PREPARING FOR GREAT LENT

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1 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Metropolis of Atlanta Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 255 Beauvoir Road Biloxi, Mississippi (228) February 2015 Bulletin From Fr. Dean PREPARING FOR GREAT LENT Great Lent is a time when we prepare ourselves for the great day of the Lord s Resurrection the day when He opened to us the way to a new life. It is a time when we try to make our hearts clean of all bad feelings, to listen attentively to God s voice in our souls and when we try harder to follow God s Law. Our Holy Orthodox Christian Church wisely prepares us for Great Lent for four weeks. The first three Sundays prior to the beginning of Great Lent, the Church teaches us that in order to begin coming closer to God, three things are most important: 1. Not to be proud and boastful (Read Luke 18:10-14) 2. To be really sorry for whatever we have done wrong (Read Luke 15:11-32) 3. To be kind to others (Matthew 25:31-46) Unless we remember these three things, Great Lent will have little meaning and we will not experience spiritual growth. We will be merely observers and not participators of Holy Week and the words Christ is Risen will be just words we hear. One more very important thing happens before Great Lent begins. On the fourth and final Sunday before Great Lent, at a special service everyone asks each others forgiveness. During this service the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is offered for the first time. O Lord and Master of my life, Give me not a spirit of sloth, of despair, of ambition, or of vain talking. But rather a spirit of purity, of humility, of patience, and of love bestow upon me Your servant, Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brothers. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen I pray that we will all make this prayer our daily prayer on all the days of Great Lent. Schedule of Services for February Sunday at 10 am on Feb 1 with Fr. Dean Sunday at 10 am on Feb 8 with TBD Sunday at 10 am on Feb 15 with TBD Sunday at 10 am on Feb 22 with Fr. Dean

2 Visitors A warm welcome to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church! We are glad to have you worship with us today. Please join us for coffee hour in our social hall after Liturgy. Presentation of Our Lord and Savior in the Temple February 2nd When the most pure Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary's forty days of purification had been fulfilled, she took her first-born Son to Jerusalem on this, the fortieth day after His birth, that she might present Him in the temple according to the Law of Moses, which teaches that every first-born male child be dedicated to God, and also that she might offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, as required by the Law (Luke 2:22-24; Exodus. 13:2; Lev. 12:6-8). On this same day, a just and devout man, the greatly aged Symeon, was also present in the temple, being guided by the Holy Spirit. For a long time, this man had been awaiting the salvation of God, and he had been informed by divine revelation that he would not die until he beheld the Lord's Christ. Thus, when he beheld Him at that time and took Him up into his aged arms, he gave glory to God, singing: Now let us Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master... And he confessed that he would close his eyes joyfully, since he had seen the Light of revelation for the nations and the Glory of Israel (Luke 2:25-32). From ancient times, the Holy Church has retained this tradition of the churching of the mother and new-born child on the fortieth day and of the reading of prayers of purification. Schedule of Upcoming Pascha Events...The schedule of events leading to Pascha is broken down in to four areas. The Triodion, Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. They begin with the start of the Triodion which is Feb 1. Take a journey within each of these areas by going to the website Click on the picture that says "Finding Your Way." A menu will open showing each event. Click on the event and enjoy the journey. The Triodion February 1 Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee... The Sunday of the Publican and the Phiarisee is the first Sunday of a three week period prior to the commencement of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent, a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting and acts of charity. The week that follows the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is designated by the church as a non-fasting week. All foods are allowed on every day of the week. This dispensation from fasting is offered as a way of indicating that Great Lent and a more intense fasting period is approaching. Per Metropolitan Alexios, Each Sunday of the Triodion has its own theme or lesson to assist us in preparing ourselves for our Lenten journey, but the main theme is repentance, the door through which we enter Lent.

3 Blessing of Rodney and Karen Bridges Marriage February 1...Fr Dean will perform the blessing of their being married for 35 years, with the prayer that their next 35 years will bring glory to God in all things. Please plan to be there for Rodney and Karen after fellowship hour. Souper Bowl Sunday February 1... February 2 nd will be Souper Bowl Sunday and the Youth of Holy Trinity will be taking a collection for a charity of their choice. Parish Council Meeting February 8...There will be a Parish Council Meeting on February 8 th following fellowship hour. Mississippi Gulf Coast History Week 2014, February Holy Trinity will be providing Greek and Russian cultural exhibits at the Gulf Coast Historical Society's function from February 12 16, Thursday through Saturday, at the Biloxi Visitors Center. We will provide Greek cuisine as well as demonstrate Greek and Russian dance on Saturday. Tuesday through Saturday will be from 9 am to 3 pm. Please plan to visit and see our great exhibits as they are a favorite with visitors. Please plan to help out and man our tables to discuss the church and our Greek and Russian cultures to the many visitors who come and ask. See George Yurchak or contact him if you can help out. Parish Council Oath of Office, February 22...Fr. Dean will give the oath of office to the new parish council members: George Yurchak, Craig Henderson, CoCo Collins, Rodney Bridges, and Nancy Malek. Parish General Assembly Meeting, February There will be a Parish General Assembly Meeting scheduled for Sunday February 22 following Divine Liturgy. Please plan to attend as this is the first meeting of Financial reports will be provided for A proposed budget for 2015 will also be presented. Stewardship will be discussed. A recap of the Christmas Pastry Sale and Bazaar will be provided. Pascha services will be discussed as well as our 2015 goals and where we plan to go in 2015 and other new business. Please plan to be there for this very enlightening meeting. You will need to have filled out your stewardship pledge and be current through the end of January to vote. Fellowship Hour After Liturgy... Holy Trinity needs every parishioner to sign up and host a fellowship hour after Sunday Liturgy. Everyone should be proud to host a fellowship hour. Show your culinary creativity. Bring your favorite ethnics foods. Hosting a fellowship hour makes everyone more a part of the church community. It is important everyone take their turn, even if you have to donate $20 for the food, which a council member will buy.

4 Church Thanks...Thanks to all those who have given their time and talents in helping out at Holy Trinity. Your time and help contributes significantly in welcoming new parishioners, keeping up the church/grounds and keeping the church available for all Orthodox to attend. Thanks again to those parishioners who have brought their special food items in January for our after Liturgy fellowship hour and Elena Vganges for making the Vasilopita. Many thanks to Elizabeth and Katerina Vamvakas for making the Prosforo throughout the year Church Calendars...The 2015 Church Calendars are available in the Church Narthex. They were donated by the Mavromihalis family and the Peters family. February Birthdays... Happy Birthday to Kathy Grindstaff Feb 4 th, Kristin Beddoe Feb 7 th, John Peters Feb 9 th, John Michailos Feb 23 rd, Adreanne Goundas Feb. 24 th,kally Vlahos and Jessie Beddoe Feb 28 th. If we don't have your birthday or we missed you, please contact George Yurchak at or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com. Anniversaries for February... Louis and Linda Peters will celebrate their 38 th wedding anniversary on Feb. 19 th. If anyone else has an anniversary in February, please let George Yurchak know so we can recognize your anniversary. And may God Grant you many, many years. Get Well... Prayers and blessings to Helen Taylor, Irene Stevens, Mary Makris, Alan Koskan, Helen Yurchak, Photine and Angelo Hagicostas, George Vaporis, Thanos Kosmopoulos, and Dorothy Porter. Fr Dean will conduct home visitations and give communion to those parishioners who are ill and can't be with us for Liturgy. Please contact a parish council member or the priest to make arrangements. If we missed someone please contact Nancy Malek at We want to pray as a community for those that may be too ill to be with us during church services. Prayer Box... We have a prayer box in the Narthex. If there is anyone you wish a prayer said, place their name in the box, or contact Nancy Malek at Religious Education Fr Dean will continue his weekly religious education classes after Sunday Coffee Hour. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. Religious Needs Clergy are available for talk, confession, pastoral counseling, spiritual care, individual prayer, etc. Tours of our church can be arranged. If you want to set up an appointment, please contact George Yurchak or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com.

5 Looking Ahead...There will be a church yard sale at the end of April, so start your spring cleaning for donations to this event. Please plan on dropping off your donated items after Easter, due to a shortage of storage space. STEWARDSHIP PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR PLEDGE FOR 2015 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is grateful for every donation received throughout the year. Your generous support enables Holy Trinity to spread the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ, serve regular Divine Liturgies and Sacraments and provide spiritual nourishment to our faithful, their families and those in need. Your pledge of support is a sign of your heartfelt participation in the life of our parish family and it plays a vital role enabling us to meet our financial responsibilities. We pray that everybody who attends Holy Trinity and cares for its financial security will make a pledge for 2015 by January 31 st. If you have not pledged, please take the time to fill out a stewardship form. You may pick up a hard copy either at the candle counter in the narthex, or from any Parish Council member. Please submit it to either Craig Henderson (Vice-President, Parish Council), George Yurchak (President, Parish Council) or Rodney Bridges (Treasurer, Parish Council). HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STEWARDS FOR 2015 Thank you to everyone who has filled out and returned his/her 2015 Stewardship Commitment Pledge Form. As of January 31, Holy Trinity has received stewardship commitments from the thirty parishioners listed below. If you have not yet done so, please consider your 2015 financial stewardship commitment. Stewardship forms are available. Please let George Yurchak or Craig Henderson know if we have missed someone. Stewardship pledges total $24, for the year. Chrissanth Beach Michael Bodisch Rodney and Karen Bridges Pete and Margaret Carter CoCo and Steve Collins George Contas Bernie and Callie DeSantis Angelo and Photine Hagicostas Craig and Karen Henderson Elen Ifantis Chrisie Soula Kiessling Karen Kohl Al and Cathy Lawson Maria Lyapustina Eva Magiros Mary Makris Nancy and Karl Malek George Mavromihalis Tom and Pat Portaritis Helen Taylor Lisa Taylor Angelos and Elizabeth Vamvakas Akaterina Vamvakas George Vaporis Eleni Vganges Spiro Vganges Demetri Vlahos Karen Weinberg George and Sheila Yurchak

6 Church Directory Liturgical Services Sundays Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Church Clergy Rev. Fr. Dean Gigicos Chaplain Eugene Lahue Choir Chair Photine Vlahos 2014 Parish Council President George Yurchak Vice President Craig Henderson Treasurer Rodney Bridges Secretary TBD Member Nancy Malek Coco Collins will replace Karen Weinberg and all 2015 officers are to be elected once the election results are ratified by the Metropolitan. Maintenance and Repair Chair Craig Henderson Youth Education & Culture Committee Chair George Yurchak Consecration Executive Committee Chair Fr. Dean, George Yurchak Greek Culture Chair George Yurchak Russian Culture Chair Anna Slepova Parish Ministries Youth Ministries George Yurchak Sunday School Akaterina Vamvakas Ladies Group Chair Eleni Vganges Stewardship Chair Craig Henderson Reader Helen Taylor Adult Education George Yurchak Outreach Karen Komenko Weinberg, Akaterina Vamvakas Technology Karen Kohl, Spiro Vganges Pastoral Assistant Craig Henderson, Spiro Vganges Staff Kiosk George Yurchak Office Administrator Sheila Yurchak Cleaning Chrisanthi Beach, Akaterina Vamvakas