Sunday Bulletin September 11, 2016 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 13555 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, Texas 75240 Office 972-991-1166 Fax 972-661-1717 www.holytrinitydallas.org Reverend Father Christopher Constantinides Reverend Father Peter Kostakis Reverend Father John Essa Reverend Deacon Mark Pakes Reverend Deacon Athanasios Clint Sharpley Reverend Deacon Christopher Stern
COMMUNION ETIQUETTE If you are either baptized and or confirmed as an Orthodox Christian and have spiritually prepared to receive Holy Communion, please come up from the middle aisle of the Church with reverence and humility, row by row, in a QUIET and ORDERLY fashion, and depart as directed. Please remain seated in your pews until a council member indicates your row should go forward. If you are standing in the back of the nave, please wait until all seated parishioners have gone forward and a council member indicates you should go ahead. In receiving Communion, you should place the cloth under your chin, recite your CHRISTIAN NAME, and wipe your mouth after receiving. Women, please remove your lipstick prior to receiving Communion. THANK YOU! PRAYERS FOR OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN Brandon Bell, USAF 1st Lt. Thomas C. Bouras, US Army Nicholas Patitsas, 1st Lt. US Marine Corps Stephen Serniak, Major, USAF Space Command We are currently updating the list of active service members. Please submit the name of the person/s you would like added to this prayer list. 972-991-1166 or vwells@holytrinity.info PRAYERS FOR HEALING Marianthe Polykalas Verver 2
Sunday, September 11, 2016 Hymns at the Small Entrance HYMN FOR THE FEAST, FOURTH TONE Your birth, O Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life. PRIEST ENTRANCE HYMN, SECOND TONE Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us O Son of God, who did arise from the dead. We sing to You, alleluia! RESURRECTIONAL HYMN, THIRD TONE GREEN BOOK PAGE 83 LET ALL THINGS REJOICE HYMN FOR THE FEAST, FOURTH TONE Your birth, O Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life. HYMN OF THE CHURCH, PLAGAL 4 TH TONE GREEN BOOK PAGE 115 O BLESSED ARE YOU KONTAKION OF THE NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS, 4 th TONE In your holy birth, Immaculate One, Joachim and Anna were rid of the reproach of childlessness; Adam and Eve of the corruption of death. And so your people, free of the guilt of their sins, celebrate crying: "The barren one gives birth to the Theotokos, who nourishes our life." 3
Epistle Reading St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 6:11-18 BRETHREN, see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. English Reader: Demi Tomasides Gospel Reading John 3:13-17 The Lord said, "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." 4
Daily Commemoration of Saints Sept. 11 Theodora of Alexandria; Euphrosynos the Cook; Demetrios & Evanthea the Martyrs & their son Demetrianos; Sergius and Herman of Valaam, Finland; Deinol the First Bishop of Bangor; Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos Sept. 12 Apodosis of the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; Autonomos the Martyr; Theodore the Hieromartyr of Alexandria; Hieromartyr Cornatus, Bishop of Iconium; Agirus, the Hieromartyr of Cornoutus, Bishop of Iconium; Daniel of Thassos; Julian the Martyr Sept. 13 Forefeast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross; The Consecration of the Church of the Holy Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre); Cornelius the Centurion & Martyr; Aristides the Philosopher; Hierotheos the Righteous of Iveron Monastery, Mount Athos Sept. 14 The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Giving Cross; Commemoration of the 6th Ecumenical Council Sept. 15 Nikitas the Great Martyr; Philotheos the Righteous; Bessarion of Larissa; Righteous Father Symeon, Archbishop of Thessolonica; John the New Martyr of Crete; Afterfeast of the Holy Cross; Porphyrios the Actor Sept. 16 Euphemia the Great Martyr; Sebastiana, Disciple of St. Paul the Apostle; Dorotheos the Hermit of Egypt; Melitina the Martyr; Afterfeast of the Holy Cross; Edith the Nun of Wilton Abbey Sept. 17 Saturday after Holy Cross; Sophia & her three daughters: Faith, Hope, and Love; Herakleides & Myron, Bishops of Crete; Afterfeast of the Holy Cross 5
Calendar of Events Sunday, September 11 8:15 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (S) 12:15-4 p.m. HTHD Practice (Gym) 1-2:30 p.m. HTHD Sr. Girls (GS Room) 4-8 p.m. GOYA Basketball Practice (Gym) 40 Day Blessing for Athena Derksen (Mother Alexis) Coffee hosted by Marina Cardinali Elisafidis and the Youth in the Community Center immediately following Divine Liturgy. Catechetical School (Community Center) after Holy Communion. Holy Trinity Bookstore open until 12:30 p.m. after Divine Liturgy. Monday, September 12 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Yarn Guild 6:30 p.m. GFF Leaders Meeting (A) Tuesday, September 13 1:30-3:30 p.m. Pickleball (Gym) 5-6:30 p.m. HT Greek School (GS Rooms) 6 p.m. AHEPA Mtg. (Gym) 6:30 p.m. DOP General Mtg. (A) Wednesday, September 14 Elevation of the Venerable & Life Giving Cross 8:30 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (C) 2-5:45 p.m. Holy Trinity Bookstore OPEN (see page 23) 5-6:30 p.m. HT Greek School (GS Rooms) 6 p.m. Paraklesis (C) 7 p.m. CANCELED GOYA (A) 7-9 p.m. B ball Practice Sr. Boys (Gym) Thursday, September 15 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. Adult Bible Study (BR) 5-6:30 p.m. HT Greek School (GS Rooms) 7 p.m. Men s Basketball (Gym) 7 p.m. S.A.L.T. (for info contact FrPeter@holytrinity.info) 6
Friday, September 16 No activities Saturday, September 17 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. GFF making Baklava (K, Gym) 5 p.m. Great Vespers (C) Sunday, September 18 8:15 a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (S) 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. GFF Packaging all pastries (Gym) 12:15-4 p.m. HTHD Practice (Gym) 1-2:30 p.m. HTHD Sr. Girls (GS Room) 4-8 p.m. GOYA Basketball Practice (Gym) Philoptochos Holy Cross Bake Sale/Coffee immediately following Divine Liturgy. Catechetical School (Community Center) after Holy Communion. Holy Trinity Bookstore open until 12:30 p.m. after Divine Liturgy. Tents to go up at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 18th! Please have your vehicle moved out of the west parking lot. Thank You! Parish Council Schedule September 11 Ari Rigopoulos, Christina Hochleutner, Jim Chappel Bill Zaemes, Peter Hronas September 18 Tasos Kaiafas, Wade Stephens, Alin Voicu, Mary Ann Trapalis, Fotis Papanicolaou, Mary LeBrecht 7
DANCE PRACTICE in the gym EVERY SUNDAY UNTIL FESTIVAL (Please note your dance time) 12:15 12:30 p.m. PreK 12:30 1 p.m. 1st & 2nd 1:30 2 p.m. 3rd - 5th 2 3 p.m. Jr Goya 3 4 p.m. Sr Goya HTHD is a year-round program that practices monthly from November May to prepare for the Festival. If you would like information on HTHD, please contact Teresa Chantilis at Teresa.chantilis@gmail.com 8
Philoptochos presents: Backpack Blessings Philoptochos ladies are regular volunteers at the North Dallas Shared Ministries food pantry. Often seen are people who receive groceries, but can only take what little food they can carry. They lack transportation and must walk home or to the bus stop. You can help! Donate a backpack for $10.00 OR take a backpack for free & return it filled with non-perishable food. Available TODAY in the Community Center The backpack, food & the $10.00 backpack purchase price will be donated to the North Dallas Shared Ministries. 9
New Church App We would like to inform our parishioners that there is a free app called Church Life through which you can easily access our church's online directory from your smartphone or tablet. This app--available for both Android and ios devices-- was developed to complement the ACS software system that we use for our church office operations. In addition to putting our church directory at your fingertips, the app also allows you to customize your profile in the directory, including uploading a photo of you or your family. (Photo uploads have to go through an approval process, but once approved and added to your profile, other members will be able to see your picture in the directory.) The app is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Just search for "ACS Church Life" to find it. To use the app, you'll need an Access ACS user i.d. and password. If you currently log in to the Access ACS website (https:// secure.accessacs.com/) to make stewardship payments or to look up someone in the online directory, then you are all set to use the Church Life app. Just sign in to the app with the same email address and password you use when you log into Access ACS. 10
Listen to Sunday Sermon Podcasts on Podbean Have you ever gotten home from church and wished you could hear that Sunday's sermon again? Or wished you could share it with a friend or family member who missed it? Of course, you could look at the video archives on our Worship Webcast page, but locating the sermon in a video of a Sunday Liturgy is not always easy. Well, we've come up with a new way to access Sunday s sermons - sermon podcasts! Going forward, audio recordings of Sunday sermons will be available on our Holy Trinity podcast site, holytrinitydallas.podbean.com which is hosted on the Podbean podcasting platform. You can listen to sermons on your computer, and also on your smartphone or tablet. Podbean has free apps for iphones and Android devices; just search for Podbean in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Once you've installed the app, search for "Holy Trinity Greek" to find our podcasts. You can subscribe to our podcasts and receive notifications on your device whenever a new sermon is posted. 11
On the first Tuesday of each month, our parish generously prepares, delivers and serves a wonderful meal to the clients of the Austin Street Center in downtown Dallas. This ministry has been in place approaching 17 years, serving over 80,000 meals during that time. Our menu of Greek-style baked chicken, green beans, good ole Festival rice, a slice of bread and a slice of homemade cake, followed with a cold glass of milk...is a hit every time. We are in need of volunteers to help us in the kitchen! It is only once a month and takes a few hours of your time. If you are interested in helping us prepare the meal here at Holy Trinity, please send an email to dxeros@aol.com. Our meals are prepared and served on the FIRST TUESDAY of each month! Austin Street Center 2929 Hickory Street Dallas 75226 12
S.A.L.T. Dinner & Discussion WHAT? Join us for a dinner & discussion led by Father Peter. Topic: Social Media - communicating in today's world! Maintaining Christian values; compatibility with life in the Church; effect on time management. Dinner will be provided. Donations accepted. WHERE? Holy Trinity (Community Center A) WHEN? Thursday, September 15 th, 7-8:30 p.m. (Reminder: we meet the third Thursday of every month) RSVP: If you plan to attend, please reply to vanessa.andros@gmail.com for dinner planning purposes. Thanks! 13
IT S TIME for GoYA, joy, & hope! The new ministry year is here! Get involved in one or more of the following Youth Groups: GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) GOYA is our oldest and largest youth group. From grades 6th to 12th, members enjoy plenty of meetings, activities, retreats and fundraisers. One goal of GOYA is to cover four large aspects of the church: Worship, Fellowship, Service, and Witness. GOYA meets monthly on the 2nd Wednesday every month at 7 p.m. The first meeting of the year is September 14th! JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth) Joy is our middle group, grades 1st to 5th. JOY meets on a monthly basis, learning about Orthodox Christian fundamentals through the help of activities and crafts. JOY meets on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. Be on the lookout for our JOY theme of the year. The first meeting is on September 7th. HOPE (Holy Orthodox Primary Education) Being our youngest group, HOPE could be our most energetic. For our 2 year olds to Kindergarteners, it is a great way for our kids AND parents to come together in fellowship. HOPE meets on the 1st Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. September 1st is the first meeting of the year. Demetrios Buck Parish Youth Director Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 14
Holy Trinity Greek School GREEK CLASSES It is not too late to sign up for the children s afternoon program. For more information, please email Presvytera Alexandra: presvy@holytrinityacademy.com ADULT GREEK CLASSES Intermediate classes begin on Monday, October 3 Beginners classes begin on Tuesday, October 4 7:00 8:30 p.m. in the Greek School Room For more information to the Church s website: www.holytrinitydallas.org. Look under the Greek School heading; then click on Adult Classes. Coming in October! OXI Day Celebration & Coffee Hour Sunday, October 30 After Divine Liturgy Did you graduate Catechetical School in 2015 or 2016? We have asked for your contact information in the past, but have not received complete information from everyone. We want you to know that just because you graduated, we have not forgotten you and like to send out a monthly "hi" with a meditation to enrich your spirituality and let you know we are thinking of you. Just this week we sent an email to the contacts we received. If you did not receive this email, please resend your name, your email, and the school you are attending to: Liz Michael at lizziem901@gmail.com 15
Greek Food Festival 2016 This year is the 60 th Anniversary of the Greek Food Festival of Dallas! Come see us during Coffee Hour where you ll find information about our new attractions and have the opportunity to sign up to VOLUNTEER. Celebrate! #bigfatgreek60 We re almost there! We need our Greek Village to help us get the job done by coming out on the last two dates below for our 60th Annual Greek Food Festival! Saturday September 17 Baklava Sunday September 18 Package after Church We will start at 9 a.m. on all dates except on Sunday, Sept. 18th. This is a great way to volunteer your time and talents! Join us! Questions? Email greekfoodfestivalofdallas@gmail.com 16
Dear Holy Trinity Family, We are 13 days away from our #bigfatgreek60 Anniversary. We are excited for this milestone and wanted to share what is up and coming for this year. United States Backgammon Federation Tournament. So bring your Tavli strategy on! Our Taverna was a huge success last year. We have expanded it for all to enjoy. Sunday Afternoon Basile the Comedian will be here to make us laugh out loud. As always, we still need you, our Holy Trinity family. We need you, your family, or get a group of friends together to help serve our 18,000 anticipated guests and show our Philoxenia to our DFW community. Have fun, dress in your best blue and white, and enjoy the festival while greeting and serving our guests. To Volunteer, please go to www.greekfestivalofdallas.com click on the volunteer link at the bottom of the page, use the password Opa!2016 (please note password is case sensitive). We also invite individual families to participate in our Festival Sponsorship Program. Families are encouraged to join with the generous businesses and ministries who for many years have taken part in the GFF Sponsorship Program. Sponsorship packets are available in the Church Office or visit the Greek Food Festival website (noted above) to download the packets under the Sponsors link. Should you have any questions regarding sponsorship, please email us at sponsorship@gffdallas.com or see any one of our committee members. We need your photos. We all take pictures at the Festival, and we would love to share your shots! Please email your photos to photos@gffdallas.com. We will use them for marketing, website, flyers etc Last but not least, don t forget about our baking dates! We need all hands on deck from our Greek village to help get the job done! Should you have any questions or concerns please email us at info@gffdallas.com In his service, The Greek Food Festival Committee 17
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Weekly Bulletin 2015 Stewardship Report as of 9/8/16 Contributions received 1/1/15 to 9/8/16 2016 Stewardship Number of $ 2016 $ Contributed to % of 2016 Pledge Pledges Pledges Pledges 2016 Stewardship Contributed No Change to Pledge 353 $422,609 Decreased Pledge 138 $168,754 Increased Pledge 196 $292,483 New Pledges 47 $27,275 TOTAL # of Pledges 734 $911,121 $575,831 63.20% Jim Dolmas Harry Yianitsas 2016 Parish Council President 2016 Stewardship Chairman Holy Trinity Bookstore September brings with it the start of a new school year as well as the beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year. Come on in to the bookstore and pick up the planner published by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In addition to helping you keep track of your family s events and obligations it is an excellent resource that includes short morning and evening prayers, fast and feast days, as well as the daily Epistle and Gospel readings. Along with the new year comes new bookstore hours. We are excited to announce that this fall, beginning September 7th, we are expanding our hours! In addition to our normal Sunday hours, we will be open on Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 5:45 pm. Please note, we will be closing promptly in order to ensure we have time to check you out before the Paraklesis Service which begins at 6 p.m. We hope to see you then! Further, in honor of the new Ecclesiastical Year, the bookstore is featuring Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith by Father Peter Gillquist. This is a book for converts and cradle Orthodox Christians alike. It offers an opportunity for all to more fully explore their faith and consider their own Christian journey. In honor of the Nativity of the Theotokos that we celebrate on September 8, the bookstore is featuring Mary the Mother of God: Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas edited by Christopher Veniamin. This short, easy to read book will surely increase your knowledge and understanding of the Theotokos. The Featured icon this month is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross which is commemorated on September 14th. Your Bookstore Team! Hours: Sundays after Divine Liturgy until 12:30 p.m. & Wednesdays 2-5:45 p.m. 23
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the Lord! Hopefully all is well with you and yours as we approach the cooler weather of September and the beginning of our ecclesiastical new year. Here s an update on our stewardship progress as we journey into Fall. I am happy to report our total pledge commitments have increased to $907,821.00. This modest increase is encouraging and your generosity in giving back to God is appreciated. Thank you to those who have made their commitments and completed their pledge cards! As of the end of August, we have fulfilled about 61% of our pledge commitments a bit behind the hopedfor pledge progress as we have actually progressed about 67% through the calendar year. Please check your attached stewardship statement to see if your pledge fulfillment is on track or could use a little catching up. Weekly or monthly progress toward fulfilling your pledge is most appreciated! Thank you to all of you who are continuing to fulfill your pledge on a regular weekly basis! If you haven t made a pledge for this year, it s not too late to get started! Please help support your church and fellow parishioners. On a different but familiar note, I need to tell you that the gap is back. What gap? You may remember that last year we launched a new short-term program called Close the Gap. This short-term program was initiated to help us make up a budget difference that occurred between what was budgeted for stewardship pledges and the actual pledges committed by you, our stewards. This gap was somewhat closed last year, but unfortunately has returned due to our expenses and commitments being greater than our stewardship pledges for 2016. This year s gap is approximately $55,000.00. We are asking each steward to consider increasing their 2016 pledge by just $75.00 (that s only an increase of $6.25 per month). If all stewards were to do this, we would easily close this gap. Please consider participating in our Close the Gap II program by increasing your pledge in the amount of $75.00. If you would like to make a one-time payment towards closing the gap, you may also send the office a separate payment of $75.00 marked Close the Gap II. Thank you again for your support of your community. See you at the Festival! Harry Yianitsas 2016 Stewardship Chairman Proverbs 16:3 - Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.