Weekly Schedule of Services/Events

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1 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST ORTHODOX CHURCH Sunday November 11, 2018 The Righteous Father Abramius; Anastasia of Rome Epistle: Ephesians 2:14-22 Gospel: Luke 8:26-39 Weekly Schedule of Services/Events Sunday, November 11 Rescue Mission Epistle: Christopher Greenhill 9:00AM Divine Liturgy Monday - Friday This Week Fair Setup Week - Help is needed each night this week, beginning at 6:30pm, to get ready for our Christmas Fair. We especially need help Monday to set up the tables etc. Tuesday, November 13 6:45PM Gingerbread House workshop Friday, November 16 5:00PM Stuffed Cabbage for Fair Saturday, November 17 Christmas Fair 10am-4pm Sunday, November 18 9:00AM Divine Liturgy Epsitle: Jennifer Morrison + Wojnagi Family Thanksgiving Food Bank He who truly wishes to believe in God must be lifted above himself, his mind, and even the whole world. For this reason, the value of faith is considered higher than the value of man. It is even higher than the value of the whole world. Therefore, the reward of faith should be higher than all of man s possessions along with the glories of this world. The reward of faith is God. - Fr. Matthew the Poor Service Schedule Divine Liturgy 9am Weekday Eve Service 7pm General Information Street Address 384 Mill Hill Ave Bridgeport, CT Mailing Address 40 Beaver Dam Road Stratfor, CT Contact Information Fr. David Cochran H: C: pauldcochran@gmail.com Carol Feduik, President carolcfeduik@yahoo.com John Galpin, Choir Dir choir@stjohnsmillhill.com Diocesan Resources Diocesan Website Camp Nazareth Facebook Twitter YouTube

2 Weekly Announcements CHRISTMAS FAIR: Our Christmas Fair is this coming Saturday. We need help every evening this week with set-up and decorating. We especially need help tomorrow evening to set the auditorium up. We willcontinue set up through the week. There is ironing, decorating and set up to do Please plan to come down as much as possible to make the Fair and Success. Also if you use social media, please consider sharing the Fair on your accounts. You can snap a picture of the Fair flyer and share it with your friends. GINGERBREAD HOUSE WORKSHOP: Anyone interested in helping make gingerbread houses for the fair is welcome to join us on Tuesday, November 13th at 6:45. Any questions, please call Joanne Choomack at Thank you. WEEPING ICON FROM TAYLOR: The Weeping Icon of the Mother of God from our parish in Taylor, PA will be at our parish on December 7. Please mark your calendars now so that you may be there for this service. FOOD BANK: Our Food Bank for November is our Thanksgiving Food Bank. It will take place next Sunday. We are looking for donations of turkeys. If you can donate one, please call Holly Mesavage at or seadogco@optonline.net. Your help and donations are greatly appreciated. Scripture Readings for Sunday Epistle Reading Ephesians 2:14-22 BRETHREN, Christ is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

3 Gospel Reading Luke 8:26-39 At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me. For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion ; for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Our Righteous Father Abramius Our Righteous Father Abramius, born in Edessa in Mesopotamia in 296, took up the monastic life and brought many pagans to Christ. Mary, his niece, upon the death of her parents, joined Abramius at his hermitage and under his guidance advanced swiftly in the love of God. Through the wiles of the evil one, however, she fell into sin, and falling from them into despair, she left her uncle and became a harlot. When he learned where his niece was, Abramius put on the clothes of a man of the world and went to visit her in disguise. Through his exhortations, Mary returned to her first hope in the mercy of God, was rescued from the life of harlotry, and ended her life in great holiness. He himself reposed in the year 366. Saints Abramius and Mary were friends of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, and it was he who wrote their account.

4 On Stewardship: #107 Gifts For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believed in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3: 16 RSV) What a gift God has given us, eternal life! Glory to God! Eternity is a long time, certainly much longer than our current life, and we can be with Him - or perhaps not. It is our choice to make. God gave us this time, here and now, to prepare us for eternal life in His kingdom. He gave us TIME! He also gave us skills, abilities, and talents, so that we could not only find our way to Him but to provide assistance to others - to love others. Have you ever wondered why God gave us such extraordinary talents? Do you believe it was so that we could amass wealth and live in the lap of luxury? Or are our talents destined for a more useful purpose? What is our purpose here on earth? I recall once hearing in a past homily, There are two important days in your life, the day you were born and the day that you found out why! Do you know why you were born? Do you know why God blessed you with life, gave you skills unique to only you, and made you so unique that there is nobody quite like you? I believe that God made us unique and gave each of us special talents so that we have to help others develop their skills, and they may also help others, etc. Help others do what? Obtain eternal salvation through Jesus Christ! That is our only purpose here in this life, to attain Theosis, continuous communion with God. We were not given our life and talents to squander on earthly things. When we do that, we fall into the passion of self-love, loving material things before loving God. Does that mean that we cannot possess material things and enjoy life? Absolutely not! God wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labors as we read in both the Old and New Testaments. But, He does not want us to become slaves to the material passions of this world, No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6: 24 RSV). God has blessed each and every one of us with TIME and extraordinary TAL- ENTS. Let us give back to God in proportion to what He has so graciously given us. Let us give to the church ministries at a very minimum ten percent of our free time and the talents we possess by the grace of God. Let us prepare ourselves for the greatest gift God has for us, eternal life!

5 IT S CHRISTMAS FAIR WEEK Each evening starting Monday at 6:00 pm to help with the set-up Tuesday-help is needed to assemble gingerbread houses. Please See Joanne Choomack or Crissy Adzima to volunteer Thursday-preparation of cabbage for stuffed cabbage Friday-preparation of stuffed cabbage During the Fair to work wherever help is needed **Please register on the sign up sheet in the auditorium** Baked goods such as cakes, cookies, pies, candies, jellies, jams, preserves, fudge are needed in the Country Store If you are making special cookies for the cookie boxes, please see Mary Ann Sandburg. **Please bring your items Friday night or Saturday morning** Clean-up help is needed after the Fair Saturday starting at 4 pm to pack up and break down the tables Monetary donations or tickets are still needed for the Lottery Tree Gift Cards are needed for the North Pole Raffle. Please see David Skirkanich or Holly Mesavage. Raffle tickets can be brought during the Fair. Please see Crissy Adzima if you need more tickets Theme trees and craft and gift items should be brought down Wednesday and Thursday evening WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU AT THE FAIR! COME DOWN AND ENJOY OUR FAIR! DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! ENJOY THE DELICIOUS FOOD! ENJOY THE COMPANY OF YOUR FELLOW PARISHIONERS AND GUESTS! THIS IS OUR BIGGEST FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! WE NEED YOU! COME TO THE FAIR!

6 Holiday Shut-In List Mrs. Ann Andras Hancock Hall 31 Staples Road Danbury, CT Mr. Michael Banik C/o Arden House 850 Mix Avenue Hamden, CT Mrs. Mary Belush 201 Granite Road Apt 13 Guilford, CT Mrs. Anna Bashar 104 Blueberry Lane Mr. Michael Demchak C/O Gary Demchak 170 Deer Run Road Meriden, CT Mrs.George Borodack 36 Oldfield Road Trumbull, CT Mrs. Margaret Dobson 40 East Gate Lane Stratford, CT Mr. Joseph Chirsky Rock 708A Bridgeport Avenue Mrs. Ann Esuchenko 46 Crosby Commons Mr. Joseph Fialkovich 92 Big Horn road Mrs. Katherine Henetz Atria of Stratford 6911 Main Street Stratford, CT Mrs. Anna Kaplan 57 Vought Place Stratford, CT Mr. John Kranyak St. Joseph s Manor 6448 Main Street Trumbull, CT Mr.& Mrs. Edward Lesko 32 Mill Hill Avenue Bridgeport, CT Mr. John Madzik 9 Kathy Lane Ansonia, CT Mrs. Marie Mudre 70 Brandon Ave Stratford, CT Mrs. Pauline Nosal Carriage Green #G Plains Road Milford, CT Mrs. Irene Osowski 9 Crosby Commons Mrs. Ann Pall Carriage Green # Plains Road Milford, CT Mr. John Plavnicky 192A Bayfield Lane Stratford, CT Mrs. Christine Samoskevich 9 Lantern Drive Newtown, CT Mrs. Helen Saranich 262 Wesley Heights Mrs. Mary Skirkanich Split Rock 708A Bridgeport Ave Apt 310 Mrs. Margaret Strich 54 Cedarknoll Drive Stratford, Ct.06614

7 American Carpatho-Russian Youth Empowering the Saints for Ministry November 15th, 2018 to January 15th, 2019 Academic Scholarships - Support of Camp Nazareth Missionary Projects - Promotion of Orthodox Faith Lenten Retreats - Campus Ministry Aiding Children with Serious Illness and Special Needs Deadline is February 10th For more information visit ACRY.org

8 Sweet Shoppe featuring Homemade Candies Country Store featuring homemade baked goods jellies, jams, pickles & more Keep the kids busy at Santa s Workshop making Gingerbread Houses St. John S orthodox ChurCh 364 Mill Hill Ave., Bridgeport, CT (near Bridgeport Hospital - secure parking) Saturday November 17, :00 am - 4:00 pm Santa s Restaurant Christmas Fair featuring Ethnic Foods Pirohi Pagach Haluski w/cabbage Kolbasi Stuffed Cabbage also Potato Pancakes Hot Dogs Chicken Soup Frozen Takeout available Bake Shop Homemade Baked Goods Nut & Poppy Rolls Homemade Breads Religious Store featuring traditional gift items Festival of trees Baba s Jewelry