Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Metropolis of Atlanta Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 255 Beauvoir Road Biloxi, Mississippi 39531 (228) 388-6138 www.holytrinitybiloxi.org January 2014 Bulletin From Fr. Dean When Jesus was baptized and John the Baptist heard the voice of God the Father saying: This is my beloved Son and when John saw the heavens open and the Spirit descend in the form of a dove it was then that John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and said: I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. John 1:34 John the Baptist s message was very simple. It was a message of repentance. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Much of the teachings of Jesus can be summed up in that one word.repent. Unfortunately, today when we hear the word repent, we immediately think of all the people we know who ought to repent. It seems that it is always easier to criticize someone else. But as you have heard me say before when we point at someone, there are three fingers pointing right back at us. The only way to recognize our sins is to compare ourselves with Christ who is without sin and not compare ourselves with other sinful people. If only we would look at ourselves instead of constantly criticizing and blaming others. If only we would change the direction of our lives instead of expecting everyone else to change the direction of their lives first. If only we could recognize our sins and then to go to God to seek His forgiveness through Holy Confession. This is precisely what the Prodigal Son did. Remember, he came to himself, prepared his confession and returned to his father to seek forgiveness. God came to us at Christmas in the person of Jesus Christ. He revealed Himself to us in Trinity on Epiphany. He came to forgive, to enlighten, to lead, to make all things new including each and every one of us. Every person exists.but life in all its fullness belongs only to those who have united themselves to Christ. Jesus said as recorded in John 10:10 I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. As we begin this New Year, don t just exist. Repent! Commit your whole life to Christ and begin to enjoy the abundant life each and every day of 2014. Schedule of Services for January...Sunday at 10 am on Jan 5 th (Fr Ernesto), Sunday at 9 am on Jan 12 th (Fr Eugene), Sunday at 9 am on Jan 19 (Fr Eugene), Saturday at 10 am on Jan 25 (Fr Dean). Please note the dates and time changes for all of these services. Visitors A warm welcome to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church! We are glad to have you worship with us today. Please join us for coffee hour in our social hall after Liturgy. 2013 What a Year for Holy Trinity...As we look back over the past year, we have much to be thankful for. It was a year of challenge and joy, in making Holy Trinity a beacon of Orthodoxy for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Your Parish Council worked hard, but you worked
harder to make it happen. Our Metropolitan Alexios from Atlanta visited Holy Trinity again and spent a delightful evening with parishioners talking and answering questions and then conducting a Hierarchical Liturgy. We established a Sunday Religious Education Program that is well attended. We have added an additional priest, Fr Eugene Lahue who fills in when he can and is stationed at Keesler AFB. We had several baptisms and christmations: Theodore Chelmis, Marcus and Morganna McRae, Sheila Yurchak and Caleb Bridges. We saw the birth of new babies for Marina Lucangeli, Stephanie Kaleto and Zoe Mavromahalis. We saw the passing of some of our parishioners: Vangie Roybal and Barbara Lagoudakis. We made significant improvements in the church. We worked to build upon the Stewardship Program. There was a Youth and Adult Retreat, a Youth Pool Party and Cookout and another Bonfire on the Beach for adults and youth, that were a great success. We had a very successful Christmas Greek and Russian Pastry Sale and Bazaar, we participated in several cultural events (Gulf Coast Historical Society, Keesler AFB Diversity Day, Armed Forces Retirement Home, and Biloxi's Chamber of Commerce Junior League) to promote the Greek and Russian cultures. We showcased our Greek Dancers at the Bay Cove Assisted Living Center for one of our parishioners who lives there. We established a Russian Kalinka Dance Group that danced at the Christmas Bazaar along with our Greek Dancers. We continued with the Slavic Tradition of Blessing an Easter Basket and had a very well attended Agape Feast. We saluted Holy Trinity's veterans who give and gave so much through service to their country. We continued with the monthly Greek Glendi and had a first ever Russian Party on International Woman s Day. Our Ukrainian Opera Singer Nataliya Petrovska-Molsbee sang in concerts at Mary O'Keefe, Armed Forces Retirement Home and Singing River Elementary School. We had a very successful Church Yard Sale. Thanks to all parishioners who helped throughout 2013 in making this a successful year for Orthodoxy and Holy Trinity in Biloxi. Now as we look forward to 2014 and building upon our accomplishments with a sense of anticipation, contemplation of what may come, setting of goals, and prayer for health and happiness in the community. May we share in the joy of this season of light and life, expecting the great and abundant blessings of God in the coming year. Let us offer our worship and prayers, as we serve one another and all of the people, in the grace and power of Jesus Christ our Lord. To start the year we are blessed to celebrate two beautiful and holy feasts of the Church the Feasts of St Basil and Theophany. Feast of St Basil - January 1st... Saint Basil was born into a wealthy Christian family in Caesarea Cappadocia, Asia Minor, in 330 AD. He was one of six children, all of whom became saints. He visited monastic centers and he himself founded a monastic community where he lived with other monks for about five years. He wrote many rules and guidelines for monastics so that all Eastern monasticism owes something to his spirit. He greatly cared for the poor and suffering and built an estate which included houses for travelers, a church, a hospital and a hospice all with a complete staff. A famine struck the area and sent many poor and starving into his care; their pain grieved him and he labored to feed them with his own hands. He wrote, "If you are reduced to your last loaf of bread and a beggar appears at your door then take the loaf and lift your hands to heaven and say, O Lord, I have but this one loaf. Hunger lies in wait for me but I revere Your commandments more than all other things". If you should say this, then the bread you gave in your poverty will be changed for an abundant harvest. Basil was aware of his own shortcomings and dispirited by disappointments in his life of struggles, wrote: "For my sins, I seem to fall in everything". Nevertheless, he was far from a failure. His labors, including his writings On the Holy Spirit greatly contributed to the final
triumph of Nicene orthodoxy at the second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381. He had a great effect on the formulation of monasticism, the Liturgy of Saint Basil is largely his own work, celebrated ten times during the liturgical year and author of the Anaphora (the central portion of the Divine Liturgy). We also celebrate St Basil with St Gregory the Great and St John Chrysostom on the Feast of the Three Great Hierarchs on January 30th. Feast of Theophany - January 6th... Make ready, O Zebulon and prepare thyself, Nephthali. River Jordan, stop flowing and leap for joy at the Lord's coming for Baptism. Rejoice, O Adam, with our first mother; hide not yourself as in Paradise of old. For seeing us naked He has appeared, to clothe us with our first garment. Christ has appeared, to renew the whole of creation. Theophany means the "Manifestation of God." Jesus' Baptism by St. John the Forerunner in the Jordan was the beginning of His public ministry. All three Persons of the Trinity were shown forth at one time and place: the Father testified from on high to the divine Sonship of Jesus; the Son received His Father's testimony; the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove descending from the Father and resting upon the Son. Personification of the Sea and the Jordan are seen in the water, recalling the words of Psalm 113: "The sea saw it and fled; Jordan was driven back." On the left, we see the olive tree with the branch cut off and the ax laying across it. This signifies that this is the divide between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and we are grafted into spiritual Israel, the Church, by Baptism. See the poster at the end of this bulletin for more on the Feast of Theophany. Other January Feasts... Other major feasts during January include: Synaxis of St John the Forerunner, January 7 th ; St Anthony the Great, January 17 th ; Euthymios the Great, January 20 th, St Gregory the Theologian, January 25 th and the Three Hierarchs, January 30 th. Blessing of Homes...January 6 th is Holy Theophany where we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. The difference between His Baptism and our baptism is that when we are baptized, we are changed. When Jesus was baptized, He changed the water. We will do the service of the Blessing of the Water at Liturgy on Sunday January 6 th ; bring a small container. If you don't have one we will make them available in the church.. With the Feast of Theophany begins a season for the blessing of homes. There are two goals in this: 1) To recognize the Baptism of our Lord and our own as well and 2) To pray for God's blessing on our homes and our families. God made our bodies as well as our souls and is concerned with the whole; where we eat, where we sleep, what we drive, our pets May God bring his blessing to it all. How does it happen? Invite the priest. If you would like your home blessed, contact George Yurchak at 228-831-5820 or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com who will make the arrangements. Vasilopita... We will have the Greek tradition of our cutting the Vasilopita Bread on January 12 th after Liturgy. We will have a Pot Luck Luncheon to follow. Please bring one of your favorite ethnic dishes for the occasion to share with all. On this day we will also continue the tradition of taking a collection for St Basil's Academy, the orphanage maintained by the Archdiocese in upstate New York. Christmas on a Ship, Wednesday January 8 th... Holy Trinity will start new missionary work this year with ships that come into Gulfport harbor and have Orthodox seaman who are far from home. We will set up a schedule with the International Seaman Center. But first Holy Trinity will host Christmas on a Ship on Wednesday January 8 th (January 7 th is Russian Christmas but
the ship comes in on the 8 th ) for a crew of Russian and Ukrainian seamen. We will meet at the Gulfport harbor at 11:30 (place to be determined) and bused to the ship for a Christmas program. We will bring Christmas bags for each member of the crew (30 seamen), have a Christmas Luncheon they will provide, sing Christmas carols. We can put Christ back into Christmas for them and talk about what Holy Trinity is all about. After the new year we will provide more information on this new ministry for Holy Trinity. We need people to support this. Please contact George Yurchak at georgeyurchak@yahoo.com or 228-831-5820 if you can attend. I already have several volunteers. General Assembly Meeting, Saturday January 25 th... Their will be a special General Assembly Meeting to vote on the repairs to the back side of the Church. This needs to be done since we are consecrating our church this year and will have many distinguished visitors and clergy. Two proposals were presented at the last General Assembly in November and a motion made but was deferred to January so Demetri Vlahos could present his cost proposal at this meeting along with the two previously presented. A decision will be made at this meeting. 2014 Church Calendars...The 2014 Church Calendars are available in the Church Narthex. They were donated by Eleni Vganges and John Demetrakopoulos. January Birthdays... Happy Birthday to Rachel Lahue, January 2 nd, Leonardo Aron, January 3 rd, Demetri Vlahos and Rebekah Lahue, January 10 th, Hardy Thames, January 17 th, Linda Peters, January 22 nd, Dorthy Porter, January 25 th, Elaine Stevens, January 26 th and Sheila Yurchak, January 30 th. If we don't have your birthday or we missed you please contact George Yurchak at 228-831-5820 or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com. Anniversaries for January... If anyone has an anniversary in January, please let George Yurchak know so we can recognize your anniversary. Add may God Grant you many, many years. Church Thanks...Thanks to all those who have given their time and talents in helping out at Holy Trinity throughout the year. Your time and help contributes significantly in welcoming new parishioners, keeping up the church/grounds and keeping the church available for all Orthodox to attend. Thanks again to those generous parishioners who have brought their special food items for our after Liturgy social hour. It is important everyone take their turn, even if you have to donate $20 for the food, which a council member will buy. Many thanks to Elizabeth and Katerina Vamvakas for making the Prosforo throughout the year. Special thanks to all those who gave their time and talent to the 2013 Christmas Greek and Russian Pastry Sale and Bazaar in helping make this event a very successful fund raiser. Get Well... Prayers and blessings to Helen Taylor, Photine Hagicostas, Irene Stevens, Alexandra Peters, Gus Ravanos, Mary Makris, Alan Koskan, and Dorothy Porter. Fr Dean or Fr Ernesto will conduct home visitations and give communion to those parishioners who are ill and can't be with us for Liturgy. Please contact a parish council member or the priest to make arrangements. If we missed someone please contact Nancy Malek at 228-265-1411. We want to pray as a community for those that may be too ill to be with us during church services. Prayer Box... We have a prayer box in the Narthex. If there is anyone you wish a prayer said, place their name in the box, or contact Nancy Malek at 228-265-1411.
STEWARDSHIP PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR PLEDGE FOR 2014 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is grateful for every donation received throughout the year. Your generous support enables Holy Trinity to spread the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ, serve regular Divine Liturgies and Sacraments and provide spiritual nourishment to our faithful, their families and those in need. Your pledge of support is a sign of your heartfelt participation in the life of our parish family and it plays a vital role enabling us to meet our financial responsibilities. We pray that everybody who attends Holy Trinity and cares for its financial security will make a pledge for 2014 by January 31 st. If you haven't received a pledge form you can download it from www//holytinitybiloxi.org website, under Stewardship or pick up a hard copy either at the candle counter or from any Parish Council member. Please take a few minutes and fill out the pledge from and submit it to Craig Henderson (Stewardship Chairman), George Yurchak (President, Parish Council) or Rodney Bridges (Treasurer, Parish Council). Religious Education Fr Dean and Fr Ernesto will continue their weekly religious education classes after Sunday Coffee Hour. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. Religious Needs Clergy are available for talk, confession, pastoral counseling, spiritual care, individual prayer, etc. Tours of our church can be arranged. If you want to set up an appointment, please contact George Yurchak 228-831-5820 or georgeyurchak@yahoo.com. Choir Rehearsal Their will be choir rehearsal on Sundays after Coffee Hour/Religious Education classes. Photine Vlahos will lead. Please plan to attend this important function. New Consecration Dates His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios has set a new date for Holy Trinity's consecration. New dates are November 14 th and 15 th 2014. Liturgical Services Sundays Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Church Clergy Rev. Fr. Dean Gigicos Rev. Fr. Ernesto Obregon Chaplain Eugene Lahue Choir Chair Photine Vlahos 2013 Parish Council President George Yurchak Church Directory Vice President Craig Henderson Treasurer Rodney Bridges Secretary Nancy Pullis-Malek Member Karen Kohl Maintenance and Repair Chair Craig Henderson Youth Education & Culture Committee Chair George Yurchak Consecration Executive Committee Chair Fr. Dean, George Yurchak
Greek Glendi Chair George Yurchak Russian Party Chair Anna Slepova Parish Ministries Youth Ministries George Yurchak Sunday School Julianna McRae Ladies Group Chair Eleni Vganges Stewardship Chair Craig Henderson Reader Helen Taylor Adult Education Karen Kohl Staff Outreach Akaterina Vamvakas Technology Karen Kohl Kiosk George Yurchak Pastoral Assistant Craig Henderson Office Administrator Sheila Yurchak Cleaning Akaterina Vamvakas, Chrisanthe Beach, Tatiana Minor