THE ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

Transcription

1 THE ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH HOLY PENTECOST JUNE 4, 2017 Rev. Fr. Joseph Gingrich, Proistamenos Altar Boys: St. Paul Ushers on Duty: Team 4 Epistle Reading Acts: 2:1-11 Gospel Reading John 7:37-52; 8:12 Today s Divine Liturgy Hymns and Scripture Readings: HYMNS AFTER THE LITTLE (GOSPEL) ENTRANCE APOLYTIKION FOR PENTECOST IN THE PLAGAL FOURTH MODE Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast shown forth the fishermen as supremely wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them didst draw the world into Thy net. O Befriender of man, glory be to Thee. Εύλογητός εἶ Χριστὲ ὁ Θεος ἡμῶν ὁ πανσόφους τοὺς ἁλιεῖς ἁναδείξας καταπέμψας αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ δι αὐτῶν τῆν οἰκουμένην σαγηνεύσας φιλάνθρωπε δόξα Σοι. SEASONAL KONTAKION IN THE PLAGAL FOURTH MODE Once, when He descended and confounded the tongues, the Most High divided the nations; and when He divided the tongues of fire, He called all men into unity; and with one accord we glorify the All-holy Spirit. Ὅτε καταβὰς τὰς γλώσσας συνέχεε, διεμέριζεν ἔθνη ὁ Ὕψιστος ὅτε τοῦ πυρὸς τὰς γλώσσας διένειμεν, εἰς ἑνότητα πάντας ἐκάλεσε, καὶ συμφώνως δοξάζομεν τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα. EPISTLE READING PRIEST: Let us attend. READER: Their voice has gone out into all the earth. The heavens declare the glory of God. PRIEST: Wisdom READER: The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 PRIEST: Let us attend.

2 READER: WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." HOLY PENTECOST: THE READING IS FROM JOHN 7:37-52; 8:12 37 Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and spoke loudly, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! 38 From within whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will flow rivers of living water! 39 But he said this concerning the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 When they heard this saying, many of the people said, This is truly the prophet! 41 Others said, This is the Christ! Still others said, What? Does the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? 43 And so, there arose a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 And so, the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, Why did you not bring him? 46 The officers answered, No one has ever spoken like this man! 47 At this, the Pharisees replied, You are not also led astray, are you? 48 Have any of the rulers believed in him, or the Pharisees? 49 But this multitude that does not know the law is accursed. 50 Nicodemus (who had come to him by night, being one of the Pharisees f ) said to them, 51 Does our law judge someone without first hearing from him personally to find out what this person is doing? 52 They answered him, Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. Then again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017 MATINS AND DIVINE LITURGY 8:15 AM The Annual Recognition Sunday Luncheon will follow the Divine Liturgy this morning. We will honor and recognize the Class of 2017 High School and College/University Graduates. Also, the Annunciation Investment Fund Scholarships, the AHEPA Family Scholarships and the 2017 Parish Oratorical Festival Speakers Awards will be presented. EXTEND, O LORD, YOUR MERCY AND PROTECTION UPON YOUR SERVANTS Please pray for the health and salvation of your brothers and sisters in Christ during today s Divine Liturgy and throughout the week: Dora Protos, Nick Kirbabis, Konstantinos Haritos, Mary Saloom, Mike Mokas, Katherine Xidas, Magdeline Tisinger, Lucy Fasules, Peter Mihalislis, Elli Bambakidis, Stephanie Michaelson, Mary Leakas, Maria Polychronis and Andy Moulas

3 MEETING AND EVENTS SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 5 TH Date Event Time Location Mon. 5 th Community Sandwich Making 6:30pm Community Ctr. Wed. 7 th Choir 7:00pm Church Ellas Dance Practice 7:00pm Community Ctr. Thur. 8 th Festival Mtg. 6:30pm Athenagoras Rm. Fri. 9 th Orthodox Parents Assemble Mtg. 5:45pm Athenagoras Rm. NOTES FROM FR. JOSEPH JUNE 25, 2017 PASTORAL VISITATION His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas will be coming to celebrate Hierarchical Divine Liturgy Sunday, June 25th. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 TH FEAST OF ST'S. PETER AND PAUL We will be celebrating the Feast of St's. Peter and Paul at the St. Paul OCA parish on Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00 pm with a Vesperal Divine Liturgy. The parish is located at 4451 Wagner Rd. Dayton, Ohio Please RSVP to Carol if you will be going by June 13th in order for our hosts to best prepare for us. You are welcomed to bring a non-fasting covered dish. NEW CURRICULUM THE ORTHODOX FAITH Our Church Outreach Committee met Wednesday, May 31st. It was suggested that we offer the new curriculum for the High School students in Our Lady s Catechism School to all the adult members of our parish. The series is The Orthodox Faith written by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, former dean of St. Vladimir s Seminary. The four volume series covers 1) Doctrine and Scripture 2) Worship 3) Church History 4) Spirituality. The cost for all four books is only $40.00 and they must be purchased together. It is the hope of the Church Outreach Committee that our parish will be able to form an adult Catechism School sometime in the future. Please call Carol if you would like a copy by June 9th. In the memo line of your checks put The Orthodox Faith Books. MARIAN PRAYER GROUP It's hard to believe we are a parish without a prayer group! It's my hope that we might be able to remedy this. Wednesday, June 21st at 3:00 PM those interested should meet in the church where we will pray The Rule of the Theotokos. It's a very ancient devotion to the Mother of God that has been used by both Eastern and Western Christians in slightly different formats since the 8th century. As our parish is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God, it seems appropriate that we honor and reach out to Her in prayer. Dear Parish Faithful, Summer is not a time off from one s Sunday obligation to attend Divine Liturgy. It is absolutely essential for spiritual growth to regularly attend church on Sunday. Don't come occasionally to church. Don't just come when you feel like it. Make regular church attendance a priority and let it be a good habit that becomes a part of who you are. Nothing does more for your spiritual health than regularly being in church. Being in a church service is irreplaceable. It is a moment in time and once it's gone, it's gone forever. There will always be competition for your time and other things that you could do on a Sunday. The Holy Trinity created us to worship Him. That s the primary reason we exist. This is why the Church was established and this is what God s people will do when Jesus returns and restores our fallen world. Revelation 22:3 gives a picture of this: No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship Him. The central

4 aspect of our corporate worship is the reception of the Eucharist. To not come to God s temple, to not worship Him, and to not receive His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is a spiritual poverty and tragedy. When a professing Christian misses church they are missing God s prescribed process for spiritual growth through Holy Communion with Him. The only legitimate excuse for missing Sunday Divine Liturgy is work or sicknesses. All other absences are sinful in that they miss the mark in how God calls us to worship Him every Sunday. As your priest I in no way pass judgment on you. I only ask that you search the depth of your hearts and do what is right. Our lives are so short, and they are gifted to us lovingly by our Lord. What we do in this earthly temporal realm has a direct correlation to what we will experience in the eternal spiritual realm. Jesus wants us here on Sunday mornings to serve and worship Him. He loves us so much that He has given Himself to us through His Divine Liturgy. This practice of the Orthodox Christian assembly dates from the beginnings of the apostolic age. St. Paul s letter to the Hebrews in verse 10:25 reminds the faithful "not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage one another. We cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude of us, where exclamations are cried out to the Lord as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, and the prayers of all united and offered up to our Most High God through His priest. With Love in Christ, Father Joseph ANNOUNCEMENTS NEW DVD New DVD in the Philoptochos Library: Dr. Philop Mamalakis Parenting Toward the Kingdom Recorded and donated by John & Barbara Moraites. JOY COURTYARD AND MEMORIAL GARDEN Phase 2 bricks and pavers for the Joy Courtyard Garden Memorial Garden are being sold until June 12th. If you missed the first phase, now is the opportunity to make a purchase for installation in the fall. You will find a garden form in the community center or contact Deb Pulos FESTIVAL MEETING The next Festival meeting will be June 8 th at 6:30 p.m. We are also looking for a chairperson for Zorba Zone if you are interested please contact Andrea Casey. andreacasey6789@gmail.com JUNE CCM: SUPPORT OUR VETERANS The June CCM will support the 37 th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, held in Cincinnati this July. On June 20 th from 5-8pm we will have an evening at Skyline Chili (it's always Skyline time) on Kingsridge Drive to raise funds to support local veterans participation in the games. We have invited some of the Wheelchair Games participants to join us at the Skyline event. Plan to attend so we can honor our veterans and raise money for a very important event. PARISH DIRECTORY UPDATE Over the next couple weeks we will be updating the parish directory with contact information and photos. Alex Karabinis will be at coffee hour with a spreadsheet for all parish families to verify and/or update their information. If you wish to have your family's photo taken to be placed along side your information, we will have a camera as well. If you wish to just update your information but do not wish to update it at coffee hour, feel free to alexfkarabinis@gmail.com Anybody who wants to submit their photos can do so to my Thank you.

5 COLLEGE AGED STUDENT - LIMITED FREE TIME - LOVE & MISS GREEK DANCING A college age dance group is resurrecting. If you are interested please call Stephanie McFarland , Annie Tsolometes or Elea Karras by June 5, YOUNG AT HEART - JUNE The June Young at Heart luncheon will be sponsored by the Parish Council on June 15 at 11:30am. SUMMER CAMP DATES Here are the dates for the 2017 Summer Camp season: MDSC (Dayton Week) Week 1 July 2 nd to July 8 th St. Nicholas Camp July 23 rd to July 29 th Ionian Village Session 1: June 24 July 13 & Session 2: July 21 August 9 Both sessions are open to campers entering 9th grade in the fall of 2017 through those who will complete the 12th grade in the spring of 2017 Spiritual Odyssey: May 30 June 10 Open to Young Adults ages PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR STEWARDSHIP GIVING OVER THE SUMMER We are grateful to all of our parishioners who have made their 2017 Stewardship Commitment to the church and have either fulfilled that commitment or are current in their giving. As we approach the summer months, there is a tendency for Stewardship contributions to decrease. This can place the church in a difficult position as regular expenses, as well as expenses in preparation for the Greek Festival, require payment. The parish, just like our homes, must meet its budget monthly. Our parish family needs everyone to contribute on a regular and timely basis. You may make your contribution by check (mail or bring to church) or credit card (using our Paypal account online at We appreciate your support of the ministries of the parish and the gifts you offer to the Glory of God! BOOKKEEPER S SUMMER HOURS Please see the summer business hours for Brandee Moran our parish bookkeeper. Monday June 05, 2017 Off Tuesday June 06, 2017 Off Wednesday June 07, am 5pm Thursday June 08, am 5pm Friday June 09, am 5pm KEEP UP TO DATE Keep up to date with all church happenings by going to Utilize online payments through the Donate Now link on the home page. You can make Stewardship donations, HVAC donations, Easter Offerings or donate In Memory of Organizations who want information posted to the website should submit it to Maria Abboud at: mma@woh.rr.com HAVE YOU MADE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE HVAC (Heating/Cooling for Church) PROJECT? The project is done, but funds are still needed and being raised. We are $50,454 from our $165,000 goal. All parish families are asked to contribute. Please pledge/contribute ASAP! A $600 minimum per family is requested over two-years. How can you pledge/contribute? See below: Total Cost $365,000 Parish Funds Contribution $200,000 Money to Raise $165,000 Each Parish Family is asked to Contribute a MINIMUM of $600 Ways to Donate 1.Write a Check

6 2.Online Billpay through personal bank account 3. go to Donate or Give Now and follow the prompts Questions? Please see a Parish Council Representative Please complete the below form to make you commitment and drop in the box in the community center We are asking each parish family to contribute $600. This can be spread over two years if needed. Please accept my/our contribution to the HVAC Capital Campaign: Name: Amount: How my contribution will be paid: Check here if contribution is included: Phone/Address/