Parish Life

3/1 announcements

March 1, 2015

First Sunday of Great Lent

Sunday of Orthodoxy

On the first Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This is an historical feast commemorating the restoration of the icons, which had been banned for several decades, to their rightful liturgical use in the year 843 A.D.

The major emphasis of this feast is the victory of the true faith, the victory which always ultimately triumphs. Having completed the first week of our lenten efforts, we are reminded that Christ, the perfect image of God the Father, calls us to personal victory by restoring within ourselves "the image and likeness of God" in which we were first created (Genesis 1:26).

The icons of Our Lord, the Theotokos, and all the saints are images of true humanity, signs of what our eternal calling and vocation really is. They tell us that we are all called to be living icons and imitators of Christ, bearing the likeness of God as gracious vessels of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:24-26;32-40: The writer of Hebrews calls us to consider the faith of those Old Testament saints who endured hardships and death and yet still did great things because of their faith. The Apostle encourages us to lay aside the encumbrances of sin and run with endurance the race that is set before us.

John 1:43-51: From our reading in the Gospel of John we see Jesus call Philip and Nathaniel to be His disciples.

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 Sunday of Orthodoxy: Thy pure image do we venerate, O good One, asking forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God; for by thine own will thou didst ascend the Cross in thy body, to save thy creatures from the bondage of the enemy. Thou hast truly filled all with joy, since thou didst come, O our Saviour, to save the world.

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 Sundays of Lent: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me form terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.

CALENDAR

Sunday, March 1 (Sunday of Orthodoxy)

8:50 a.m. -- Orthros

9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education

10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy

6:00 p.m. -- Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers

Monday, March 2

Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off

Tuesday, March 3

6:00 a.m. -- Lenten Orthros

Wednesday, March 4

6:30 p.m. -- Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper

Thursday, March 5

11:30 a.m. -- Men's Lunch

Friday, March 6

6:30 p.m. -- Akathist

Saturday, March 7

5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, March 8 (Gregory of Palamas)

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 the Schelvers for the Divine Liturgy today.

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.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

March 1 Schelver Skirtech/Skirtech/Parker

March 8 Morris D. Root/Dansereau (NO POT LUCK )

March 15 Jones Algood/Lasseter

March 22 Meadows R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb

March 25 (Wed. am) Davis Christina Katool

(Feast of the Annunciation)

March 29 D. Root Schelver/Lavric/Turner

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#

March 1 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40 281

March 8 Warren Strain Heb. 1:10-2:3 283

March 15 Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 4:14-5:6 285

March 22 Mildred Morris Heb. 6:13-20 287

March 25 (Wed. am) Phillip Lasseter Heb. 2:11-18 376

March 29 Kh. Be'Be' Schelver Heb. 9:11-14 290

Father Leo is serving today at St. George Orthodox Church in Vicksburg on behalf of Father John Morris who is seriously ill.

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.

Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.

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;

Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.

Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Fr. John and Kh. Janet will be in Kentucky March 6-10 to visit Jordan's family. If you need a priest during this time, please contact Fr. Leo or Fr. James.

Confessions: Please go ahead and schedule your confessions so we do not have so many people trying to fit it in just before Holy Week. No confessions will be heard after Great and Holy Wednesday.

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 the 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.

* As is our parish custom, we will celebrate the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday evenings and the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos on Friday evenings during Great Lent. Both services will begin at 6:30 p.m.

* Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers at St. Peter – March 1^st, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with Divine Liturgy (only) on Wednesday morning, March 25^th, beginning at 6:00 a.m.

March is Ladies Month in our Archdiocese when we honor the women in our church who serve so faithfully throughout the year. This month the Ladies will be reading the Epistle during the Liturgy.

Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, March 8^th and 22^nd.

Pledge Letters have been mailed. 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 year.

We will be hosting the Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers this evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m. St. Peter will provide Pot Luck refreshments afterwards. As a result, we will NOT have our regularly scheduled Pot Luck Meal on March 8^th.

Parish Life Conference 2015: This year St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 10-14. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. Registration forms are available in the office or you can go online at www.saint-ignatius.org to register. The Conference will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs and last day to book the special conference rate is May 20^th.

Fasting Discipline for March

During Great Lent the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25^th and Palm Sunday on April 5^th, when fish wine and oil are permitted).

Major Commemorations for March

March 1 1^st Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy

March 8 2^nd Sunday of Lent; Gregory of Palamas

March 9 Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

March 15 3^rd Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Cross

March 16 Christodoulos the Wonder-worker of Patmos

March 22 4^th Sunday of Lent; John of the Ladder

March 25 Feast of the Annunciation

March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

March 29 5^th Sunday of Lent; Mary of Egypt

Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:

-- Please remember you're in liturgy when you're in the cry room.

-- Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they're being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.

-- It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.

-- Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.

Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.

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 March:

March 3 -- Kay Carlton

March 6 -- Amy Surratt

March 9 -- Ian Jones

March 12 -- Alexa Zouboukos (#20!)

March 17 -- Cliff Stewart

March 20 -- Charlotte Wood

March 24 -- Brenden Skirtech (#11!)

March 26 -- Katherine Habeeb (#7!)

March 29 -- Sophie Dansereau (#4!)

March 30 -- Aidan Milnor (#9!)

Happy Anniversaries in March:

March 10 -- Fr. James and Kh. Sharon Meadows (#42!)

March 13 -- Warren and Sandra Strain (#21!)

March 15 -- Dn. Richard and Sh. Margaret Root (#40!)

March 27 -- Sam and Anne Habeeb (#11!)

Quotable: "Fr. Isidore was kind to all, even to the lowest of creatures. He cared not only for those who were made in the image of God, but also had compassion for the lowest of animals. In short, he cared for all living creatures. He was charitable and fed wild animals and birds; he even kept reptiles, frogs, mice and rats. Yet if the old Abba were ever ill, he never forgot his little brothers and would ask others to feed his family. Even right before his death he asked a member of his household about the cat's health. 'Well,' he would say, 'is the cat getting better?' 'Yes, it's better.' 'Thank God. Thank God.'"

St. Paul Florensky

from Salt of the Earth: An Encounter with a Holy Russian Elder:

Isidore of Gethsemane Hermitage

Worship: Sunday, March 8, 2015 (2^nd Sunday of Great Lent; Gregory of Palamas)

Scripture: Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Warren Strain

Prosphora: Morris

Coffee Hour: D. Root/Dansereau (NO POT LUCK MEAL)

posted by Daniel Root at 2:01 PM Parish Life

Homily for Feb 22, 2015

posted by Daniel Root at 3:10 PM Parish Life

Homily for Feb 8, 2015

posted by Daniel Root at 6:20 PM Parish Life

Homily for Feb 15, 2015

posted by Daniel Root at 6:18 PM Parish Life

Our new Platytéra is here!

posted by Daniel Root at 5:25 PM Parish Life

2/8 announcements

February 8, 2015

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Sunday after the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple

The theme of the third Sunday before Lent is RETURN FROM EXILE and the Gospel lesson of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is read. We are taught by this lesson that even as we stray from God, a banquet is set for our return. And we find that nothing in this fallen world truly satisfies, and thus we find ourselves on a pilgrimage of repentance - returning to God.

I Corinthians 6:12-20: In our reading from I Corinthians we hear St Paul remind us that we have been bought with a price and that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit; therefore we should turn from immorality and glorify God.

Luke 15:11-32: The parable of the prodigal son as told by our Lord serves to illustrate how precious in the sight of the Lord is one who repents from his sin and is returned to the fold.

Troparion of the Resurrection: When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life! Glory to thee, O our God!

Troparion of the Presentation: Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace; for from thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness. Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, who granteth us resurrection.

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, February 8 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)

8:50 a.m. -- Orthros

9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education

10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. -- Pot Luck Meal

5:00 p.m. -- Young Adults

Monday, February 9

Office Closed -- Father John's Day Off

Tuesday, February 10 (Hieromartyr Haralampos)

6:00 a.m. -- Daily Orthros

Wednesday, February 11 (Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste)

6:30 p.m. -- Daily Vespers

7:30 p.m. -- Choir Practice

Thursday, February 12

Friday, February 13

[YOUTH RETREAT BEGINS]

Saturday, February 14 (Saturday of the Souls)

9:00 a.m. -- Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

5:45 p.m. -- Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, February 15 (Meatfare Sunday)

8:50 a.m. -- Orthros

9:00 a.m. -- Christian Education

10:00 a.m. -- Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Woods for the feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple this past Monday morning and by the Dn Richard Roots for the Divine Liturgy today.

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.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

February 8 R. Root POT LUCK MEAL

SET-UP: Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy

February 14 (Sat am) Henderson

(Saturday of the Souls – Koliva: Abraham)

February 15 Algood Pigott/Brock/Strain

February 22 Katool Teens Cheesefare Fundraiser

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#

February 8 Tom Skirtech I Cor. 6:12-20 265

February 14 (Sat am) David Turner I Cor. 10:23-26 271-272

February 15 Tom Willingham I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273

February 22 Walt Wood Rom. 13:11-14:4 279

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.

Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.

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;

Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.

Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

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 third Saturday this month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship at La Brioche afterwards. We will not have our usual monthly Ladies Lunch on the fourth Tuesday this month due to the start of Great Lent.

* Youth Retreat at Roosevelt State Park, February 13-15^th.

* The Teens will be holding their annual Cheesefare Meal to raise funds for the Youth Group on Sunday, February 22^nd following the Divine Liturgy.

* Parish Creative Arts Festival – Saturday morning, February 28^th from 9:00-12:00.

* Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers at St. Peter – March 1^st, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing. You may also e-mail Father John at frjohnc@bellsouth.net with 3 dates for your blessing. Please schedule these as soon as possible. Everyone should have their home blessed. However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not with Father John. No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (February 23^rd this year).

Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, March 8^th and 22^nd.

Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be "Dealing with Doubts about God." We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.

Pledge Letters have been mailed. 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 year.

The letters confirming your non-taxable donations for 2014 were also mailed. If you have not received your letter in the mail, please contact Kh. Sharon.

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 28^th from 9:00a.m. - 12:00 p.m. There will be teaching about this year's conference theme and then time to work on the projects themselves. Please make plans for your children to attend.

We will be hosting the Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers this year on Sunday evening, March 1^st, beginning at 6:00 p.m. St. Peter will provide Pot Luck refreshments afterwards. As a result, we will NOT have our regularly scheduled Pot Luck Meal on March 8^th.

Camp St. Thekla is filling up fast. If you are interested in having your child participate, please see Father John as soon as possible. Scholarship forms are available in the church office, but they must be turned in before March 1^st.

Parish Life Conference 2015: This year St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 10-14. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. Registration forms are available in the office or you can go online at www.saint-ignatius.org to register. The Conference will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs and last day to book the special conference rate is May 20^th.

Fasting Discipline for February

The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays the first half of the month. Following Meatfare Sunday (February 15^th) meat will not be eaten again until Pascha. During the week following Meatfare Sunday, dairy products (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.) are permitted, even on Wednesday and Friday. February 22^nd is Cheesefare Sunday, the last day that dairy and wine are permitted. Monday, February 23^rd is Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent when the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25^th and Palm Sunday on April 5^th, when fish wine and oil are permitted).

Major Commemorations for February

February 8 Sunday of the Prodigal Son

February 10 Hieromartyr Haralampos

February 11 Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste

February 14 Saturday of the Souls

February 15 Meatfare Sunday

February 22 Cheesefare Sunday

February 23 Clean Monday [Great Lent begins]

February 24 The Forerunner (1^st and 2^nd discoveries)

Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:

-- Please remember you're in liturgy when you're in the cry room.

-- Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they're being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.

-- It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.

-- Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.

Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.

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 February:

February 3 -- Mary Alice Stewart (#2!)

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 (#10!)

Happy Anniversaries in February:

February 7 --- Ben and Meghan Brock (#6!)

February 18 -- David and Lou Turner (#9!)

February 21 -- Michael and Amy Surratt (#17!)

February 25 -- Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#9!)

Quotable: "I have already spoken more than once about how this work is to be done. You must not allow your thoughts to wander at random, but as soon as they run away, you must immediately bring them back, reproaching yourself, regretting and deploring this straying of the mind. St. John of the Ladder says of this, 'You must make a great effort to confine your mind within the words of prayer'."

St. Theophan the Recluse

from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo

Worship: Sunday, February 15, 2015 (Meatfare Sunday)

Scripture: I Corinthians 8:8-9:2; Matthew 25:31-46

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Tom Willingham

Prosphora: Algood

Coffee Hour: Algood/Lasseter

posted by Daniel Root at 3:08 PM Parish Life