S T . J OHN THE B APTIST G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
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S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST :
I SAIAH
TO BE PRINTED IN ALL PARISH BULLETINS AND NEWS LETTERS
A Letter from Metropolitan Isaiah
All Clergy, Monastics, and Laity of the Holy Metropolis of Denver
Parish Council Capsule
Stewardship 2015 ALMOST THERE
Youth Ministries News
Philoptochos Membership Drive
Food-Fest 2015 Dates OCTOBER 16th, 17th, 18th
Camp Emanuel 2015
Choir News
Beloved in the Lord, This morning, on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States of America declared, in a five to four decision, that same-sex marriage in our country is now legal in all fifty states. This decision was based on the freedom and equal rights of all citizens. There was no mention of God in any part of the decision. This is one more ramification in the evolving laws of our nation which stresses the paramount rights and freedoms of our citizens. However, we know from our ancient, holy and cultural teachings and traditions that rights and freedoms cannot exist without the necessary responsibilities and accountability which should accompany them. Otherwise, such rights and freedoms would lead to anarchy, the next lower step from democracy. (Continued on page 2)
I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :
C OUNCIL C APSULE Our spring showers appear to have gone and the Texas summer heat is upon us once again. With that, our landscaping is growing and blooming faster than ever. So, in the coming weeks, the grounds and maintenance team will begin to clean up the north side shrubbery to give our property a more uniformed and properly groomed appearance. I have been informed that our mulch supplier has restocked and is ready for us deplete his inventory once again to complete our mulching task. As is the case with most homes (even homes away from home) there is plenty of yard work to do, so, if you have a pair of work shoes, a green thumb, like being outdoors, fellowship, or for some unexplainable reason, enjoy this type of work, we will definitely need and accept your offer to help. With enough hands, this can be completed in a few hours or less. If you choose to accept this mission, remember that you are indeed storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20) and you will get a free lunch in the process. (Continued on page 2)
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C OUNCIL ’ S C APSULE gize to anyone who was planning to attend.
(Continued from page 1)
In the last capsule, I mentioned a meeting for, and lead by the NTOM, which was to take place at the monastery in Kemp, unfortunately the details were very late coming out and didn’t afford us the opportunity to share them and plan accordingly. I apolo-
In closing, please mark your calendar for the 26th of this month to join us for another breakfast fundraiser after The Divine Liturgy! I hope you enjoy summer! - Michael Eftimie
A GELESS W ONDERS The Ageless Wonders will not meet in July. IN THE COMING WEEKS , THE GROUNDS AND MAINTENANCE TEAM WILL BEGIN TO CLEAN UP THE NORTH SIDE SHRUBBERY .
C OME AND H ELP !
The Queen will be in London .having tea with the other
A L ETTER F ROM (Continued from page 1)
Queen !!! Please take the time to help during the baking and cooking for the Foodfest if it comes up.
Have a great summer....Margaret
See y'all in August.
METROPOLITAN
I SAIAH (C ONT )
almost sixty million by now — we, as Americans, have been This slippery slope which conditioned not to feel any guilt we as a nation have con- or remorse because this genotinued to travel, from the cide is “legal.” Roe v. Wade decision over forty years ago, has Aside from these thoughts ignored the basic teaching which have to do with human of the science of sociology behavior, we as members of the which states that the very Church of the New Covefirst society in this world nant, which history records as is the human family. Un- the Orthodox Christian Church, continue to preserve fortunately, our Supreme our Judeo-Christian principles Court began to attack this which place Almighty God as primary society by legalizthe supra-intellectual Creator ing the deaths of unborn of heaven and earth and of infants, who as children contribute to the concept of all things visible and invisible. This is the teaching of the the primary family. Church that was clearly recAlthough there is the ognized by the first Ecumeniquestion of morality in cal Council in Nicea in A.D. putting to death helpless, 325. unborn human infants —
Returning to this morning’s Supreme Court decision pertaining to same-sex marriage, we know that as members of the Church we have no right to criticize or to condemn any human person regarding his or her lifestyle. The Apostle Paul says it best when he states, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?”(Romans 14:4). We, of course, are not speaking of persons per se, but of human lifestyles which are contrary to the moral behavior exercised by one’s free will in harmony with Holy Scripture. Practically speaking, the question will arise from (Continued on page 3)
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some in our canonical Orthodox Christian parishes regarding the sacrament of holy matrimony, for persons of the same gender. There is no confusion in this matter because our holy services of matrimony are not contracts as in all other religious bodies, but they are sacraments or mysteria. This means that we the clergy are not the celebrants of our sacraments, but the Holy Spirit is. This is why, for all of the sacraments of the Church, they are celebrated by the clergy in the third person. We never use the pronoun “I” because it is the Holy Spirit Who is the celebrant, through the priest or bishop. In our sacrament of holy matrimony, one of the prayers states, “Blessed are You, O Lord, Who are the celebrant of mystic and hallowed marriage...” In all of the sacraments, we, the clergy, say, “the servant of God is baptized” in baptism, or “the servant of God is crowned” in holy matrimony. Another prayer said by the celebrant in the marriage ceremony is “O Master, send down now Your hand from Your holy dwelling place and unite Your servants...” None of the holy sacraments of the Church are considered contracts which can be broken; but, in all of them, it is our Triune God Who, through the canonical priest
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I SAIAH ( CONT .)
or bishop, gives a lasting blessing to the participants in the holy sacrament. The fact that the First Amendment of our United States Constitution prohibits our government from interfering with the free exercise of religion means that no human law on the part of any of the three branches of government can negate or nullify or rise above the teachings and dogmas of our JudeoChristian history of more than two thousand years. Any attempt by our gov-
resurrection; and that, if you were to do so, you would be defrocked from the holy priesthood by an ecclesiastical tribunal. I am confident that all of our holy clergy in this Metropolis will continue to honor our holy vocation and will remain faithful to the teachings of the Church. In this way, all of us —clergy, monastics, and laity —will continue to live our lives as best as we can, in harmony with the life-giving teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ which will lead us into His everlasting Kingdom. With Paternal Blessings, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
ernment to do this would totally fail, as it did in Communist Russia and in Nazi Germany. Consequently, my hierarchical instructions to all the clergy who belong to this Metropolis, and to the military chaplains under my oversight, are to react pastorally in denying any and all who may seek the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony for a same-sex marriage. You are to inform them that by doing so you would be betraying the holy priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who established the Church through His death and
Prayer Rope
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THIS WAY , ALL OF US — CLERGY , MONASTICS , AND LAITY — WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE OUR LIVES AS BEST AS WE CAN , IN HARMONY WITH THE LIFE - GIVING TEACHINGS OF OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST
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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 I know summer means a lot of traveling, and I hope everyone's adventures are blessed. For those of you who's /will be having stay actions, I hope to see you all in church.
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JUNE 2015
Giving back what God has blessed you with is all we ask. Have a wonderful summer, and travel safely. Sincerely,
Our membership continues to Angela Cline grow, and we have almost met Cecila Junell our goal of 304,127.00 for 2015. A letter has been sent encouraging people who have not filled out a stewardship card to do so, in order for our beautiful church to be able to sustain itself thru its members. Cecilia and I would love to see our goal met, and with the help of everyone committing to any amount would be wonderful.
Stewardship 2015 info as of 07/05/2015: - Goal to cover expenses: $304,127 - Pledged: $265,560 - Short: ( 38,567) Please help us to achieve our goal by filling out a stewardship card and making your commitment today! Thank you for your support!
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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Y OUTH M INISTRIES R EPORT We had a terrific Vacation Bible School this year. Our VBS campers included: Luke and Preston Bilbo, Lexie Eftimie, Audrey Ellis, Nik and Paulina Gianitsos and their friend Ethan, Hailey Hensley and Ethan Hodges, Bella Ivanov, Eddie Korzun, the Johnson kids - Luke, Marie, Sarah and Theophania, Andrew and Annika Lindt, Barbara and Nicholas Oliver and Elena and Tatiana Tudora.
H OPE EVERYONE HAS A BLESSED AND WONDERFUL SUMMER
The kids learned about the 12 Feast Days of the Church, splitting into two groups, led by Katie Moutafis and her friend, Brooklyn; Maria Tudora, Zoe Georgulas and Vassi Gianitsos. The younger kids used a coloring book as their source, while the older kids had a more advanced text book. We completed several crafts, learned some new songs suggested by Joanie Ruppel and taught by Rosemary Espinoza. The dance sessions were led by the Elizabeth Seals, Alex and Katerina Genovezos and Ian Rehmet with help from Katie, Maria, Zoe, Vassi and Athena Adaska. Father Vasile joined us on three of the four days during his lunch hour. His time with the kids enhanced what they learned earlier in the day. The kids also completed a community service project in conjunction with Philoptochos’ Union Gospel Mission
project. Each child composed several notes for Philoptochos to include in the lunches they prepare for the homeless. Thank you, kids, and thank you, Joanie, for suggesting. A shout out to all the wonderful moms and yiayias who helped, starting with Khanh Moutafis, who saved the first day when a plane cancellation prevented me from joining the group; Toni Hodges who helped with everything from sharing stories with the kids and sweeping up to helping the little ones with lunch and at the playground; and Suzanne Lindt and Melissa Ellis who came as their schedules allowed. And thanks to all the parents who helped with snacks and drinks. It truly takes a village. From what I’ve heard, the Junior Group of Camp Emmanuel had a great time and learned a lot. See below for a report by Penelopi Yiantsou. The junior group campers included Penelopi as well as Sydney Georgulas, Vivian Geil, Josey Ivanov, Noah Ellis, Matei and Luca Tudora. Father Nicholas from St. De-
metrios accompanied them as well as several kids from St. Ds to New Mexico. We await news from the senior group, which included Alex Shah, Maria Tudora and Rosemary Espinoza, accompanied by Presbytera Mirela. Hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful summer. Youth Ministries will hold its Fall Planning Meeting on August 23. Church School begins the Sunday after Labor Day, Sept. 13. Youth Ministries will hold its annual Brats, Beans and Burger Back-to-School Luncheon on that day as well. God bless. Harriet Blake YM Coordinator
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PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS event hosted by parishioners for the purpose of “kicking Next UGM Sandwich session is off” the festival. More importantly, each year we doWednesday, July 1st after Paraklesis service in the parish nate part of the proceeds to a local charity. Last year we hall. Please consider volunpurchased books and donated teering to transport the sandwiches to the UGM the follow- them to the Euless WIC office. In past years we have ing morning between 8amdonated to Scottish Rite Hos11am. You need an empty pital, Kidd’s Kids, Safe Haven SUV to do this task. of Arlington, The WARM Thinking Ahead – TAVERNA Place in Ft. Worth, The Cancer Relief Fund, and a few NIGHT others. Our goal is to have We have several new families this event become and alljoining our parish each month and we want to encourage you charity event honoring a community member or organizato know and understand our tion. We are off to a good parish life. A large event in start! our parish is our FoodFest weekend in October. We prep for months ahead of time and it How can YOU help? As soon culminates with a 4-day festival as this year’s festival dates are confirmed, put them on your that starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday. The event on calendar now, plan to sponThursday night is called TAV- sor a table, and invite your ERNA NIGHT. It is a private friends to join you at that Philanthrophy
GOYA NEWS Dear Fellow Parishioners,
Alex Shah,
With the festival quickly approaching, our dance groups are hard at work preparing their multiple shows with countless dances. In the summer months, Goya will be doing a number of fundraisers to get a head start on the basketball tournament fees in January.
Vice President
We will be announcing dates and information about them after church, please listen up and help support our church’s youth. Thank You,
table. Yes, it is a very busy weekend, but the success of Taverna Night is a critical link to the success of the festival by way of community involvement. NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OFFICERS We received ratification of our newly elected board and that board will convene in the next few weeks to elect officers for a two-year term of 2015-2017. We will publish the results in the next Forerunner. Joanie Ruppel President St. Irene Philoptochos
YOU CAN HELP OUR C HURCH ’ S F OOD F EST BY PARTICIPATING ON TAVERNA NIGHT, AND ATTENDING OUR GROUNDS ON F RIDAY , S ATURDAY AND S UNDAY
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C HOIR N OTES - N EWS
The hand of St. Ephraim the Syrian, a patron Saint of Church Musicians
T HE SERVICE OF V ESPERS TAKES US THROUGH CREATION , SIN , AND SALVATION IN C HRIST .
It is hard to believe that summer is already here! In keeping with previous years, the choir will not be singing dur-
ing the month of July.
T HE S ERVICE
V ESPERS E XPLAINED
OF
We will begin again in August.
Vespers. During this psalm the evening incense is offered: “Lord, I call upon Thee, hear me. Hear me, O Lord. Let my prayer arise in Thy sight as incense. And let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. Hear me, O Lord. (Psalm 141:1-2).”
The Vesper service in the Church always begins with the chanting of the evening psalm: “...the sun knows it’s time for setting, Thou makest darkness and it is night….” (Psalm 104: 1920) This psalm, which glorifies God’s creation of the world, is man’s very first act of worship, for man first of all meets God as Creator.“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, O Lord my God, Thou art very great…O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all. The earth is full of Thy creatures (Ps 104:24).”
At this point special hymns are sung for the particular day. If it be a Church feast: songs in honor of the celebration are sung. On Saturday evenings, the eve of the Lord’s Day, these hymns always praise Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Following this litany a number of psalms are chanted, a different group each evening. These psalms normally are omitted in parish churches though they are done in monasteries. On the eve of Sunday, however, sections of the first psalm and the other psalms which are chanted to begin the week are usually sung even in parish churches. Psalm 141 is always sung at
Kirsten Shah
Maybe you would like to join us?
In the Orthodox Church the liturgical day begins in the evening with the setting of the sun. This practice follows the Biblical account of creation: “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (Gen 1:5).
Following the psalm, the Great Litany, is intoned. In it we pray to the Lord for everyone and everything.
We are always looking for new members!
The special hymns normally end with a song called a Theotokion which honors Mary, the Mother of Christ. Following this, the vesperal hymn is sung. If it be a special feast or the eve of Sunday, the celebrant will come to the center or the church building with lighted candles and incense. This hymn belongs to every Vesper service. “O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ. Now we have come to the setting of the sun and behold the light of evening. We praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For it is right at all times to worship Thee with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life, therefore all the world glorifies Thee.” Christ is praised as the Light which illumines man’s darkness, the Light of the world and of the Kingdom of God which shall have no evening (Isa 60:20, Rev 21:25).
A verse from the Psalms, the prokeimenon, follows—a different one for each day, announcing the day’s spiritual theme. If it be a special day, three readings from the Old Testament are included. Then more evening prayers and petitions follow with additional hymns for the particular day, all of which end with the chanting of the Song of St Simeon: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation: which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and to be the glory of Thy people Israel (Lk 1:29-32).” After proclaiming our own vision of Christ, the Light and Salvation of the world, we say the prayers of the Thrice-Holy (trisagion) through to the Our Father. We sing the main theme song of the day, called the Troparion, and we are dismissed with the usual benediction. The service of Vespers takes us through creation, sin, and salvation in Christ. It leads us to the meditation of God’s word and the glorification of his love for men. It instructs us and allows us to praise God for the particular events or persons whose memory is celebrated and made present to us in the Church. It prepares us for the sleep of the night and the dawn of the new day to come. More here
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C AMP E MANUEL 2015 I don’t think I can fully describe my incredible experience at Camp Emmanuel with just a few words in one paragraph. I had the best time ever this year at camp. I made life-long friendships and learned more about my Orthodox faith than I could have ever imagined.
only learning so much more about our astounding faith, but who is also interested in having fun at the pool, playing sports, making candles and prayer boxes, and bonding closely with clergy members around our metropolis, Camp Emmanuel is the place for you.
For me, the most important thing that occurred at camp was seeing the Divine Liturgy up close while having the process thoroughly explained by Father Vasileios Flegas. I truly learned and understood what actually takes place in the altar on Sunday mornings. I was astonished about how symbolic and important each step and prayer of the liturgy really is.
The four themes at Camp Emmanuel are as following: consider having a relationship with Christ, commit to this relationship, walk with Christ, and be completely transformed by Him. Each day at camp, we covered a theme during our Orthodox Life sessions where we got to converse with the priests and deacons about the particular theme. The day we covered the theme of being transformed by Christ, I learned of
To any Orthodox Christian youth that is interested in not
a verse that changed the way I live my life for God. Philippians 1:21 states, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” This verse made me realize how important it really is to consider Him, commit to a relationship with Him, walk with Him, and to be transformed by Him. I can’t explain how important this realization was to me. The only way someone can actually feel the love from Christ that I felt is to go to camp, be open to learning and gaining knowledge about new things, and to be transformed. I hope that more youth from our parish attend next year and experience the same things I did at Camp Emmanuel 2015. Penelopi Yiantsou
2015 F OOD F EST - OCTOBER 16 TH , 17 TH , 18 TH The Food-Fest dates have changed, please mark your calendars and save these dates. The new, final FoodFest dates are October 16-18, 2015 Taverna Night will be held October 15th. There will be a luncheon in September to present FoodFest plans for this year. The date
of the luncheon will be announced by Father Vasile and will be posted in the August and September Forerunners. DON'T FORGET, SAVE THE DATES OCTOBER 16, 17, 18 !!!
F OOD F EST 2015! DON'T FORGET, SAVE THE DATES OCTOBER 16, 17, 18 !!!
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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.
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HAVE RECENTLY SWITCHED TO A NEW C OFFEE HOUR SYSTEM WHERE EVERY FAMILY WILL HOST A COFFEE HOUR PER YEAR .
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
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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: Dmitri Rodgers, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, Joseph Berca, Noah Ellis
NEW!
3rd Sunday: James Seals, Alex Genovezos, Caleb Ellis, Luca Tudora, Matei Tudora 4th Sunday: Noah Ellis, Alex Shah, Chris Eftimie, Dmitri Rodgers 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.
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.
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 JULY 2015 SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
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FRI
SAT
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Hyacinth of Caesarea Anatolios, Pat, of Constan
Hilarion of Dalmatos Monastery Atalos the Wonderworker
Strict fast Wine and oil allowed Cosmas & Damian Unmercen Constantine, Martyr of Cypress Paraklesis 6 pm
5
Deposition of Robe of the Theotokos in Vlachernae Juvenal, Pat. Of Jerusalem
Great Vespers 5pm
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Sisoes the Great Archippus, Philemon, Onesimus
Thomas of Maleon Kyriaki the Great Martyr
Prokopios the Great Martyr Theophilios the Myrrhbearer
Pancratios, Bishop of Sicily Dionysios The Orator
45 Martyrs Nikopolis, Armenia Martyr Apollonios
Akylina the Martyr of Syria Eulogios, Pat of Antioch
5th Sunday of Matthew 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Athanasios of Mount Athos Lampadus the Wonderworker
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Readers Vespers 5pm
Paraklesis 6 pm
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Aquila of the 70 Joseph the Confessor
Julitta & Kyrikos the Martyrs Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles
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6th Sunday of Matthew 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Proklos & Hilarios of Ancyra Michael Maleinus
Synaxis of Archangel Gabriel Stephanos of Savvas Monastery
Athenogenes of Heracleopolis Julia of Carthage
Marina of Antioch Veronika& Speratos the Martyrs
Paraklesis 6 pm
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Methodios, Bishop of Olympus Kallistos I, Pat, of Constan. Readers Vespers 5pm
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Phocas, Bishop of Sinope Ezekiel the Prophet
Christina the Great Martyr Athenagoras The Apologist
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Sunday of the Holy Fathers 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Macrina, sister of St. Basil Dios, Abbot of Antioch
Elias the Prophet
Symeon the Fool of Christ Parthenios, Bishop of Arta
Mary Magdalene, Myrrhbearer Markella of Chios Paraklesis 6 pm
Sampson The Inkeeper Joanna the Myrrhbearer Readers Vespers 5pm
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8th Sunday of Matthew Dormition Lent Begins
8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Hermolaos & his Companions Paraskevi of Rome
Panteleimon The Great Martyr Nicholas of Novgorod
Prochoros, Nicanor, Timon Irene of Chrysovalantou
Kallinikos of Asia Minor Theodote and her Children
Silas & Silvanos of the 70 Julitta of Caesaria
Forefeast of the Precious Cross Joseph of Arimathea Great Vespers 5pm
S T . J OHN
THE
NONPROFIT
B APTIST
G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
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July 2015
THE FORERUNNER
Vol. XXXII No. 7
Holy Prophet Elias July 20, 2015