SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. 21 st Sunday after Pentecost October 21, 2018

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1 THIS WEEK S SERVICES October 21 October 28 Mon. Oct. 22 9:30am: Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children, followed by knitting/coffee group Wed. Oct. 24 6:00pm: Prayer Service for a New Temple Sat. Oct. 27 6:00pm: Great Vespers (confessions heard afterward) Sun. Oct. 28 9:00am: Orthros Sun. Oct :00am: Divine Liturgy PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS WELCOME to all who are visiting with us today! We hope you will feel at home here at Saint Herman Church. TITHE ONLINE VIA CREDIT CARD visit our parish website Click the Donate Now button on the side. Donate to Operating Fund or Building Fund each month automatically. PARISH COUNCIL MEETING Wed. Nov. 7 at 6:30pm FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY BY DAVE RAMSEY Our parish will host FPU on Saturdays after Vespers from 6:45-8:00pm; Oct. 20 Dec. 15 (9 classes total). Register and pay for the class at Contact class host Andrew Smith at or matt780@gci.net for more information. ETIQUETTE TIP OF THE WEEK: Talking in Church Isn't it great to come to church and see friends and family members? But wait until coffee hour to say "Hi" to them. It isn't appropriate to greet people and have a conversation with them during the services, including the Post-Communion Prayers. Besides being disrespectful towards God, it is rude towards the other people in the church who are trying to worship. Talk to God while in church through your prayers, hymns, and thanksgiving, and to your friends in the hall afterwards. One exception: please say hello to visitors when they enter and are near you! CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CLASSES RESUME SUNDAY OCT. 28 Classes will be held Sundays from Oct o CGS Level 1 (ages 3-6): 11:45am 12:45pm o CGS Level 2 (ages 7-9): 11:45am 1:45pm o Preteens (10-12): 12:00 1:00pm Bible Study (Esther) o Teen & Adults: 12:00 1:00pm Class with Fr. Matthew SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West PRIMATE and DIOCESAN HIERARCH His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOSEPH PASTOR Rev. Fr. Matthew Howell DEACON Rev. Dn. Thomas Ross Contact Information 6988 N. En Dove Road Wasilla, Alaska Pastor s Phone: (907) priest@sainthermanwasilla.org 21 st Sunday after Pentecost October 21, 2018 A NOTE REGARDING HOLY COMMUNION Welcome! In the Orthodox Church, reception of the Holy Eucharist is reserved for baptized, chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared by prayer, fasting and a recent confession. If you are visiting from a non-orthodox church or otherwise are not prepared to commune today, you are welcome to receive some of the unconsecrated, blessed bread which the acolytes are holding. We pray for all to be united in the Body and Blood of Christ! If you would like to learn how you can enter into communion with the Orthodox Church, please speak with our clergy.

2 THE EPISTLE V (For the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost) O Lord, how magnified are Thy works. In wisdom hast Thou made them all. Bless the Lord, O my soul. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (2:16-20) Brethren, you know that a man is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the Law died to the Law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. THE GOSPEL (For the Sixth Sunday of Luke) The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (8:26-39) At that time, Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And as He stepped out on land, 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 hast Thou to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech Thee, do not torment me. For Jesus 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 Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged Jesus 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 was drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had 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. THE GOSPEL (CONTINUED) Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Jesus 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 Jesus; but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare all that God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city all that Jesus had done for him. SAINTS & FEASTS OF THE DAY Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost & Sixth Sunday of Luke; Venerable Hilarion the Great of Palestine; Christodoulos of Patmos the wonderworker; Martyrs Socrates and Theodota at Ancyra; Venerable-confessors Vissarion & Sophronios of Ciorara, and Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania GOOD WORKS BASKET October Project Mat Su Food Bank World Food Day was Oct. 16. With this in mind, the Archdiocese asks all parishes to collect non-perishable food from October through December. Our October GWB project will be for the Mat-Su Food Bank. Please make donations of non-perishable food items in the green bin in the Fellowship Hall. In addition, November and December projects will focus on our Adopt-a-family project through the Wasilla Homeless Committee. A GOOD WORD Each parish is like a gateway to the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you desire an eternal life in Paradise? Then the road naturally leads to the Church. -- His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH As you come together in love for one another, you will draw in many other people seeking after the love with which you have been so richly blessed. -- His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH Keep from prying into other people's affairs, for such prying gives occasion for slander, judgment, and other grievous sins. Why do you need to be concerned about others? Know and examine your own self. -- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk The humble person does not criticize anyone except himself, because he knows that he does not have any appointment to judge and censure others. -- Father Philotheos Zervakos

3 SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 6988 N. En Dove Road; Wasilla AK Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Primate Rev. Fr. Matthew Howell, Pastor - (907) Greetings in Christ to all Parishioners and Friends of Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church. The Parish Council would like to update all the members and friends of Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wasilla on the exciting developments happening at our church. We are growing! We are so thankful to God that we are growing. Not only are we growing but Metropolitan JOSEPH observed during his recent visit in May that our parish is full of joy. He encouraged us to keep our joyful mind and hearts as we grow to never lose the joy, no matter how big a parish we become. Part of the joy that we experience involves our charitable giving through our Good Works Basket. In the past year we have done projects to support the Mat-Su Food Bank, Wasilla Homeless Committee, local Orthodox Prison Ministry, Saint Nicholas Uganda Children s Fund, Wasilla Heartreach Center, FOCUS North America, and International Orthodox Christian Charities. Each month we also continue to support financially both the St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Washington and the Hogar Raphael Orphanage in Guatemala. Our Sunday School classes for all ages held after Coffee Hour are well attended. We are using the Parsonage basement for the children s classes and the Fellowship Hall for classes too. This semester the classes are bursting at the seams! If you haven t attended these classes, please Come and See what good is happening there. After much discussion in the Parish Council and meetings of the whole church, we are embarking on a fundraising venture to pay for God s plan for a new church building. We are unsure how this should be accomplished, so we are praying. Every Wednesday night we have a prayer service focused solely on praying for God s will and direction for the church building plans. It is a short, 20 minute service that begins at 6:00 p.m. We encourage everyone to Come and Pray with us. We are filling our small temple with people of all ages and it is a wonderful problem to solve with God s guidance. If you haven t visited for awhile, we invite you to Come and See! We average more than 75 people on Sunday mornings, and about half are children. We are asking everyone to pray about giving a regular gift to our building fund so we may realize our dream of a sanctuary that safely and comfortably accommodates 150 to 200 people.

4 We are also planning some community events to help to raise money to build. Stay tuned for announcements on these upcoming fun events. We currently owe about $70,000 on our property mortgage. We would like to retire this debt as soon as possible. We also want to simultaneously save as much money as possible in a building fund so that we will be ready to build, buy, or renovate when God reveals His plan to us. By the way, we now have the capability of scheduling tithes and building fund donations on our website with PayPal. Go to and click the Donate Now button on the side. Credit cards can be charged through PayPal. It is an easy process and can be done for a one-time donation or monthly or weekly recurring donations whatever suits your giving pattern. Do you remember the story where Jesus fed the multitudes? (John 6:1-14 and Luke 9:10-17). Jesus asked his disciples, Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Philip said it would take 200 denarii (200 days of wages) to feed them all just a little bit. In Luke s Gospel Christ commands, You give them something to eat. He said this to test them. Well, you know the story: One person offered all he had. Jesus took and blessed the five barley loaves and two fish. This small amount provided by one young man fed the multitude with twelve baskets of food leftover. Our Lord would love to bless our offerings and feed our souls even more than our bellies! Let us give what we can, regularly give, and watch Him bless our giving of alms. Please talk to anyone on the Parish Council or Father Matthew about ideas you might have or any comments on this matter. Come and See how God will bless your Giving and your Life with Joy. See you Sunday, Parish Council Rev. Fr. Matthew Howell Bob Feldman, Vice-Chair Jennifer Miller Rev. Dn. Thomas Ross Janice Vance, Treasurer Peter Johnson Kosta Bunde, Chairman Becky Moore, Secretary

5 To be delivered in Church by a teen on Special Olympics Awareness Day October 21, 2018 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Christ is in our midst! Today, the North American Council of Teen SOYO sponsors the 38th Annual Special Olympics Awareness Day! Every August, Teen SOYO hosts and funds an annual week-long camp for Special Olympics Athletes at the Antiochian Village. Over the past 37 years, Teen SOYO has created a camp experience like no other. It is a week that hundreds of Special Olympic Pennsylvania athletes await all year long. Our Sports Camp demonstrates a unified environment where members of Teen SOYO, along with coaches and athletes from Special Olympics Pennsylvania, come together for a fun week of sports training that makes a unique experience for all! At SOYO Special Olympics Camp, athletes from all over the state of Pennsylvania gather to train in a wide variety of sports with the help from our dedicated SOYO and Special Olympic Pennsylvania (SOPA) coaches. Throughout the week, the athletes train in one of the following primary sports: basketball, bocce, flag football, floor hockey, softball, soccer, track and field, volleyball, swimming, golf, and tennis. After a hard morning and afternoon of sports training, our athletes celebrate in the evening with programs filled with fun and excitement! Evening programs in the past include events like movie night, dances, bowling, karaoke, carnival night, and more! We complete this week of training with a day of sports competition that reinforces all the skills learned throughout the week. Our activities create a memorable and fruitful experience for athletes and coaches alike.

6 As members of Teen SOYO, we create strong relationships in Christ through the service and experiences we have at camp. The Teen SOYO coaches arrive early to camp to receive training and preparation for working with people with special needs. This week is time of personal growth not only for the athletes but for our Teen SOYO coaches as well. Our teens feel more enlightened and blessed with the opportunity to give back in any way possible. All those involved in our SOYO Special Olympics Camp leave with a sense of community, growth, and great joy. Through your generous donations, SOYO Special Olympics Sports Camp has grown immensely through the years. This past year, we celebrated our 37th SOYO Special Olympics Camp! Over these past 37 years, we have hosted more than 8,500 athletes and coaches, and over 1,150 of our teens have been blessed by working as SOYO Coaches or Volunteers. It is our pleasure and honor to have the opportunity to serve, pray, and play with these Special Olympics Athletes. With your help, we look forward to continuing this important ministry for many years. The North American Council of Teen SOYO leads and implements this ministry through the donations from the faithful of our Archdiocese. SOYO needs to raise over $74,000 for the camp to run. This money is raised each year solely from your generosity: our fellow parishioners. Today, we ask for your prayers and financial assistance in sponsoring the 38th Annual Special Olympics Sports Camp. The amazing stewardship you provide enables us to continue and grow this life changing ministry. To show our appreciation for your support, we will present you with an icon bookmark of Saint John Chrysostom, the Patron Saint of Teen SOYO, as we enter the 50 th Year of the North American Council of Teen SOYO. This past summer, many of the athletes personally expressed their profound gratitude to SOYO and to you, the faithful of our Archdiocese. Thank you for your support which enables us to offer this wonderful privilege for many to come and grow together. This truly transformative camp changes the lives of many of our own teens from across the Archdiocese, and we thank you for your financial support, encouragement and prayers. Through the SOYO Special Olympics Camp, our teens exemplify the basis of our Orthodox Faith, and Teen SOYO, by living our faith through worship, witness, service and fellowship. Thank you again for your generosity today, and always! May God bless you and all our participants in the Teen SOYO Special Olympics Camp!

7 AWARENESS DAY As NAC Teen SOYO prepares to sponsor the 38th Annual Special Olympics Sports Camp; we ask that you be generous in helping our teens in this ministry. Approximately 300 athletes and coaches participate in our camp each year. Teen SOYO members come from all over North America to volunteer their time, to reach out to others, and fulfill the Gospel: Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. (Matthew 25:40) Special Olympics Awareness Day is your opportunity to support this ministry and enrich the lives of our teens who participate in helping others. Your generosity makes this ministry possible. Today, our teens will request your financial donations to enable them to sponsor the 38th Annual Special Olympics Sports Camp, which will be held at the Antiochian Village, in the summer of As an expression of gratitude for your support of this ministry, you will receive an icon bookmark of Saint John Chrysostom, the Patron Saint of Teen SOYO. The Year 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the North American Council of Teen SOYO. For this reason our teens have chosen to honor their Patron Saint as an expression of love and gratitude for the multitude of blessings they have received over these 50 years. Thank you for your financial support. Please make checks payable to your local teen SOYO group. For More Information: For online donations:

8 MatSu Food Bank 501 E. Bogard Rd. Wasilla, AK Some suggested or needed items for Food Drives Canned vegetable such as: Corn, Peas, Green Beans, Mixed Vegetables. Canned Fruit such as: Peaches, Pears, Mixed Fruit, Apple sauce. Top Ramen, Soups, Stews. Any Pastas, Ravioli, Spaghetti, Macaroni & cheese. Dry goods such as: Rice, Beans, Flour, Sugar, Powdered Milk. Cereals such as: Boxed cereal, Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat. Peanut Butter, Jelly. Canned meats such as: Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Beef, Hash, Spam. As always any foods you would eat, and someone else would eat too. The following items would need to be dropped off directly at the Mat-Su Food Bank instead of our bin at St. Herman s: Frozen items such as: Meats, Juices, Vegetables. As always any fresh products such as Vegetables, Milk, Butter, Bread.

9 World Food Day 2018 Canned Food Drive, October-December Attention Parish Priests, Parish Councils & all Parishioners WORLD FOOD DAY, October 16 th is sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United States and was especially designed to heighten public awareness of food and hunger issues around the world. The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is one of the sponsoring organizations for the National Committee for World Food Day. We now join 458 voluntary organizations throughout the United States and 163 countries around the world observing WORLD FOOD DAY! Last year 112 of our Parishes reported participating in this much needed program, with 59 parishes participating all year long, and we distributed 651,262 pounds of food within our communities. For 35 years we have pledged our support to our local food banks, and again are asking each Parish to sponsor a CANNED FOOD DRIVE. Please ask your parishioners to bring canned goods to Church between October 8 th and December 30 th. Please review the attached 2018 Food For Hungry People update and the 2017 World Food Day (canned food drive totals.) Please contact me ASAP if you have any questions, additions or corrections. Please check your totals now. Remember this report will be forwarded to Metropolitan JOSEPH and published in THE WORD. There are several Parishes that have not yet reported their 2017 pounds collected or turned in their 2018 FFHP donations. Each Parish will distribute the Food to the Needy in their local community. Through this activity, people everywhere will be expressing their faith and sharing their love. Please inform us of your year-round charitable activities. We want to share them with the entire Archdiocese! Please weigh your food. This can be done quite easily by totaling the amount of food weight listed on each can. me with your totals and we will publish the weight collected in THE WORD magazine. If you DO NOT NEED Food For Hungry People BOXES for 2019 please let me know as soon as possible! Collection Cans are by request only. Robin Lynn Nicholas Food For Hungry People and Charitable Outreach 4237 Dundee Drive Los Angeles, CA T: (res) T: (bus) T: (cell) robinffhp@aol.com

10 YOU CAN HELP THE TEENS OF SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH EARN DONATIONS JUST BY SHOPPING WITH YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD! Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits. At Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church, all Fred Meyer Rewards Donations go to the Teen SOYO account. Here s how the program works: Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church at You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number (QS670). Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping The St. Herman Youth Group earn a donation! You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today. If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store. For more information, please visit

11 VENDORS PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR CHRISTMAS BAZAAR ~ SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR Hosted by: St. John s School and St. John Orthodox Cathedral Date: Saturday, Dec. 1st Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Place: St. John Cathedral Monastery Dr. Eagle River, AK If you would like more information, or would like to secure a table for this event ($30-, 6 ft. table or an 8ft. table for $40- ), please contact Lynn or Kali at Call and reserve your table today, as space is limited!

12 Christmas Bazaar and Scholastic Book Fair Hosted by: St. John s School and St. John Cathedral Vendor Sign- up Form Name: Contact Number: Address: Description of what you will be selling: Table Size: Please circle the table size you would like: 6 ft. table: $30- or 8 ft. Table: $40- Your payments may be made by check, cash or CC. If you intend to pay with a CC, please call to a make payment over the phone or stop by St. John s School between 9:00-2:00 Mon. through Fri. We are located at Monastery Drive in Eagle River. Please include this form with your payment. Payments must be received by Nov. 12 to reserve your table. Set up: The Cathedral basement will be open for set- up on Friday, Nov. 30 th from 5:00-8:00 and doors will open on Saturday, Dec. 1 st at 8:00 am for our vendors. Doors will open to the public at 10:00 am and will close at 4:00 pm. Coffee and lunch will be available for purchase on Saturday, with all proceeds benefitting St. John s School. We will also be hosting a Scholastic Holiday Book Fair at our school on Saturday. If you have a special item that you would like to donate to our raffle or Silent Auction that will be held at different times throughout the day, just let us know and we will add you to our list. It will be a great way for your crafts to be on display and let other people know about your work! We are very excited to have you be a part of our Christmas Bazaar this year! If there is anything that we can do to help, please let us know. You may call the school ( ) and speak with Lynn or Kali, if you have questions.