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.
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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
12/8 announcements
December 8, 2013
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Ephesians 2:14-19: In our reading from Ephesians, we are reminded that Christ not only brought us into union with Himself, but also into union with each other and the faithful saints who have gone before us to be with the Lord.
Luke 13:10-17: By healing a woman held in bondage to an illness for eighteen years, our Lord demonstrates that the Law does not prohibit righteous action on the Sabbath.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Thou didst shatter death by thy Cross; thou didst open paradise to the thief; thou didst turn the mourning of the ointment-bearing women into joy, and didst bid thine Apostles proclaim warning that thou hast risen, O Christ, granting the world Great Mercy.
Troparion of St. Patapios: The image of God was truly preserved in thee, O Father, for thou didst take up the cross and followed Christ! By so doing thou didst teach us to disregard the flesh for it passes away, but to care instead for the soul since it is immortal. Therefore thy spirit, Holy Father Patapios, dost rejoice with the angels!
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 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
Monday, December 9 (Conception of the Theotokos)
Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
Tuesday, December 10
6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros
Wednesday, December 11
6:30 p.m. -- Advent Paraklesis
Thursday, December 12 (Spyridon the Wonder-worker)
NO Daily Orthros
Friday, December 13
NO Daily Orthros
Saturday, December 14
10:00 a.m. -- Ladies meet for Akathist and Lunch
5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, December 15 (Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. -- Orthros
9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education
10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy
5:00 p.m. -- Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Daniel Roots for the Divine Liturgy this morning and the Artoklasia Bread was offered by the Hendersons for the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker this past Thursday 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
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 8 Brenda Baker 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 pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Terrorists have abducted 12 Orthodox nuns from the Convent of St. Thekla in Syria. Please keep them in your prayers.
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; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham.
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.
* 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.
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.
Metropolitan Philip has given the Antiochian Women the project of raising money for the orphans of the war in Syria. He has asked them to raise $200,000 towards this project. All monies raised are to be distributed directly to the affected areas. Please read information regarding "Help the Orphans of War in Syria" posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. If you wish to contribute to this project, please make your donation to the Ladies of St. Peter noting it is for "Help the Orphans of War in Syria." They will be collecting money for this project through the coming months.
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).
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
Happy Anniversaries in December:
December 21 -- Fr. John and Kh. Janet Henderson (#39!)
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 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
Quotable: "Prayer should primarily be directed to God in the three Persons of the Holy Trinity; but since the fruitfulness of our supplications depend solely upon the merits of Christ, our Advocate with the Father, we should offer them in His Name. Thereby they acquire the weight and influence which makes them pleasing to the Father. The success of our prayers to God depend not only on our piety and perseverance—we must also have a lively and fervid faith in the great service rendered by Our Saviour when by His sufferings upon the Cross He reconciled mankind with God. Because of Him our Heavenly Father is prepared to grant all: 'If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it to you' (John 16:23, says Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus our prayer will only be successful when we offer nit in the Name of Jesus Christ, with lively faith in the service of His Cross. We can best express our offering of prayer to God in the Name of Christ by the Sign of the Cross. In accompanying our sincere prayer with the Cross, we place upon it a seal; we make our prayer more pleasing to God. We show by the Sign of the Cross that we are asking the Heavenly Father to grant our petitions not because of our merits, of which we sinners are void, but because of the merits of the Saviour, through Whom all has been acquired for us. By the Saviour's Death upon the Cross the treasury of Heavenly good things was opened for us. By the Sign of the Cross, united with lively faith in the Saviour and accompanied by our pious and sincere prayer, each one of us opens this treasury anew for himself in order to receive from it those good things which he needs."
Rev. Fr. David F. Abramtsov, The Orthodox Companion
Worship: Sunday, December 15, 2013 (Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday
of the Forefathers)
Scripture: Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood
Prosphora: Yeatts
Coffee Hour: Schelver/Lavric/Turner
