MESSENGER THE. Newsletter of All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. -John 11:25

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1 THE MESSENGER Newsletter of All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE -John 11:25 April 2015 The Light of Christ brings a New Life. The Light of Christ is the peace of a lost soul, the rest from an illness, the end of a bad dream, and the way out of hopelessness. The Light of Christ is knowledge and understanding of a new dimension---god s. So, where is this Light today? The Light began to shine from Jesus Christ at the Empty Tomb, and this Light is our Life. It is perfect knowledge of a future forevermore. God promised this Gift to Adam, and then to Abraham, way back in time, as a way out of mortality and an answer to sin, suffering and loss of love. It has been the dream of every society and civilization. In Greek, there are two words for life, GR vios and zoi, the former is earthly life and it is given to us on our birthdays and the latter a spiritual and stronger life, and it is given to us on our baptisms. Can you guess which one is greater? However, don t be fooled, and think of Zoi, as afterlife only! Christians have always believed the Light of Christ to be a Fountain of Life, that enlivens us with the Spirit of God, like rivers flowing from within us. (John 7.38). It is a fullness of life that can and does continue beyond the grave for it is the energy and power of God infused into our miserable lives. This power has to be acquired somehow? Where is the Source of Life? The first life is the Source, and it is the life of Jesus Christ, who died and entered into the tomb, and we must believe! He showed that the human who has the Spirit of God cannot be held down by death! They will only radiate Light, which is the Life of the Holy Trinity. I want this Light! Where is it? It has been in the hearts of those who have believed in the Resurrection of Christ, from that very first early morning, when the Apostles to the Apostles the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women came to the tomb, and found it empty, with the head covering rolled up. Angels from heaven told of His Resurrection! Then, He Himself appeared and breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit John (20.22)and through them to all who would follow after, and believe in the Power of the Gospel! Therefore, from that time until now, this story has been the power of God to save and heal and enliven those who have a desire to receive! (Romans 1.16) With Hope in the Resurrection, Fr Alexander

2 PROSPHORA It s a great honor to offer the bread that will become the body and blood of Christ during Divine Liturgy. We still have a few openings. A Prosphora chart is posted in the fellowship hall. If you would like to offer Prosphora please sign on the Sundays you prefer. Thank you to Joan Sgourakis, Ted Warren, Hellen Elfering, Stephanie Wilger, Joan Rakes, and Effie Bitsos for providing Prosphora in March. ALTAR FLOWERS Would you like to beautify the Altar for a special occasion: Name Day, Birthday, remembering a departed loved one, Anniversary, etc.? We still have openings on the chart. Please sign up in the fellowship hall on the Sunday you would like and contact Nikki Moravec at for more information. Thank you to Annie and Clark Gorder, Despina Foster, and Bill and Joanne Sgourakis for donating flowers in March. SOCIAL HOUR SIGN UPS NEEDED! We still have many openings for social hour. A chart is posted in the fellowship hall if you would like to donate treats for a special Sunday. Let the office know if you are going to bring your own treats. If not, donuts will be picked up and the cost is $30. Please Make checks out to All Holy Spirit. Thank you to Bill & Joanne Sgourakis and Mike & Sandy Kriha for sponsoring coffee hour in March. Thank you to Chris & Nadine Saklar for picking up donuts, making coffee, setting up and cleaning for the Sunday Morning Social Hour. We have several fellowship events coming up in the next few months. If you are interested in sponsoring an event, please contact Tammy Gill at Thank you all for your continued support!! It is greatly appreciated. Bible Study Bible study will begin Wednesday, April 15th following Vespers at 6:30 MEMORIALS A one year memorial was offered for John Mitchell on Sunday, March 1st MAY HIS MEMORY BE ETERNAL A 40 day memorial was offered for Sophia Eliopoulo on Sunday, March 15th MAY HER MEMORY BE ETERNAL PARISH INFORMATION Address: 9012 Q Street, Omaha, NE Office Hours: Monday Friday: 10am 5pm Phone: Website: Church: AHSoffice@allholyspirit.com Fr. Alexander Lukashonok: FrAlexander@allholyspirit.com Services: Each Sunday Morning Prayers 8:30 am Divine Liturgy 9:30 am 2 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church December

3 16 March 1980 In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. One by one the weeks of Lent pass, and having started this journey with enthusiasm, feeling in ourselves the strength to complete it, when we approach the end, and often long before the end, we begin to feel that we have achieved nothing of what we hoped to achieve. We hoped to fast strictly and honestly, we hoped to pray, we hoped to tear ourselves away from those things that have enslaved all our lives our interests, our concerns and then a moment comes when the end of the journey is in sight, and suddenly we realize that nothing, or practically nothing, has been achieved of what we had hoped. This is the moment when we may be attacked by the destructive spirit of despondency which undermines our last ounce of strength: how can I enter the days of the Passion? How can I encounter the glory and triumph of Christ's Resurrection? This is where we must evince both Christian wisdom and our trust in God. It is not by the fact that we strive and achieve some sort of result that we are saved; we are saved by our soul's longing which draws us towards the living God, by the love which draws us to Christ. And even when we fail (as, incidentally, in human relationships) we must not forget that just as the apostle Peter, after thrice denying Christ was able to answer Christ's threefold question, we can say "Lord, you know everything, you know my weakness, my lapses, my uncertainty, my inconstancy, but you also know that I love you, that that is the final deepest thing in me." Then we can go farther, as Peter followed Christ, knowing that God believes in this love, that God believes us and believes in us. And we can go on with faltering steps, with uncertain tread, with ups and downs, if only our hearts do not break away from God; if only we carry or so that one day, in a week or two, we may find ourselves face to face with the Lord's passion, with the manifestation of the love with which He loves us. To endure what He endured for our sakes can be done only through inexhaustible, bottomless love. And so if we cannot unite ourselves to Christ in a more mysterious way by communing to the way of the Cross through prayer, contemplation and ascetic effort, let us at least stand at the roadside, beside this way of the Cross and with the awe and tenderness of a shaken soul or perhaps one incapable of awe and tenderness look upon what it means to love as God is capable of loving us. And let us say to Him, if we cannot say anything else, "Thank you, Lord, that you love me, dead, stony, devoid of feeling, lifeless love me so much that the day will come whe for me also will sound the words spoken to Lazarus, then four days dead, "Lazareth come forth from the grave." One day each one of us will hear this, not at the end of time, not at the general resurrection, as Martha thought, but now, at some unexpected moment when the voice of God shall sound, and at once we shall come alive again, alive both in time and in eternity. And we can even approach Easter conscious that we have done nothing worthy of this meeting with the triumph of the Resurrection, have achieved nothing that would give us a right to this joy. As St. John Chrysostom says in his Easter sermon: "Those who have fasted and those who have not, those who have worked and those who have been lazy, all of you come, for the Lord receives everyone equally; to some He repays a debt, to others He makes a gift of His love." It is not likely that He will be repaying a debt to us, because we have not worked, but the gift of love is offered to each of us. Therefore whatever mood we are in, however lazy we are, however little we have striven, let us go step by step during these last weeks towards that light, as a butterfly is drawn to it: yet not to be burned by it but rather for ourselves to burn with the glow of the Resurrection, to shine with its light, to become like the Burning Bush which burned and was not consumed in the flame of God's being. Amen. 3 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church April

4 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL All Holy Spirit will be holding Vacation Bible School this summer, June 1 through June 5, 8:00am - 1:00pm. We need coordinators!! Please contact Deb McDonnell if this is something you would like to coordinate or be able to assist with. PENTECOST NAME DAY CELEBRATION Mark your calendars for the All Holy Spirit Pentecost celebration! Great Vespers Saturday, May 23-5:00 Vespers Sunday, May 24-4:00 Followed by a dinner to celebrate our church name day! Our ministries are continuing to work behind the scenes to set up programs for this spring. We are waiting to hear for a group training date from Red Cross. Lutheran Services Ministry is getting closer to getting a project to help with a refugee family, which will spill over with the Family in Need Ministry. Also, Food Bank will be getting a campaign to collect food and have a Food Truck soon. Of course, you have seen Jordan Fox s announcement for the Mission to Guatemala trip for this summer. So, volunteers, please be on the lookout for the announcements that will be forthcoming. Dora Bitsos Outreach Committee Chair 4 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church December

5 Because Christians living in this world are inevitably caught up in earthly activities, afflictions, trials, and temptations, and because we are so easily overcome by sinful passions, God gives us ways by which we are enabled never to forget Him. He provides practices by which we can keep ourselves constantly prepared to meet Him at His coming. He offers rules of spiritual and physical discipline for us to practice so that we can remain constantly alive to His presence and power in our lives and so to be ready to receive Him when He gives Himself to us in holy communion. The general disciplines for preparing for holy communion are the disciplines of Christian life itself. They are the practices which keep us alive to God, the action which open our minds, hearts and bodies to the presence of God s grace and power in our lives. They basically include: An Orthodox Christian will: regular participation in the Church s liturgical worship regular practice of a rule of personal prayer regular practice of Periods of silence regular practice of fasting and abstinence regular reading of the Bible and Spiritual writings regular confession of sins (and thoughts, feelings, temptations, and dreams) to our priest, or to someone whom our priest authorizes and blesses for this purpose regular giving and receiving of forgiveness of sins with all the people in our lives regular sharing of our time, energies, and possessions with others constant effort to do our daily work as well as we can, to God s glory, for the good of the people, and constant striving not to sin in the smallest way in the routine activities of our everyday life and personal relationships. The Kiss of Peace In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the exchange of the peace occurs at the midpoint of the service, when the scripture readings have been completed and the Eucharistic prayers are yet to come. The priest announces, "Let us love one another that with one accord we may confess--" and the people conclude the sentence, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided." At that point the Kiss of Peace is exchanged by clergy at the altar, and among the laity as well (the custom is being reintroduced, but is not universal). Exchanging the "kiss of peace" is a liturgical act, a sign of mystical unity. The greeting to be exchanged by parishioners during the Kiss of Peace is Christ is among us. The reply is He is and always will be. April

6 Our Icon Project To the Faithful, Our Icon Project went well, all of them were taken within 4 hours! We thank all of you and hope you enjoyed this "fun project" that can spark in you an interest in learning about Holy people! There was an excitement! Several others had hoped to donate one, so maybe there will opportunities in the future. If you have a love for a Saint, and believe he or she will be appreciated by the Faithful, let Fr. Alexander know. Thanks Again to Tom Denich, our parish Iconographer for this spiritual gift! The ten saints to be painted are: St Moses the Ethiopian St Vladimir Equal to Apostles St Bridget of Ireland St Edward of England St Nikolai the Serb 6 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church St St St St St Isaac the Syrian Raphael of Brooklyn Porphyrios (the newly canonized) Anthony of Egypt Alexandra Tsaritsa and Sister of Mercy

7 PHILOPTOCHOS We do not have a meeting this month, but mark your calendars for our next luncheon meeting at the Greek Islands on Saturday, May 9th at 1:00pm. This is a very important ELECTION meeting so please make every effort to attend and be thinking about what office you would like to hold (it is a 2-year term). Remember, we all need to take our turn :) Have a blessed Pascha and Xristos Anesti!! THANK YOU to everyone who took the tour of one of our local charities, Project Harmony, before our March pizza meeting. It was very interesting learning about the options and help that is available to approx children yearly in the Omaha and Southwest Iowa areas who are in abusive and neglectful situations and how we can be of additional assistance. We have recently purchased fabric to make blankets as a project this summer for Bible School, as each child receives one when they leave. The social committee is working on a fun outing for either April or May. Check the weekly bulletins for details. Anyone interested in attending the clergy/laity conference in Houston, TX April 30-May 2nd, please contact me soon. Philoptochos can, pay up to 3 delegate's registration ($240) to attend. So far, Debbie Birge is planning on going. -Maria Knowles April

8 From the Pew Joe Carter I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself. - D.H. Lawrence, September 11, March 02, 1930 You can t understand why you seem so tired. You seem to have been in the woods for a long time yet it has only been a few minutes. You hear yourself moving fast through the woods, sounds like a herd of elephants. Your every step is like a canon going off. Finally, you see a fallen log and decide to take a rest. Sitting, you suddenly realize that it has gotten awful quiet yet there is a loud rushing noise in the background. It is only your breathing. What is going on you ask yourself. Why is it so quiet? Then, almost a whisper, you hear a small bird start to sing. Then a cricket near your feet. You are amazed at all the noise that is around you. You look around and things begin to come into perspective. You can see the green moss on the north side of the trees and even smell it. Somehow the fragrance is familiar. The grass is so green and smells so good. There are even flowers around, their fragrance mingles with the air and is so pleasant to your senses. You are able to pick out a beautiful cardinal setting on a limb just in front of you and it appears to be singing. You can see that its' beak is moving and its throat seems to be bobbing. Why is it going thumpty-thumpty? It is only your heart beating. You begin to hear its song and you are sure that you know it. You are sure that it is a man s voice that you hear coming from the cardinal. You can t believe that this cardinal is so beautiful, can sing so well and you you are just a bump on the log. You are astonished to see an angel standing behind the cardinal. It is a very large angel and it is holding a very large sword. You feel fear as you stare at this angel. Angles are not supposed to look mean. The cardinal continues to sing. You see the small elves of the forest, hear their song, and see their joyfulness, their happiness and it brings comfort to your inner-self. You feel joy. You see a movement from the corner of your eye and realize that there is also a very beautiful peacock standing there as well. It is quite a large and colorful peacock. There is a small nuthatch darting back and forth around the peacock, singing in a very high pitch, much like small bells. Surprisingly, the small nuthatch seems to be surrounded by a fog of some kind. The smell of the fog is relaxing. You are so taken aback that you wonder if you are having an epiphenomenon, something caused by something else that you may or may not be seeing. You sit as if in a trance, watching all that is around you in this quiet place. You watch the cardinal and the angel, the peacock and the nuthatch. The crickets and birds fluttering about are making such a racket and you are having a hard time hearing what is being sung by the cardinal and nuthatch. You are sure that you have heard their song before. It brings back some very good memories and you begin to relax. The peacock begins a melodious warble and it is so very soothing to you that you almost don t see the black crow just to his right. The crow is also singing but his song is not like a crow but more like something that is in your mind just can t seem to make it out. The peacock and the crow are singing together, something quite remarkable and relaxing to you. You stare at this marvelous sight in front of you and wonder where you have seen it all before. The songs are so relaxing that you seem to drift, somewhere between sleepiness and wakefulness. It is a beautiful place. You are completely enthralled by the cardinal, the angel, the small nuthatch surrounded by the fog, the peacock and the crow. You feel the woods began to encroach around you and yet you are totally relaxed. The smells, sounds, warmth and the feeling of enlightenment seem to be putting you to sleep. The cardinal begins to sing loudly, the peacock warbles louder and the crow appears to be leaving, yet, it is still singing. Your eyes close and the tranquility of the place envelops your entire soul. You mind has wandered so far, in your mind s eye, the songs are more like chanting. Yes, the fog does smell of incense and the cardinal is - - what is the angel doing? You suddenly jerk upright, your head bounces right and left, your eyes seem to focus in and out. You see the angel, he still has the sword yet, there is no cardinal, only a candle. The beautiful peacock, the nuthatch and crow are also gone. Alarmed, you start to bolt, but - You suddenly hear Father say In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN. 8 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

9 ~ April 2015 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat OCF Retreat 6:30 Presanctified Liturgy at St. Nicholas 4 SATURDAY of LAZARUS 9:30 Divine Liturgy Palm cross folding 5:00 Great Vespers 5 PALM SUNDAY 9:30 Divine Liturgy 5:00 Bridegroom Vespers 12GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA 4:00 Agape service & Family Picnic 6 Holy Monday 7:00 Bridegroom Vespers 7 Holy Tuesday 7:00 Bridegroom Vespers :30an Paschal Matins 8 Holy Wednesday 7:00 Holy Unction 15 6:30 Paschal Vespers 7:00 Bible Study 9 Holy Thursday 8:00am Liturgy of St. Basil 7:00 Passion Gospels 10 Holy Friday 8:00am Royal Hours 5:00 Burial Vespers 7:00 Lamentations 11 Holy Saturday 8:00am St. Basil Liturgy 11:00pm Easter Vigil Followed by Resurrection Service :00 Great Vespers Tax Day 19 Sunday of St. Thomas 6:30 Vespers 9:30 Divine Liturgy 7:00 Bible Study 23 9:30am Divine Liturgy St. George :00 Great Vespers Earth Day / Administrative Professionals Day Arbor Day 26 Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers 9:30 Divine Liturgy Clergy Laity Conference in Houston, TX Thru May 2nd 30 Notes: USHER SCHEDULE If you are unable to usher on your assigned Sunday please find a replacement within your group. April 4/5 Mike & Sandi Kriha, John Birge, George Pserros May 5/3 Bill & Cindy Lambert, Nick Petrow, Zach Hennings 4/12 John & Elaine Berger, Dora Bitsos, Steve Diamantis 4/19 Brian & Sheila Zachariae, Chris Hoegemeyer, Elias Eliopoulos 4/26 Josh Busch, Jim McDonnell, Andy Karavas, Jason Gill 5/10 Mike & Nikki Moravec, John Sgourakis, Jeff Johannesmeyer 5/17 George Poullos, Paul Bitsos, John & Kathy Treantos 5/31 John & Elaine Berger, John Birge, Bob Knowles 9 All All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church April

10 St. Ignatius of Stavropol St. Ignatius of Stavropol and the Caucuses (+1867) was Abbot of the St Sergius Monastery, St Petersburg, Russia for 24 years, after which he was consecrated a bishop. He served for only four years, and retired to a monastery and devoted the rest of his life to compiling writings on the Christian life. St. Ignatius taught about the monastic life not only in his ascetical-theological writings, but by his very life which presented a wondrous picture of self-denial and struggle with sins, sorrows, and sicknesses. He was canonized a saint in 1988, and his feast day is May 13 th. His book, The Arena is available on Amazon or at svspress.com. "The world lies in a state of spiritual deception and shows an affinity for those in the same state. But it despises and rejects those who serve Truth " "Knowing the Savior and thus acquiring eternal blessedness is man's primary happiness on earth, and his only treasure..," "Faster and faster time passes, and the hour of our entrance into eternity draws nigh. Make use of your days on earth to prepare for this. Such preparation dispels temporal sorrows and brings consolation, thereby indicating that this preparation is indeed a preparation for blessedness " "What is death?-the age with which our true life begins. A man should not despair, no matter how great his sins, for a man is not saved by his good deeds, but by his faith in Christ the Savior; only his deeds should manifest his faith. Just think that the great Apostle Peter himself wept bitterly " 10 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

11 APRIL AHEPA NEWS 2015 Our meeting was held at church on Saturday 2/7 by George Poullos. 19 members were present to discuss our upcoming Fish Fry. We decided not to change the prices or any of our Entrees but we did add Appetizers: Hummus Spread, Greek Garlic Spread, and Calamari & Bang- Bang Shrimp. Due to the size of our crowds, we placed more tables and purchased another 25 chairs. Our other problem is parking...we ve asked all workers to park on the upper lot to the NE. We also asked ACN if they would also park their vehicles in the small lot. After 4 weeks, we are 9% above last year in attendance and 19% more in Revenue. The GOYANS asked for our assistance by giving them $2500. In exchange for the donation, they would provide labor for all of our events as needed. The measure passed and we gave the GOYANS the money. We also had a request from Ralston s All-Play. This is an organization that provides baseball for all young people that are handicapped during the summer. We approved the request and issued a check to All-Play for $ Philoptochos is once again sponsoring the Palm Sunday Luncheon after church on April 5th Please plan to attend and help with clean up. There will be a free will offering. Philoptochos Spanakopita Sale Feeling short on time and no time to cook? Don't forget to stock your freezer and treat your family with delicious frozen spanakopita for sale each Sunday after church for only $12!! There is also a Lenten cheese free version available for $11. A special THANK YOU to Nikki Diamantis for heading up this new fundraising effort. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Church in New York City that was destroyed in 9/11. All Holy Spirit Newsletter is going digital! The Messenger Newsletter will soon be sent over ! If you would like to continue to receive the newsletter via snail mail, please let the church office know If we do not have your address and you would like to receive the newsletter through , please send a message to ahsoffice@allholyspirit.com April

12 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church 9012 Q Street Omaha, NE (402) office PRESORT STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No Omaha, NE Address Service Requested The Resurrection The Light of Christ... 1 Community Activity... 2 Words from Metropolitan Anthony... 3 Upcoming Events... 4 Liturgical Practices... 5 I am the light of the world... 6 Community Activity...7 From the Pew..8 Calendar 9 Meet the Church Fathers.10 Community Activity.11 "Come and receive light from the unwaning light, and glorify Christ, who arose from the dead"