Parish Life

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Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church
Madison, Mississippi
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
1/26 announcements
January 26, 2014
Thirty-second Sunday after Pentecost
 
I Timothy 4:9-15:  From our reading in St Paul's first letter to Timothy, we hear him exhort
Timothy to teach concerning God, the Savior of all men, and by his conduct to be an example of godliness to unbelievers.
 
Luke 19:1-10:  In the story of Zaccheus we are reminded of why the Only-begotten Son of the
Father became incarnate:  to save mankind from our sin and its consequences.
 
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 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: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin's womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon's arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
 
CALENDAR
 
Sunday, January 26   (Thirty-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, January 27   (John Chrysostom)
            Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off
           
Tuesday, January 28   
            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros
                       
Wednesday, January 29    
            6:30 p.m.         -- Daily Vespers
            7:30 p.m.         -- Choir Practice
           
Thursday, January 30   (The Three Hierarchs)
            NO Daily Orthros
 
Friday, January 31    (Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers)
            NO Daily Orthros
 
Saturday, February 1   
            7:30 a.m.         -- Bible Study with Breakfast
            9:00 a.m.         -- Parish Creative Arts Festival (runs until 11:30 a.m.)
            5:45 p.m.         -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
 
Sunday, February 2   (Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros
            9:00 a.m.         -- Christian Education
            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy
            12:00 p.m.       -- Pot Luck Meal

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Morrises for the Divine Liturgy last week and by the Joneses 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
January 26                          Jones                                       D. Root/Dansereau/Dale Cooper
February 2                           Meadows                                 POT LUCK MEAL
                                                                                    set-up: R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
February 9                           Davis                                       Algood/Lasseter/Yeatts
February 16                          D. Root                              Schelver/Lavric/Turner
February 22 (Sat. a.m.)       Yeatts                              Kh. Sharon Meadows
         (Saturday of the Souls)
February 23                        Abraham                             Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
 
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#
January 26                         Kh. Sharon Meadows          I Tim. 4:9-15                  252
February 2                         Mildred Morris                      Heb. 7:7-17                    371
February 9                         Phillip Lasseter                      II Tim. 3:10-15               258
February 16                       Kh. Be'Be' Schelver             I Cor. 6:12-20                 265
February 22 (Sat. a.m.)     Brenda Baker                         I Cor. 10:23-26               271-272
February 23                       Warren Strain                         I Cor. 8:8-9:2                  273
 
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.
 
Terrorists have abducted 12 Orthodox nuns from the Convent of St. Thekla in Syria.  Please keep them in your prayers.
 
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
 
Athena Zouboukos has had surgery recently and is recovering at home.  Please keep her, Anthony and their family 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.
 
House Blessings!  A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing.   Please schedule these as soon as possible.  Everyone should have their home blessed.  However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not Father John.  No House blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (March 3rd this year).
 
Jude Brock will baptized on Saturday, February 9th at 10:30 a.m.  Please keep him, his parents and his godparents, Cliff Stewart and Michelle Pigott in your prayers.
 
Parish Council Additions:  Anna Kathryn Stewart, Phillip Lasseter and Ben Skirtech have been appointed to the Parish Council by Father John.  We thank them for their willingness to serve.
 
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, January 26th, February 9th and 23rd beginning at 5:30 p.m.
*    Parish Creative Arts Festival – Saturday, February 1st from 9:00-11:30 a.m.
*    The Young Adults will meet at the church Sunday, February 16th from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
*    Deanery Youth Retreat with Sister Magdalene – February 14-16th.
 
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.
 
Sister Magdalene from the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England will be the speaker at the Deanery Youth Retreat, February 14-16th.  The topic of the Retreat will be "Our Faith, My Life."  Following the Retreat, she will be at St. Peter's Sunday evening and Monday and will fly home to England on Tuesday, the 18th.  Father John will be arranging times for speaking engagements and meetings during her stay.  More information will be available at a later date.
 
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 February 16th.  Please let Father John know by text or e-mail if you will be there, so that plans may be made for the meal.
 
Parish Creative Arts Festival:  The Christian Education classes will have a festival to work on their entries for this year's Creative Arts Festival on Saturday morning, February 1st from 9:00-11:30 a.m.  There will be teaching about this year's conference theme and then time to work on the projects themselves.  Please make plans now for your children to attend.
 
Pledge Letters have gone out.  Please fill these out and return them to the office as soon as possible.  Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming fiscal year.
 
Father Stephen Freeman, the Rector of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, TN, will be speaking at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton, Tuesday through Thursday, February 4th-6th  , beginning at 7:00 p.m.   He will be speaking on Salvation, Heaven and Hell.
 
Fasting Discipline for January/February
The traditional fasting(no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.  Following Meatfare Sunday (February 23rd)
 
Major Commemorations for January/February
January 27             John Chrysostom
January 31             Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
February 2             Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
February 3             Simeon the God-receiver
February 9             Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
February 10           Hieromartyr Haralampos
February 11           Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
February 16           Sunday of the Prodigal Son
February 22           Saturday of the Souls
February 23           Meatfare Sunday
February 24           The Forerunner (1st and 2nd Discoveries)
 
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).
 
Canned food drive:  The Christian Education classes are collecting canned good s for the needy. 
 
Happy Birthdays in January/February:
         January 26             --    Jay Davis
         January 29             --    Michelle Pigott
         January 30             --    Chris Dansereau
         February 5             --    Andrei Anicescu
         February 11           --    Demetrius Zouboukos
         February 13           --    Clyde Ellis
         February 15           --    Mary Guy Lockhart
         February 17           --    Anthony Zouboukos
         February 18           --    Tom Willingham
         February 22           --    Kh. Sharon Meadows
         February 24           --    Nimr Fahmy
         February 28           --    Cole Parker (#9!)
 
Happy Anniversaries in February:
         February 7             ---  Ben and Meghan Brock (#5!)
         February 18           --    David and Lou Turner (#8!)
         February 21           --    Michael and Amy Surratt (#16!)
         February 25           --    Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#8!)
 
Quotable:  "Parents ought to instruct their children early in the fundamental truths of the Faith; to teach them that there is a God in Heaven; that He knows and sees everything, that if we obey Him, He will take us to Himself in Heaven.  Parents ought to take heed of Tobias's example.  He taught his son from infancy to love God and to abstain from sin (Tob. 1:10), and when he thought his death was near he gave him godly admonitions (Tob. 4).  Parents should try to stifle evil inclinations in their children, and bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).  They should teach them to pray, beginning with the Sign of the Cross, the 'Our Father,' 'Hail Mary,' and the Creed.  But most of all parents should set their children a good example.  We all know how much more influential example is than precept, and that what is seen makes a far more lasting impression that what is heard.  The actions of the father and mother are the lesson books of their children.  Children are sure to do what they see their elders do.  How careful should they therefore be not to let them see them do anything blameworthy.  Let parents remember Our Lord's words:  'He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged around his neck and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea' (Matt. 18:6).  Those who neglect this warning will have reason to tremble, for if the soul of the child is lost through the parents' fault, they will hear the voice of God saying:  'I will require his blood of thy hand' (Jezek.  33:8)."
                                                Rev. Fr. David F. Abramtsov, The Orthodox Companion

Worship:         Sunday, February 2, 2014 (Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
        
         Scripture:                         Hebrews 7:7-17; Luke 2:22-40
         Celebrant:                        Father John
         Epistle Reader:               Mildred Morris
         Prosphora:                      Meadows
         Coffee Hour:                   POT LUCK MEAL
                                    (set-up:  R. Root/ Abraham/Habeeb)
posted by Daniel Root at 11:36 AM Parish Life
 


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