June 12, 2011
Pentecost
In several senses, Pentecost marks for us the end of many months of anticipation, commem-oration, and celebration and the beginning of the fullness of the life and faith we share. It is a day bringing our focus on the Holy Spirit, the embodiment of divine grace, the supreme gift, the ongoing presence of God in our lives; yet, it is a day directing us to the praise of the Trinity, the three divine persons, and the historical and spatial relationship God's people have with Him. For the disciples, the day marks their spiritual maturity. Their faith began in their nationality, for they were of the nation that God the Father chose to glorify Him. The faith was completed in their confrontation with God the Son, through His presence and the nourishment He gave. The fullness of the faith came with the coming in power of God the Spirit. The disciples had grown in spirit and were ready for their work; the birth of the Church was imminent; the Bride was to be made ready. In the cycle of the calendar, we now stand ready to do likewise, and all weeks from now until our preparation for Advent are the weeks of Pentecost. In the picture of the birth of the Church there are symbols beyond mention here; the unity in the common tongue, the Light that shines brighter than day, the bold proclamation to all men of the Gospel. We look forward from this day to weeks without special celebrations, to days without reference to past days of enormous import--to normal, uneventful days. But these are not uneventful days; they are the days for which we have prepared, the days of the Church, the days of our maturity and growth, the days when, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we run the good race and cross the finish to bring praise and glory to our glorious God, the eternal Trinity.
Acts 2:1-11: In the reading from Acts we see the pouring out of God's Spirit on the apostles, the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and the beginning of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
John 7:37-52, 8:12: Our Lord calls those thirsting for righteousness to Himself, promising to eternally quench their thirst by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees, however, view Jesus as a threat to their authority and seek for ways to undermine His authority.
Troparion of Pentecost: Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise, having sent upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them thou hast fished the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to thee.
Kontakion of Pentecost: When the high One descended, confusing tongues, he divided the nations. And when he distributed the fiery tongues he called all to one unity. Wherefore, in unison we glorify the most Holy Spirit.
CALENDAR
Sunday, June 5 (Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. -- Pot Luck Meal
6:30 p.m. -- Kneeling Vespers
Monday, June 13
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, June 14
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, June 15
NO Catechism Class or Daily Vespers
Thursday, June 16 (Parish Life Conference begins in Memphis)
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, June 17
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, June 18
NO Catechism Class
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, June 19 (Sunday of All Saints)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Freundts for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
June 12 Freundts POT LUCK
June 19 Fahmys Strains
June 26 Bakers Morrises
June 28 Woods Schelvers
(Tues. p.m. – Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul)
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
June 12 Mildred Morris Acts 2:1-11 77
June 19 Warren Strain Heb. 11:33-12:2 84
June 26 Phillip Lasseter Rom. 2:10-16 90
June 28 (Tues. p.m.) Brenda Baker II Cor. 11:21-33, 12:1-9 389
Because our clergy will be attending the Parish Life Conference there will be no Daily Vespers on Wednesday June 15th. There will also be no catechism class on Wednesday June 15th or Saturday June 18th. Nor will there be Daily Orthros on Thursday or Friday of that week. However, Father James will be returning on Saturday afternoon. So our regular services will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday June 18th and 19th.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Fr. Leo, Kh. Be'Be', Stephen and Amy, Justyn and Jeffrey; Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Maria Costas; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; David Turner's mother Mary Jean; Fr. Joseph Bittle, Kh. Joanna, their daughter Abigail and the rest of their family.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
We are looking for new faces in the choir….anyone 7th grade or older who is interested should contact Karen or Sh. Margaret.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* We are celebrating the Feast of Pentecost with a Pot Luck today. As is our custom, we will also have the service of Kneeling Vespers this evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be no fasting next week.
* The Fast of the Apostles will run from June 20-28 this year. We will celebrate Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on Tuesday evening, July 28th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* The 2011 Parish Life Conference is being hosted this week by St. John Orthodox Church in Memphis.
* We will be serving a meal at the Stewpot in Jackson on July 9th and November 19th.
* Father John will be out of town July 21-31st for the Archdiocese Convention in Chicago.
* His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN will be here the weekend of May 6, 2012 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary as a parish. The planning committee is working very hard to make our celebration a memorable one. There will be an evening event at the MS Museum of Art on Saturday, May 6th. Other events are being planned and more information will be available in the coming months.
New Parish Directory: The Parish Council has decided to implement a new Directory with family pictures. Pictures will be taken on the following Sundays: June 12th, June 26th and July 3rd. A group picture will be taken on Pentecost (June 12th) for the cover of the Directory.
Fasting Discipline for June
The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. There will be no fasting during the week following Pentecost (June 12th). The traditional fasting discipline is again observed on all days during the Fast of the Apostles (June 20-28).
Major Commemorations during June
June 5 Holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicea
June 8 Theodore the General (transfer of relics)
June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
June 12 Feast of Pentecost
June 19 Sunday of All Saints
June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner
June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul
June 30 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles
If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is turned off.
Happy Anniversaries remaining in June:
June 14 -- Ken and Anastasia Jones (#41!)
-- Saliba and Lamia Dabit (#47!)
June 22 -- Fr. Leo and Kh. Be'Be' Schelver (#37!)
Happy Birthdays in June:
June 1 -- Fr. James Meadows
June 5 -- George Wood
June 12 -- Ellie Yeatts (1998)
June 13 -- Lou Turner
June 17 -- Sh. Margaret Root
June 21 -- Sandra Strain
June 29 -- Jennifer Skirtech
Quotable: "Just as the diseases of the body can be external (visible) and internal (hidden), so the sins, the diseases of the soul, can be visible and invisible. We often comfort ourselves with the fact that we hide the sinful wounds of our soul from the eyes of those around us. We pass for good and respectable people in their eyes. But we cannot hide anything from God. His eyes are brighter than the sun and penetrate everywhere. If we could take pictures of, or, with the help of some spiritual x-rays, see the hidden spiritual condition of each of us or of the whole of mankind as God sees it, we would be terrified!"
Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev
Worship: Sunday, June 19, 2011 (Sunday of All Saints; First Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: Hebrews 11:33-12:2; Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Warren Strain
Prosphora: Fahmys
Coffee Hour: Strains