Sunday, February 21, 2016 Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee. Orthros: 9:15 a.m. Divine Liturgy: 10:15 a.m.

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1 Greek Orthodox Mission Parish of Utah 3015 E. Creek Road, Cottonwood Heights, UT Sunday, February 21, 2016 Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee Orthros: 9:15 a.m. : 10:15 a.m. Reverend Father Anthony Savas Reverend Deacon Anatoli Kireiev Mission Statement: The Greek Orthodox Mission Parish of Utah is a Christ-centered Greek Orthodox Christian parish that welcomes and embraces all Orthodox Christian faithful and all of God s children, regardless of ethnicity and is focused above all else on the faithful worship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in adherence to the canons, teachings and traditions of the Orthodox Christian faith as part of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. franthony@gomissionparishut.org Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 3:10-15 Prokeimenon. Mode Pl. 1. Psalm 11 You shall guard us, O Lord; You shall preserve us. Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has ceased. TIMOTHY, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at lconion, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus Gospel Reading: The Gospel according to Luke 18:10-14 The Lord said this parable, Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! ; I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

2 Hymns at Small Entrance Resurrectional Apolytikion Let us worship the Word who is unoriginate with the Father and the Spirit, and from a Virgin was born for our salvation, O believers, and let us sing His praise. For in His goodness He was pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and to undergo death, and to raise up those who had died, by His glorious Resurrection. Entrance Hymn Come let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, who arose from the dead. Hymn for the Church Adorned in the blood of Thy Martyrs throughout all the world as in purple and fine linen, Thy Church, through them, doth cry unto Thee, O Christ God: Send down Thy compassions upon Thy people; grant peace to Thy commonwealth, and great mercy to our souls. Kontakion Let us flee the Pharisee's exalted parlance; let us learn the Publican's humble demeanor, and with sighs unto the Savior cry out and say, to us be gracious, O only forgiving Lord. Communion Hymn Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest. Alleluia. Dismissal Hymn Preserve him who blesses and sanctifies us, O Lord; preserve him for many years. Orthodox Saints Commemorated February 21: Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia; John the Scholastic, Patriarch of Constantinople; Eustathios the Archbishop of Antioch; Zachariah the Patriarch of Jerusalem; Hieromartyr Severian of Scythopolis; Martyrs Severus & his 62 companions in Syrmium; and George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea. Altar Servers: The scheduled altar servers for today, Sunday, February 21, 2016, are Zachary Petrogeorge, Jonathan Petrogeorge and Dimitri Savas. The scheduled altar servers for Sunday, February 28, 2016, are Jacob Pananos, Thanasi Johnson and Alex Apostole. Altar servers are welcome and encouraged to serve every Sunday, whether scheduled or not. Memorial Services May His Memory Be Eternal: Today, Sunday, February 21, 2016: Nick Savas (10 years) To schedule a memorial service, please contact Fr. Anthony at franthony@gomissionparishut.org or (mobile), (office). Fellowship Hour: Thank you to Jerry and Connie Floor, Chris and Irene Petrogeorge, David and Georgiann Petrogeorge, Dr. Irene and George Petrogeorge, and Dean and Sylvia Zekas for hosting this week s fellowship hour. Please join us! The fellowship hour on Sunday, February 28, 2016, will be hosted by Leo and Ludmila Davis and Dmitri, Tanya and Katherine Smirnov. If you would like to volunteer to host a fellowship hour, please contact Carolyn Leitko at csleitko@gmail.com. Godparents Sunday: TODAY, Sunday, February 21, 2016, our parish celebrates Godparents Sunday. Welcome to all those visiting our parish today with their godchildren and/or godparents! 2nd Annual Apokreas (Mardi Gras) Celebration: Please join us for dinner and dancing at our parish s 2nd annual Apokreas Celebration! Saturday, March 5, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church Meyer Hall. Don t wait, make your reservation and purchase your tickets after church today! Adults

3 $20; children 12 and under $5. Table reservations may be made when purchasing ten tickets. There will be an opportunity drawing that evening, with proceeds being donated to the Greek Orthodox Mission Parish Building Fund. In Greek, the word Apokreas means Carnival. More literally translated, the Greek word is Apoxh apo kreas, which means abstention from meat. Come join us, as we celebrate and prepare to abstain from meat for the Lenten season! This event is sponsored by the Women s Ministry Team. For more information or to make reservations, contact Tina Sergakis at frosso711@gmail.com or Barbara Hillas at bhillas@q.com. Virtual 5K: Our parish is co-sponsoring a virtual 5K Race 2 Erase Hunger with the LDS Salt Lake Brighton Stake and St. Thomas More Catholic Church to benefit the Utah Food Bank. A virtual 5K is one that you register for online and then compete on your own time and at your own pace. A finish line celebration will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 3015 E. Creek Road, Cottonwood Heights. Further details to come! Contact Georgiann Petrogeorge at gpino@axis41.com or with questions. Congratulations: Congratulations to Alexander Nicholas on his engagement to Sarina Donnely of Pearl City, Hawaii, this past Sunday. Kala Stephana!! UPCOMING SERVICES Saturday, March 5, 2016: Saturday of the Souls Orthros: 9:30 a.m. / : 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, 2016: Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebaste Orthros: 9:30 a.m. / : 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 12, 2016: Saturday of the Souls Orthros: 9:30 a.m. / : 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 13, 2016: Vespers of Forgiveness Monday, March 14, 2016: Great Compline Wednesday, March 16, 2016: Presanctified Friday, March 18, 2016: Salutations Saturday, March 19, 2016: Saturday of the Souls Orthros: 9:30 a.m. / : 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 21, 2016: Great Compline 6:00 p.m. (note earlier start time this week) Wednesday, March 23, 2016: Presanctified Friday, March 25, 2016: Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Orthros: 9:30 a.m. / : 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 25, 2016: Salutations Monday, March 28, 2016: Great Compline

4 Wednesday, March 30, 2016: Presanctified UPCOMING MEETINGS Parish Council: Monday, March 21, 2016, at in the fellowship hall. YOUTH MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS JOY Meeting: Our next JOY meeting will be held this Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in our fellowship hall. Please make EVERY effort to have your children in 1st through 6th grades attend. Kindergarten children also welcome. GOYA Outing Utah Jazz: Come watch the Utah Jazz take on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, March 8, Meet at the downtown Crown Burgers located at 118 North 300 West (Panther Way), Salt Lake City at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 each and can be purchased from Kim Mallas at or There are only a few tickets available, so reserve your spot TODAY! Save the Date GOYA Lenten Retreat: Save the date for the Greek Orthodox Mission Parish of Utah s GOYA Lenten Retreat April 15-17, 2016, in Heber, Utah. Details to come! CrossRoad Summer Institute: Calling all high school juniors and seniors to step outside of your comfort zone to encounter Christ in the face of your neighbor. Quench your thirst for knowledge. Explore your vocation. Dive into Orthodox Theology and Scripture with some of the best professors in the country. Build lifelong friendships. Two sessions available: June 18-28, 2016, and July 5-15, Apply online or download an application at ADULT AND FAMILY MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS Orthodox Married Life (OML): Thank you to everyone who attended OML on Friday, February 12, It was a great turnout for our Valentine s Day celebration. The next OML meeting will be held in June, after Easter (Pascha). Evening Bible Study: Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at in Classrooms 8 and 9. Parish Family Night Pre-Lenten Retreat: Please join us for Parish Family Night this Friday, February 26, 2016, at We will begin with Small Vespers, and then break into groups in order to properly prepare ourselves for our Lenten Journey. Adults will meet in the fellowship hall to learn about Saturday of the Souls Memorial Services, and why we begin Lent with them. Jim Mylonakis will demonstrate how to prepare Koliva in our homes for these services. Altar Servers will remain in church for training and practice. The remainder of the youth will be in the gym and classrooms for fun activities. Remember that these nights are for our entire parish family. Hope to see you all there! Save the Date Parish Lenten Retreat: Our Parish Lenten Retreat will be held on Saturday, March 26, Our guest speaker will be Niko Petrogeorge from Focus North America, a national movement of Orthodox Christians, united in faith and joined by a desire to provide action-oriented and sustainable solutions to poverty in communities across America. Niko is the grandson of parishioner Mary Petrogeorge. Further details to come. WOMEN S MINISTRY TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS Women s Ministry Team Leadership: Congratulations to the newly elected officers and committee chairs of the Women s Ministry Team: President: Tina Sergakis; Vice President: Georgette Lowe; Secretary: Elaine Peterson; Corresponding Secretary: Ann Sasich; Treasurer: Pauline Jensen; Service, Benevolence and Philanthropy Committee Chair: Pat Daskalas; Social Committee Chair: Amber Pananos; Faith Committee Chair: Sophie Wondolowski; Fundraising Committee Chair: Connie Pantke. A special thank you to outgoing Co-Chairs Barbara Hillas and Carolyn Leitko and all of the other outgoing officers and committee chairs for their dedicated and wonderful service from the beginning days of our parish!

5 Food Drive: Please continue to bring your donations on the third week of the month (today, February 21, 2016), and know your kindness may be benefiting members of our parish. As noted, we will be donating our food to St. Thomas More s food pantry. If anyone in our parish is in need, please contact Father Anthony who will then guide you to the pantry during their hours of service. Thank you, and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pat Daskalas at Community Cookbooks: If you would like to purchase a newly edited reprint of the community cookbook for $25, please contact Mary Simos at or Connie Pantke at Religious Book Lending Library: Thanks to everyone who has donated books! We currently have books in our collection, including children's books. Books can be checked out after the on Sundays. For questions, please contact Lisa Apostole at lisa.apostole@gmail.com. STEWARDSHIP 2016 We have received 127 completed cards, with commitments totaling $244,316, putting us at 101.8% of our budgeted goal!!!! The Parish Council and Stewardship Ministry Team thank everyone who has helped us achieve this goal so quickly. We are so blessed to have such faithful, dedicated and committed stewards in our parish! The Stewardship Ministry Team has taken the time\talent information from the commitment cards, and the names of those who have signed up will be given to all Ministry Team leaders in the coming weeks. If you have not yet submitted a stewardship commitment card it is not too late. To obtain a packet, please contact Father Anthony at franthony@gomissionparishut.org. Commitment cards can also be completed online at COMMUNICATION MINISTRY TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS Parish Directory Photos: As noted during the Fall Parish Assembly last November, we would like to add photos to our future Parish Directory. Please send digital photos to Michael Petrogeorge at secretary@gomissionparishut.org for inclusion in future editions of the directory. Weekly Bulletin Announcements: Please send requested announcements for the weekly bulletin to Michael Petrogeorge at secretary@gomissionparishut.org by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. New Post Office Box: The parish s new mailing address is P.O. Box , Holladay, Utah The old P.O. Box has now been closed. Please alert any bill pay services of this change to ensure that any stewardship contributions or other donations are properly received and accounted. SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT Next Sunday, February 28, 2016, our parish will be most blessed to welcome the Very Reverend Archimandrite Themistoclese Adamopoulo as a guest celebrant, preacher and guest. We will have the opportunity to learn about Fr. Themi s organization, Paradise Kids 4 Africa (PK4A), and understand the poverty, pain and suffering in his Metropolis of Sierra Leon. He is a visionary, missionary and true follower of the Gospel. You will not want to miss the opportunity to be in his presence. Please take the time to read the following article, published in 2011, to better understand the gift that is coming to us. Who is Rev. Dr. Themistocles Adamopoulo? Themistoclese Anthony Adamopoulo was born in 1945 in Alexandria, Egypt into a Greek family, but anticipating developments in Egypt at the time, his parents made the decision in 1956 to immigrate to Melbourne, Australia. Arriving into Australia before his teens, Themi went to high school at Williamstown High School in the city of Melbourne. Gifted in academics

6 he won a scholarship to Melbourne University where he began a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in During the 60s, Themi became a founding member of a Rock n Roll band called The Flies, deferring his studies to pursue a career in the music industry and gaining local and interstate popularity (and it was an intense popularity). Two stories from his only and younger sibling Mary, include; teenage fans camping outside their Melbourne home (where his mother felt sorry for the fans and would feed them home cooked Greek food & sweets) and Mary selling his personal belongings such as socks, toothbrushes and clippings of his hair to the adoring fans, thus taking advantage of his notoriety. The groups popularity reached its peak when The Flies began supporting some of the biggest Rock n Roll names in history, including Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. Up until this time, he held a strict atheistic view; but, during these Rock n Roll years, he had what he describes as a mystical experience, where he believes he saw Jesus. Realizing that this was not going to be his permanent occupation he returned to university, beginning a Bachelor of Arts course studying philosophy, political science and history. At the age of 22, Themi became the youngest tutor at Melbourne University. Undergoing this Christian mystical experience, Themi accepted Christianity as the path to God, but did not immediately go to his parents church, the Greek Orthodox Church, but rather looked for the denomination that could best understand his experience. During these early Christian years he was ready to become a Pastor in any Church, but after speaking to several Greek Orthodox priests, he was led to joining the Greek Orthodox Church in the early seventies with a hunger for the Bible he could not quench. After completing a Masters of Education, Themi went on to teach at various educational facilities in Melbourne, but the call of God was so strong that after reading the Gospels countless times, he sold everything he had, gave it to the poor and began a walk of 1000 miles between Melbourne to Brisbane seeking God s will for him. God led Themi to the Greek Orthodox Church and became Brother Themi taking up theological studies in Australia and completing his studies in the USA at Holy Cross, where he completed a Master of Theological Studies while concurrently studying at Harvard Divinity School, and then undertaking a Master of Theology at Princeton Divinity School, and finally completing a PhD at Brown University. He returned to Australia and in 1986, was one of the founding lecturers at St Andrew s Greek Orthodox Theological College in Sydney. After considerable time lecturing, Brother Themi felt a calling from God to go and help the poor in a way of personally acting out his faith, admiring the work of Mother Teresa, he realised and was been drawn to the great need in Africa. Arriving in Kenya, Africa in the mid 90s, he began conducting liturgies and preaching in various parishes in Kenya with a primary focus being to teach the poor to earn a living on their own. Some of Brother Themi s works include building a preschool, a primary school and a high school, providing free education, food and clothing for children in slum areas, as well as building a college consisting of an education, business/information technology, and tailoring departments, teaching for free or a minimal cost to break the cycle of depression. In mid 2007, during his work in Kenya, the Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria invited Father Themi to commence a new mission of his choice, moving from Kenya to Sierra Leone in early 2008 (considered the poorest country in the world at the time). When asked why he chose Sierra Leone, Rev. Themi responded I thought we could start at the bottom and work our way up. Today he is sponsored by the international charity Paradise Kids for Africa and with the help of God as he is often heard saying, cares for the Holy Diocese of Sierra Leone as Patriarchal Vicar. With the help of PK4A and other missionary minded societies from Greece and elsewhere, Brother Themi has overseen the establishment of the, PK4A Mission House for guests, missionaries and priests of the mission, the Freetown Orthodox Teachers college for the establishment of better teachers and the College Chapel, all in the suburb of Tower Hill, Freetown (the Capital of Sierra Leone); the Syke St School in the centre of Freetown s city with over 2500 students and a Cathedral on the school grounds, that acts not just as a church, but also as the school assembly hall where Jesus Christ is the centre of all things; a Tailoring School in the Freetown Jail for women inmates, where on release, he offers a free Sewing machine for all who have

7 completed the course, giving them some skill to make a living; and finally the Disabled Village in Freetown s fringe suburb of Waterloo, housing hundreds of families of disabled (the poorest of the poor) and their families, here at Waterloo he has overlooked the establishment of Free Housing, the Church, a School, a Medical Clinic, a Feeding Hall, the Priest house and guest housing. All this in less than three (3) years; and even now he continues to study to further his ability to help the poor and his love of Education by undertaking his Masters and Phd in Early Childhood Education at the Monash University, Melbourne, so he can act with authority in establishing education for the poor. Now, in 2011, Brother Themi, has the responsibility of seven (7) nations, soon to be known as The Holy Orthodox Diocese of West Africa. Here, he will continue to follow, after 40 years, his original calling as demanded by Jesus Christ, to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and follow Christ ; he will continue to follow Christ s parable in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25; to help the poor; to feed the poor, to clothe the poor, to quench their thirst, to visit them in Jail, to take in the lost and adding education to lift the poor out of poverty giving them the opportunity to a future until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the Apostles, Brother Themi continues to walk in the footsteps of Christ, not owning anything, rejecting monetary gifts or remuneration for himself and living a simple life with no place to call his own, living only on the hospitality of his sister, those around him and his small salary from the Church in Greece. The charity Paradise Kids for Africa (PK4A) was first established in Australia to help Rev. Themi in his calling from God; now with committees all around the world, made up of dedicated Christians in the Orthodox Church, PK4A have set themselves apart by being a total Voluntary organization with no one receiving any remuneration, (not even Brother Themi), funding his outreach to the poor and anyone who will listen. Having known Brother Themi for over 20 years, PK4A board members happily sponsor all his travel and accommodation expenses as he preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnesses to the rich nations that it is our responsibility to look after the poor. PAN-ORTHODOX, FRATERNAL AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS Daughters of Minos Meeting: The Daughters of Minos will be holding their next meeting TODAY, Sunday, February 21, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity. We will be making Forget Me Not Baskets for women in our community and will be having a member appreciation party. We will be having a Mexican Fiesta thanking all of the women that are a part of The Daughters of Minos. Please come join in the fun and bring any friends that would be interested in joining the Daughters of Minos! Please feel free to send in your membership dues to: Daughters of Minos, c/o Sophia Fradelakis, 1331 E. Shays Grove Lane, Murray, Utah Please call Sophia at or Maria Papadakis at with any questions. Kritiki Horoesperitha: Minos & Minotavros invite you to join them at the Kritiki Horoesperitha on Saturday, February 27, 2106, at the Hellenic Memorial Building, 279 South 300 West, Salt Lake City. Social Hour: 6:30 p.m.; Dinner: 7:30 p.m. Music by Dimitris Vakakis (Lyra), Christos Makridakis (Laouto), Tony Marmatakis (Laouto) and Minas Katzakis (Krousta). Entertainment by the KriKri & Minotavros Dancers. Adults 18 and over: $40 ($50 at the door); Youth 6-17: $20 ($30 at the door); Children 5 and under: Free. For more information, contact George Tsoutsounakis at or gtsouts@gmail.com, Georgia Tsoutsounis at or g.tsoutsounis@gmail.com, or Tricia Louras at or lourastricia@gmail.com. Sts. Peter and Paul Antiochian Church s Around the World of Orthodoxy Talent Show Gala and Silent Auction: This family friendly evening will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016, and will be an opportunity for all Orthodox Christians to get together and celebrate the diverse cultures and faces of Orthodoxy around the world. Proceeds will be used to beautify and maintain Sts. Peter and Paul s 109 year old building, support their new St. Justin s School, and establish seed money for future expansion. Sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Fr. Justin Havens at

8 or or Carrie Murphy at or for more information. PRAYER LIST Barbara, Brad, Elleney, George, Joe, Julie Ann, Katherine, Luke, Marie, Michael, Nick, Shirley, Toula, William To add a name to our prayer list, please Michael Petrogeorge at secretary@gomissionparishut.org. PARISH CALENDAR An electronic copy of the parish calendar can be found on the parish website at Click subscribe in the lower right hand corner of the calendar page to link this calendar to your personal calendar program (Google calendar, Outlook, etc.). 21 February 2016 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Godparents Sunday :30pm JOY (Fellowship 24 Bible Study (Classrooms 8-9) GOMPU Family Night (Fellowship 27 6 March 2016 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 14 Vespers of Forgiveness Lent Begins Great Compline 6pm GOYA Outing Utah Jazz (Crown Burger/ Vivant Smart Home Arena) 15 2 Bible Study (Classrooms 8-9) 9 Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebaste 9:30am 10:30am Bible Study (Classrooms 8-9) 16 Presanctified Salutations Saturday of Souls 9:30am 10:30am 2 nd Annual Aprokreas (Mardi Gras) Celebration: 6:30pm (STM Meyer Saturday of Souls 9:30am 10:30am 19 Saturday of Souls 9:30am 10:30am 28 Rev. Dr. Themistocles Adamopoulo pm Great Compline Parish Council (Fellowship 22 6:30pm JOY (Fellowship Presanctified Salutations 26 Parish Lenten Retreat Great Compline Presanctified