Messenger. The Desert. From Father John. Behold, I send My messenger before Your Face, who shall prepare Your way...

Transcription

1 The Desert Messenger Behold, I send My messenger before Your Face, who shall prepare Your way... (Matthew 11:10) Volume 14, Issue 1 St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Las Vegas, NV January 2016 From Father John Beloved in Christ: May Christ our God bless us all with His Peace in the New Year, and direct us each day toward His Kingdom just as the Lord, Who once manifested Himself as the Cloudy Pillar, led the Ancient Israelites out of captivity and toward the Promised Land. We begin the New Year with a mini-holy Week of services and blessings, centering on the Great Feast of Holy Theophany, which commemorates the Baptism of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Just as the Lord manifested Himself as a Pillar of Cloud to guide His people in the times of the Exodus He is now, on the occasion of Christ s Baptism, revealed fully as the Triune God: We hear the voice of the Father, we see the Holy Spirit descending as a dove and alighting upon the Son, Who we behold in the waters. (Father Spencer Kezios) For three straight days, the Orthodox Church prescribes the celebration of the Divine Liturgy: January 5, the Eve of Theophany; January 6, the Feast of Holy Theophany; and January 7, the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist (a gathering of the faithful to commemorate the Forerunner who is closely linked to the Feast) and on the first two days, Liturgy is followed by the Great Blessing of the Waters, through which the Holy Spirit is invoked, that these waters may become a source of sanctification for all who partake. The prayers and petitions of this service mirror those of the Holy Mystery of Baptism, so that all present are most definitely aware that through the celebration of this Holy Feast the intent of the Church is to provide for us a source of spiritual renewal. The sanctifying waters of the Jordan were prefigured in ancient times, as brilliantly and insightfully observed by the great Church Father, St. Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). Of the parallels between the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea and our Baptism, the saint writes: No one who hears this should be ignorant of the mystery of the water. He who goes down into it with the army of the enemy emerges alone, leaving the enemy s army drowning in the sea. (The Life of Moses) Just as Pharaoh s evil army was drowned as they pursued God s people in the Red Sea, our sins and our fallen self perish in the baptismal font, and we emerge from the water as a new creation. However, as St. Gregory writes, even after coming out of the water we bring along the Egyptian army that is, we revert back to the ways of our old, sinful self. Thus, our Church and Her Traditions respond to this struggle by urging our continuous repentance and offering the sanctifying grace of the Holy Mysteries and on a yearly basis the blessed Waters of Renewal on Holy Theophany, which provide an illuminating light in the darkened wilderness of our souls. It is no wonder that Theophany is also referred to as the Feast of Lights. My beloved, I pray that each of us will decisively choose to enter the New Year with the sincere commitment to be cleansed and ridded of our old, harmful, ego-centric and petty ways and to be renewed in our walk as children of the Light the true Light that is Jesus Christ! Please come to these divine services... be purified through partaking of the Eucharist and the Holy Water... and invite your priest to bless your home and business with God s sanctifying grace. A Blessed New Year to All With My Deepest Love in Christ,

2 WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sundays: 8:45 am Orthros ~ 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Church School follows Holy Communion Friday January 1/The Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ/St. Basil the Great 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great Epistle: Colossians 2:8-12 Gospel: Luke 2:20-21, Sunday, January 3/Sunday before Theophany/ Prophet Malachi/Martyr Gordios Orthros: Tone Six (Second Plagal) Resurrection Gospel (Orthros): John 20:19-31 Epistle: 2 Timothy 4:5-8 Gospel: Mark: 1:1-8 Parish Council Oath of Office Cutting of Community Vasilopita Tuesday, January 5/Eve of Theophany (Strict Fast) 6:00 pm Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great & Great Blessing of Water Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 Gospel: Luke 3:1-18 Wednesday, January 6/Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ of St. John Chrysostom & Great Blessing of Water Epistle: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Gospel: Matthew 3: :00 pm Great Vespers of St. John the Baptist Thursday, January 7/Synaxis of St. John the Baptist: Our Parish Feast Day Epistle: Acts 19:1-8 Gospel: John 1:29-34 Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your works, and no word will suffice to praise Your wonders! Sunday, January 10/Sunday after Theophany/ The Ten Lepers/St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthros: Tone Seven (Grave) Resurrection Gospel (Orthros): John 21:1-14 Epistle: Ephesians 4:7-13 Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17 Sunday, January 17/12th Sunday of Luke/ The Blind Man/St. Anthony the Great Orthros: Tone Eight (Fourth Plagal) Resurrection Gospel (Orthros): John 21:14-25 Epistle: Hebrews 13:17-21 Gospel: Luke 17:12-19 Monday, January 18/Ss. Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria Epistle: Hebrews 13:7-16 Gospel: Matthew 5:14-19 Sunday, January 24/14th Sunday of Luke/St. Xenia Orthros: Tone One Resurrection Gospel (Orthros): Matthew 28:16-20 Epistle: 1 Timothy 1:15-17 Gospel: Luke 18:35-43 Monday, January 25/St. Gregory the Theologian Epistle: Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2 Gospel: John 10:9-16 Saturday, January 30/The Three Holy Hierarchs Epistle: Hebrews 13:7-16 Gospel: Matthew 5:14-19 Sunday, January 31/15th Sunday of Luke/ Zaccheos Sunday/Unmercenaries Cyrus and John Orthros: Tone Two Resurrection Gospel (Orthros): Mark 16:1-8 Epistle: 1 Timothy 4:9-15 Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 You are the sanctification of our souls and bodies, and to You we offer up glory, thanksgiving and worship! 2

3 SUNDAY SCHEDULE JANUARY 3: COMMUNITY VASILOPITA Ushers: Entire Parish Council Fellowship: Ladies Philoptochos Society JANUARY 10: NAME DAY LUNCHEON Ushers: Kouli Pouridis, Demetrious Asim, John Koutsulis, George Bochanis, Dean Chomakos and John Fotopoulos Fellowship: St. John the Baptist Name Day Luncheon JANUARY 17: PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP TEA Ushers: John Karas, Gus Flangas, Bessie Stavropoulos, Demetrious Asim, Stacy Mavrantonis and Skip Ruffner Fellowship: Daughters of Penelope JANUARY 24 Ushers: John Koutsulis, Pete Tsolis, Dean Chomakos, Skip Ruffner, George Bochanis and John Karas Fellowship: Forerunners, the Seniors of St. John the Baptist JANUARY 31 Ushers: Bessie Stavropoulos, Stacy Mavrantonis, John Fotopoulos, Gus Flangas, Pete Tsolis and Kouli Pouridis Fellowship: Pan-Cretans Adult Study with Fr. John: The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer By Archimandrite Irenei Every Wednesday 7:00-8:30 pm in Kokkos Hall Purchase this book in our Orthodox Bookstore! Thursday Morning Study with Fr. Matthew: Sunday New Testament Readings Meets every Thursday at 10:30 am in the Library. Bring your Bible! Serving Dinner to the Homeless The Community of St. John the Baptist is invited to serve dinner to the homeless at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission on Thursday, January 21 at 4:30 pm. Please join us and see why it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) REQUEST FOR HOUSE OR BUSINESS BLESSING Name Phone ( ) Address City Zip We will call you to schedule! For the blessing, please have bowl of bottled water, a sprig of basil or rosemary, an icon and votive candle. 3

4 Parish Council Report This has been a year for our Parish in which much has occurred that requires both our reflection and our action. For years, many have warned us of the dangers of relying on our successful Greek Food Festival as a major source of support for our Church. This year through a combination of many factors, we must now recognize and reconsider our approach in moving forward. This event cannot be expected to provide our Church with the economic security as it has in years past. I want to be the first to tell you that all will be fine. There is no doubt, if we are to prosper and move forward as a Church community, it must come from within it must be done by us! You can see this occurring by simply being at our Church on any given night, when several activities occur with vastly different groups from various organizations. Whether it is our flourishing Greek School program, the community outreach shown by Philoptochos, our ever-active and successful Greek Folk Dance groups, our Senior Forerunners together, and the many other ministries of Church there is truly something for everyone, no matter your age group or interests. By participating in these groups, we are investing in our Church. For our community to be vibrant and growing, it must come from our hearts and through our involvement with it personally and spiritually. During my past year as President we have handled many issues and thankfully have resolved many of them. Yet there is still so much for us to do. I look forward to us coming together for many future projects, the finishing of the Church iconography being very important among them. I thank the Parish Council for working so very well together this year and for the support we have received from Father John and Father Matthew and the St. John Community. This support has been very much appreciated. It was my honor to serve you all this past year. Best Regards, George T. Bochanis, Parish Council President LOVING GOD AND ONE ANOTHER STEWARDSHIP Stewardship Report (As of 12/21/15) Stewardship Gifts Pledged: $380, Stewardship Gifts Received: $361, Unfulfilled Pledge Balance: $18, Stewardship Families Pledged: Stewardship Report (as of 12/21/15) Stewardship Gifts Pledged: $190, Stewardship Families Pledged: 143 Stewardship and Community Outreach Happy New Year! We hope that you had a wonderful celebration of our Lord s Nativity! On behalf of the Stewardship and Community Outreach Ministry of our parish, we would sincerely like to thank all of the Stewards who gave so abundantly of themselves this past year in support of our beloved community. If not already completed, we strongly urge you to fulfill your pledge for 2015 so that we may close the books and finalize contributions. As well, may this serve as a friendly reminder for those who have not yet filled out their pledge card for If you need assistance in these matters please contact me at jszukiewicz@cox.net, or Karen in the Church Office. May the New Year be a blessed one for us all! Justina/Jennia Szukiewicz, Stewardship & Community Outreach 4

5 Philoptochos News Happy New Year! January always means fresh starts, new events, and faithful, respected traditions of our Faith, here in the Panagia Chapter. As always, the Vasilopita will be cut and distributed by Father John on the first Sunday, January 3. Following Divine Liturgy, during Fellowship Philoptochos will have several loaves and slices of Vasilopita available for sale. The January Membership Meeting will be held on Monday, January 11 at 6:30 pm in Kokkos Hall. This will be an open meeting. This is your first Save-the-Date to attend a very special Membership Tea, which will be held at Church on Sunday, January 17, following Divine Liturgy. All ladies of St. John Church are welcome to attend. Please look for more details to come. At this time I would like to thank everyone that worked so hard on all the events that the Ladies Philoptochos Society had the past couple of months. We baked, sold, packed and ate Pastries! Another successful year continuing this project! New for this year was the Christmas Tree project showcasing the creativity of our members. Many thanks to all who participated! Christmas Cards: Continuing another St. John s tradition of sending Christmas Greetings to the entire parish. And culminating the whirlwind was the Philoptochos Christmas Party; we were a small but lively group! Looking forward to all the blessings of 2016! Bernadette Anthony, Philoptochos President Notes from the Choir Loft Happy New Year! Thank You to the Choir for singing beautifully on Christmas Eve. We hope to continue to gain new Choir members this year. We strongly encourage all Youth Choir members to join us every Sunday in the Choir Loft. No rehearsals are scheduled for the month of January. If you need any assistance with the music, please let me know and we can arrange a time! Athena Mertes, Director Our Community Registry Baptized into Christ: Na Mas Zisoun! Andonis, son of Jonathan and Stavroula Temple, on November 28, Godparent: Mary Nichols. Xristos, son of Jonathan and Stavroula Temple on November 28, Godparent: Styliani Nichols. Alexandros, son of Joshua Kientz and Carolyn Lemelson on December 4, Godparent: Alexandra Lemelson. Alexandria, daughter of Constantinos and Katie Kanis on December 12, Godparent: Georgios Kanis. Illyana Constantina, daughter of Patrick and Athena Mertes on December 12, Godparent: Presvytera Maria Hondros. Stefanos, son of Joseph and Christine Pierro on December 19, Godparent: Maria Elena Pierro. Marriage: Na Zisete! Constantinos Kanis and Katie Garlock on December 11, Koumbaros: Georgios Kanis. Fallen Asleep in the Lord: Eternal Memory! Constantine Demopoulos on November 21, Funeral on December 1. Nicolas Kambouris on December 11, Funeral on December 21. 5

6 From Father Matthew Every January we celebrate one of the great feasts of the Church: Theophany, the Feast of Lights, our Lord s Baptism. Central to that feast is the role of our beloved patron, St. John the Baptist. St. John foretold the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. He lived in strict asceticism in the Palestinian desert. And ultimately he is the one who baptized our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. We commemorate St. John the Baptist on January 7, the day after Theophany, which is our parish Name Day. St. John is known as the Forerunner, because he announced Jesus coming. For this reason he is also considered the greatest and the last of the Old Testament prophets. All of the prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah, who would redeem the people of Israel. However St. John is the greatest of these prophets because Jesus Christ came in his own lifetime. St. John s ministry was to prepare the way for the Lord. He preached a baptism of repentance, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2) Through repentance the people could be cleansed of their sins. In this way St. John prepared them for the arrival of the Messiah: Behold, I send My messenger before Your Face, who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. (Mark 1:2-3) As the Lord s messenger, St. John is often depicted with angel s wings, as in the icon in the dome of our Church. (The Greek word, ángelos, άγγελος, means both messenger and angel. ) Our beloved saint s image can be found in many places in our Church, since he is our patron on the iconostasis, in the dome, in the narthex, and on the Church exterior. Furthermore, in every Divine Liturgy we commemorate him by singing his hymn. Besides the icons and hymns, what does it mean to have a patron saint of a parish? Every Orthodox Church is named after a saint or an important feast day, just as every Orthodox Christian is given the name of a saint at baptism. How is St. John the Baptist special in our lives, since our Church bears his name? As our patron saint it means that St. John is a special protector and intercessor for our community. His prayers guide us and safeguard us from harm. He watches over us more closely. Yet our relationship with St. John should not be one-sided. His closeness to our community can be strengthened by our own devotion to him. He is someone to whom we should pray regularly: For the protection of our families and our Church community. We sing his hymn each Sunday; but we can say the hymn as a prayer each day, or add a simple prayer like, Holy St. John the Baptist, pray for us! This is truly what it means to have a patron saint: A special relationship with one of God s holy servants, who can pray for us, and whom we can seek in times of need. In this New Year, let us pray to St. John all the more fervently, singing his hymn and asking for his intercession: The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise; but the Lord s testimony is sufficient for you, O Forerunner. For you have proved to be truly more venerable than the Prophets, since you were granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the truth, you rejoiced to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: That God has appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy. (Apolytikion for St. John the Baptist, Μνήμη δικαίου, sung in every Liturgy) Through the prayers of St. John the Baptist, may you have a Blessed New Year! Καλή Χρονιά! Today You appeared to the world, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us as in fuller understanding we sing to You: You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light. (Kontakion of Theophany) 6

7 Church School Youth and Family Ministries Christ is Born! Glorify Him! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with your family. We had a beautiful Christmas Pageant and the students worked hard and did a great job. I hope all the members of our parish enjoyed it as well. I want to thank the teachers and Presvytera Maria for their help in the Pageant. Please continue to register your children for Church School: Remember that we need a registration form for every student that is in class. Our program is growing, and I want to thank all of the families for bringing their children on Sundays to worship and learn about our wonderful Faith. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Eileen Koutsulis, Church School Director (702) or vivaleenie@cox.net Youth Choir News Happy New Year! May 2016 be a year full of blessings for all our Youth Choir members and their families! The Youth Choir did an outstanding job on December 13. We were a small but mighty bunch! We will chant the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 10. Again, please be at the front right side by 9:40 am. Thank You! Love, Presvytera Maria Orthodox Family Fellowship We hope that all our families had a joyous Christmas, and we wish them a happy and healthy New Year January s OFF event is A Winter Wonderland on Saturday, January 16. Join us as we seek snow in Lee Meadows on Mt. Charleston! Bring your sleds, snacks, hot cocoa and camera. We are praying for lots of snow. But snow or no snow, we re still going to have a lot of fun on the mountain! We will meet at 10:00 am SHARP at the Jack in the Box at Durango and 95. See you there! In Christ, Elaine Bucy and Politimi Zondiros, OFF Advisors GOYA Calling all GOYAns! Our annual volunteering at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission went very well. We wrapped hundreds of presents and served dinner to the homeless. Thank you to Steve and June for hosting a fun GOYA Christmas party! In January our first event will be a get together at the Church, to celebrate Theophany and the Parish Feast Day. Join us on Wednesday, January 6, 6:00-7:30 pm for Vespers, followed by a GOYA group discussion. Then on MLK Weekend we will have A Winter Wonderland! Join us for some snow play on Mt. Charleston on Saturday, January 16. And if the snow does not come, we are still going to have a lot of fun on the mountain. Bring your sleds, snacks, hot cocoa and camera. We will meet at 10:00 am SHARP at the Jack in the Box at Durango and 95 (7741 N. El Capitan Way, Las Vegas, NV 89143). Looking forward to seeing you all! With Love in Christ, Father Matthew and GOYA Advisors June Likourinou and Kouli Pouridis 7

8 Greek Folk Dance The Greek Folk Dance year is well underway! We are excited to represent our Church and community at the annual Folk Dance Festival in Anaheim this February. We have many events and fundraisers to help us along the way; and we would be delighted to have you join us. Thank you to the families that invited us to sing Christmas Carols. It was our pleasure to be part of your Christmas traditions. On Saturday, February 6 we are bringing the sounds of Greece to Las Vegas with a live music Glendi! Enjoy music from the regions of Epirus and Macedonia! Get your dancing shoes ready! No prior experience required: Dancers will be there to teach you the dances! The next day, February 7, please join us after Liturgy as we showcase our dance suites for the Folk Dance Festival. Our youth have worked hard all year and look forward to representing our Church and community. More information to follow in the upcoming months! Please contact the Folk Dance Board for information about any of these exciting events by ing us at stjohngreekdance@gmail.com. Stay tuned for more events, Pete Tsolis, Chairman, and the Folk Dance Board Greek Language Program The Greek School children finished the first semester with a fun Christmas party. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 12. I would like to thank the teachers who donate their time and talents teaching our youth the Greek language: Sia Dalacas, Alexandra and Kathy Lemelson, Fani Michaelides, Eleni Spyropoulos and Antonia Tzelalis. I also wish to thank Pan-Arcadians and AHEPA for their support in this program in its 5 th year. Looking forward to another semester and a great year. Paula Kelesis, Director Please join us as we celebrate our Parish Feast Day St. John the Baptist Name Day Luncheon Sunday, January 10, 2016 Following Divine Liturgy in Panos Hall Greek Salad, Chicken Tenders & Pita, Tzatziki, Greek Potatoes Dessert & Coffee ~ Cash Bar $15 per Person ~ Benefits St. John Church Operating Fund Purchase your tickets on Sundays from Parish Council Members and Weekdays from Karen at the Church Office 8

9 Young Adults Adult and Young Adult Ministries Happy New Year! The annual White Elephant Party at George Bochanis home was a lot of fun. There were 20 young adults and even more gifts to share from glow-in-thedark candles, to a Superman mug and delicious pizza. On Saturday, January 23 at 6:00 pm, the Barbarinos will host Young Adults at their home. Join us for good food and fellowship. RSVP if you can come! Additionally, we will serve dinner to the homeless on Thursday, January 21, 4:30-6:15 pm at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Καλή Χρονιά! In Christ, Father Matthew Kali Parea ~ Good Company for the 40+ Crowd Happy New Year! Join us on Saturday, January 16 at 5:00 pm at the home of Ann Christopoulos for a delicious dinner and lively fellowship. We will also witness a house blessing! We look forward to coming together and starting the New Year off right with those in the 40+ age range. Please contact us for further details. Demetrious Asim and Joy Wolfenbarger, Kali Parea Advisors Mr. & Mrs. ~ A Couples Fellowship Jeremy and Amy Bauck hosted another wonderful M&Ms gathering in December, full of Christmas cheer and a lively discussion. Plus the Folk Dance Carolers stopped by for a performance. Thank you, Jeremy and Amy! This month Charles and Louise Costas will host dinner at their home in Summerlin on Saturday, January 30 at 6:00 pm. Couples are invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share, along with their significant other. Please RSVP with Father Matthew or Charles and Louise. In Christ, Father John, Father Matthew, and their Presvyteres Forerunners ~ The Seniors of St. John the Baptist On Monday, December 14, the Senior Forerunners of St. John celebrated the Christmas holiday with a wonderful party at the Fat Greek Restaurant. The food was fabulous: We enjoyed delicious Greek Salad, souvlaki, lentil soup, desserts, coffee and wine. Raffles and games followed and were enjoyed by all; many prizes were awarded. We hope you have a wonderful New Year, and that you join us at our monthly luncheons. Everyone is welcome. We would love to see you at our first luncheon of 2016 on Monday, January 11 at 11:30 am in Panos Hall. We will be hosting Fellowship on Sunday, January 24 please bring goodies for everyone to share. Marie and Gary Setian, Forerunners Presidents Will You now, Master, sanctify this water by Your Holy Spirit. 9

10 Orthodox Bookstore New Year s Greetings from the Bookstore! This month we are featuring: The Life of Anthony written by Saint Athanasios. This great work chronicles Saint Anthony s holy life and continuous warfare against the passions and the demons. Saint Anthony struggled for our Lord in the third and fourth centuries and he reposed in the Lord on January 17, 356. Here is a passage from this engaging book: He possessed this spiritual favor as well. When he sat alone on the mountain, if it ever happened that he was puzzled, seeking some solution for himself, this was revealed to him by Providence as he prayed. He was the blessed one becoming, as it is written, taught by God. Later, when once he had a conversation with who visited him about the soul s passage, and its location after this life, the next night someone called to him from above saying: Antony, get up go out and look! Going out, therefore (for he knew whom he would benefit from obeying), and looking up he saw someone huge and ugly and fearsome, standing and reaching to the clouds and certain beings ascending as if they had wings. And the huge figure extended his hands, and some were being held back by him, but others, flying upwards and finally passing him by ascended without anxiety. Through the prayers of St. Anthony, may we be victorious over evil and sin, and ascend daily toward God s Kingdom. Until next month, God willing, ICXC NIKA, Constantine Frangakis, Bookstore Director Church Account Summaries November

11 3 Sunday before 10 Sunday after 17 St. Anthony 18 Ss. Athanasios 25 St. Gregory the 5 Eve of Theophany 6 Holy Theophany of 1 New Year s Day Three Holy Sunday Theophany 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Parish Council Oath Community Vasilopita JANUARY IN THE YEAR OF THE LORD Monday 4 6:00 pm Folk Dance Board Meeting 6:30 pm Adult Basketball Tuesday 6:00 pm Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil Great Blessing of Water Wednesday Greek Folk Dance Practice Schedule: Sundays: 12:45-1:30 pm Liondaria; 1:15-2:45 pm Delfinia; 1:15-3:15 pm Hrisi Thisavri; 2:45-4:45 pm Stavroforoi; 4:30-6:30 pm Antartes Tuesdays: 6:00-7:30 pm Delfinia & Hrisi Thisavri; 7:30-9:00 pm Stavroforoi Theophany 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Youth Choir Chants Name Day Luncheon 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 1:00 pm Philoptochos Membership Tea 24 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 31 8:45 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 11 11:30 am Forerunners Luncheon in Panos 6:30 pm Philoptochos Meeting in Kokkos Hall 6:30 pm Adult Basketball and Cyril 6:30 pm Adult Basketball Theologian 6:30 pm Adult Basketball 12 4:30 pm Greek Language Class 6:00 pm Parish Council Meeting 19 4:30 pm Greek Language Classes 26 4:30 pm Greek Language Classes Our Lord Jesus Christ 6:00 pm Great Vespers of St. John the Baptist 7:00 pm GOYA Meeting 13 7:00 pm Adult Study: The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer 20 7:00 pm Adult Study 27 7:00 pm Adult Study Thursday 7. St. John the Baptist Our Parish Feast Day 14 10:30 am Bible Study 21 10:30 am Bible Study 4:30 pm Feeding the Homeless at Rescue Mission (Young Adults) 28 10:30 am Bible Study Friday Circumcision of Christ / St. Basil 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great 2 Saturday 8 9 9:00 Divine Liturgy at St. Barbara in McGill :00 am OFF/GOYA at Mt. Charleston 5:00 pm Kali Parea at Ann Christopoulos Home :00 pm Young Adults at Barbarino s Home Hierarchs 6:00 pm Mr. & Mrs. at Charles & Louise Costas Home 11

12 St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church 5300 South El Camino Road Las Vegas, Nevada NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID LAS VEGAS NV PERMIT NO. 98 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED POSTMASTER : DATED MATERIAL - PLEASE EXPEDITE The Desert Messenger The Way of the Lord Let us faithful sing of the greatness of God s dispensation toward us. For in our fallen state, becoming man, the only pure and perfect One, He effects our purification in the Jordan, sanctifying both me and the waters, and shattering the heads of dragons lurking there. Let us then draw water with gladness, brethren; for to those who draw in faith the grace of the Spirit is given invisibly by Christ God, the Savior of our souls. (Idiomelon, The Blessing of Waters at Theophany)