was a widower and prior to his betrothal to the Theotokos, and Joseph had sons and daughters from the previous marriage. He witnessed one of the appearances of the risen Lord (Cor. 15:7). He was also among the Apostles and the Mother of Jesus in the Upper Room after the Lord s Ascension waiting for the fulfillment of His promise (Act. 1:13) James was distinguished for his warm faith, his zeal, and his prudence. Therefore, he was regarded as a person of special authority and became the first bishop of the Church in Jerusalem. He was also famous for his austerity and justice for which he was called James the Just. James was the one to whom St. Peter sent news of his deliverance out of prison (Acts. 12:17). He with Peter and John received Paul when he came to Jerusalem after his conversion (Galatians 2:9). He was one of the major speakers of the Apostolic Synod (Acts. 15:13-22). James leading position provoked hatred among the Jewish leaders, who stoned him to death. St. James is held to be the writer: a) of one of the General Epistles included in the Canon of the New Testament. And b) of the first written of the Church which is performed on his feast day. ST. DEMETRIOS AND HIS FRIEND NESTOR October 26/27 Saint Demetrios was born in the city of Thessalonica in Asia Minor. His father was the military governor of that city and was a secret believer in Christ. The governor had a special room set aside in his home where he and a few of his very trusted Cristian friends would pray in secret. T 9 NIGHT WITH FATHER WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18 TH 7:00 P.M. TOPIC: THE VIRGIN MARY WHO IS SHE? THEOTOKOS MOTHER OF GOD PANAYIA ALL HOLY MARY VIRGIN MARY WHAT IS HER ROLE IN OUR LIFE AND SALVATION?

5 5 PHILOPTOCHOS 3RD ANNUAL BUCKEYE CLAMBAKE & TAILGATE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 2000 TOWER BOULEVARD LORAIN, OHIO ***TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED*** CLAM BROTH CLAM CHOWDER 1 DOZEN CLAMS HANDFUL OF MUSSELS FOR RESERVATIONS & MORE INFORMATION: hilariousgreek@gmail.com CALL OR WATCH NEBRASKA VS OHIO STATE On the Big Screen! Clambake: $35 (includes 1 dozen clams) $45 (includes 2 dozen clams) CASH BAR CLAMBAKE MENU GRILLED LEMON HERB CHICKEN CORN ON THE COB BABY REDSKIN POTATO ROLL & BUTTER The governor and his wife were very sad because they had no children, so they prayed to God to send them a child. Their prayers were answered and they were blessed with a son whom they named Demetrios. The baby was secretly baptized and brought up as an Orthodox Christian. His parents were wealthy so he obtained an excellent education, and as a young man he distinguished himself as a soldier and was greatly loved by the emperor. When his parents died, Demetrios was called before the Emperor and was appointed military governor in his father s place. He was told by the Emperor to persecute all Christians, but instead. Demetrios continued to preach the Christian Faith. Soon, he heard that the Emperor was coming to Thessalonica, so he immediately sold half of his estate and distributed the proceeds among the poor and the other half of his estate to a trusted servant so he could continue to help the needy. Thessalonica to attend the gladiatorial games, which were held annually in the city. The Emperor was enraged to learn that Demetrios, a soldier in his imperial army was preaching Christianity so successfully that hundreds army personal and civilians were converted to the faith. The Emperor ordered the immediate arrest of St. Demetrios and he was thrown into prison where he continued to praise God and encouraged other imprisoned Christians to be brave and believe firmly in Jesus. The Emperor brought to the gladiatorial games his favorite gladiator who was called Lyaesus the giant. This gladiator stood over seven feet tall and was the greatest fighter in the arena. No one dared to challenge him in combat. While St. Demetrios was in prison, he was visited regularly by his good friend Nestor. Nestor told Demetrios about the giant Lyaeus, and Demetros decided to how the Emperor the power of the Christian faith. Demetrios told his young friend Nestor to challenge Lyaeus to combat in the arena. Demetrios told Nestor that Christian prayers would see to it that h would defeat Lyaeus. The word was spread through the city that the prayers of Demetrios would help Nestor defeat the giant gladiator, Lyaeus. The Emperor was amazed by such a ridiculous claim and was very anxious to witness the slaughter of Nestor in the arena at the hands of his favorite gladiator. Nestor, however, defeated the giant within a matter of minutes. The thousands in the arena could not believe their eyes with such sudden defeat of the greatest gladiator in the Empire. The Emperor was so angered that he ordered the immediate death of Nestor and Demetrios. When the freedom of Christianity was proclaimed finally, many miracles were performed at the Church near where the body of St. Demetrius was buried. One wealthy person, after being miraculously cured of an illness, vowed that he would build a new church in honor of St. Demetrios. After the church was built and the grave of the Saint was opened so it could be taken into the new church, they found the Saint s body intact as if it had just been buried, although many years had since passed by. From there came sweet odor and a secretion in the form of oil-myrrh, which when applied to a sick person, cured him. This is why Saint Demetrios is called The Myrrh- bearer. The feast day of Saint Demetrious is celebrated on October 26 th. the feast day of Saint Nestor is celebrated on October 27 th.

6 7 Ask Father: Q: Regarding Church discipline, how do we know when to forgive the harlot and when to take a whip to the money changers? A: The following passage from St. John Chrysostom s Sermon on Matthew may be of help in answering your question. Judge not; that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1) What then? Ought we not to blame them that sin?...how does he say elsewhere, Reprove, rebuke, exhort (2 Timothy 4:20) and Them that sin rebuke before all (I timothy 5:20)? Besides, if this were to take place, all would be equally lost, whether in churches, or in states or in houses. For except the master judges the servant, and the mistress the maid, and the father, the son, and friends one another, there will be an increase or all wickedness (and all things will be turned upside down. What then can the saying be? Let us carefully attend, lest the medicine of salvation and the laws of peace be accounted by any man as laws of over throw and confusion In this place He does not simply command us not o judge any of men s sis, nor does He forbid the doing of such a thing, but He speaks to them that are full in innumerable ills and trample on other men for trifles You see, we ought not to upbraid or trample upon them, but to admonish; not to revile, but t advise; not to assail with pride, but to correct with tenderness. For, you see, it is not him, but yourself you make subject of extreme vengeance, by not sparing im when it may be needful to condemn his offenses. The Lord says with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. ) Correct him, but not as a foe, nor as an adversary exacting a penalty, but as a physician providing medicines. Christ did not say, Don t prevent others from sinning. But he said judge not, that is, be not bitter in pronouncing sentence. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: October 14 th - Clam Bake December 9 St. Nicholas Dance December 10 Metropolitan Savas visit. FOOD FESTIVAL 2017 Our Food Festival has come and gone leaving us with a feeling of accomplishment. It was a successful event because we worked very hard and we worked together for St. Nicholas. We wish to thank all the Festival Chair People, their Committees and everyone who worked long hours: preparing, cooking, baking pastries, serving food, helping in the Silent auction, our Dance Group, setting up and cleaning up, etc. We could not have done it without your help!!! We cannot thank you enough for your hard work, love and dedication to this Church. Baptism: We welcome into our family: - Justin Roland Moore who was Baptized on August 26, 2017 and his God Parents were Tom and Jennifer Asimou. -Annoula Maria Pylarinos the daughter of John Pylarinos and Misty Colonna who was baptized on September 3, 2017 and her God Mother was Amelia Pylarinos. Seniors: Our first meeting is Thursday October 5 th at 5:00 p.m. Please bring a side dish to share with our meal. Memorial Services: October 8 October 15 November 5 Sympathy: Thespo Szanto - 1 yr. Sevasti Carayiannis - 6 months. Mary Korogianos - 1 year Our deepest sympathy to Danese Antonopoulos and her family upon the death of their son and brother, Nicholas, who fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, May God rest his soul and grant peace and comfort to the family. PHILOPTOCHOS BUCKEYE CLAMBAKE It s time to buy your tickets for the Buckeye Clambake which will be held on Saturday, October 14th, Zahars Hall. Tickets are $35 for one dozen clams and $45 for two dozen clams. Meal includes Clam broth, clam chowder, lemon herbed grilled chicken, potatoes, corn and more. We are waiting for game time to be announced. Join us for the game... GO BUCKS! Νά μας ζήσου!!!