S T . J OHN THE B APTIST G REEK O RTHODOX C HURCH
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S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST :
F EAST D AY ?
A friend of mine told me that some time a go a priest from an Orthodox country in the old world visited France and there he spoke to a gathering of non-Orthodox people on spiritual matters. At the end of the presentation someone from the crowd asked the obvious question: ‘How can one best define Orthodoxy?’ After a moment of contemplation, the priest answered simply ‘Orthodoxy is like the morning of the Feast Day of a Monastery in the mountains’. Puzzled by the somewhat perplexing answer, the man from the crowd further inquired ‘And how is that?’ Smiling, the priest answered him back: ‘You have to come and see’. The Orthodox Church has a very intricate system of celebratory cycles in which the most important events in the life of the Church are commemorated and celebrated with custom made services for those occasions. The service books of the Orthodox Church are filled with poetry that brings praise to Our Lord Jesus Christ, His All Immaculate Holy Mother and to all the Saints. Each of these special services follows the typicon of the Church that encompasses majestic liturgical processions, inspiring chanting, uplifting festal sermons and of course participation in the Divine Liturgy that brings it all together in Christ. The entire Church rejoices during the celebrations of the Saints as pilgrims from all over the country go to the Holy Places where the bodies of the saints are kept and venerate their grace flowing
What’s in a Feast Day?
Parish Council Capsule
Stewardship 2015 NEED YOUR HELP
Youth Ministries News
Music Ministry: What is Orthros?
Icon of the Nativity of The Theotokos Explained
Food-Fest 2015 Dates OCTOBER 16th, 17th, 18th
Choir News
(Continued on page 3)
I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :
C OUNCIL C APSULE Another summer is in the books and as far as I can tell, most are ready for cooler weather and of course, football season! We had a very productive summer and Accomplished several objectives. A big thank you to Jeremy Ellis and Jeremy Forcum for their efforts in spearheading the second phase cleanup of our lot and in particular, the north side. It rapidly became a manageable task w/ the support of great volunteers, thank you all! Moving forward, I ask that if you notice something may be askew regarding our grounds and/ or facilities, please bring it to the attention of a council member that it may be addressed in a timely manner. Furthermore, if you are a parent of a child who likes to go up in the old nursery, please keep them from doing so. That area has number of festival items and more will be added. Some effort went into cleaning and organizing that area as well. Since we are on the topic of cleaning…STILL!! If you can spare a few hours on Saturday, the 5th of September, come out and help clean the kitchen and old Nave. We need to do some additional interior (Continued on page 2)
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C OUNCIL ’ S C APSULE (Continued from page 1)
cleaning to better prepare ourselves for the festival and of course, lunch will be provided. This is another opportunity for fellowship. As you know, our anniversary luncheon will be paired up w/ Taverna Night this year and the better for it. Unfortunately, His Eminence was not able to attend which
prompted us to make the adjustment on (very short notice). Please know, if you have already purchased your ticket for the luncheon, you have a couple of options.
kick-off (football reference) our festival! Kindly, Michael Eftimie PC President
You can receive a full refund, or what I believe to be the better option, add an additional $15 to your ticket price and come to Taverna Night. It serves a great cause and I can’t think of a better way to
A GELESS W ONDERS
2015 F ESTIVAL P ARISH K ICKOFF L UNCHEON S EPT . 6 TH
The Ageless Wonders will meet on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 11 a.m.in the church hall for our fall potluck luncheon and planning meeting. Our
own Connie Sarros will be our guest speaker and give us all food for thought. I'll be calling everyone for reservations. So save the date!!
Please support the baking dates for our FoodFest. Looking forward to seeing y'all after a long hot summer..... Madge
2015 F ESTIVAL - P ARISH K ICKOFF L UNCHEON S EPT . 6 TH Dear fellow parishioners, please plan to attend the 2015 Festival Kickoff Luncheon on Sunday, September 6th after Liturgy.
val days of October 16, 17 and 18.
For that reasoan, we have reduced the ticket price for Taverna Night to $40 per person to enjoy a great dinner and an interesting and entertaining program, as well as to meet local leaders of government, commerce and industry who will be in attendance to show their support for our Parish.
We will also have a special presentation by our St. Irene Chapter of the Ladies Philoptochos Society on their plans The Festival Chairperfor Taverna Night to be held sons will be in attendance on the evening of October to serve you a compli15th. mentary meal of a gyros This year we are combining sandwich and salad with Taverna Night with the refreshments. There will 35th Anniversary of our Parbe a short program George P. Vittas, P.E. ish's founding. on the details of this gpv2011@att.net It would be wonderful to see year's Festival so the entire Parish join in celethat parishioners bration of our history of and families can plan growth and contribution to ahead to schedule personal time as staff the communities we serve. workers during the Festi-
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F EAST D AY ? (CONT.)
(Continued from page 1)
relics, renewing their faith for yet another year. This is after all what Orthodoxy is, to be all one into Christ: the Triumphant Church, The Saints, and the Militant Church, ourselves, coming together to celebrate the victors and give hope to the strugglers. This is what usually happens in an majority Orthodox country where the faith is engrained in the daily lives of the people who eat and breathe Orthodoxy. If one moves to a Western country however, where the Orthodox Church is just a tiny fraction of the population, and more so, where the secular society has forgotten it’s Christian roots and has eliminated any trace of Christian celebration, the situation is different. If Sunday attendance in an Orthodox Church can still be good even in such places, the weekday celebrations of saints as any other services outside of Divine Liturgy for that mater, are a different story. Most of the times the priest finds that the temple that feels small on any given Sunday can become suddenly too big to
host the very few people that attend these services. Photios Kontoglou, a renowned iconographer from last century and a profound person of faith, observed sadly at one point that these things happen even in his Orthodox Country, Greece: “Today as I write, August 29th, it is the commemoration of Saint John the Forerunner. Last night we chanted Vespers devoutly in a chapel, and there were only a few women and two or three men. This morning we chanted liturgy and again there were a few pilgrims. The shops were open, everyone worked as if it was not the feast of the greatest saint of our religion. In truth does the hymn say: "The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for you, O Forerunner." Seems that Photious Kontoglu hit the spot with his remark because unfortunately, even in the places where we live it seems that the testimony of the Lord suffices in most cases to celebrate the memory of the saints. How do we go back to what Orthodoxy truly is, a continuous celebration of deification in Christ through the commemoration of All the Saints that in the monasteries
are remembered every day? How do we bring back also in our parishes the festal atmosphere that should accompany the Feast Days of the Church? How do we switch back our priorities to what really matters and stop being busy with “stuff” that will disappear like the flowers of the spring ? I don’t have a universal solution for you, but all of us should seriously consider moving things around on our priority list and recover the joy of the presence of the saints in our midst. We should probably consider centering back our lives not on our work schedule but on the ecclesiastical calendar. We should probably make a habit of looking ahead of time every Sunday to scout for opportunities to be in the Communion of the saints. We should probably take our Orthodoxy more seriously and promote it from a Sunday duty to an everyday walk with Christ and His beloved Saints. The testimony of the Lord is sufficient for the Saints, would it be for us? Through the prayers of the Theotokos and of All the Saints, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us! Amin!
Prayer Rope
T HE
TESTIMONY OF THE L ORD IS SUFFICIENT FOR THE S AINTS , WOULD IT BE FOR US ?
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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 S EPTEMBER 2015 We are all busy finishing up with vacations, and getting ready for school.
May all of you have a blessed Stewardship 2015 info as of 09/1/2015: transition back into school and new routines. Thank you - Goal to cover exin advance for cherishing our penses: $304,127 church the way you all do.
We want to thank each and every one of you, who continued to support our Angela Cline beautiful church while out Cecilia Junell of town on vacation. We Stewardship committee are so close to meeting our parish’s financial obligations, and we thank you all for your faithfulness.
- Pledged: 269,140 - Short: (34,987)
Please help us to achieve our goal by filling out a stewardship card and making your commitment! Thank you for your support! Thank you for your support!
Our food festival is underway, and by helping wherever you can is a great way to support our church and stewardship. We have so many things that are being added to make this year’s festival a huge success.
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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
WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU , WHO CONTINUED TO SUPPORT OUR BEAUTIFUL CHURCH WHILE OUT OF TOWN ON VACATION !
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Y OUTH M INISTRIES R EPORT Hope everyone has enjoyed time with family and friends this summer.
WE START OUR NEW SCHOOL YEAR ON S EPT . 13 WITH THE ANNUAL B RATS , B URGERS & B EANS L UNCHEON , SPONSORED BY Y OUTH M INISTRIES .
As Veronica notes in the Church School report, we start our new school year on Sept. 13 with the annual Brats, Burgers & Beans Luncheon, sponsored by Youth Ministries. We look forward to seeing all students and their families on that Sunday and welcome all parishioners to join us for the luncheon and support our youth-related activities.
Youth Ministries held its fall planning meeting Sunday, Aug. 23. Among the items discussed was GOYA fundraising (they are planning one fundraiser each month); Union Gospel Mission*, Halloween Hideway (scheduled for Sat., Oct. 31), JOY reboot, Philoptochos Scholarship requirements, Loukoumades fundraiser for Feb. 7 and the successful Pascha Luminary project will be repeated in 2016. Our spring planning meeting will be held March 20.
*Church School students will help with the Union Gospel Mission project by making notecards to include with the meals that are prepared each month. Thanks and God Bless. Harriet Blake Youth Ministries Coordinator
C HURCH S CHOOL Church School Families, I hope everyone had a fabulous Summer Break! We have a great Church School Year Planned. September 13th will be our Annual Meet the Teacher Sunday. Following Divine Liturgy, Father Vasile will read the prayers of the Blessing of the Water and the customary prayers for the beginning of the New School year. After Fr. Vasile’s blessing, the teachers, students and families will meet in the classrooms to get acquainted with each other and fill out Registration Forms. We will be distributing our Calendar for the year, so please make sure
you pick one of those up for your handy reference throughout the year. Immediately following Meet the Teacher, we will all return to the Church Hall and enjoy Burgers and Brats. The men will be cooking up hamburgers and bratwurst, so we hope everyone will join us and enjoy some fellowship. Our first Church School class will be on Sunday, September 20th. We are thankful to have Corey Ellis and Hope File volunteering to support us and our classrooms this year. Our wonderful teachers this year will be:a Pre-K – Kindergarten--- Al-
lison Medvic and Hope File First and Second --- Theresa Alexander Third and Fourth--- Esther Petercsak Fifth through Eighth --- Harriet Blake High School --- Pres. Tudora and Anca Morcovescu Once again, I look forward to a wonderful and exciting Church School Year!!! As always, contact me if you have questions. Veronica Fisher Church School Coordinator veronicafisherps50@gmail.com
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PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Don’t have your ticket to Taverna night yet? NO PROBLEM! Liz Strong can take your reservation for a table ($320) or individual ticket ($40) as we celebrate our parish’s 35th Anniversary on Thursday, October 15 on the eve of the 24th Mid-Cities Greek Foodfest.
tional organization in the form of the Children’s Medical Fund luncheon where millions of dollars have been spread though out the country to aid medical organizations in the care of sick children and young adults. We are most excited about this year’s event and hope that you are inspired to be a part of this donation and the 35th anniversary of our blessed parish, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church!
This year’s Taverna Night charitable donation is to the Neonatology ICU at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital HEB. They will be using the donation to purchase new bassinets for their most fragile of paJoanie Ruppel tients, newborns in the St. Irene Philoptochos NICU. This is in line with the mission of Philoptochos in caring for the sick and also supports the contribution made annually by our na-
GOYA NEWS Greetings, Fellow Parishioners: As the summer came to a close, GOYA had a number of fun outings within the last month to celebrate the beginning of school. Just recently, we had a backto-school pool party. Special thanks to the Yiantsou family for big wonderful hosts. Earlier in the month, we had a number of Goyans go to the Fort Worth Zoo.
Although the 2 oldest dance groups have been practicing for over a month already, dance practice will begin for all age groups in late August. Thank you, Alex Shah, Vice President GOYA
C OME JOIN
US IN OUR
JOYFUL DOUBLE CELEBRATION :
P ARISH ’ S 35 TH A NNIVERSARY A ND
T AVERNA N IGHT THE EVENING OF
THRUSDAY , O CTOBER 15 TH ,
A ND CONTINUE W ITH O U R
24 TH M ID -C ITIES G REEK F OOD F EST ! F RIDAY , S ATURDAY AND S UNDAY ,
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C HOIR N OTES -N EWS
After taking some time off during July, the choir has resumed singing. Thank you to the chanters for chanting all of the T HE S ERVICE
The hand of St. Ephraim the Syrian, a patron Saint of Church Musicians
“O RTHROS ” COMES FROM THE G REEK WORD “ ARISE ”, AND IS THE PROPER SERVICE FOR THE MORNING
OF
services in July. The choir is looking forward to the start of the new ecclesiastical year. In an effort to continually grow, we hope to incorporate some new music
this year. As always, we would welcome any new choir members! Kirsten Shah Choir Director
O RTHROS (M ATINS ) E XPLAINED
The morning service of the Church is called Orthros or Matins. “Orthros” comes from the Greek word meaning “arise”, and is the proper service for the morning. In fact, it is properly celebrated beginning in the early hours before dawn, with sunrise anticipated to occur around halfway through the service. It opens with the reading of Six Morning Psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. While the priest offers the Orthros prayers quietly, the Six Psalms are read. These penitential psalms are read quickly, not intoned or chanted. All stand during the reading, and any candles that have been lit for prayer intentions are extinguished. The silence and attention to psalms allows us to reflect on the universality of the human experience and need for God’s mercy. Thus, there is a spiritual movement from recognition of the majesty of God (as expressed in the introductory prayers) to our awareness that we totally depend on God for our life and salvation. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung:God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The Troparion/Apolitykion is then sung. On a typical Sun-
day, the Troparion of the Resurrection in the Tone of the week begins the sequence. It is followed by one or more Troparia appointed for the particular day. The Theotokion of the Resurrection in the same tone as the final Troparion completes the sequence.
After the Gospel there is a long intercessory prayer followed by a set of hymns and readings called the Canon. These songs are based on the Old Testamental canticles and conclude with the song of Mary, the so-called Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55). A Canon is a set of hymns divided into nine sections, called odes. Each ode begins with a hymn referred to as the HirIf it be a monastery, various groups of psalms which differ each mos. The Hirmos (plural, day are read. The appointed selec- “hirmi”) is the model hymn which sets the basic melody for the tions from the Psalms are folother hymns of the ode.) At the lowed by poetic “sessional end of the ode the Hirmos is hymns”. Once again there are repeated, and referred to as the hymns on the theme of the parKatavasia (literally meaning ticular day. On major feast days, “coming or sitting down”). The special praises and psalms are term originated in monastic setsung, which on the Lord’s Day sing of Christ’s resurrection from tings or larger churches in which two groups of chanters would the dead. chant the canon antiphonally. At On Sundays and Great Feasts, the the end of an ode, both groups would descend to the center of Evlogitaria follows the Kathisthe solea and repeat the Hirmos mata. The word “evlogitaria” together, the one group then comes from the Greek word for sitting down while the other “blessed” and is so named for the group stood to chant the next refrain “Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes,” that punctu- ode. ates these hymns devoted to the In parish practice the reduction of Resurrection of Christ. the canon to the Katavasia has led to particular Katavasiae being The following hymn is called used seasonally. Prokimenon and is a short set of psalm verses that precedes a reading from Scripture, in this case the Gospel. The Gospel reading for Orthros is usually one of eleven To be Continued... passages dealing with the Resurrection of Christ, These Gospel Compiled from various sources passages are called the “Eothina mostly here and here Gospels”, and each Eothinon (from the Greek for “dawn”)
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Together, the Great Feasts serve to tell us the story of the Incarnation, which has its climax in the centre of the year with the celebration of the “Feast of Feasts” – Pascha. It is therefore fitting that the first Great Feast of the Church year, which begins in September, is that of the Nativity of the Theotokos.
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T HEOTOKOS I CON shown apart from the scene in icons of the Theotokos’ birth.
womb produced me? Because I have become a curse in the presence of the sons of Israel, and I have been reproached, and As for the differences, the main they have driven me in derision one is that the surroundings. Whereas Christ’s birth is shown to out of the temple of the Lord. be in a cave, in the wilderness, the Alas! To what have I been likened? I am not like the fowls of Mother of God’s birth is shown the heaven, because even the within the city walls, amid what fowls of the heaven are producappears to be a beautifully decorated house, because Joachim was tive before You, O Lord. Alas! To what have I been likened? I “a man rich exceedingly am not like the beasts of the (Protoevangelium). Instead of a The early life of Mary, the earth, because even the beasts of cave, Mary is inside Anna’s bedMother of God, up to the the earth are productive before chamber, which according to the occasion of the Annunciation protoevangelium was made into a You, O Lord. Alas! To what have is described in the ancient I been likened? I am not like these sanctuary until the time Mary Protoevangelium of James. waters, because even these waentered the Temple. Whereas Hymnography and iconograters are productive before You, Mary and the Christ-child are phy for the feasts celebrating Mary’s conception, birth, and attended by angels in their relative O Lord. Alas! To what have I solitude, around Anna is a hive of been likened? I am not like this dedication to the Temple as a activity: the “undefiled daughters earth, because even the earth child, all borrow from this brings forth its fruits in season, of the Hebrews” whom Anna early (c. 2nd century) acand blesses You, O Lord. brought into the bed-chamber to count. attend to her. A table by Anna shows the feast which Joachim The icon of the Nativity of the The Mother of God’s birth prepared on Mary’s first birthday, Theotokos show us the relatively was miraculous, not because she was born without original to which were invited the scribes, exalted beginnings of Mary’s birth. Yet in her humility she sin, nor because she was born priests and elders of Israel. does not expect the tidings that of a virgin, but instead because the Archangel Gabriel brings just Other details which may be preshe was born of a man and her a few years later, and bears with sent are separate details of Anna, barren wife: Joachim and quietude the spartan surroundJoachim and the infant Mary toAnna. gether in a loving embrace. Scenes ings of her own Son’s birth in Bethlehem. The icon of the feast is a more- from before the Theotokos’ nativity may also be shown, such as the or-less faithful imaging of the angel visiting Joachim in the deToday the Virgin Theotokos Mary protoevangelium, with the sert to tell him of the upcoming The bridal chamber of the Heavenly composition echoing the NaBridegroom tivity of Our Lord Jesus Christ conception, and Joachim and Anna embracing at the gateway to By the will of God is born of a barren which Mary’s birth prepares woman, the way for. Anna is reclining their house, an image also depicted separately as the Being prepared as the chariot of God in a bed, in a similar way to “Conception of the Mother of the Word. how Mary herself reclines in God”. At the bottom of the Icon She was fore-ordained for this, since icons of Christ’s Nativity. there is sometimes a fountain of she is the divine gate and the true Below Anna, the infant Mary water or water fowl in a small Mother of Life. is being bathed by midwives, garden. This describes Anna’s just as the infant Christ is “double lament” beneath the laurel Apolitykion of the Feast washed by Salome in the icon tree of her garden, when she of His own birth. Likewise, thought that she would neither just as Joseph is shown reFound here moved from the main scene of conceive or see her husband again: the birth in Nativity icons, Alas! Who begot me? And what Mary’s father Joachim is also
T ODAY THE V IRGIN T HEOTOKOS M ARY , T HE BRIDAL CHAMBER OF THE H EAVENLY B RIDEGROOM , B Y THE WILL OF G OD , IS BORN OF A BARREN WOMAN .
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G REEK D ANCE P RACTICE
The dance practice for 2015 Festival: no practice today. We will continue with Sunday practices on the following days: Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Sept, 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11. Hellenic & Olympian dancers will also have Saturday practices on the following days: Sept. 12, Sept.19, Oct, 3, Oct. 10. Olympian dancers will be from 10:30 - 11:30 am
WE
HAVE RECENTLY SWITCHED TO A NEW C OFFEE HOUR SYSTEM WHERE EVERY FAMILY WILL HOST A COFFEE HOUR PER YEAR .
Hellenic dancers will be from 11:30 -12:30 pm. *e-mail: gpoulakos@live.com
N EW
PARISH
W EBSITE
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!
C ATECHISM C LASSES 2015-2016 ARE A G O !
Our Catechism / faith enrichment classes will begin Sunday, September 13 and continue every Sunday after Divine Liturgy in the Church Bridal Room. The program is open for non-Orthodox as well as for Orthodox Christians that want to learn about the Faith. Join us to learn more about the Orthodox Faith and don't forget to bring a friend. Don’t forget our Parish Library is open. See Steven or Serban if you want
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
As you probably know already , we have recently switched to a new Coffee hour system where every family will host a coffee hour per year. Please see Olga Papadopoulou
5th Sunday: Matei Tudora, Alex Genovezos, Alex Shah, Luca Tudora
to schedule Your Sunday.
fore going into church. The instructions are in the kitchen.
CLEAN UP
Prepare a tray with sugar, creamer, sugar substitute, mixing straws, a few spoons. Set with trash bucket. Put donation basket out with appropriate sign.
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 SEPTEMBER 2015 SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
1
2
3
SAT
4
5
Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year
Strict fast Wine and oil allowed
Simeon the Stylite 40 Women Martyrs of Thrace
Mammas The Martyr John, Patriarch of Constan.
Divine Liturgy 6 am
Paraklesis 6 pm
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10
11
12
Menodora, Metrodora, Nymphodora, Poulcheria the Empress
Theodora of Alexandria Euphrosynos the Cook
Autonomos the Hieromartyr Cournoutos, Bishop of Iconium
6
7
8
14th Sunday of Matthew
Labor Day
Nativity of the Theotokos
Forefeast Nativity of Theotokos Sozon the Martyr
Nativity of Theotokos Sophronios, Bishop of Iberia
Joachim and Anna Severianos of Sebaste
Miracle at Colassai Martyr Calodote
Vigil 6 pm
Divine Liturgy 6 am
Paraklesis 6 pm
13
14
15
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Nikitas the Great Martyr Philotheos, the Righteous
8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy
FRI
16
Anthimos of Nicomedea Theoctistus And Euthymius
Babylas the Hieromartyr Moses The Prophet & Godseer
Zacharias & Elizabeth Urban, Theodore, & Medimnos Great Vespers 5pm
Great Vespers 5pm
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18
Sophia, Faith, Hope, Love Herakleides & Myron
Eumenios, Bishop of Gortyna Ariadne the Martyr
19
Sunday before Holy Cross] 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Forefeast of Elevation of Cross Catechism Class Vigil w. Procession of Holy Cross 6 pm
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23
Trophimos, Sabbatios, & Dorymedon Great Vespers 5pm
Paraklesis 6 pm
Divine Liturgy 6 am
21
Euphemia the Great Martyr Melitina The Martyr
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26
Thekla the Equal-to-theApostles Silouan of Athos
Euphrosyne of Alexandria Paphnoutios & his 546 Companions
Falling Asleep of John the Evangelist And Theologian
Sunday after Holy Cross 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Catechism Class
Apodosis of the Elevation Quadratus the Apostle
Eustathios and Family Eustathios, Arb. Of Thessolonica
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28
Phocas, Bishop of Sinope Phocas the Gardener
Conception of John the Baptist Xanthippe & Polyxene
Vespers with Lity 6 pm
Divine Liturgy 6 am
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30
1st. Sunday Of Luke 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Catechism Class Kallistratos & his 49 Companions Mark, Aristarchos & Zenon
Chariton the Confessor Alkison of Nicopolis
Kyriakos of Palestine Martyr Petronia
Gregory, Bishop of Armenia Mardonios & Stratonikos Great Vespers 6 pm
Great Vespers 5pm
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THE FORERUNNER
Vol. XXXII No. 8-9 August /September 2015
Nativity of the Theotokos September 8 , 2015