Parish Life
Welcome to the Parish Life section of Saint Peter Orthodox Church website. This is where we post news, events, photographs and more.
Welcome to the Parish Life section of Saint Peter Orthodox Church website. This is where we post news, events, photographs and more.
Previous Posts
Homily for Tuesday, January 10, 2018
Homily for September 13, 2015
second set of announcements for 9/20
9/13 announcements
9/6 announcements
Homily for August 30, 2015
Homily for August 16, 2015
8/30 announcements
Homily for August 16, 2015
8/23 announcements
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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Saturday, November 30, 2013
December 1 announcements
December 1, 2013
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Ephesians 2:4-10: St Paul, writing to the Ephesians, encourages us by reminding us that we who were dead in our sins are now alive in our union with Christ because of God's mercy toward us and are now able to do the good works prepared for us.
Matthew 22:2-14: In the gospel of St Matthew we hear our Lord tell us the parable of the marriage feast, in which we learn that readiness for the coming of our Lord requires correct preparation.
Troparion of the Resurrection: When Mary stood at thy grave looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above thy revered tomb, and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world; O thou who art risen from the dead! O Lord, glory to thee.
Troparion of the Prophet Nahum: As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Nahum, O Lord, through him we beseech Thee 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 Preparatory for Nativity: Today the Virgin comes unto the cave to give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word before the ages. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when you hear, and glorify with the angels and the shepherds him who shall appear by his own will as a new babe, being God before the ages.
CALENDAR
Sunday, December 1 (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
Monday, December 2
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, December 3
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, December 4 (Great-martyr Barbara and St. John of Damascus)
6:30 p.m. -- Advent Paraklesis
7:30 p.m. -- Parish Council Meeting
Thursday, December 5 (Sava the Sanctified)
NO Daily Orthros
11:30 a.m. -- Men's Lunch
6:30 p.m. -- Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia
Friday, December 6 (Nicholas the Wonder-worker)
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, December 7
7:30 a.m. -- Bible Study with Breakfast
9:00 a.m. -- Madison Christmas Parade
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, December 8 (Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. -- Pot Luck Meal
5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Davises for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
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
December 1 Davis R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
December 5 (Thu pm) Henderson (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal
(Feast of St. Nicholas)
December 8 D. Root POT LUCK MEAL
(set-up: Algood/Yeatts/Lasseter)
December 15 Yeatts Schelver/Lavric/Turner
December 22 Abraham Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
December 24 (Tue pm) Fahmy POT LUCK MEAL
(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord)
December 29 Wood Jones/Stewart/Meadows
December 31 (Tue pm) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal
(Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord; Feast of St. Basil the Great)
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#
December 1 Brenda Baker Eph. 2:4-10 202
December 5 (Thu pm) NO Reading
December 8 Mildred Morris Eph. 2:14-22 207
December 15 Sh. Charlotte Algood Col. 3:4-11 233
December 22 Warren Strain Heb. 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40 348
December 24 (Tue pm) Kh. Sharon Meadows Gal. 4:4-7 351
December 29 Mildred Morris Gal. 1:11-19 188
December 31 NO Reading
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted recently while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to keep Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family in your prayers as Walt continues to recover from heart surgery.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia's grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon's sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Fr. Alexander Atty, the Dean of St. Thikon's who is battling cancer.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* The Youth Group will meet for a meal and Christian Education with Father John on Sunday evenings, December 8th and 22nd , beginning at 5:30 p.m.
* We will celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on Thursday evening, December 5th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* The Young Adults will meet at the church Sunday, December 15th from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
* During the Fast of the Nativity we will have the Advent Paraklesis in place of Daily Vespers on Wednesday evening beginning on November 27th at 6:30 p.m.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will not meet for lunch and fellowship on the fourth Tuesday of December, due to the holiday season. More information will be available once the date has been set.
* The Christian Education classes will present a play during Coffee Hour on Sunday, December 22nd. More information will be available soon.
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults will meet once a month on Sunday evening from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (time will be strictly adhered to) for a meal, fellowship and teaching. The next meeting will be December 15th. Please let Father John know by text or e-mail if you will be there, so that plans may be made for the meal.
Canned food drive: The Christian Education classes are collecting canned good s for the needy.
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
The website of the Episcopal Assembly has recently posted important statements concerning Orthodoxy. (Two of these statements are located on the Bulletin Board in the Fellowship Hall. Please be sure to take a look at them.) The website is an important source of information on the Orthodox Church.
Amy Surratt has volunteered to be in charge of the Angel Tree here at St. Peter's this year. Information is available in the Fellowship Hall. Gifts are due back to the church by December 6th.
Nativity Feast: This year we will be doing something new for our meal following the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity. It will be a true Pot Luck Meal. Every family is asked to bring a dish. If your dish requires cooking, that should be done at home BEFORE you come. The warmer will be turned on to keep casseroles warm during the service. Please be sure to TAKE YOUR DISH home with you when you leave (even if you have to leave a little early). No one will be staying late to wash dishes after the meal.
Fasting Discipline for December
During the Nativity Fast, which began November 15th, the traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, fish, wine or oil) is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted. There is no fasting from December 25th through January 4th.
Major Commemorations for December
December 4 Great-martyr Barbara and Father John of Damascus
December 5 Sava the Sanctified
December 6 Nicholas of Myra
December 9 Conception of the Theotokos
December 12 Spyridon the Wonder-worker
December 15 Hieromartyr Eleutherios
December 20 God-bearer Ignatius of Antioch
December 25 Nativity of our Lord
December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos
December 27 Protomartyr Stephen
Happy Anniversaries in December:
December 21 -- Fr. John and Kh. Janet Henderson (#39!)
Happy Birthdays in December:
December 1 -- Christina Katool
December 2 -- Jim Roehner
December 3 -- Stephanie Baker
-- Athena Zouboukos
December 4 -- Brenda Baker
December 8 -- Ben Brock
-- Sam Habeeb
-- Michael Surratt
December 11 -- Sh. Charlotte Algood
December 12 -- Jenna Skirtech
December 20 -- Steve Chamblee
-- Anna Freundt
December 21 -- Caroline Halley
December 27 -- Ben Skirtech
-- Warren Strain
-- Nicholas Zouboukos (#14!)
December 28 -- Sheryl Chamblee
Quotable: "By the use of the word 'our' in the Lord's Prayer it is clear that God wishes us to pray not only for ourselves, but for others, and therefore it is also our duty to offer supplications for all mankind, imploring for them spiritual, then temporal benefits. In a special manner, however, we are bound to pray for our relatives, pastors, friends and benefactors, for our country and its rulers, for the faithful departed, for enemies and sinners. We should not omit offering frequent prayers of thanksgiving for the numerous and weighty blessings which God continually bestows upon us and on the whole human race. Thanksgiving and petition are, indeed, the two principal parts of prayer, one as necessary as the other. In fact, if we are not grateful for God's benefits, how may we expect that He will heed our petitions?"
Rev. Fr. David F. Abramtsov, The Orthodox Companion
Worship: Sunday, December 8, 2013 (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: Ephesians 2:14-22; Luke 13:10-17
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris
Prosphora: D. Root
Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL
(set-up: Algood/Lasseter/Yeatts)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
11/24 announcements
November 24, 2013
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Presentation of the Theotokos
Galatians 6:11-18: In the conclusion of his letter to the Galatians, St Paul reminds them that to be circumcised or uncircumcised is not the issue, but rather to be a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Luke 18:18-27: In the Gospel according to St Luke we hear our Lord tell us via an encounter with a rich, young ruler that to obtain eternal life we must be willing to give up everything that we possess in service to the Kingdom of God.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.
Troparion of the Presentation of the Theotokos: Today the Virgin is the foreshadowing of the pleasure of God, and the beginning of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. You have appeared in the Temple of God openly and have gone before, preaching Christ to all. Let us shout with one thrilling voice, saying, Rejoice, O you who are the fulfillment of the Creator's dispensation.
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 of the Presentation of the Theotokos: The all-pure temple of the Saviour, the most precious bridal-chamber and Virgin, the treasure-house of the glory of God, today enters the Temple of the Lord, bringing with her the grace which is in the divine Spirit; whom also the angels of God do celebrate in song; for she is the heavenly tabernacle.
CALENDAR
Sunday, November 24 (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. -- Youth Group
Monday, November 25 (Great-martyrs Catherine and Mercurios)
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, November 26
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, November 27
6:30 p.m. -- Advent Paraklesis
Thursday, November 28
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, November 29
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, November 30 (Apostle Andrew the First-called)
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, December 1 (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning and the Artoklasia Bread was offered by the Meadows for the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple this past Wednesday evening.
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
November 24 Jones D. Root/Dansereau/Dale Cooper
December 1 Davis R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
December 5 (Thu pm) Henderson (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal
(Feast of St. Nicholas)
December 8 D. Root POT LUCK MEAL
(set-up: Algood/Yeatts/Lasseter)
December 15 Yeatts Schelver/Lavric/Turner
December 22 Abraham Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
December 24 (Tue pm) Fahmy POT LUCK MEAL
(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord)
December 29 Wood Jones/Stewart/Meadows
December 31 (Tue pm) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal
(Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord; Feast of St. Basil the Great)
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#
November 24 Kh. Be'Be' Schelver Gal. 6:11-18 198
December 1 Brenda Baker Eph. 2:4-10 202
December 5 (Thu pm) NO Reading
December 8 Walt Wood Eph. 2:14-22 207
December 15 Sh. Charlotte Algood Col. 3:4-11 233
December 22 Warren Strain Heb. 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40 348
December 24 (Tue pm) Kh. Sharon Meadows Gal. 4:4-7 351
December 29 Mildred Morris Gal. 1:11-19 188
December 31 NO Reading
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted recently while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia's grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon's sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Fr. Alexander Atty, the Dean of St. Thikon's who is battling cancer.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* The Youth Group will meet for a meal and Christian Education with Father John on Sunday evenings, November 24th, December 8th and 22nd , beginning at 5:30 p.m.
* We will celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on Thursday evening, December 5th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* The Young Adults will meet at the church Sunday, December 15th from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
* During the Fast of the Nativity we will have the Advent Paraklesis in place of Daily Vespers on Wednesday evenings beginning on November 27th at 6:30 p.m.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will not meet for lunch and fellowship on the fourth Tuesday of November and December, due to the holiday seasons. More information will be available once the dates for those two months have been set.
* The Christian Education classes will present a play during Coffee Hour on Sunday, December 22nd. More information will be available soon.
Canned food drive: The Christian Education classes are collecting canned good s for the needy.
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults will meet once a month on Sunday evening from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (time will be strictly adhered to) for a meal, fellowship and teaching. The next meeting will be December 15th. Please let Father John know by text or e-mail if you will be there, so that plans may be made for the meal.
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
The website of the Episcopal Assembly has recently posted important statements concerning Orthodoxy. (Two of these statements are located on the Bulletin Board in the Fellowship Hall. Please be sure to take a look at them.) The website is an important source of information on the Orthodox Church.
Amy Surratt has volunteered to be in charge of the Angel Tree here at St. Peter's this year. Information is available in the Fellowship Hall. Gifts are due back to the church by December 6th.
Nativity Feast: This year we will be doing something new for our meal following the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity. It will be a true Pot Luck Meal. Every family is asked to bring a dish. If your dish requires cooking, that should be done at home BEFORE you come. The warmer will be turned on to keep casseroles warm during the service. Please be sure to TAKE YOUR DISH home with you when you leave (even if you have to leave a little early). No one will be staying late to wash dishes after the meal.
Fasting Discipline for November
The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, fish, wine or oil) is observed all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. Beginning November 15th, the first day of the Nativity Fast, the traditional fasting is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted.
Major Commemorations for November
November 25 St. Catherine the Great-martyr
November 30 Apostle Andrew, the First-called
Happy Birthdays in November:
November 5 -- Alexia Parker (#16!)
November 11 -- Beth Ann Baker
November 13 -- Sophia Skirtech (#5!)
-- Summer Goss
November 17 -- Karen Cooper
November 21 -- Ken Jones
November 24 -- Mildred Morris
November 29 -- Mike Pigott
Happy Anniversaries in November:
November 26 -- Glenn and Mildred Morris (#47!)
November 28 -- Dn. Terry and Sh. Charlotte Algood (#42!)
Quotable: "That most perfect of prayers, the 'Our Father,' contains all the things for which we should pray, and also indicates the order of importance according to which our requests should be made. Therefore, in the first of the seven petitions which constitute this the best of prayers we ask that God be acknowledged and glorified and praised throughout the earth. In the second petition we pray that we may one day possess the Kingdom of Heaven, which God has prepared for us. And since this great Kingdom can only be entered and enjoyed by those who do God's Will on earth, we beg in the third petition that we may be enabled at all times to keep His commandments. In the fourth petition we beg of God those worldly and spiritual necessities without which we can sustain neither the life of our bodies nor that of our souls. Next we ask to e preserved from evils of soul and body, imploring deliverance from our debts and sins which would exclude us from the Kingdom of God. We then pray for victory over temptation which would hinder us from doing God's Will. In concluding this beautiful prayer, we ask to be delivered from all those evils that might imperil our spiritual or earthly life, such as sudden death, famine, war, pestilence and the like."
Rev. Fr. David F. Abramtsov, The Orthodox Companion
Worship: Sunday, December 1, 2013 (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-10; Matthew 22:2-14
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Brenda Baker
Prosphora: Davis
Coffee Hour: R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb