S T . J OHN THE B APTIST G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
T HE F ORERUNNER V OLUME XXXII N UMBER
F ROM H EARSAY
TO
S OCIAL
MEDIA
5
–
A
T ALE
M AY 2015
OF
R UMOR S PREADING
S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST :
“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” Socrates
From hearsay To Social media
Parish Council Capsule
There is a story that circulates in Christian and Jewish circles about gossip. I was not able to track its origins but the story goes like this. “There was a woman that liked to talk about other people’s affairs and spread unkind words around. One day however she felt remorseful and went to the priest to confess her sin. The priest listened to her confession and asked her if she truly understood the consequences of such hearsay activities. She uttered a rather unconvincing yes. Reading between the lines, the experienced priest offered her a penance, a small feat, he said, that will make her more aware of her sin. He told her: ‘Go home, take a feather pillow, climb on the tallest hill around the village and cut open the pillow with a knife, then come back. So she went, got the pillow, went up the hill and there she cut it open. As soon as she did that, a strong wind blew in her direction and all the feathers were gone with the wind. Satisfied with herself she rushed to the priest to tell him that the deed was complete. But the priest, far from satisfied told her: ‘Now go back and gather all the feathers, put them back into the pillow, every one of them, and bring it back to me.’ ‘But this is impossible’, cried the women, ‘who knows where they went?’ ‘Indeed’, smiled the priest,
Stewardship 2015 Needs Your Attention
Youth Ministries News
Philoptochos Membership Drive
Pentecost Icon as an Icon of the Church
Orthodox Christian Celebration of Pentecost
Why are some hymns changing every Sunday?
(Continued on page 2)
I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :
C OUNCIL C APSULE April appears to have flown right by with the amount of chores and responsibilities everyone had to undertake. The “to do” list at times appeared never ending and with looming deadlines overhead, the pressure just made it all more pressing. All in all, we were able to achieve a great deal when all hands were on deck and members of our parish chipped in. Our old Narthex and Nave have been cleaned up and the Icons taken off the walls, as you may have noticed. The Kouvouklion stand was re-supported. We laid out what seemed to be ALL the mulch in N. Texas in our flowerbeds. Melissa Ellis was instrumental with her green thumb to give the hall a nice and much needed facelift. We also had a record setting number of families at our Agape Luncheon to which, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the GOYANS that ensured we got it done without a hitch. (Continued on page 2)
C OUNCIL C APSULE
2
N EW S TEWARDSHIP P AGE
4
Y OUTH M INISTRIES
6
MUSIC
M INISTRIES
C ALENDAR
8 11
T HE F ORERUNNER
P AGE 2
C OUNCIL ’ S C APSULE (Continued from page 1)
THANK YOU GOYANS! Many thanks to LAAND for their performance which always keeps the atmosphere lively and Greek! I would also like to sincerely thank my fellow council members for their additional
efforts in the very enriching services of Holy Week. We some how snuck in a General Assembly through all of it, please don’t ask me how. All of this leads me to say, albeit tiring at times, we can clearly see the efforts manifest and would happily do it
all over again! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve our parish, or better yet, our extended family! Curious to see what summer’s “to do” list has to bring. Warmly, Michael Eftimie
M AY A GELESS W ONDERS P LEASE
FIND THE DESIRE AND THE TIME TO SERVE ON ANY OF OUR PARISH COMMITTEES . Y OUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NEEDED AND WILL BE R EWARDED IN HEAVENS .
The Ageless Wonders will meet on Saturday, May 16, at the Artisan Theater in Hurst; for the 3 p.m. performance of the play “On Golden Pond .” Reservations
are required. Then on to dinner at Cafe Medi. If you can't make the play try to join us for dinner. We are going to have a memorial service on Sun-
day, May 3, 2015 for Paul Fondulis (1 yr.) and Toni Nicholas (6 mo.) May their memory be eternal. Questions?? Call me .......Margaret
F ROM H EARSAY TO S OCIAL MEDIA ( CONT .) (Continued from page 1)
other people for centuries. It is still a favorite pastime that with the aid of technology nowadays has become institutionalized.
‘so it happens with the words you are spreading around through gossip, who knows where they have gone and what harm they have done. Go home Don’t get me wrong, I like the social network phenomeand gossip no more, least you harm the people around you. ‘” non, it links people together, it reunites old friends, keeps families in touch, alOld fashioned gossip is a lows us to quickly find out giant social phenomenon, what’s going on from people that plagued societies ages we trust and, equally imbefore social media took portant some would say, we the first row in the mass rumor spreading armamen- can also share cats pictures. I get it. I use it for all of the tarium. Gathered around above as well, I am not a bonfires, in coffee houses hypocrite. I also see, howevor market places people er, that there are great pitenjoyed speaking about
falls coming with these new technologies that can hurt people even with the greatest of intent. I’ll give you a couple of examples. You join an Orthodox group on a social media site. You post, with genuine intentions, something: a quote you like, an event you follow, anything. Then a person comments, another disagrees, more people join in, and with the greatest of intentions people end up calling each other names. Is this in the name of truth and orthodox beliefs? Not so sure, maybe rather in the (Continued on page 3)
V OLUME XXXII N UMBER
5
P AGE 3
F ROM H EARSAY TO S OCIAL MEDIA ( CONT .) (Continued from page 2)
name of self-promotion, which seems to be the word of the day on any social engine. Another one, you’re a young adult, got lots of friends; you go out one night take a funny selfie and you post it online. A friend shares, another picks it up and suddenly it’s everywhere. You don’t worry about it though; after all you got a “viral” photo! In a few years, however, you get an interview for a job in a good company, all seems well until the funny picture that you forgot about resurfaces and makes them prefer someone that does not have such “funny” pictures on their profile. Social media has a memory that never dies, just as an old saying goes: “the gossiping tongue is only shut down by a pile of dirt”. This brings us back to our subject, gossip, or, what we would call today, what’s “trending” about people. Is it good or bad? In the end it’s all about being social, right? You gather in groups, virtual or not, and you speak of other people, seems harmless? Yes, indeed, until you become the subject of it and then it is not so much fun anymore. We all have been at the losing end of the gossip stick. We know what it can do. Why do we keep gossip then? People say it is something that is in our nature to be social, to want to know about one another. Indeed, by definition a
person is made to be with others, to reflect in another person, to discover one’s self by contrasting with another. God Himself is a Trinity of Divine persons, living in Communion with One Another, the original Community that shares everything and yet each Person remains unique and different in their Divine Hypostases. The source of our social existence is indeed within God. We have all been created in His image and we only mimic Him when we interact with each other. Christ died at the center of the Cross uniting Divinity with mankind through its vertical axis and humanity within itself through its horizontal axis. The cross builds a community united in Christ that shares everything, yet uniquely expresses itself in each of its individuals. So we are built to share all God’s gifts, to live individual lives that come together in Christ, building up the Church with Christ as its head and us as its members. Gossip however is a perverted image of this sharing community. The social gathering of the Church thrives in the diversity of gifts and strives for perfection in Christ, but it also understands and addresses with the outmost care any deviation from such perfection and purpose that we all are subject to. We call this sin and we know that, in the end, we are all sinners, save our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church completely under-
stands that personal achievements do not give anyone the right to judge others; on the contrary it should drive one towards a deeper understanding for those who are not as able or willing to walk on the straight and narrow. St Silouan from Mt. Athos, said at one point: “If you do not find pity on a sinner who will suffer in flames, then you do not carry the grace of the Holy Spirit, but rather an evil spirit; and while you yet live, you must free yourself from his clutches through repentance.” Think about this, would I be content to rejoice in paradise knowing that some member of my family suffers in hell? And who is my family? We call each other brothers and sisters in Christ, but do we mean it when we whisper their sins behind their backs? Gossip, through any of its old or modern forms, it’s literally killing people because it destroys careers, reputations, marriages, friendships, it puts down everything one is trying to build, and for what purpose? Because we are bored, or jealous, or have an urge to feel superior to someone, or we want to draw attention on ourselves, or maybe just want to fit in? There are better ways to feel accomplished than belittling your little brother or sister that made a mistake. I recently stumbled upon a quote from Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh that sums up our attitude (Continued on page 7)
St. Silouan the Athonite
“I F
YOU DO NOT FIND PITY ON A SINNER WHO WILL SUFFER IN FLAMES , THEN YOU DO NOT CARRY THE GRACE OF THE H OLY S PIRIT ”
S T . S ILOUAN THE A THONITE
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
T HE F ORERUNNER
P AGE 4
2015 STEWARDSHIP C HALLENGE IS ON! When we speak of Stewardship, most often, we stress the importance of sharing the great gifts of God’s material world. But which of God’s gifts is greater than family? Family is a beautiful and meaningful opportunity to practice stewardship and to grow in our understanding of the blessing of properly using and sharing God’s gifts.
I
ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN OUR G OD ’ S WORK AT S T . JOHN ’ S BY PRAYERFULLY CONSIDERING YOUR CONTRIBUTION IN OUR 2015 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM AND BEYOND .
But who is our family? In Christ’s Church our family goes beyond our blood relatives and extends to all that partake in the Body and the Blood of Christ from the same Chalice. Our Parish, our Metropolis, all of our Orthodox brothers and sisters are our family. But as Christ did not came to save only His immediate family, the people of Israel, so our family extends to all those who have the image of God in them, the entire humanity. Our family, stretches even beyond the living into the realm of the Triumphant Church going back to all pious generations before us: our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters into the ages.
But even that is not all. Aren’t the saints our spiritual parents in Christ? Aren’t the angels our protectors? Isn’t the Theotokos the mother of all mankind? As such, the great gathering happens right here, in the Church, during the Divine Liturgy, when, on the diskos, Christ sits in the middle as the sacrificial lamb, with the Theotokos as His right, the angels and saints at his left and we, the living and the departed, resting at His feet. This is our family reunion that mystically takes place at every Divine Liturgy. We are called to share this gift of family with the entire world. We share it by building our meaningful churches that invite people to Christ, by adorning them with icons that open windows into heavens, by serving the Liturgies and the Sacraments, by teaching the faiths to our children, by reaching out in evangelization, by extending our help to those in need, by making everyone our family. All this beautiful family movement towards God and towards one another is not possible if we don’t share, if we isolate ourselves, and our gifts, from one another. Consider Church as a birthday party where we all take turns to give and receive. Everyone is happy in this exchange of gifts; everyone is lifted up
spiritually by the joy of making our family happy. At St. John’s our ministry programs continue to grow and Stewardship is the only way to provide the necessary resources to help sustain them. Stewardship is an opportunity to examine our priorities and values, to express our thankfulness, to give of ourselves and to grow in God’s grace strengthening our family. Giving to St. John the Baptist is a way to thank God for His generosity. The question is not, "How much do I give?" We must ask ourselves instead “How can I thank God for the blessings He gives everyday to my family?” I encourage you all to actively participate in our God’s work at St. john’s by prayerfully considering your contribution in our 2015 stewardship program and beyond. With paternal blessings Fr. Vasile Tudora
V OLUME XXXII N UMBER
5
S TEWARDSHIP N EWS What a wonderful Lenten season. I hope everyone had a blessed Pascha. It is always a perfect time of the year for all of us to reach out to new faces in the crowd. I will tell you all that we had to order more stewardship cards, 50 to be exact, and I hope to have them all filled out by October. That means that we are going to need your help. I wish more stewards had attended our general assembly meeting. It was very informative. I did want to let everyone know that we are 11.5% above in stewards compared to last year at this same time, which is wonderful. We still have a few people that have taken stewardship cards that
P AGE 5
MAY 2015
have not filled them out, but I remain hopeful. Cecelia and I are putting together a new church directory. so please fill out the form that is available in the narthex. This directory will be for stewards, as well as non-stewards, so I do ask that you take the time to fill it out. I would also like to say that stewardship is not only filling out a card. We have many areas in our church that need to have more people involved. We hope everyone takes part in the growth of our beautiful church. God bless you all, Angela Cline Cecelia Junell Stewardship Committee
A BIG HOORAY to all our stewards! As of April 15th. , 2015, we are only $56,777.00 away from our stewardship goal of $304,127.00. That is amazing, and with your continuous help we pray that for the first time, we will meet our goal by the end of the year. Together we can do it! I can’t thank you enough for the incredible job you all have done to make our church a place that people want to be a part of.
H OW TO BECOME A STEWARD IN 2015? How do I become a member of the parish? Membership in the Orthodox Church begins at Baptism (Chrismation for some) and continues throughout our life. We are united with Christ through the sacraments and through our faithful offering of our lives to Christ. We have to distinguish however between voting members and non-voting members. A voting member is over 18 years old and has turned in a signed stewardship commitment card (for time, talent and treasure). The Archdiocese also requires the voting member to remain current through the year on their commit-
ments. Overall true membership in the Body of Christ, involves living daily according to His word and within His Church. Why must I commit to give a specific amount? Knowing the amount of your monetary participation helps our parish plan the activities throughout the year. Your monetary stewardship is kept in the strictest of confidence. What if I cannot fulfill my stewardship commitment? During the course of a year,
people’s circumstances change. Your stewardship is valued because it is made out of your love for God and His Church. Please do not be concerned if you are unable to meet your stewardship commitment – we are glad you are a part of this parish. How do I submit a Stewardship Card? You can find the card in the pews in Church or you can fill one on-line and e-mail it to our church office at stjohndfw@gmail.com. More info here
WE
ARE VERY CLOSE FROM OUR YEARLY STEWARDSHIP GOAL .
L ET ’ S
ACHIEVE IT TOGETHER !
P AGE 6
T HE F ORERUNNER
Y OUTH M INISTRIES R EPORT Camp Emmanuel deadline is May 1. It will be held June 713 for junior session (ages 1114); and June 14-20 for senior session (ages 15-18). The cost is $350 ($330 for additional members of same family). Please see the Metropolis website for details: http:// youth.denver.goarch.org/ events/2015-events/2015camp-emmanuel-home/2015camp-emmanuel-registrationinformation
V ACATION B IBLE S CHOOL THE SECOND WEEK OF J UNE , THAT IS J UNE 9 TH TO THE 12 TH .
Youth Ministries will hold our annual luncheon to honor high school and college grads on May 3. This year we are preparing a gyro lunch - please come and recognize our kids and support Youth Ministries! The End-Of-Year Picnic for Church School will be May 17. We are looking for a couple of parents to coordinate, which includes the water slide
rental. Church School will provide the hotdogs and parents/teachers will bring sides. Vacation Bible School will be held Tuesday, June 9 through Friday, June 12. We will be learning about the Feast Days of the Church. Hours will be 9am-1pm, except for the Tuesday, when we will begin at 10am. Please see Harriet Blake to register and to provide us with your child’s Tshirt size. (hlblake@aol.com or 214-995-4290)
Youth Ministries will meet again in August. Date to be announced. Harriet Blake Youth Ministries Coordinator
Dance practice for the 2015 Festival will begin end of July/beginning of August for all dance groups. The older groups - Hellenic and Olympian dancers - are meeting monthly starting this month. See Gina Poulakos for details.
C HURCH S CHOOL N EWS Church School Parents and Students, Wow! We had another terrific journey to Pascha. I am so glad that we were able to participate in the beautiful Passport program once again. Thanks to all the students who attended our Lenten Retreat and helped with the making of our Palm Crosses. Many thanks to all the fabulous ladies without whom we would have truly struggled. We will have our End of Church School Awards and Picnic on May 17th. Please look for upcoming e-mails for details. As usual, Church
School will provide the hamburgers and hot dogs‌ we will ask parents to provide desserts and side-dishes. All will be welcome to join the festivities. We will begin Vacation Bible School the second week of June, that is June 9th to the 12th. We will meet Tuesday through Friday, meeting time will be determined in the near future. A short enrollment form will be available soon. Upon registration we will be giving out the VBS Tshirt. We look forward to seeing everyone again for more Summer Fun!
Veronica Fisher Church School Coordinator Veronicafisherps50 @gmail.com
V OLUME XXXII N UMBER
5
P AGE 7
PHILOPTOCHOS UPDATE Christos Anesti! Our church was alive and beautiful with His presence this Easter. Thank you to all who helped make our celebration beautiful in every way. We have a several events on the horizon. At the end of April, Joanie, Veronica, Bertha & Barbara will travel to Houston for the Philoptochos conference that is part of the Metropolis Clergy/Laity. Rena will also be attending as a choir conference delegate. We will again host the Mothers & Fathers Day memorial program. Watch for the flyer to participate in this program. As of May 1 you may begin to bring in your items for our
annual Garage Sale. We will set all donations in one general area in the old church. Please look for the signage to guide you. The parish council has been working very hard to keep our hall free of clutter and declutter the old church so it is important we work together to stay organized. Thank you. It is not too late to sign up to be a member of Philoptochos! Please see Barbara Vittas for that information. We will have elections this May for a new board and from that slate of people, our new officers will be chosen. If you are interest-
ed in running for the board, please see Joanie and make sure you qualify for a position. The St Photios Literacy project came to a completion this month. We delivered over $700 worth of books to the Euless WIC office. We were blessed to visit with a client while there and watched as a book was presented to her by the staff at the WIC office. Thank you to all who supported this program. In His Service, Joanie Ruppel, President St. Irene Philoptochos
F ROM H EARSAY TO S OCIAL MEDIA ( CONT .) towards anyone that we may find fallen. “Every one of us is in the image of God, and every one of us is like a damaged icon. But if we were given an icon damaged by time, damaged by circumstances, or desecrated by human hatred, we would treat it with reverence, with tenderness, with brokenheartedness. We would not pay attention primarily to the fact that it is damaged, but to the tragedy of its being damaged. We would concentrate on what is left of its beauty, and not on what is lost of its beauty. And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person as an individual, but also – and this is not always as easy – with regard to groups of people, whether it be a parish or a denomination, or a nation.”
Wow! I was blown away reading it because it involves understanding, humility, compassion, love, care, community, all that we want to achieve in Christ through our spiritual struggle. The world is nothing else but a giant album of broken icons, because, let’s face it, we are all broken. This is so different from the idyllic image of ourselves we post everyday on social media. The true image of the world is in fact a broken facebook, an upside down social network, where all that is posted is true and genuine and needs fixing and healing through each other. We share the pain and we double the gain only together, not separating ourselves through stereotyping and
judgment, but by uniting ourselves in the pains of growing in Christ. Yes, we have to be social, but the kind of social that unites us in a tightly woven network of trust, understanding and compassion, not the kind that takes advantage of others to promotes oneself. Let’s share words of healing, let’s humbly encourage each other in the good works we try to achieve, let’s lift each other up, let’s build together the house of the Lord, the One Church. Do we need an app for that?
T HE S T P HOTIOS L ITERACY PROJECT CAME TO A COMPLETION THIS MONTH .
T HANK
YOU !
T HE F ORERUNNER
P AGE 8
W HY
The hand of St. Ephraim the Syrian, a patron Saint of Church Musicians
ARE SOME
Our liturgy is very structured, and while we may use different melodic lines, the text of the service and the hymns we sing are the same in every Orthodox church in the world on any given Sunday. However, some Sundays are fairly ordinary and not much is added while other Sundays seem to have all sorts of extra hymns at the Small Entrance, and on major feast days we may have several substitutions. Why is that? Our Church has eight special hymns that we rotate on Sundays. These are commonly called the Resurrection Troparia, and there is one for each
H YMNS
CHANGING EVERY
of the eight Byzantine modes. On top of that we also add other hymns from three sources: 1.The MENAION: Each day is listed in the Menaion, telling us all the people or events to be commemorated for that day, as well as all the special hymns associated with the services for that day. Usually during the liturgy, we sing only a few of them. 2. The TRIODION: This includes all the hymns sung during the Sundays and services of Great Lent. These are usually sung in addition to the hymns of the MENAION. 3. The PENTECOSTARION: This includes all the hymns sung
S UNDAY ?
for Sundays and services from Easter to Pentecost. These are also sung in addition to the hymns of the MENAION. Too complicated for you? No worries! Every year the Church prints thick books telling us which hymns to sing for each day of that particular year. In our church we also print the changing hymns in the weekly bulletin so everyone can follow. We might use different translations at times due to music availability but we’re working on fixing that as well in the near future. See, is not that bad! :)
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF PENTECOST This great Feast of the Church is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom on the Sunday that is the fiftieth day after the celebration of Pascha. The Liturgy is conducted on the day of the Feast, and is preceded the evening before by a Great Vespers service and on the morning of the Feast by the Matins service. On the day of the Feast a Vespers service is conducted that includes the kneeling prayers. These prayers mark the beginning of the practice of kneeling during the Liturgy at the time when the holy gifts of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. The practice of kneeling has been suspended during the Paschal season.
On the Monday following the Feast, the Divine Liturgy is conducted in commemoration of the All-holy and Life-creating and Allpowerful Spirit, Who is God, and One of the Trinity, and of one honor and one essence and one glory with the Father and the Son (From the Synaxarion of the Feast). Scripture readings for the Feast are the following: At the Saturday Vespers: Numbers 11:16-17, 2429; Joel 2:23-32; Ezekiel 36:2428. At the Orthros (Matins): John 20:19-23. At the Pentecost Sunday Divine Liturgy: Acts 2:111; John 7:37-52, 8:12. At the Divine Liturgy on the Monday of the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 5:819; Matthew 18:10-20. Prayer of the Holy Spirit O, Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things,
Treasury of blessings and Giver of life: come and abide in us, cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One. HYMNS OF THE FEAST Apolytikion (Plagal Tone Four) Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fisherman allwise, by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them, drawing all the world into Your net. O Loving One, glory be to You. Kontakion (Plagal Tone Four) When the Most High came down and confounded tongues of men at Babel, He divided the nations. When He dispensed the tongues of fire, He called all to unity, and with one voice we glorify the Most Holy Spirit.
V OLUME XXXII N UMBER
5
P AGE 9
P ENTECOST I CON AS AN I CON OF THE C HURCH The Icon for the feast of Pentecost (see cover for a bigger picture) is also called the Descent of the Holy Spirit, as it is a depiction of the event described in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:1-4) when the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire upon the Apostles gathered together and enabled them to preach in different languages. However, the Feast of Pentecost is not only the commemoration of an historical event, but a celebration of a present reality: the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Likewise, the Icon for Pentecost is much more than the depiction of a past event. The presence of the Apostle Paul in the icon, even though at that time he had not yet converted on the road to Damascus, hints that this icon is more than a purely historical picture. Sometimes, the evangelists Luke and Mark are also shown, despite also not having been present in the upper chamber at Pentecost. The gathering, then, is a representation of the Church. The Apostles are seated in a semi-circle, representing a unity and harmony similar to that found in Icons of the Holy Trinity. As in icons of the Holy Trinity, a semi-circle, rather than a full circle, is used so that we as observers are drawn into the unity. The source of their unity is in another semi-circle at the top of the icon, showing the descent of the Holy Spirit. From the blue semi-circle (c.a. mandorlas) a single ray of light for each of those gathered shines down to illumine them. Sometimes the “tongues of fire” described in Acts are shown at the tips of the rays, ready to descend upon the Apostles. Other times, the tongues of fire are shown already
within the halos of each of the seated Saints. Some icons of Pentecost show a dove, either within the mandorla at the top of the icon, or even descending upon those gathered in the upper chamber. Given the appearance of the Holy Spirit as a dove during Christ’s Baptism, it is understandable that this physical image of the Spirit is also used in Pentecost icons. However, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of flame at Pentecost, and a dove at Christ’s Baptism, being – in reality – neither of these things. Therefore it is inappropriate to depict the Holy Spirit as a dove at Pentecost, or indeed in any icon except those for the Theophany feast. At the bottom of the Icon is another semi-circle, showing an old king against a dark background. He is often named as Kosmos and represents the world. He is crowned as a symbol of earthly authority – i.e. he represents all the peoples of the world, rather than the whole of creation. He is sat “in darkness and the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79), and is aged to show the corruptibility of the world. Yet he also holds a blanket containing scrolls representing Apostolic teaching (compare with the scrolls held by the Apostles in the Icon itself and “the meaning of objects held by saints in icons“). Though in darkness, the descent of the Holy Spirit has not only reached the Apostles, but also all corners of the world into which the Apostles will preach the Gospel. The Empty Seat A striking aspect of the Pentecost Icon is the empty space at the centre, between the Apostles Peter and Paul. This central seat is a place of honour, the “Teacher’s Seat” around which the Apostles are gathered. Why
is it empty? Because it is the seat Christ should be sitting in, Who has ascended physically into Heaven. Yet Jesus promised many times that though He would leave them physically, He would instead give to them the Holy Spirit as a comforter, advocate, and guide. This promise was first realized at Pentecost, and is still true today. Therefore, the Icon, which is also an Icon of the Church, shows the Apostles gathered in unity, sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, surrounding Christ Who is invisibly present. The world, Cosmos, is at their feet, ready and waiting to be harvested through the passing on of Christ’s teaching. The Apostles are seated as equals, with no individual among them taking the central seat of authority. They don’t need to. Their unity as the Body of Christ is sustained through the real “Vicar of Christ”: the Holy Spirit. +++ Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fisherman all-wise, by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them, drawing all the world into Your net. O Loving One, glory be to You. (Apolytikion for Pentecost Read more here
Icon of the Pentecost
THE F EAST OF P ENTECOST IS NOT ONLY THE COMMEMORATION OF AN HISTORICAL EVENT , BUT A CELEBRATION OF A PRESENT REALITY : THE PRESENCE OF THE H OLY S PIRIT IN THE C HURCH .
T HE F ORERUNNER
P AGE 10
G REEK D ANCE P RACTICE
Greek dance practices will be starting early for our two oldest groups: Olympian & Hellenic Dancers. We will be starting with once a month practices up until August.
G REEK DANCE PRACTICES WILL BE STARTING EARLY FOR OUR TWO OLDEST GROUPS : O LYMPIAN & H ELLENIC D ANCERS . A PRIL 19 TH F IRST PRACTICE
Starting with: -Sunday, April 19th -Sunday, May 3rd -Sunday, June 7th *If your child is 14 and older and would like to participate in Greek dance this year, please contact me by email: gpoulakos@live.com * Once I receive their name and age they will be placed in a group :)
N EW
PARISH
W EBSITE
C ATECHISM C LASSES AND
Out with the old and in with the new! In this period of spiritual regeneration we are also very happy to announce that our website just got a complete overhaul! Built on a modern, mobile and social friendly platform our website will keep you connected with everything that is happening at St. John’s. Please join us at http:// stjohndfw.info for a new level of browsing experience. Enjoy the new graphic interface, simplified menus, news posts, photo galleries and more to come. Share it on your favorite social media, send it to your friends, get the word out!
L IBRARY
PROJECT
Catechism and faith Enrichment Classes for inquirers into the Orthodox faith. Our 2014-2015 program has ended on March 29, but we’ll be back in September ! Also our parish Library Project is on its way, We are currently looking for book sponsors and volunteers to help with Library management.
A COLYTE S CHEDULE U SHER S CHEDULE 1st Sunday: Chris Geil / Jeff Younger 2nd Sunday: Michael Eftimie / Jeff Younger 3rd Sunday: Jeremy Ellis / Cecilia Junell 4th Sunday: Angela Cline / Olga Papadopoulou 5th Sunday: Nancy Medvic / Jeremy Forcum
C OFFEE H OUR D UTIES SETUP Arrange pastries/food in a desirable manner on the appropriate tables in the parish hall. You are responsible for making the coffee. Make two pots: one regular, one decaf. Plug in be-
1st Sunday: Jackson Wright, Alex Genovezos, Caleb Ellis, Luca Tudora
C OFFEE H OUR H OST
2nd Sunday: Michael Beebe, John Molhoek, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, Joseph Berca
1st Sun: Sunday School
3rd Sunday: James Seals, Alex Genovezos, Caleb Ellis, Luca Tudora, Matei Tudora
2nd Sun: Parish Council
4th Sunday: Michael Beebe, John Molhoek, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, George Manos
4th Sun: Philoptochos
3rd Sun: GOYA 5th Sun: Parish Council (if applicable)
5th Sunday: Michael Beebe, James Seals, Alex Genovezos, Alex Shah , Luca Tudora
fore going into church. The instructions are in the kitchen. Prepare a tray with sugar, creamer, sugar substitute, mixing straws, a few spoons. Set with trash bucket. Put donation basket out with appropriate sign.
CLEAN UP Wash all dishes soiled, including coffee pots. Return sugar tray to kitchen and replenish it. Wash off hall tables and kitchen counters. Thank-You
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church May 2015 SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
Strict fast Jeremiah the Prophet, Maria of Fourna, Mirabella in Crete
Wine and oil allowed Fish, wine and oil allowed 3
4
5
6
Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy
Removal of Relic of Athanasios Hesperos & Zoe the Righteous Great Vespers 5pm
7
8
9
Comm. Of The Precious Cross Cyril of Jerusalem
John the Theologian Arsenios the Great
Isaiah the Prophet Christopher the Martyr of Lycea
Mid Pentecost Martyr Pelagia Hilarion the Wonderworke
Irene of Thessaloniki Neophytos, Gaius, & Caianus
Job the Prophet Seraphim the Struggler
Great Vespers 5pm
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Cyril and Methodius Renewal of Constantinople
Epiphanios, Bishop of Cyprus Germanos, Pat. Of Constan.
Glykeria of Heraclia Sergios the Confessor
Isidore the Martyr of Chios Hieromartyr Therapon
Pachomios the Great Martyr Achillios, Bishop of Larissa
Theodoros the Sanctified Martyr Peter of Blachernae
Sunday of the Paralytic Mothers Day 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Artoklasia and Memorial Service for Mother’s Day
Great Vespers 5pm
Paraklesis 6 pm
17
18
19
20
Sunday of The Samaritan Woman 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Church School Awards and Picnic
21
22
23
Basiliskos, Bishop of Comana Demetrius and Paul of Tripoli
Michael, Bishop of Synada Mary the Myrrhbearer
Holy Ascension
Martyrs Peter, Dionysius & Paul Julian the Martyr
Patrikios, Bishop of Proussa Memmon the Wonderworker
Thallelaios & Companions Mark the Hermit
Vigil 6 pm
Constantine & Helen Equal -to-theApostles Pachomios the New Martyr
Great Vespers 5pm
Divine Liturgy 6am
24
25
26
27
28
29
Sunday of the Blind Man 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy
30
Saturday of Souls Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist
Vesper 6pm Divine Liturgy 6am
Carpos & Alphaeus of the 70 Alexandros of Thessaloniki
Hieromartyr Helladios John the Russian of Evia Paraklesis 6 pm
Eutyches, Bishop of Melitene Nikitas,Bishop of Chaledon
Theodosia of Tyre Theodosia of Constantinople
Isaakios, Founder of the Monastery of Dalmatos Emmelia mother, Basil the Great Orthros 8:00 am Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service 8:00 am Great Vespers 5pm
31
Holy Pentecost 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Kneeling Vespers 6pm
S T . J OHN
THE
NONPROFIT
B APTIST
G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
303 Cullum Dr. Euless, TX 76040 Tel 817 283-2291 Return Service Requested
Sponsorship for This Month’s Forerunner
W E ’ R E O N T H E W E B AT HTTP:/ / STJOHNDFW. INFO
May 2015
THE FORERUNNER
Vol. XXXII No. 5
Holy Pentecost, May 31 , 2015