The new addition and the bell tower have now been bricked up and the church has an entirely different look about it. The roof is complete except for one small section that has remained open so they could finish bricking up the bell tower. The kitchen floor is complete and the walls have their first coat of paint. There is now only one small area in the hallway that remains to be sheet-rocked. God has been very gracious to us during this process. Please continue to pray for our parish.

The Quote for the Week is again from Father Peter Gillquist:
"Let's face it. If the Kingdom of God is worth anything, it's worth everything. We are called upon by Christ Himself to lay down everything that would keep us from entering it. That is why Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a treasure hidden in a field. Once we realize the incredible value of that precious piece, we will sell everything we have to obtain it. This divesting of our private holdings is exactly what repentance means. We give up what we must not keep for the incomparable riches of Jesus Christ. This cost to us is the greatest bargain we can ever know."

II Corinthians 9:6-11: Reading in II Corinthians we hear St Paul encourage the church to minister generously to others, knowing this, that God will grant grace in abundant measure to those who serve others.

Luke 6:31-36: From St Luke's account of the Sermon on the Mount we hear our Lord teach us to love our enemies, to be unselfish in our giving, and to have mercy upon those who do us wrong rather than condemning them.

Troparion of the Resurrection: The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world. Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom! Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.

Troparion of St. Gregory: Thou hast become like the Apostles in their states, a successor to their throne, finding indeed the intelligential ladder, O thou God-inspired. Therefore, thou hast followed the Word of God in righteousness, and striven unto blood for the Faith. O Martyr among Priests Gregory, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

Kontakion for Usual Sundays: O undisputed intercessor of Christians, O mediatrix, who is unrejected by the Creator, turn not away from the voice of our petitions though we be sinners; come to us in time, who cry to thee in faith, for thou art good. Hasten to us with intercessions, O Theotokos, who didst ever intercede for those who honor thee.

CALENDAR

Sunday, September 30
8:50 a.m. – Orthros
10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. – Ladies of St. Peter lunch at the Woods'
6:00 p.m. – Young Adults

Monday, October 1
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED (Father John's Day Off)

Tuesday, October 2
6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
6:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

Wednesday, October 3
5:00 p.m. – Catechism Class
6:30 p.m. – Daily Vespers

Thursday, October 4
6:30 a.m. – Daily Orthros

Friday, October 5
6:30 a.m. – Daily Orthros

Saturday, October 6 (Apostle Thomas)
6:30 p.m. – Great Vespers

Sunday, October 7
8:50 a.m. – Orthros
10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Eucharist Bread was offered by the Woods for the Divine Liturgy today.

The Ladies of St. Peter will meet today for lunch at Charlotte Wood's home. All the ladies of the church are invited.

Eucharist Bread Schedule (No Coffee Hour due to Construction):
Eucharist Bread
September 30 Woods
October 7 Roots
October 14 Hendersons
October 21 Algoods
October 28 Katools

New Officers for Ladies of St. Peter are:
Co-Presidents -- Charlotte Wood and Rebecca Root
Treasurer -- Sh. Margaret Root
Devotional -- Patti Buckles

Congratulations to Lou Turner, who is being enrolled as a catechumen last Sunday. Please keep her in your prayers as she continues her journey in the faith!

Chris Medeiros has been deployed to Kuwait. He is a seargeant in the 1173rd Transporta-tion Terminal Battalion (TTBN), which is responsible for port operations. He will be at Ft. Bragg and Ft. Eustis for mobilization and training until early October. Then they will deploy the troops to Al Shuayba Port in Kuwait where he will be for a year. After demobilizing in the states for 4-8 weeks he will be back home in Jackson! He does not have a mailing address yet but we will pass it along when we get it.

Calendar Items:
* Ladies of St. Peter lunch TODAY at the Woods'.
* Fr. Michael Dahulich has invited Father John to speak at St. Thikon's Seminary, October 30 - November 2. Father John will be speaking to several of the classes and will addressing the student body there at the seminary.
* We will celebrate the feast day of St. Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn with Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, November 3rd at 9:00 a.m.
* The Lower Mississippi Valley Deanery will meet in Memphis, November 5-7 and Father John will be presiding.
* Father John will be in Lafayette, Louisiana with His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN to visit the Antiochian Orthodox mission there.
* We will be serving a meal at the Stewpot in downtown Jackson on Saturday, November 10th.
* During the Fast of the Nativity this year we will celebrate the Advent Paraklesis in place of daily vespers on November 14th and December 12th.

Fasting Discipline for October
In October, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays.

Major Commemorations During October
October 6 Holy Apostle Thomas
October 9 Holy Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus
October 17 Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Arabia
October 18 Holy Apostle Luke the Evangelist
October 23 Holy Apostle James the Brother-of-the-Lord
October 26 Holy Great-martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-streaming

Quotable: "If you are praised, be silent. If you are scolded, be silent. If you incur losses, be silent. If you receive profit, be silent. If you are satiated, be silent. If you are hungry, also be silent. And do not be afraid that there will be no fruit when all dies out; there will be!"
St. Feofil, the Fool for Christ

WORSHIP: Sunday, October 7 (Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: II Cor. 11:31 - 12:9; Luke 7:11-16
Celebrant: Father John
Homily: Father John
Deacon: Deacon Richard
Acolytes: Stephen Chamblee
Prosphora Roots
Coffee Hour Suspended During Construction
Teen Hosts Harbours