27 TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 10 TH SUNDAY OF LUKE

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1 10748 E. 116 th Street Fishers, Indiana (317) V. Rev. Father Nabil L. Hanna, Pastor (317) Rev. James A. Childs, Deacon (317) Rev. Joseph S. Olas, Deacon (317) A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest TONE 2 DECEMBER 10, 2017 EOTHINON 5 27 TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 10 TH SUNDAY OF LUKE MARTYRS MENAS, EUGRAPHOS & HERMOGENES OF ALEXANDRIA VENERABLE THOMAS DEPHOURKINOS OF BITHYNIA BLESSED ANGELINA BRANCOVICH AND HER SON BLESSED JOHN, KING OF SERBIA JOASAPH, BISHOP OF BELGOROD As we observe Stewardship Commitment Sunday in our parish, we find no better example of commitment than that of the holy martyrs who went before us. The Emperor Maximian (r ) sent St. Menas the Most Eloquent from Athens to Alexandria to suppress riots between Christians and pagans. Distinguished for military skill and a gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly preached the Christian Faith and converted many pagans. Learning of this, Maximian sent Hermogenes to Alexandria to purge the city of Christians. Hermogenes, though a pagan, was struck by St. Menas endurance under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, and he also came to believe in Christ. Maximian himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the endurance of Ss. Menas and Hermogenes under torture, nor even the miracles manifested by God in this city, mollified the Emperor. The Emperor personally stabbed Eugraphos, St. Menas secretary, and gave orders to behead Ss. Menas and Hermogenes. Note that the St. Menas of Alexandria commemorated today is not to be confused with the Great Martyr Menas of Egypt, who is commemorated on November 11.

2 For our St. Nicholas observance: You are invited to take off your shoes and to put them in one of the coat rooms. You can come into church with just socks on your feet. Schedule of Regular Weekly Services Sundays: Matins, 8:50 AM Confession: Divine Liturgy, 10 AM Wednesdays: Vespers, 6:30 PM Saturdays: After Saturday Vespers During Sunday Matins Or by Appointment Great Vespers, 5 PM Remember to turn cell phones off! See Calendar for Feast Days and Other Weekday Services Scheduled Order for Holy Communion A Warm Welcome to Our Guests Members of the Orthodox Church age seven and above must prepare for Holy Communion with a recent confession, prayer, fasting from all food and drink from midnight (unless medical condition preclude it), being in church before the Epistle and Gospel readings, and being at peace with everyone. We are glad you are worshipping with us. Please note that participation in Holy Communion is limited to members of the Orthodox Church in good standing, who have prepared with prayer, fasting and confession. CHILDREN going to church school and their teachers should come down the center aisle first. (Small children may need to be assisted by their parents.) ALL OTHERS should wait until an usher dismisses your row from the center aisle. Then return to your place by a side aisle for the prayers of thanksgiving and the final blessing and dismissal. Please let choir members pass when they come down for Communion. For all others: though we cannot share Communion with you since it is an expression of membership and full unity in faith you are welcome to come forward after the dismissal, receive a blessing and partake of the blessed bread (from the large bowls). Please also sign our guest book, and introduce yourself to Fr. Nabil during the coffee hour. You may inquire with him how you can become a member.

3 L I T U RGY VA R I AT I O N S 3 RD ANTIPHON: TROPARION OF THE RESURRECTION (TONE 2) When Thou didst submit Thyself unto death, O Thou deathless and immortal One, then Thou didst destroy hell with Thy godly power. And when Thou didst raise the dead from beneath the earth, all the powers of Heaven did cry aloud unto Thee: O Christ, Thou Giver of life, glory to Thee. APOLYTIKIA AFTER THE ENTRANCE When Thou didst submit Thyself. Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 2) Troparion for Ss. Menas, Eugraphos & Hermogenes of Alexandria (Tone 8) Since they had slain through their abstinence and struggles the fiery ragings and fierce motions of the passions, the staunch Martyrs of Christ God laid hold on the graces to drive off the pains and illnesses of the sick and work wonders both while living and after death. Strange indeed is the miracle: that these bare bones should pour forth such overflowing streams of cures. Glory be to our only God. As Deliverer of captives and Defender of the poor, Healer of the infirm, Champion of kings, Troparion for St. George (Tone 4, Russian) victorious Great-Martyr George, intercede with Christ, our God, for our souls salvation. Kontakion in Preparation for the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Tone 3) The Virgin cometh today to the cave to give birth, ineffably to bring forth the Word eternal. Therefore, rejoice, O earth at the message. With the angels and shepherds give glory to Him who shall appear by His own will as a young child, He Who is from eternity God. SCRIPTURE LESSONS The Lord is my strength and my song. Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely. Prokeimenon (Tone 2; Psalm , 18 LXX)

4 Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians ( ; 27 th Sunday after Pentecost) Brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. From the Gospel according to St. Luke (13:10-17; 10 th Sunday of Luke) AT THAT TIME, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, Woman, you are freed from your infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. Then the Lord answered him, You hypocrite! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? As Jesus said this, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him. HOLY OBLATIONS AND PRAYER REQUESTS By Riyad, Imad and Nihad Bannourah and their families, for the repose of brother Iyad (third/ninth day memorial), and for the health of the Bannourah, Musleh, Khoury, Shomali, Baboul and Abu Sada families, for peace everywhere, and in memory of all the departed of their families, particularly Saliba, Suad, Ziyad, Anton and Mariam. By Tanya and Tala Bannourah, for the health of Riyad Bannourah, as he travels overseas. By Jamal and Fazzeh Omeish, for the health of Issa Omeish and family, Nasreen Omeish and family, and Samer Omeish and family. A sign-up sheet for baking and offering the prosphora (altar bread) is posted on the bulletin board, next to the elevator. You can also contact Thelma Hoover at (317)

5 A N N O U N CEMENTS PLEASE JOIN US FOR FELLOWSHIP AFTER LITURGY Coffee hour is hosted today by the Stewardship Ministry Team. Church school snack is hosted today by the Mason family. Sign-up sheets for 2018 coffee hour as well as for the Church School snack are posted on the bulletin board next to the elevator. (Something simple is all that s expected, though you may do more, if you want, for a special occasion.) STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY AND APPRECIATION LUNCH Our pledge drive culminates today, our annual Stewardship Commitment Sunday, where we make our pledges, followed by a brunch as a token of our appreciation for you and your sacrifices for God s work. This is the day we all renew our commitments to God s church by turning in our pledge cards today (or mailing them back as soon as possible). This commitment is in the form of our annual stewardship pledge. This is the pledge we make to continue the operational support of our new church for the coming year and needs to be kept separate from the building fund pledge. At the dismissal, Fr. Nabil and our parish council will begin with depositing their pledge cards, and we ask everyone to follow suit. We would like to receive all pledge cards on this day (otherwise, please mail them back to church as soon as you can). The Stewardship Ministry Team, Thomas Assalley, Jeff Campbell, Elaine Eckhart, Duke Haddad, Patrick Koers I/we pledge a reasonable and fair share of the blessings received from God as a token of thanksgiving and in support for His Holy Church.

6 ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE CAMP The Camp is adjusting some of their pricing and policies. Thus, we will have an informational meeting with parents of potential campers after today s Stewardship Appreciation lunch to discuss how our parish is looking to respond and help families better. Camp is one of the most important aspects of our youth ministry. The programs at the Antiochian Village Camp fill up fast, and we don t want anyone left out. For Summer Camp our parish will be going to Session II, July 1-13, Winter Family Camp registration is now open Winter Camp registration is now open Summer Camp registration opens this week September Family Camp registration opens the week of January 8-12 WEDNESDAY ALL-PARISH PROGRAM We will start with evening prayer (abbreviated Vespers service) at 6:30 pm Immediately after Vespers, we have dinner prepared. So just pick up your family (if any) after work, and come on over. Youth will have games and a chat with Kyle Reif about how our Faith intersects their daily lives. We conclude the Search the Scriptures Adult Study this week with a Wrap-up Q&A and Explanation of the Church Building. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the triad of spiritual disciplines has been our tradition since the beginning. We are taught that we should not fast without also praying, lest it become a weight-loss exercise and not a sacrificial act that will allow us to draw closer to God. We fast, sacrificing food, so that our prayers come from a hunger for God, and His wisdom. Many of us were taught to put alms in the coin boxes, especially during Lent. Our dime or quarter was a sacrifice years ago, like the widow who put in all she had (Luke 21:1-4). Our understanding of giving comes from the first few pages of the Bible. Abraham, in thanksgiving for his victory in battle, offers a tithe to the priest, Melchizedek (Genesis14:14-20). Giving is tithing and offering accompanied by prayer and fasting. Tithing is sacrificial giving, and requires trust, since we are to give a tithe first, from our paycheck. We should never think of that 10% as available for us to spend. It is the Lord s take money returned to the Lord for the purposes of His kingdom offered with prayer and fasting. Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Christian Education

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8 CHRISTMAS CHARITY OPPORTUNITIES Coat drive and toiletries In conjunction with Holy Trinity, we are collecting new and gently used coats and gloves and new hats and scarves for the Embrace program at Eskenazi Hospital to help the Pink Ribbon Connection. Some of the breast cancer patients don't even have coats to go to the hospital for their treatments. Items can be for either women or men. The items collected for men will be forwarded to Wheeler Mission. We will also collect toiletries such as soap, shower gel, lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste for them as well. Giving Tree: our Christmas Assistance for local families We are again sponsoring children for Christmas from families needing assistance for Christmas in Indianapolis. This year we are sponsoring Families from Anna s House, Brightwood Community Center, which is located in our old Church neighborhood, and of course some of our own parishioners! a) Choose as many tags as you can from the Christmas Giving Tree! Tags will include the size, gender etc., of an item. b) Return your gift, wrapped, by December 10. If you forgot to bring the Christmas gifts today, please bring them during office hours this week, no later than Thursday. (Please do not put your own name on tag, as the gift is from the entire parish, but please keep the original tag with the gift, so we can identify who should receive it.) c) We will also use funds from your generosity in the Christmas Card for fresh food for the sponsored families. d) We will gather at church at 10 am Saturday, Dec. 16, to load and deliver the gifts. This is a very moving experience for families, and the charity ministry team invites you to be part of this experience, which teaches our youth important lessons. Canned and Non-perishable Food for Our Food Pantry From now until Christmas, as part of our parish participation in the Archdiocese-wide World Food Day program, we ask you to bring in canned goods and other non-perishable items. You can place them on the table in the main Lobby. Please check the expiration date on the items you purchase and try to bring items whose expiration date is in late 2018 or after. PLEASE DO NOT BRING EXPIRED ITEMS.

9 In order to keep the food pantry manageable, please bring only the following items: December 10 Peanut butter, jelly, breakfast bars, snack and/or protein bars December 17 Spaghetti & other pastas, dry or canned; spaghetti sauce December 24 Small boxes of cold cereal, oatmeal, non-fat dried milk December 31 Any of the above and we can use canned vegetables, esp. canned beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce. We report the total poundage received to the Archdiocese, but we keep the items for our own food pantry to help those in need (including parishioners), and if we have excess, will donate to other local food pantries. BOOK DRIVE! We are hosting a new & gently used children s book drive for Brightwood Community Center, located in our old church neighborhood. Brightwood services kids, ages 5-14, in after-school programing, tutoring, summer camps, & more. Drop off your donations at St. George Church (look for our donation boxes), or contact Gabriella Nahas via missgan05@gmail.com; Liza Nahas: lizanahas@yahoo.com, Donations accepted now thru 1/14. CHARITY TIC TAC TOE To help families remember our Christmas charity programs, those who wish to participate (completely voluntarily & just for fun) would get a game board (at the candle stand) and try to get "tic tac toe" or three in a row. Once they've achieved their tic tac toe, they may bring their completed game board to church and we would post it to a Holiday Giving Board. Visit the St. George Bookstore Today For our Annual Pre-Christmas Sale!!! Every item in the store will be Discounted by 20%!!!

10 FOR THE FIRST ORTHODOX SAINT OF AMERICA Known as the Wonderworker of All America, we celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. Herman Alaska at 6:30 pm Tuesday, December 12. "From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us strive to love God above all and to fulfill His holy will." ~ St. Herman of Alaska Afterwards, our choir and Teen SOYO invite everyone to join in Christmas Caroling. We will be visiting some of our older parishioners who are homebound or in nursing homes. It s only a couple of hours, but it means so much to our shut-ins. NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17: CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM CHRISTMAS CAROLING Next Sunday, we look forward to our youth putting on a new, original Christmas program, written by our own church school teachers. Please let Fr. Nabil know of any parishioner who is unable to get out right now and who might appreciate a stop by the carolers. Please also let him know confidentially of any parishioners who could use assistance this holiday CHURCH CALENDARS New church calendars are available in the Narthex. One per household, please. After every family has had a chance to get one, you may then take additional copies.

11 Christmas Schedule: Friday, December 22 10:00 a.m. Royal Hours of Christmas Sunday, December 24 8:50 a.m. Matins 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy (Sunday before Christmas) 7:30 p.m. Baptisms and Chrismations 8:45 p.m. Christmas Matins 10:00 p.m. CHRISTMAS DIVINE LITURGY In celebration of the Feast and as a token of our love and appreciation of you, Fr. Nabil and Khouriyah Elaine will host dinner in the church hall immediately following Liturgy, assisted by our parish council. Monday, December 25 NO Services ON FASTING, BY ST. INNOCENT, THE APOSTLE TO AMERICA Before speaking of what fasting is let us see why fasting has been appointed. The end and purpose of fasting is to quiet and relieve the body, and so to make it more obedient to the soul, because a full and well-fed body requires luxury and rest, and disposes one to indolence, and prevents one from thinking about God; it, as it were, binds and oppresses the soul and is then like a self-willed, spoiled, and capricious wife who lords it over her husband. And now, what is fasting? Fasting varies greatly. For a person brought up in luxury, fasting can be one thing, whereas for a person brought up in simple and rough conditions, it is another thing. Therefore, for one person, it is nothing to use the roughest food and be healthy, or to live without food for a number of days, whereas for another, a big change of food can be very noticeable, and even harmful. But for everyone in general, fasting is above all temperance and strict moderation in the use of food. Consequently, you should use food in moderation, and try especially to bridle the desires of the body, and not satisfy its lusts at all, for they are unnecessary for the preservation of health and the prolongation of life; and then your fast will be true. But while fasting physically, it is necessary at the same time to fast spiritually as well, that is, to restrain your tongue from evil and not speak ill of anyone or talk needlessly, to moderate your desires and root out your passions.

12 PARISH PRAYER LIST Please include in your daily prayers the following those struggling with acute illness and those newly departed this life from our parishioners and those for whom they have requested our prayers. (Names are kept for 40 days, the date indicated after the name, and may be renewed upon request of the patient/family.) LIVING Metropolitan Paul and Archbishop John Fr. Andrew and the community of St. Matthew, church burned in Ohio George Corey, VA Hosp., 1/16 Nicholas Rick Gann, 1/16 George Nimri, St. Vincent ICU, 1/14 Anthony Khal, 1/14 Elias Al Tawil, 1/7 Robert Abraham, IU North Hosp., 1/6 David George, 12/22 Amal Khazal, 12/16 David Mouck, our construction project manager, in ICU, 1/15 Cade Freije, cousin of George Freije and Elaine Eckhart, 1/3 Donna Byers, friend of Kathleen Everhart, 1/1 James Pendleton, 12/23 Anne-Marie McCormick, friend of the Kiritsis family, 12/22 Alisa Barnes, friend of Christy Roberts, 12/17 Hayfa Assalley, Tom s mother, 12/13 Valentina Mereuta, aunt of Ludmila Woodward, 12/10 Those in danger from wildfires in California All those suffering from illness, violence or want in Egypt, Texas and everywhere ST. GEORGE PARISH CALENDAR December 2017 Sun. 10 Stewardship Commitment Sunday St. Nicholas Visits Matins, 8:50 am Choir practice, 9 am Divine Liturgy, 10 am Church School Stewardship Appreciation brunch AV Camp Parent meeting Tue. 12 Eve of the Feast of St. Herman of Alaska, 1st American Saint Divine Liturgy, 6:30 pm Wed. 13 Vespers, 6:30 pm Dinner Basics of Orthodox Faith class Teen SOYO gathering Thu. 14 Choir practice, 7 pm Sat. 16 Charity Ministry deliveries to sponsored families, 10 am Great Vespers and confession, 5 pm Sun. 17 Matins, 8:50 am Choir practice, 9 am Divine Liturgy, 10 am Church School Christmas Pageant Caroling to Shut-ins, 1 pm Teen SOYO fellowship follows Tue. 19 Parish Council, 7 pm Wed. 20 Vespers, 6:30 pm Thu. 21 Choir practice, 7 pm Fri. 22 Royal Hours of Christmas, 10 am Sat. 23 Great Vespers and confession, 5 pm DEPARTED Iyad Bannourah, brother of Ryiad, Imad and Nihad, 1/15 Ragheda Rabie, former parishioner, 1/14 Zakiya Sharaya, mother of Hani and Rami, 1/13 Karl Means, 12/27 Elizabeth Schubmehl, cousin of Doug Fadel, 12/25 All victims of violence everywhere See the full calendar and the latest additions and updates at