St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Monthly Parish Bulletin

Transcription

1 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Monthly Parish Bulletin Orthodox Church in America 2143 S. Center Road Burton, Michigan Served by: Fr. Matthew-Peter Butrie Rector & Fr. Esteban Vázquez Deacon Kerry Luke Gonser Website: Fr. Matthew s mpbutrie@bdoca.org Cell: Church: Services: Sunday - 9:30 a.m. Third Hour 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy Holydays, Vigil and Vespers as announced Confessions are heard before all morning services and after all evening services. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. St. Jude 1:20 November 1-30, 2016 Serbian Lodge Executive Committee of Serbian Lodge St. Catherine s Orthodox Women s League Sisterhood of the Nativity of Virgin Mary

2 FATHER MATTHEW S ADDRESS AT THE 100 TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET Vladyka, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, On this day we have solemnized the 100 th anniversary of the founding of Saint Nicholas Church in Flint with the divine banquet led by our father and Bishop Alexander surrounded by so many priests and deacons with everyone gathered as one body around our one Bishop to give thanks to God and to receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of our sins and for life everlasting. It is this act of worship in the Holy Spirit that constitutes us as Church, as the Body of Christ. And it was this desire of our forebears, men and women, to worship God according to their lived tradition that led them to found a church in Genesee County in In short order money was collected to build a church and a parish house so that there would be a place for these immigrants to gather with each other and together offer praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This was a polyglot group including people from Russia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary. With the people speaking primarily their own native tongues, the time was not ripe for a Pan-Orthodox parish. Within the ensuing decade Saint George Antiochian Church and Assumption Greek Orthodox Church were founded. The span of one hundred years covers too much time to say all that can be said here but there are three persons who are worthy of special mention. The first is Archpriest John Handziuk and his Matushka Maria. There are here in this room perhaps a couple of handfuls of people who remember him and his ministry at Saint Nicholas on Vermont Avenue. Fr. Handziuk served the parish for fourteen years, from 1928 to He is the third longest serving rector. Coming from Ukraine to America he eventually was assigned to the twelve year old parish immediately before the calamity of the Great Depression. There was no unemployment insurance. There were soup lines for people to scrape together food for themselves and their families. As Fr. Handziuk himself would write the parish was in debt, the parish members were able to be counted on your fingers, debts were paid to those who cried the loudest as praying to the Lord God, and relying on His love we began to work. During this time John Ananich and Andrew Chema s names are found in the archives repeatedly as president of the parish council. Fr. John served for fourteen sacrificial years during which he buried his Matushka and two of his children. He himself fell asleep in the Lord not long after his transfer from Saint Nicholas. The bodies of him, his Matushka and two of their children rest in our churchyard awaiting the glory of the resurrection in Christ. Bog da prosti! The second person who must be acknowledged is Protopresbyter Alexander Znamensky and his Matushka Vera. Father Alexander or Father Z as he is affectionately known is the longest serving rector of Saint Nicholas parish, from 1944 until his retirement in Even in his retirement he assisted at the parish until his death in For thirty years he served with his theatrical flair, deep and melodic voice, love for the Liturgy, and his care for the faithful of Saint Nicholas parish. There are many here now who remember working with him, singing in the choir, serving as an altar boy. During his tenure English began to be incorporated into the Liturgy and the parish dropped the adjective Russian from its name to become Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church opening the door for many non-russians to find their spiritual home in the temple of Saint Nicholas. With Jack Brown he worked to bring the many Macedonian immigrants into the parish. And so the tiny church on Vermont Avenue had to make way for the former synagogue on Liberty Street that became the parish s new home in And, as the parish continued to grow in numbers, in 1969 the third temple of Saint Nicholas Church was dedicated by then Bishop Kyrill (Yonchev). Among the parish council presidents who served

3 during Fr. Znamensky s tenure we have with us today John Goodman. Other past council presidents such as Jack Brown, Emil Harrison, Andrew Marko, and Nick Polonic have gone on to be with the Lord. Fr. Znamensky retired in 1973 and fell asleep in the Lord in His body, too, rests in the churchyard awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The third and last luminary at Saint Nicholas I wish to mention is Archpriest Raphael Biernacki, of blessed memory, who served the parish faithfully with Matushka Kathleen for twenty-two years, from 1975 to 1995 and again from 2004 until his repose in We are blessed to have his family here with us today. Most of you knew and loved Fr. Raphael who was the first American born priest to serve as rector. Father Raphael always had concern for the beauty of the Lord s temple, for the prayerfulness of the services and for the welfare of the flock entrusted to his care. It was under his leadership that the present iconostasis and icons were installed for the church, beautifying the temple. A shrine dedicated to the Mother of God as a thanksgiving for her intercessions for the parish throughout the decades was built on the parish property. A new bell-tower was installed and Fr. Raphael zealously sought out bells to add to the original bell from the old church and even one for the outdoor shrine of our Lady of Iveron. An outdoor pavilion was also built. In addition to these material improvements Fr. Raphael spearheaded the revival of the reception of the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion on a more frequent and regular basis for all the faithful. In his second tenure the new stained glass windows were designed by him and he sought out the donors to make this project come to fulfillment, again beautifying God s temple so that we may be lifted up by this beauty to contemplate and worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Past presidents of parish council during Fr. Raphael s tenure include the late Boris Brayan and Carl Smith. And among us today we have Phil Brown, Paul Hildreth, Vladimir Pyatenko, and our present president, Sharon Jernigan The ministry of these three priests, Fr. John Handziuk, Fr. Alexander Znamensky and Fr. Raphael Biernacki, covers sixty-six years, fully two-thirds of the history of this parish. And they are the three longest serving rectors in these one hundred years. God grant them and all the departed founders, benefactors and parishioners blessed repose and eternal memory. For all the living members and friends of Saint Nicholas parish we offer thanks be to God for their self-sacrifice of time, talent and treasure. The sacrifice shown by so many has shone forth as a light of faith in Christ Jesus to others. Looking at the present, we are called to fulfill the call of our baptism: to be witnesses for Christ wherever we may go. This is a great vocation for all of us. It is both challenging yet also invigorating. Being true to our baptismal commitment to Christ brings us into communion with God and each other, it leads us from earth to heaven. Casting our eyes towards the future, we as a parish continue to write pages in the faith history of the Orthodox Church in mid-michigan. Much has yet to be written. We must continue to grow in taking what we experience in the church into our everyday lives. Our love of God and love of neighbor needs to blossom more and more each day. In this way we will be living witnesses of Christ to those around us and inspire one another to more and greater charity without which all of our labors will have been in vain. This will be success in God s eyes: to live as His children, seeking His kingdom. Whether we decrease or increase in numbers, we must remain faithful to God in our worship, our fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Any failures belong to us sinners and all the success belongs to God. Let the same zeal for God and the worship of Him that filled our forebears fill us and lead us to continue the great work of building up the body of Christ in the Holy Spirit whose temple we are. Δόξα τω Θεώ πάντων ένεκεν! Слава Богу за все! Glory to God for all things

4 Third Hour Schedule November December January 6 Lucy 4 Reggie 1 Lucy 13 Reggie 11 Angelo 8 Angelo 20 Angelo 18 Lucy 15 Reggie 27 Lucy 25 Reggie 22 Lucy 29 Angelo If you are unable to make your assigned reading date, you must find a replacement. Reader Schedule November December January 6 Angelo 4 Amir 1 Kathy 13 Johnny 11 Kathy 8 Taras 20 Kathy 18 Taras 15 Amir 27 Taras 25 Johnny 22 Angelo 29 Johnny If you are unable to make your assigned reading date, you must find a replacement. CHRISTMAS FAST begins on November 15 and continues to December 24. It is a time for us to increase our prayer, reading the Bible, fasting and giving to those in need as we prepare to welcome the newborn Jesus Christ. The Orthodox Book Club will meet on Tuesday s from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at St. George. For more information please contact Deacon Michael Bassett at frdnmike@gmail.com The parish council will meet on November 1 at 6:45 pm. If you are unable to attend this meeting please call the parish office. PARISH MEETING FOR ELECTIONS-NOVEMBER 6, 2015 The nominees are: Parish Council Nominees (3 will be elected) Paul Brayan (term ending) Dennis Jernigan (term ending) Sharon Jernigan (term ending) Catherine Steiner (term ending) Bob Steiner Auditors Nominees (2 need to be elected) Deborah Gonser-Adams If your name is listed above and you do not wish to run for the parish council or auditor, please call the parish office at If you wish to nominate a candidate for parish council or auditor, please see a member of the Nominating Committee: Allison Borkovich, Anna Branoff, Dorothy Goodman, Christine Panoff or Stephanie Stikovich. The annual elections will take place on Sunday, November 6. ***Absentee Ballots will be made available in the parish office beginning October, 23*** November 13 - Bingo 100 th Anniversary December 9 - SVSU Chorus Christmas 7:30 pm

5 ST. CATHERINE S LEAGUE As a reminder St. Catherine s Women s League meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. Next meeting date: November 2. Upcoming Events Cookie Walk: Saturday, December 10 from 10 am 1 pm, expecting baked goods for the Cookie Walk to be delivered on December 9. We are looking forward to seeing all those great cookies and breads you make. BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES NAMESDAYS 7 (St. Karina) Caroline Panoff 14 Philip Bakousidis 8 Arielle Grace Borkovich Philip Brown Colin Michael Karayanis Philip Pirkovic Gavin (Michael) Whittaker 16 Matthew Batzos Michael Biggs Matthew Economou Michael Borkovich 19 Lisa Ann Butrie Michael Branoff 22 Cecile Georgopoulos Michael Goodman 24 Catherine Steiner Michael Karayanis Kara George Michael Panoff Karen Ethington Michael Popoff Kate Economou Michael Steiner Katherine Gonser Michelle Karayanis Katherine Panoff Michelle Gerzevske Katherine Whittaker Ralph Neely Kathleen Biernacki 10 Krystal Rose George Kathryn Stevens Rose Goodman Kathy Condon 11 Stephanie Adkisson Kathy Sfetkides Stephanie Biernacki Katarina Jonascu Stephanie Houser 26 Stella Stergiani Nedanis Stephanie Stikovich 29 Andy Yosheff Vickie Ann Borkovich Victoria Batzos Viktor Dorohov 13 (St. Devinicus) Devin Yasmine Binelli BIRTHDAYS ANNIVERSARIES 1 Jeanette Brayan 13 Fr. Matthew & Matushka Lisa Butrie 5 Mira Prusac 24 Nikolai & Valentina Evanenko Alex Popoff 27 Petro & Sandra Ahejew 7 Gabriel Paul 10 Bosa Kantar 13 Gregory Burns 15 Mary Abu-Aita 17 Thomai Brayanis 20 Gloria Zelenko November 22 Matthew Economou Coffee Hour Volunteers 23 Joe Tome 24 Ruth Conrad 6 Parish Elections 26 Mitra Pagonis 13 Bingo & Luncheon 28 Susan Oginsky 20 27

6 2017 PLEDGE CARDS have been mailed out. If you have not received yours, contact the parish office by phone or so that we may get a pledge card to you. Please fill out and sign your pledge card. Remember in order to be considered a member here at St. Nicholas you must return a signed pledge card. We would like for them to be returned by December, 1. DO NOT send your 2017pledge back with the card or it will be credited to CHRISTMAS GREETINGS If you would like to have your name(s) included on the annual Christmas greetings list please let Debbie know no later than December 11. HOPE IN A BOX November Dish Soap December Socks, Towels, Toiletries & Toys January Toilet Paper COMMUNITY REWARDS KROGER $31.98 Current Total: $66.01 VISITATION TO THE SICK Fr. Matthew brings Holy Communion to the shut-ins on Mondays. If you would like to be added to this list, please contact the office. Presently, those receiving weekly visits are: Tomka Brayanis, Aspasia Stathopoulos, Helen Ashmun, Fred Oginsky and Gloria Zelenko. Monthly Fr. Matthew visits Larry Bladecki (Bay City) and Peter and Olga Samaras (Caro). DAILY INTERCESSION FOR OUR SICK AND HOMEBOUND The following are our brothers and sisters of St. Nicholas who are currently homebound, suffering from chronic illness, in recovery or in need of special prayers. Please remember them in your prayers and reach out to them with a card, a phone call or a visit! Please call the office to schedule a visit for Holy Communion. Josephine Baker Gladys Edwards Mary Karayanis Larry Bladecki Susan Goodman Macy Lemmen John Bocek Jo Ann Havens Pauline Nenoff Aspasia Stathopoulos Anna Branoff Bill Haw Fred Oginsky Bill Tadrick Linda Branoff Helen Iwanoff Ron Salhany Wendy Tadrick Mary Ann Brayan Goldie Johnson Peter Samaras Ron Waskerwitz Thomka Brayanis Nick Karayanis Olga Samaras Gloria Zelenko To aid in your outreach, here is a listing of the addresses and phone numbers of our Homebound: Larry Bladecki th Street Bay City, MI Mary Ann Brayan 5230 Warwick Woods Trail Grand Blanc, MI Thomka Brayanis S. Belsay Rd #223B Grand Blanc, MI Nick & Marge Butrie 30 E. Bertsch St. #12 Lansford, PA Gladys Edwards 2 Harbor Dr. St. Clair, MO Goldie Johnson 310 E. Willard Ave Lansing, MI Pete & Olga Samaras 1285 Cleaver Rd. Caro, MI Aspasia Stathopoulos 4064 Sheraton Dr. Flint, MI Gloria Zelenko 5370 E. Baldwin Rd. #520 Grand Blanc, MI 48439

7 Join us for Sunday, November 13 following the Divine Liturgy Lunch will be served 3 cards for $10.00 Extra Cards will be made available

8 $36.00 Single Space for 6 months $50.00 Double Space for 6 months? $65.00 Triple Space for 6 months

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10 St. Catherine s League of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 2143 S. Center Rd. Burton, MI

11 November 2016 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 2143 S. Center Rd. Burton, MI Website: Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat OCTOBER 30 Trunk or Treat Costume Parade at Lockwood OCTOBER 31 1 Parish Council 6:45 pm 2 St. Catherine s League Meeting 6:30 pm 3 North End Soup Kitchen 9 am 1 pm 4 7 pm Fr. Matthew speaking at Flint OCF at St. George Election Day Meeting for Elections Church School Debbie out of office 13 Thanksgiving Bingo Nativity Fast Begins Church School 21 Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple 10 am Combined Divine Liturgy At Assumption No Liturgy No Adult Ed. 24 Thanksgiving Church School pm Fr. Matthew speaking at MSU OCF 30 Fast Dairy Permitted (no meat) Wine & Oil Permitted (no meat) Fish Permitted (no other meat)

12 December 2016 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church 2143 S. Center Rd. Burton, MI Website: Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Fast Dairy Permitted (no meat) Wine & Oil Permitted (no meat) Fish Permitted (no other meat) All dates and times are tentative 1 North End Soup Kitchen 9 am 1 pm Church School 5 6 pm Vespers with Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Nicholas 6 St. Nicholas 7 St. Catherine s League Meeting 6:30 pm 8 9 Christmas Concert by the BAY CHORALE 7:30 pm 10 Cookie Walk 10 am -1pm 11 St. Nicholas Day Potluck Luncheon Church School Parish Council 6:45 pm to 8 pm FOCUS Detroit pack food backpacks for children Church School Strict Fast Eve of the Nativity 25 Fast Free Nativity of our Lord 26 Fast Free Synaxis of the Theotokos 27 Fast Free 28 Fast Free 29 Fast Free 30 Fast Free 31 Fast Free No Vespers No Church School