S T . J OHN THE B APTIST G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
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S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST :
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“Everybody loves vacation. We all dream lying on a beach in the Mediterranean, or enjoying a majestic sunrise in a small hut lost in the mountains, or even savoring a week of just doing nothing but sipping a cold drink on the porch. So as soon as the school is off and people go out of town we start seeing more and more empty pews in church every Sunday. Although this is normal occurrence, glancing at the unfilled seats brings this question to mind: Can we also take a vacation from God? Can we say one morning: for a week or a month I am not going to say my prayers, I will not fast nor attend Church services until I come back from holidays; I've prayed the whole year, let others pray for me during this time? (Continued on page 3)
A Vacation with God
Parish Council Capsule
Stewardship 2015 Needs Your Attention
Youth Ministries News
Philoptochos Membership Drive
Vacation Bible School
The Fast of the Holy Apostles
Choir News
The Kneeling Prayers of Pentecost
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C OUNCIL C APSULE This year’s Clergy Laity Assembly was held in Houston, at the Ascension Cathedral May, 1stMay 3rd, which also included the Philoptochos Conference and Church Music Federation. The main focus of the Clergy Laity was family. The distinguished speakers, Fr. Timothy Pavlaotos and Mrs. Melissa Tsongranis, both shared a great deal of insight on how to further establish our immediate families and how to nurture and grow our Church families in our faith and outreach. What I personally took away from it is far too long and immeasurable to list here, however, the importance of our families to take and live the faith outside of the Church and into our daily lives goes without mention. I am eager to share what I’ve learned with our school leaders and come up with ideas that can help support our growth. Also, at the beginning of the month we had the great pleasure of hosting the North Texas Orthodox Mission meeting. We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout from our brothers and (Continued on page 2)
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C OUNCIL ’ S C APSULE (Continued from page 1)
sisters in the pan-Orthodox community. The meeting was spearheaded by Pres. Alexandra Poulos from Holy Trinity Dallas. Below you will find an excerpt from our missionary, Sophia Tyler Woods whom is headed back to Albania.
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WOULD LIKE TO KINDLY THANK ALL OF OUR EDUCATORS FOR THEIR RESTLESS EFFORTS WHICH HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH IN WHAT HAS BEEN ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR .
(The mission of the Children's Home of Hope is "to provide a loving, Christ-centered environment for the children to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically, and academically." The Home provides a family-structured environment for children ages 4-15 who come from particularly difficult backgrounds. During the summer camp, the 25 children who currently reside at the Home
will participate in a wide array of educational and fun activities designed by our mission team and the local staff to help them develop life skills and learn more about "Living with Jesus," the theme of this year's camp. I cannot wait to get to know these precious children as we share God's love with each other!)
also like to thank Clyde Sebastian and Thomas Papadelias for their mongoose like reflexes to extract the rain water out of our old Nave and going above and beyond by literally “working in the trenches” to lead any additional water into adequate draining and away from the building.
We are planning to meet again, at the monastery in Kemp and attend Vespers while there. Exact details will be announced in the near future.
In closing, I would like to kindly thank all of our educators for their restless efforts which have contributed so much in what has been another successful school year. Please enjoy your time off, as I’m certain it is much needed. I wish our teachers a happy and enjoyable summer break! Michael Eftimie
Please remember to thank and congratulate Mr. George Vittas for being re-elected to serve on our Metropolis’ Council; we are truly blessed to have him, his vision, and insight. I would
M AY A GELESS W ONDERS For the Forerunner: The Ageless Wonders will be going to the horse races on Sunday, June 28, 2015 after church. We
will meet at the track at 12 :30 p.m..and have a box lunch and reserved seats.I will call everyone SOON so save the date and more details will fol-
low. Don't forget to support the Philoptochos Garage Sale on June 5 &6................Questions ??. .......Margaret 817-354-
FOODFEST NEWS 2015 Foodfest October 9 - 11, 2015 Save these days for Foodfest! When all parishioners join in the work, fellowship and merriment of Foodfest it is always a success!... Please plan your schedule now to be available for Foodfest activities during the first 2 weeks of October. Planning is again underway for this year’s event. We will follow the same organi-
zational format with chairpersons for each venue. Watch The Forerunner, the Weekly Bulletin and Hall postings for more information. Foodfest 2014 was a success, enabling a significant addition to our Building Fund as well as contributions to local charities through Philoptochos’ sponsorship of TAVERNA NIGHT… This year’s Foodfest will build on last year’s success. Why is Foodfest important?..
Because it enhances the recognition of our parish among Northeast Tarrant County Communities, because it fosters fellowship and unity among our parishioners and, because it strengthens our financial resources to undertake the capital improvements needed to our property and facilities. Only we can make these things happen. Only we can continue the Foodfest tradition. Please make plans to be a part of Foodfest. George Vittas
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A V ACATION WITH G OD ( CONT .) (Continued from page 1)
Looking into the Scripture for an answer we discover the words of St. Apostle Paul who recommends to "pray without ceasing" (1Th 5:17). We also find that Jesus Christ Himself urges that we "ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). The Bible is full of such advice and there is really no place that advocates taking a spiritual "break". There is however enough evidence to say that every time man wanted to "break-away" from the relationship with God it eventually ended up in being sorry for it. So how do we marry the two: resting our tired bodies and minds but also keeping intact our spiritual connection with God? If we look closely at this quandary we realize that is actually a false one since we don't have to flee from God to find rest. On the contrary by remaining in close contact with Him we are also in contact with the One that says: "Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mat 11:128). Who can comfort better our hurting souls and minds but the one that is the source of peace? Who can give us the love we miss in the harsh and insensitive work places, but our loving Father? Who can better soothe the fear of failure than He Who achieved all we could ever hope for, our salvation. "For I satisfy the weary soul, and I
fill every sorrowful soul" (Jer 31:25). Many people have the illusion that if they get far enough from their problems once they come back they will go away. They try to change the crude reality by numbing themselves with parties and drinks, hoping for a different outcome when they get home. But this is more often
false then true, and coming back proves harder than it was before. Escalating our tolerance to sin and putting our conscience to sleep is not the answer. Vacation time would be put to better use if, instead of trying to get away from our problems by hiding in a vacation resort like an ostrich in the sand, we sought resolution of our uncertainties in God by deepening our prayers. When we are freed from a demanding work schedule anymore, we can allow more time to prayer, more bonding time with our greatest Friend, wherever we may choose to
be. God is everywhere, from the mountains to the sea; there is not a place where God is not and our prayers are not heard. We need prayer especially in our dedicated time for rest because the only true place of rest is with God: "For he who has entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works" (Heb 4:10). By taking our problems to God we find out that in Him all the worries are gone, vanished, all the troubles that seem so impossible to pass cease to exist because in His presence we realize that our lives have a greater purpose than being slaves to our jobs. We we do not live to work but we work to live, as the saying goes. In Him our priorities are shifted toward what really matters in this life and into eternity. Asd you plan your vacation, pack a prayer book along with the sandals. Attend the closest Orthodox Church to your destination or make a detour at a monastery to get spiritual advice from one of the elders. And even if these suggestions won't work, take with you a short prayer that can be said wherever you are: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!" This prayer, repeated whenever you will have some idle time, will be your best travel companion. It guides you to the destination not found on any tourist map: upwards, where worries end and peace lasts forever.
Prayer Rope
T HIS VACATION TAKE WITH YOU A SHORT PRAYER THAT CAN BE SAID WHEREVER YOU ARE : "L ORD J ESUS C HRIST , S ON OF G OD , HAVE MERCY ON ME !"
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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.
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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
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S TEWARDSHIP N EWS Well, summer is here, and some of us will be traveling to visit family and spending time together. Our families are some of the most important and special people in our lives. Father often tells us that WE are all a family in Christ spirit, which can be a stronger bond than our own blood relatives. Our church family is the best. Cecelia and I so enjoy watching our church family grow in numbers and in relationships. We have come so close to our goal of $304,127.00, and can't wait to see the day when we all are committed to becoming a part of Christ's church.
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My prayer is that we all want to be a part of this awesome church family. Filling out a stewardship card and becoming an active member if the first step. There are many ways to do this, you can do it by mail, on line, or just hand a filled out card to a council member. Please enjoy all your trips this summer visiting family and friends. Remember that your church family will be here when you get back and praying for safe travels. Your stewardship committee, Cecelia Junell and Angela Cline.
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
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ARE VERY CLOSE FROM OUR YEARLY STEWARDSHIP GOAL .
L ET ’ S
ACHIEVE IT TOGETHER !
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GOYA N EWS Fellow Parishioners, As our school year wraps up, we have recently elected our 2015-2016 GOYA officers: Maria Tudora - President Alex Shah - Vice President Penelopi Yiantsou - Secretary Zoe Georgulas – Treasurer
Earlier in May, our dance groups were asked by Central Market in Southlake to dance for their "Passport to Greece" event. This was a great opportunity for us to show off our hard work and to get a head start for the festival! The event was very successful. Thank you to all of the parishioners who came out to support us!
In June, we have a number of our youth attending Camp Emmanuel. This is the Denver Metropolis' summer camp at Manzano Mountain Retreat near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thank You, Alex Shah, GOYA Vice President
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V ACATION B IBLE S CHOOL J UNE 9-12 .
Youth Ministries had a successful high school/college graduation lunch last month. Congrats to high school grads John Molhoek, Nick Ruppel and Chris Henry; and to college grads Maggie Molhoek, Nina Papadimitriou and Jenna Wright. Thanks to everyone who helped including Larry Leeders, Gail & Terry Poriotis, Leo Alexander, Khanh Moutafis, Connie Rafailedes and Maria Kerbow. The Hadjikyriakos family of Apollo the Greek provided the gyro meat, pita and tzatziki sauce. Special thanks to Gail, who worked on the fabulous tribute posters for the high school grads. John Molhoek was announced the winner of the 2015 Philoptochos Scholarship Bravo! The End-of-Year Church School picnic, held May 17, hit a home run with the kids. The weather held up and we were able to set up a bouncy house/water slide - despite the soggy grounds. We SO appreciate Athena Russo,
who ordered the slide and patiently stood by the order despite the dire forecast. Thanks to everyone who brought side dishes and desserts. A big thank you to Leo and Theresa Alexander who purchased the hotdogs, buns and chips; and to our grill guys, Michael Eftimie and Michael Poriotis. Thanks to Michael Poriotis, we were able to find the water source for the slide - great to have an engineer in our church family. Thanks also to Cristina Korzun for purchasing the ice cream! Youth Ministries gives a special shout-out to church school director Veronica Fisher who has kept track of all church school-related needs from pascha passports to Advent/Lenten retreats for our kids. We want to wish happy trails to our 10 campers this year. Seven kids will participate in the junior division (Josie Ivanov, Noah Ellis, Matei and
Luca Tudora, Penelopi Yiantsou, Vivian Geil and Sydney Georgulas). They will travel with Fr. Nicholas from St. Demetrios. Three students will be part of the senior division (Maria Tudora, Alex Shah and Rosemary Espinoza). The teens will travel with Presbytera Mirela. Vacation Bible School runs June 9-12. We will focus on the 12 Feast Days of the Church as well as have music, dance and craft segments each day. Fr. Vasile will join us for portions of the day, as his schedule allows. Please call, text or email me if you would like your child to participate. I can be reached at hlblake@aol.com or 214995-4290. Registration forms are now available online or in the church narthex. Have a great summer! Harriet Blake
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PHILOPTOCHOS UPDATE half. It is a great time of fellowship and also using our talents to do as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asked us to do, love one another as I have loved you. We will use the parish email to give you more information and the date each month of our sandwich making session. We hope some of the children will also be able to attend, as this is a very easy activity for all ages to be involved. One of the things we will ask the children to do is to make an index-sized greeting card with a positive or inspirational message on it to include in the sack lunch. We hope you will be as excited as we are to start this project off on Wednesday, June 3. Please direct any questions to Joanie Ruppel.
Your Philoptochos chapter has taken on a new project and we are excited to tell you about it. Our National organization made a goal to feed 250,000 meals to the homeless by July 2016. Each chapter was asked to take on a project to help attain that goal. Since this is the crux of what we do, covered by our mission statement, your St. Irene Philoptochos will be making sack lunches once a month and bringing them to the Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth. The UGM is located in the “Mission” area of Ft. Worth where homeless gather and are provided for. The sack lunches we make will be a main meal for the day. We will assemble the lunches on the first Wednesday of the month after the evening service, so around 7pm. With many hands it will only take about an hour or hour and a
As we close out this twoyear term of the current officers and board, I would like to thank the following members for your service. Margaret Chokas as Vice President, Kathy Fox as Secretary, Bertha Gianulis as Treasurer and Advisor, Angela Cline as Board Member, Athena Pachares as Board Member, Esther Petercsak as Board member, Barbara Vittas as Board member and +Toni Nicholas+ as Board Member. You made being the President of St. Irene Philoptochos a very rewarding and fulfilling job. My thanks to all of our members who contribute big and small, actions or ideas, dollars or cents, and of course prayers and desire for the good of mankind. Respectfully yours,
C HURCH S CHOOL Wow! We had a fabulous End of the Year celebration!! Thanks to all the parents who provided for the picnic, we had plenty to share with all. Thanks to the two Michaels for cooking once again. Those two are awesome. Thank you to Athena Russo for organizing the bounce house/slide. That was super-fun! Once again, thanks to all of the Church School teachers for volunteering their time each Sunday, and thank you
to all of the families here at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church for allowing your child to spend time with us each Sunday. Vacation Bible School will be held at St. John during the week of June 9- 12. All students from Miss Allison’s class all the way to Mrs. Harriet’s class are invited and encouraged to attend. (Kindergarten to 5th grade) Registration forms are available in the narthex and were also emailed to all of our families.
Have a safe and wonderful summer. Church School will begin again in September. Veronica Fisher Church School Coordinator
O UR N ATIONAL ORGANIZATION MADE A GOAL TO FEED 250,000 MEALS TO THE HOMELESS BY J ULY 2016.
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C HOIR N OTES - N EWS Bill and Rena Poletes attended the choir conference held in conjunction with
tan Isaiah officiated the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy with twelve local priest.
the Denver Metropolis Clergy Laity Conference in Houston, Texas. Pam Cramer
At the Friday night banquet the Frank and Xenia Anton Desby Memorial Scholarship was awarded to two choir members each receiving $1000 to pursue their training in music ministry. Saturday evening we enjoyed a western barbeque at the church and Sunday brunch after church, hosted by the Houston Community.
choir direction of the Annunciation Cathedral, was the guest director, with
The hand of St. Ephraim the Syrian, a patron Saint of Church Musicians
David Dyess, as organist. Thirty choir members sang the Desby Liturgy and Metropoli-
K NEELING V ESPERS S ERVICE O N An beautiful service called the Kneeling Prayer, is observed on the evening of Pentecost. This is a Vespers service to which are added three sets of long poetical prayers, the composition of Saint Basil the Great, during which everyone kneels and makes a full prostration, touching their foreheads to the floor.
The Friday night banquet awarded The Frank and Xenia Desby Memorial Scholarship to two choir members each receiving $1,000, in pursuing their music ministry goal. Our music federation is now on Facebook. Check it out! Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver Church Music Federation
PENTECOST
us; 3) forget our sins; 4) purge our sinful thoughts; 5) make us worthy to return to Him; 6) visit us; 7) free us from the devil; 8) make our lives secure in His holy and sacred laws; 9) entrust us to a guardian angel; 10) gather us into His Kingdom; 11) grant us forgiveness; and 12) cleanse us by the Holy Spirit.
E VENING
church and reciting the prayers are only two of the three components in being submissive, obedient and humble before God. The third element is the actions of our life once we walk up into the social hall and out the doors back to our homes and daily life.
In the Second Kneeling Prayer we ask God to: 1) teach us how to Orthodox Christians do not kneel for prayers from Pascha pray and what to pray for; 2) govuntil Pentecost. Following the ern our life, 3) make known the canon of the first Nicene coun- way we should walk; 4) grant us wisdom; 5) renew our spirit, 6) cil, most Orthodox people make our mind firm; 7) not to be don’t kneel on Sundays, either. So Vespers on the even- fooled by worldly delights; 8) to desire enjoyment of future and ing of Pentecost is the first heavenly treasures; 9) grant mertime since Pascha that we cy; 10) make us holy; 11) extend a kneel; and three beautiful prayers are contained in these helping hand to us; and 12) Accept our prayer. “Kneeling Vespers.”
How will God hear us if we never talk to Him in prayer each day? He cannot accept us if we do not come to Him. He cannot forget our sins if we keep committing the same ones over and over again. God cannot purge our sinful thoughts if keep holding on to them. He cannot make our lives secure if we keep ignoring His sacred and holy commandments. He cannot forgive us if we do not forgive others.
The Third Kneeling Prayer, interestingly, is for our departed loved ones, in which we ask God to: 1) give rest to their souls; 2) place their names in the book of life; and 3) forgive their sins. No doubt this final prayer is also for us as we The First Kneeling Prayer anticipate the time when we will acknowledges that Jesus Christ leave this earthly life and join our kneeled when praying to His departed loved ones. Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41). We ask Kneeling down in worship in God to 1) hear us; 2) accept
God can cleanse us if we bathe in the Sacrament of Holy Confession. He can teach us how to pray and what to pray for if we regularly practice prayer. He can grant wisdom, renew our spirit and make our mind firm if we read daily from His required textbook-the Holy Bible. God extends His helping hand to us all the time, but we must make an effort to stretch out our hand to Him.
Here is an excerpt from an article by Fr. Richard Andrews detailing the wonderful prayers that are read during this service.
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F AST OF THE H OLY A POSTLES By Archpriest Ayman Kfouf Origins of the Fast of the Apostles The Fast of the Holy Apostles is dated back to early years of the church. The first evidence of this fast is found in the writings of St. Athanasius the Great (†373). In his letter to Emperor Constance, he writes: "During the week following Pentecost, the people who observed the fast went out to the cemetery to pray." Some 20 years later, St. Ambrose (†397) writes: "On the days following his ascension into heaven, however, we again fast" (Sermon 61). The famous pilgrim Egeria mentioned the Apostles' Fast also in her fourth-centurywriting which records that "on the day following the feast of Pentecost, a period of fasting began". In the same period, the fourth century, the Apostolic Constitutions prescribes: "After the feast of Pentecost, celebrate one week, then observe a fast, for justice demands rejoicing after the reception of the gifts of God and lasting after the body has been refreshed." Until the second half of the 3rd century, the Fast of the Holy Apostles was linked to Pentecost and lasted only for one week (Apostolic Constitutions). Later on, after the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul and following the development of the commemoration of their death around the year 258, the Apostles' Fast became linked to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29. Consequently, it became a fasting period of preparation for the celebration of the feast of the great apostles. St.
Symeon of Thessalonica (†1429) explains: "The Fast of the Apostles is justly established in their honor, for through them we have received numerous benefits and for us they are exemplars and teachers of the fast ... For one week after the descent of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution composed by Clement, we celebrate, and then during the following week, we fast in honor of the Apostles." Subsequently, the duration of the Fast of the Holy Apostles changed from one week to a variable period depending on the date of the Feast of Pascha (Easter). Duration of the Fast of the Apostles The fast of the Holy Apostles starts on the second Monday after Pentecost. The duration of this fast varies, depending on the date of Pascha (Easter). The rule is that the Fast starts on the second Monday after Pentecost and ends on June 29, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. According to the new calendar, the Apostles' Fast could last as short as 8 days and as long as 30 days (42 days according to the old calendar). Fasting Rules of the Fast of the Holy Apostles The Fast of the Holy Apostles is not as strict as the Fasts of Pascha and the Nativity of Christ; rather it is more lenient in its duration and rules. The current rules of fasting, during the Apostles' Fast, were established first for the monks of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves by Metropolitan George of Kiev (1069-1072). These rules are still practiced today
amongst most Orthodox Christians with minor variations, depending on the jurisdiction. The rules are: 1- Red meat, poultry, and dairy products are not allowed during the entire fasting period in all weekdays. 2- Fish, wine, and oil are allowed on all days except on Wednesdays and Fridays. Conclusion The Apostles fast has emerged since the very early days of Christianity. It is honored and preserved in the Church as a part of our Holy Tradition. Like all Fasts in the Orthodox Church, the Holy Apostles' Fast aims to help us put on the "armor of light" to against the attacks of the enemy that may befall during our spiritual journey to become united with God through His grace. No better words may express the importance of fasting in our life like the words of St. Abba Isaac the Syrian who says, "... since fasting is a weapon established by God ...the human race knew no victory before fasting, and the devil was never defeated by our nature as it is: but this weapon has indeed deprived the devil of strength from the outset... As soon as the devil sees someone possessed of this weapon (fasting), fear straightway falls on this adversary and tormentor of ours, who remembers and thinks of his defeat by the Saviour in the wilderness; his strength is at once destroyed and the sight of the weapon given us by our Supreme Leader burns him up. A man armed with the weapon of fasting is always afire with zeal. He who remains therein, keeps his mind steadfast and ready to meet and repel all violent passions."
Icon of the Holy Apostles
T HE A POSTLES FAST HAS EMERGED SINCE THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF C HRISTIANITY .
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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 :)
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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 2nd Sunday: Dmitri Rodgers, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, Joseph Berca, Noah Ellis 3rd Sunday: James Seals, Alex Genovezos, Caleb Ellis, Luca Tudora, Matei Tudora 4th Sunday: Noah Ellis, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, Dmitri Rodgers
C OFFEE H OUR H OST
We have recently switched to a new Coffee hour system where every family will host a coffee hour per year. Please see Olga Papadopoulou to schedule Your Sunday .
5th Sunday: Matei Tudora, 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 JUNE 2015 SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
30
1
2
3
4
FRI
SAT
5
6
Dorotheos, Bishop of Tyre Nicandrus, Gorgias and Apollon
Hilarion of Dalmatos Monastery Atalos the Wonderworker
Holy Pentecost 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 2:00 pm Kneeling Vespers
7
Monday of the Holy Spirit Justin the Martyr Pyrros the Hieromartyr
8
Nikephoros Pat. Of Constan. Erasmos of Orchid
Martyrs Lucillian & Paula Athanasios the Wonderworker
Metrophanes. Pat of Constan. Mary & Martha
Paraklesis 6 pm
Great Vespers 5pm
9
10
11
12
13
Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria 3 Virgin-martyrs of Chios
Alexander & Antonina, Martyrs Timothy, Bishop of Proussa
Bartholomew and Barnabas Revelation of the Axion Estin
Onouphrios the Great Peter the Athonite
Akylina the Martyr of Syria Eulogios, Pat of Antioch
All Saints 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy
Apostles Fast Begins
Theodotos, Bishop of Ankyra Righteous Panagis Basias
Relics-TheodoreCommander Kalliope the Martyr
Great Vespers 5pm
Paraklesis 6 pm
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
2nd Sunday of Mathew 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Elisha the Prophet Methodios, Pat. Of Constan.
Amos the Prophet Righteous Jerome Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Tychon the Wonderworker 40 Martyrs of Rome
Isaurus, Companions of Athens Manuel, Sabel & Ishmael
Leontios Hypatios & Theodoulos the Martyrs of Syria
Jude the Apostle Martyr Zosima
Great Vespers 5pm
Paraklesis 6 pm
21
22
23
3rd Sunday of Mathew Fathers Day 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 11:00 Father’s Day Artoklasia and Memorial
Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata Zenon & his servant Zenas
24 Nativity of John the Baptist
Agrippina the Martyr of Rome Aristocleus, Demetrius, Athanasius
Elizabeth, Mother of Forerunner
Vigil 6 pm
Divine Liturgy 6 am
Methodios, Bishop of Olympus Kallistos I, Pat, of Constan.
25
26
Prokopios the New Martyr Righteous Febronia
David of Thessalonika Icon of Theotokos of Tikhvin
27
Sampson The Inkeeper Joanna the Myrrhbearer
Great Vespers 5pm
Julian the Martyr of Tarsus Terentios. Bishop of Iconium
28 4th Sunday of Mathew
29
30
Holy Apostles Peter & Paul
Synaxis of the Holy Apostles
Peter & Paul, the Holy Apostles
Michael, New Martyr of Athens Synaxis of the Holy Apostles
Strict fast Wine and oil allowed
8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Vigil 6 pm Relics of Cyrus and John Pappias the Martyr
Divine Liturgy 6 am
Fast Free Fish, wine and oil allowed
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
THE FORERUNNER
Vol. XXXII No. 6 June 2015
Holy Apostles Peter and Paul June 29 , 2015