St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713)

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1 JANUARY 2016 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 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 turtle-doves or two young pigeons, as required by the Law. (Luke 2:22-24; Exod. 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. According to tradition, St. Symeon was one of those Seventy translators who in the third century before Christ had translated the Scriptures of the Old Testament into Greek. Coming to the words in the seventh chapter of Isaiah the Prophet, he had been awestruck by the affirmation that not only a young woman, but also a Virgin would give birth to the Messiah. He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live until he saw these words fulfilled. Thus, when he beheld Him at that time and took Him up into his aged arms, he gave glory to God, singing: Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy words, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. (Luke 2:25-32) Soon after uttering these words, he reposed, as did the Righteous Anna, who had also been waiting to see the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit that she too would see the Messiah in great old age. The Prayer of St. Symeon is read at every Vespers service in the Church Year. 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. The Presentation of Christ is celebrated on February 2. St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713)

2 General Parish Meeting/Country Western Dance/Bible Study General Parish Meeting Sunday, January 24, 2015 following the Divine Liturgy It is kindly requested that you return your 2016 Membership Form by January 20, 2016 to ensure that your name will be on the list of eligible voting membership. Page 2 Wednesday Evening Bible Study The Book of Acts with Fr. Symeon 7:15 p.m. following Vespers

3 Mosaics Update We have received an update from artist Aidan Hart in Wales on the progess of the mosaic icons for the expanded east walls. Due to the extensiveness of the project and the artist s adherence to detail, the two mosaics will likely arrive in the fall and be installed in October The Crucifixion has been completed, and The Resurrection is 25% complete. To see updates on the project, please visit Aidan s website, The Theotokos in mourning at The Crucifixion The tomb and hades in The Resurrection Page 3

4 D.A.D.S. Lunch D.A.D.S. Lunch at St. George The day the hall is more beautiful than the sanctuary Once again, St. George opened her doors to receive a wonderful Christmas gift - over 400 guests from the Department of Aging and Disabled. The beautiful weather was matched by the beautiful faces of all who entered the hall. Two seatings were held with guests being fed delicious cuisine and being entertained by the wonderful Salvation Army Harbor Lights Choir. The air was filled with so much joy. A special thank you to Chair Al Nahas and the 50+ volunteers who served. Thank you to our Teens who assembled over 400 gift bags; to donors of gift bag items; to Ashcraft Bakeries and Shipley's Donuts for donating dessert; to Mint and Basil Mediterranean Cuisine for preparing the tasty lunch; and to our anonymous donors and the Ladies Altar Society, Fellowship of St. John the Divine, and St Nicholas Men's Society for covering all the expenses. It is events like the D.A.D.S. Lunch that make us realize when serving, we receive so much more than we give. May GOD grant us many more opportunities to serve. Page 4

5 D.A.D.S. Lunch Page 5

6 C.P.S. Party E ach year St. George hosts the Child Protection Service Christmas Party. On Friday, December 11, over 65 children/teens came from seven shelters in the Houston area. The young people were welcomed into the Church Hall for a pizza dinner, a motivational speaker, and a fun evening of karaoke and dancing. Thank you to Georgina Baba and over 25 St. George volunteers who joyfully spent the evening serving the youth and spending time with them. Page 6

7 YES Houston G rowing up in Houston, I am no stranger to seeing homeless people scattered along every street corner. Because of the amount of homeless people I see on a daily basis, it has become quite commonplace to see people begging on the street, asking for food, asking for money, or just sitting there. But at what point does seeing your brother or sister begging for food, with no jacket to warm him, and no house to shelter her become commonplace? The YES trip opened my eyes to the poverty that I ignore by Sofia Michael on a daily basis. We started out the trip taking a prayer tour through Houston, many of us discovering facts about poverty in our city that we had never heard of. The next day we cooked, cleaned, served, and visited with men recovering from addictions at the Open Door Mission. After this, we drove to an impoverished part of the city and gave out meals, and just sat with and talked with the many homeless men and women we found. All of these people who we had overlooked on a daily basis had so much unexpected wisdom to offer. These seemingly unapproachable people were surprisingly easy to talk to. We were also astonished by some of the peoples' amazing faith, specifically one man who refused our food because there were so many hungrier people who needed it. This really changed our perspective on these homeless men and women, who we now think of as people, and not just fixtures in our society which we try to ignore. I have always been aware that poverty exists, but have always wondered why, in such a prosperous country, they didn't just get up and get a job, or go to a shelter. The YES trip completely changed my outlook on the homeless and needy population of Houston. I have learned that it's not my place to ask why they don't get a job, or wonder what poor decisions they've made that have gotten them on the street. It is simply my job to help them. Page 7

8 St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713) CHURCH STAFF Pastor V. Rev. Fr. James Shadid Associate Pastor Rev. Fr. Symeon Kees Pastor Emeritus V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Shahda Youth Director George Katrib Secretary Octavia Odom Session 1: June 26 - July 2 Session 2: July 3 - July 9 Session 3: July 10 - July 16 Please don t delay in registering your children. St. George will be taking a bus to Session 2. If Session 2 fills up, we will also try to make travel accommodations for Session 3. Fr. James is planning to be at all three sessions. Please contact Youth Director George Katrib should you have questions or need more info. Feb. 1