Sunday Bulletin 23 October 2011 Sixth Sunday of Luke God s people, serving God s people Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, 90006 Office: 323.737.2424 Fax: 323.737.7029 www.stsophia.org Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest
CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK Sunday, October 23 rd Orthros.......8:15am Studies in Faith.....9:15am Memorials..9:45am Divine Liturgy...... 10:00am Monday, October 24 th Bible Study with Father John: Philoptohos Women s Bible Study........10:30am Men s Bible Study......12:30pm Bible Studies in the Faith (in the chapel).....7:30pm Tuesday, October 25 th Hellenic Academy (Adults).7:00pm Wednesday, October 26 th Saint Demetrios Orthros.......8:30am Divine Liturgy....... 9:30am Bible Study with Father Allan: Kingdom of Heaven Bible Study CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT Saturday, October 29 th Hellenic Academy (PreK & K)...9:30am Hellenic Academy (K & 1-6)....9:30am Hellenic Academy (Adults)....12:30pm Coffee Hour will be held in the Fellowship Tent Sponsored in loving memory of Dr. James G. Selimos by his wife and family EPISTLE READER Michael Kraios USHERS Niki Korbakis Maria Pelargos 2
DAILY VITAMINS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 3
MEMORIALS George Alefantes (6 months), Nick Alefantes (39 years), Thomas Alefantes (7 ½ years), Mary Sirus, Dr. James G. Selimos (40 days), Demetra Leousis, George Leousis, Eleni Leousis, Georgia Vournas, George Vournas, Kathryn Mastos (10 years), George Kominos (2 years) ALTAR CANDLES One side offered in loving memory of Dr. James G. Selimos by his wife and family ALTAR FLOWERS Both sides offered in loving memory of George Alefantes, Nick Alefantes, Thomas Alefantes PERPETUAL LIGHT Offered in loving memory of George Alefantes, Nick Alefantes, Thomas Alefantes Offered in loving memory of Demetra, George, Eleni Leousis, Georgia & George Vournas by George & Helen Varenges and family Offered in loving memory of Kathryn Mastos by her loving family COFFEE HOUR Sponsored in loving memory of Dr. James G. Selimos by his wife and family 4
Υμνος ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΜΑ ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ Ηχος β Ηχος δ Τροπαριον του Ναου, Ηχος πλ δ Ευλογητος ει Χριστε ο Θεος ημων, ο πανσοφους του αλιεις αναδειξας, καταπεμψας αυτοις το Πνευμα το Αγιον, και δι αυτων την οικουμενην σαγηνευσας, φιλανθρωπε, δοξα σοι. Ηχος β 5
HYMNS OF THE DAY Apolytikia Second Tone When You descended to death, O Immortal Life, then the light of Your divinity destroyed Hades. When You raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers cried out, Glory to You, O Christ our God, the Giver of Life. Fourth Tone As the Lord s disciple, O righteous One, you received the Gospel, as Martyr, you have unwavering courage, as the Lord s brother, you have forthrightness, as Hierarch, intercession. Intercede with Christ our God, that our souls may be saved. Troparion of Saint Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Blessed are You O Christ our God, Who as all wise the fishermen You showed forth; By sending your Holy Spirit down upon them and through them the universe You drew unto your net. O lover of mankind Glory to You. Second Tone Champion of Christians not put to shame, advocate before the Maker always steadfast, do not spurn sinners voices raised in prayer. In your goodness respond to bring help to us who devoutly petition you. Hasten your intercession and urgently make entreaty; for you unfailingly defend, Theotokos, those who honor you. 6
ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Πρὸς Γαλάτας 1:11-19 Ἀδελφοί, γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτό, οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθ ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτήν καὶ προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ, ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι οὐδὲ ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα πρὸς τοὺς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἀποστόλους, ἀλλὰ ἀπῆλθον εἰς Ἀραβίαν, καὶ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψα εἰς Δαμασκόν. Ἔπειτα μετὰ ἔτη τρία ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἱστορῆσαι Πέτρον, καὶ ἐπέμεινα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας δεκαπέντε. Ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον, εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου. 7
EPISTLE READING Let Us Be Attentive.. Verse: Their voice has gone out into all the earth. The heavens declare the glory of God. Wisdom.. The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Galatians 1:11-19 Let us be Attentive.. BRETHREN, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 8
GOSPEL READING The Reading is from Luke 8:26-39 At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, 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 have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." For he 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 him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him 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 were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what 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. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him 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 him; but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. 9
MINISTRY NEWS PHILOPTOHOS NEWS Our general assembly meeting is today, Sunday, October 23 rd immediately after church in the residence apartment complex. Tina Russek, from the Los Angeles Mission, will be at our meeting. She will give a short presentation right after lunch about the Mission. This will kick-off our coffee-cereal collection drive! Please come to the apartment complex as soon as church is over. We would love for you to hear what other projects Philoptohos is planning for this year. Philoptohos and Philanthropia are working together to help the Los Angeles Mission before winter arrives. We have contacted the Mission and they are in need of plain coffee, boxes of plain Cheerios or plain Corn Flakes. Breakfast is one of the busiest times for the Mission after people have been out on the street all night. Beginning today, Sunday, October 23 rd, we will be outside the church near the collection bins, to receive any donation you might wish to make. Please do not buy any fruit or sugary cereals. Perhaps when you are at the store you can pick up an item and donate it for the Mission. Any donation you can make will be very much appreciated! DON T FORGET: The Thanksgiving Luncheon will be held on Sunday, November 20 th, at 1:00 p.m. at the Wilson and Harding Clubhouse, in Griffith Park. Reservations must be made in advance and are $22 per person. Everyone is invited to attend, husbands, children, friends, etc. There will be a reservation form in the November Herald Newsletter. Maria Props will be joining us and is bringing her jewelry and handbags for you to purchase. You can do some of your holiday shopping at the meeting! Valet Parking will be available. We know it may not be convenient to travel to Griffith Park but we hope you will join us before the holidays. Remember, there is NO General Assembly meeting in December. For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 With love in Christ s service, The Philoptohos Board of Directors 10
PHILOPTOHOS VIP NEWS MINISTRY NEWS (continued) Bus Trip to San Gabriel Mission - Tuesday, October 25, 2011: Just a reminder, for the people who are coming to our trip, please be at Saint Sophia in front of the chapel at 9:00 am. We will be returning at approximately 3:00 pm. For any questions, call Mary Kezios - 562-923-7110. Artoklasia - Sunday, November 6: Artoklasia is offered for the health of the Philoptohos VIP members (senior citizens) and their families. In His Service, Vivi Demopoulos, VIP President ******************************************* CALLING ALL CATERERS! We are cu rrently interviewing caterers for our new facility! Please contact: Anne Giapapas annegiapapas@gmail.com or Ann Pappas kouk1alp@sbcglobal.net 11
MINISTRY NEWS (continued) PHILANTHROPIA MINISTRY NEWS PHILANTHROPIA TEAM BOARD MEETING: Coming up next Sunday, October 30 th, we will have our annual meeting, immediately following Divine Liturgy. A specific time and place on the church grounds will be forthcoming. Please plan to attend this very important meeting. Thank you. As we begin the new year, the following are some scheduled projects: NAMI WALKS National Alliance on Mental Illness: On October 1, 2011 we sponsored walkers. Please check out their website at infor@nami.org LOS ANGELES MISSION: Philanthropia is partnering with Philoptohos to collect plain coffee and cereal needed at the L.A. Mission. Last day for collection is November 13 th. Please deposit your donations next to the chapel, near the collection bins. CITY OF HOPE PEDIATRIC MEMORIAL BOOKLET: This is now our 9 th year sponsoring the Memorial Service and Booklet for the City of Hope Medical Center Pediatric Unit, which will take place on Thursday November 10 th. Our liaison, Dr. Randi McAllister, on the Pediatric staff, together with a team of doctors and nurses, hosts the parents and families to remember their children who were victims to cancer. Each parent and family have a page dedicated to their child with pictures, love notes, poems, etc.; a way of helping the family deal with the loss of the child. Please mail your donations to the Philanthropia Inc. 6357 Crebs Ave. Tarzana, 91335. As always, thank you so much for your concern and support. USED CLOTHING and CANNED GOODS: Please identify all clothing donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or children. The two new receptacles for "used clothing" and "canned goods" are working great. They are located side by side, in the general area of the chapel. Thank you! PHILANTHROPIA WEBSITE: The Summer issue of the PHILANTHROPIA Newsletter is now on the website: www.philanthropiaministry.org. We thank Perry Lambert who is coordinating our website. Take care and God Bless. With love, Father Peter 12
COMMUNITY NEWS 18 th ANNUAL ST. SOPHIA CAMP TENNIS MIXER Mixed Doubles Tennis and Dinner Fundraiser for St. Sophia Camp Sunday, October 30, 2011 The Riviera Country Club 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades (Sunset Blvd. & Capri Drive) Registration and warm-up: Mixed-doubles tennis: Dinner in the Clubhouse: 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Registration: complete the form below enclose a check payable to St. Sophia Camp or pay at the event mail form to: Tennis Mixer c/o Mary-Kay Demetriou 1422 California Ave. #3, Santa Monica, CA 90403 Dress Code for dinner: Jeans & shorts are not permitted in Clubhouse warm-up suits are acceptable. Club Facilities: Shower and changing facilities are available. More info/questions contact: Mary-Kay at 310-451-2000 mary-kay@mindspring.com 18th Annual St. Sophia Camp Tennis Mixer - Registration Form Name: Address: City: Phone: Zip: e-mail: Level of play: Beginner Advanced Beginner Intermediate Advanced Participation: Tennis & Dinner: $95 Tennis only: $50 Dinner only: $65 Become a Sponsor: Match Sponsor: $150 Set Sponsor: $100 Game Sponsor $50 Point Sponsor: $25 Volunteer as a Court Monitor: 13
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) APARTMENT VACANCY There is a vacancy in the cathedral apartments at 1425 South Mariposa. Anyone interested should call the cathedral office and ask for Angelo or Ann Pappas. ******************************************* SAVE THE DATE NOVEMBER 5, 2011 PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS ORTHODOX INSTITUTE (PAOI) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AUXILIARY invites you to attend the 20 th Anniversary Celebration honoring Chris & Joan Caras and Harry & Agopie Pappas, board members & loyal supporters of PAOI & the Greek Orthodox Church Community. The event will take place at Town and Gown, USC and will also host the debut exhibit of the PAOI Icon Collection. For more information, please contact Chris Haidos (310 832 1459) or Roz Halikis (310 378 5672). ******************************************* ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF LONG BEACH CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO JOIN US IN THE JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF OUR 20 TH ANNIVERSARY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2011 ASSUMPTION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 5761 EAST COLORADO ST. LONG BEACH, CA 90814 6:00 PM 7:00 PM HORS D OEUVRES ASSUMPTION CENTER FORMAL ATTIRE DINNER, MUSIC & DANCING BETTY RECKAS CENTER FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE 562 494 8929 $100 DONATION PER ADULT 14
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) QUESTIONS FOR OUR PRIESTS? On the 1st Sunday of each month, at 12:30 PM, following the English liturgy, either Fr. John, or Fr. Allan (or possibly even both) will be available in the Cathedral to answer any questions you may have about the Orthodox Faith, or about passages of scripture that you may be struggling with, or questions about others' beliefs. We dearly hope to make the Orthodox Faith as accessible to you as possible. ******************************************* AMERICAN LEGION LEONIDAS POST 285 37 th Annual Veterans Day Luncheon Friday, November 11 th @ 12:00 pm TAIX French Restaurant 1911 Sunset Blvd. (1 block east of Alvarado Blvd.) Adults: $25 Children (12 & under): $12 Please make your pre-paid reservations with your choice of entrée no later than November 7 th @ 5:00pm Chase Morrison 818.500.0904 or- John Stamatiades 323.737.5458 Please support our Post Youth Programs! ******************************************* Holy Communion Order: Please remain in your pew until children and choir receive, after which you will be dismissed row by row by the ushers Ladies, kindly remove your lipstick before receiving When receiving Holy Communion, make the sign of the Cross, state your name and naturally receive as if being fed. Non-Orthodox Christians may not receive Holy Communion, but may receive the Blessed Bread at the end of the service. All Orthodox Christians must be spiritually prepared to receive the Sacrament. Please see the priest if you have any questions. 15
COMMUNITY NEWS (continued) THE HERALD MONTHLY NEWSLETTER To All Stewards: If your anniversary/birthday is not already listed in our monthly Herald newsletter and you wish for it to be listed in the appropriate issue for your month, please e-mail your information to: Stephanie Caiopoulos Lubian (secretary@stsophia.org). + Please note the deadline due date is listed on the front cover of each issue. Please send your articles to Stephanie (secretary@stsophia.org) If you wish to view the Herald online, please go to the cathedral website: stsophia.org and click on the HERALD link. SUNDAY WEEKLY BULLETIN Please note the deadline for articles is Wednesday at noon of each week. Please send your articles to either Stephanie (secretary@stsophia.org) or Christina (office@stsophia.org). The Weekly Bulletin is now accessible online at the cathedral website: stsophia.org. To navigate from the Home page, hover over the HERALD link on the tool bar, and then select WEEKLY from the drop-down menu. CATHEDRAL MAILINGS If you wish to receive electronic mass-mailings from the cathedral, such as a notice each month that the Herald is online, or a weekly notice that the Sunday bulletin is online, please register on our cathedral website: stsophia.org. To navigate from the Home page, click on ABOUT US/CONTACT US/EMAIL SIGNUP. Then click on SIGN UP FOR THE ST. SOPHIA E-MAIL LIST. On the SUBSCRIBE PAGE, just input your email address and click SUBSCRIBE. If you are currently receiving e-mails from the cathedral and wish to be removed from the email list, you may UNSUBSCRIBE online using the SUBSCRIBE PAGE mentioned in above paragraph. If you wish to receive the Herald in paper form, please call the cathedral office. If you do not wish to receive the monthly paper version of the Herald, please ask the cathedral office to remove your name from our Herald postal mailing list. 16
DID YOU KNOW the following facts about the Bible? The Bible is not just one single book. The Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic writings, just to name a few. These 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These authors came from a variety of back-grounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another, personally. These 66 books were written over a period of 1,500 years. Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books. Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written. These 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God s people. Think about the above realities: 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. What s more, this collection of books shares a common theme God s universal love for all of humanity; and a common message salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. In addition to sharing these commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradiction. God s word truly is an amazing collection of writings! 17
For Those Who Are Sick or Suffering St. James advises us, If anyone among you is sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-14) Ensuring that St Sophia s parishioners continue to be cared-for and prayed-for, please list names below of those in our midst that need prayer. Feel free to request the personal prayer of one of our priests after services, or to schedule this with one our priests during St Sophia Cathedral s office hours. As you request prayer, you may also wish to make an offering to St Sophia s Altar Fund. Label: For the health of PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY: Please submit this form to: St Sophia Cathedral Office 1324 S Normandie Ave. Los Angeles CA 90006 18
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