PARISH LEADERSHIP
REV. FR. JON MAGOULIAS
PARISH PRIEST
JEFF BROWN
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT
DIVINE SERVICES
Saturday, January 16th
Great Vespers will not be celebrated.
Sunday, January 17th
12TH SUNDAY OF LUKE
ST. ANTHONY THE GREAT
Epistle Heb. 13:17-21
Gospel Luke 17:12-19
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.
Monday, January 18th
STS. ATHANASIOS & CYRIL
Epistle Heb. 13:7-16
Gospel Matt. 5:14-19
Divine Services 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 23rd
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 24th
14th SUNDAY OF LUKE
Epistle Gal. 5:22-26; 6:1-2
Gospel Luke 18:35-43
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.
Divine Services at our Church of the Annunciation may now be viewed live on the Internet! In addition, Divine Services may also be viewed using an iPhone or iPad. Visit our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org and go to the "Live" link to follow directions. Please be sure to connect to the proper device.
Divine Services at our Church of the Annunciation may now be viewed live on the Internet! In addition, Divine Services may also be viewed using an iPhone or iPad. Visit our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org and go to the "Live" link to follow directions. Please be sure to connect to the proper device.
The purpose for this ministry is to provide shut-ins that have internet capability, college students that may not be able to get to an Orthodox Church, or people interested in our precious Christian Orthodox Faith, the opportunity to view our church services. This is not a substitute for attending Church!
WELCOME
We are pleased to also welcome all visitors to our Parish today and we pray that our Lord bless you through the intercessions of the All-Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. We invite you to join us for church services regularly and to pray with our Christian family.
Immediately following the Divine Liturgy today, we would like you to join us in the Very Rev. Emmanuel Papageorge Cultural Center for Christian Fellowship. Immediately following the Divine Liturgy, we invite you to join us in the Very Rev. Emmanuel Papageorge Cultural Center for Christian Orthodox Fellowship. We want to invite you to join us for the annual Parish Vasilopita this Sunday, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Join your Parish Family in supporting the sacred mission of Philoptochos by attending the Vasilopita. A piece of the Vasilopita will be cut for each person attending. Have a good day and a blessed week!
PARISH COMPLEX SECURITY
In recent months we have had a number of break-ins and attempted break-ins. The Parish Council has therefore decided that we need to do all we can to better protect our church complex.
We are now in the process of installing security cameras on the exterior and interior of our church complex. Please be aware that the cameras will be recording daily 24/7 – 365 days a year. Don’t forget to smile!
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
In an effort to continue improving our Parish Ministry, we continue to upgrade and improve our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org
The format is much more pleasing to the eye and user friendly. In addition to this new look, there are many features that have been improved and updated.
The use of today's technology to improve our ability to serve you, the faithful stewards of the Annunciation Church, is of paramount importance. Whether it is through our website or the broadcasting of Divine Services, it is the responsibility of good stewardship that we strengthen our ability to communicate Christ's message of love, peace and salvation to all.
A new feature on the website now enables donations and Stewardship offerings to be made online. After researching a number of programs to provide a means by which online contributions may be made we have chosen to use "Paypal" which is a well tested and secure method.
Please accept this improvement to our Parish Ministry as an offering from your Parish Council. We are grateful to the stewards and friends of our Parish that support our ministry and we pledge to continue to provide the highest quality of service to you, the people of God.
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS & PARISH ASSEMBLY
Sunday, January 17th – Team 3: Jaylen French, Andrea Mayer, and Nick Stavrianoudakis
Sunday, January 24th – Team 4: Mitcheal Word, Jeff Brown, and Stamatis Tsatsaronis
ALTAR BOYS
ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE EXPECTED TO:
* Dress properly, wearing lightcolored shirt, tie, and dress shoes.
* The Sunday Church School Program now enables an Altar Boy to serve on Sundays when he may not be scheduled. If you wish to put in extra service on days when it is not your group day, you may do so, but following Holy Communion, you must attend Sunday Church School.
* If unable to participate at your scheduled time, please contact your team captain. Please be on time for all services.
ACOLYTE COORDINATORS:
Seri Mitri ~ Manoli Rodarakis
SENIOR ALTAR BOYS:
Andreas Alexander ~ Sammer Mitri ~ Stefan Word ~ Frankie Zanotto
All Acolytes are invited to serve in the Holy Altar on New Year's Eve!
Sunday, January 17th – Team B: Captain, PJ Zanotto, Alex Alexander and Chris Zanotto
Sunday, January 24th – Team A: Captain, Jonathan Word, Jacob Gavrilis, Ryan Hatton and Walter Lemons
BLESSING OF THE LOAVES
The Blessing of the Loaves (Artoklasia) will be offered this Sunday for the feast of Saint Anthony the Great. This service is a blessing for the health and well-being of the family that makes this offering along with their friends and fellow parishioners. The service commemorates the Lord’s miracle of blessing the loaves in the wilderness where more than 5,000 people were fed.
We wish to thank the Petrulakis Family, the Kocolas Family and the Thompson Family for offering this prayer for the health and well-being of our entire Parish Family.
CHURCH ETIQUETTE
When attending services, please be prompt! In order to partake of the Holy Eucharist please remember proper preparation is required to receive Holy Communion. Proper preparation in receiving Holy Communion requires that the person be in the Divine Liturgy on time, that means BEFORE 10:00 a.m.!
When receiving the Holy Eucharist come forward reverently, give your baptismal name, hold the red cloth under your chin and after receiving, wipe your lips.
Please remember that the "Cry Room" is intended only when an infant child may seem to be disrupting a divine service. It is wonderful to see so many families with young children and for this reason, we ask that only one parent and child be in the "Cry Room" at any given time. Parents should not be giving their children games to play while in the "Cry Room". Once the child has settled down they should return to the pews for the service.
STEWARDSHIP 2015 & 2016
Our Christian Orthodox Stewardship ministry requires us to prayerfully evaluate our obligations to Christ and His Church. We continue to be one Family in Christ and we remind everyone to please fulfill their 2015 Stewardship commitment to our Parish.
The 2016 Stewardship Directory has been mailed. Dedicated to the invitation of the Apostles we are called to "Come and See" (John 1:46). As these three simple, but powerful words changed the world, we, too, must be active stewards who "Come" to worship and participate in the fellowship of our Parish Family. In this way we will "See" the love in which God blesses us in our commitment to grow and strengthen our Parish Church and Ministries.
As we are called to be active participants in our 2016 Stewardship we ask that you consider:
1.) increasing the Time you spend in Church;
2.) giving of the Talent you offer through various ministries of our Parish and;
3.) considering increasing the financial offering from your Treasure that will enable
us to fully fund the operating costs of our Parish through YOUR stewardship
commitment!
The Stewardship Directory for 2016 lists the stewards of our Parish and provides the information for us to offer our Stewardship in love, faith and thanksgiving to God for ALL His blessings in our lives. We ask that you prayerfully study the Stewardship information to support the ministries of our Church. It is important that each steward return the Stewardship Form so that we may be able to track the offerings in accordance with our Ministry Budget.
Christian Stewardship is the very essence of living our precious Faith that teaches each of us to return to the Lord a portion of our earnings so that the Church may continue to grow. Every person baptized and/or chrismated into the Orthodox Christian Faith may be a parishioner but a steward is something more! A steward is a baptized and/or chrismated person who understands his responsibility to God and His Church. This understanding directs him to live his life according to the teachings of our Faith and at the same time, offers Time, Talents and Treasure to the sacred work of the Church. It is important to understand that our Stewardship obligations determine a family (husband, wife, & children) or an individual as stewards of our Parish. Young adults (18 years and older) that have completed their schooling and/or find themselves in the workplace are expected to become stewards of the Parish. These individuals are not included in one’s “Family Stewardship” obligation.
Our Holy Church emphasizes the truth found in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition that we must give cheerfully and without reluctance to the sacred work of God’s Holy Church. Your support is necessary to continue the growth and development of our Parish Ministries.
On our newly designed website Stewardship contributions (and other donations) may be made through “PayPal”. This is a secure means to make online donations and it provides a means for contributions to be made in a timely manner. In addition, it enables the steward to make regular contributions to support the sacred ministry of our Church.
If you have any questions regarding your offering please contact Fr. Jon. Christian Stewardship is the very essence of living our precious Faith that teaches each of us to return to the Lord a portion of our earnings so that the Church may continue to grow.
Each year we are blessed that a number of our stewards increase their commitment to the Church. In recent years, we have had a number of stewards increase their offering above the 10% we hoped for with some increasing their previous year offering by as much as 25%! Approximately $175.00 from every Stewardship offering is contributed for National Ministries.
We have an attainable goal of 350 Stewardship families/individuals for 2016…Please support our efforts! Please remember: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
The ministry of the Philoptochos Society is meaningful to the life of our Church. When considering one’s offering for 2016 remember that we also contribute the membership obligation to the Archdiocese and Metropolis Philoptochos which totals $30.00 per person: $15.00 to the National Philoptochos; $15 to the Metropolis Philoptochos; and whatever is offered above that amount remains for local ministries. We strongly encourage the ladies of our Parish to join Philoptochos and to participate in this beautiful ministry.
At the last meeting of the Philoptochos, the members voted to contribute $1200 to St. Nicholas Ranch ($300 for the Metropolis Philoptochos obligation and $900 directly to the Ranch). In addition, the contributions for the 2015 Holiday Advent Tea (HAT) were determined. This year's HAT raised $3834.00! Contributions will be made to: $1000 to International Orthodox Christian Charities; $1000 to Make-A-Wish Foundation; and $834 to local ministries.
The Philoptochos Officers are: Gloria Vincent, President; Dena Brown, Vice-President; Maria Skordos-Moore, Treasurer; and Ella Velthoen, Secretary. We pray that our Lord may guide the stewards of the Philoptochos Ministry with faith and love in leading us to accomplish greater service to the glory of God!
ATTENTION PARISHIONERS
We would like to obtain the e-mail addresses of ALL the families in our Parish. We have begun to communicate much more frequently via the internet. Parents and students are asked to send their email addresses so that we may have them for our Parish records. We also ask that you please submit the names, addresses and e-mails for college students attending school away from home.
It is also important to inform the Church Office when you have an address change. In this way we are able to keep our files current and avoid unnecessary charges from the Post Office.
PARISH EDUCATION MINISTRY
SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL:
We have begun our regular Sunday Church School program. Families are to be present in the Divine Liturgy by 10:00 a.m. We ask that they please sit in the front pews with their class. The young people are to sit in the front pews so that they may be able to receive the Holy Eucharist first; following the Holy Eucharist, the young people go into the Classroom Building for their lesson.
A.R.E. you ready?
Our Adult Religious Education (A.R.E.) forum will break for the summer months. During this session we will be studying St. Paul's First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians. We will be changing the date so that we can gather on Thursday, January 28th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom Building and encourage you to make plans to attend. We wish to thank the stewards that attended this year and made the class so interesting!
AFTERNOON GREEK SCHOOL:
Our Greek Language class for Adults has begun! Beginner’s class will be Mondays at 6:00 p.m. Advanced Greek will be Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m. in the Classroom Building. If you are interested in the Adult Greek Language classes please contact the Church Office or Despina Rodarakis.
We want to express our appreciation to the Stewards of our Parish that enable us to offer the Afternoon Greek School as a ministry of our Parish with no tuition costs to the family. Our afternoon Greek School program has begun and will continue every Tuesday, at 4:00 p.m.
Our afternoon Greek School teaches our children the Orthodox Christian Faith and Hellenistic culture and we encourage all of our young people to participate. The total and complete person is one that not only possesses knowledge, but character. Knowledge we receive in schools, however character, is developed through Christian Orthodox education. Children must be able to read English to be registered in Greek School. You may register your child at the Parish Office Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Our Greek Language class for Adults has begun! We will meet every Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. in the classroom building. If you are interested in the Adult Greek Language class please contact the Church Office or Despina Rodarakis.
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
The Church Office will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18th and will re-open at regular hours on Tuesday, January 19th.
ORTHODOX TOTS & TODDLERS (T.N.T.)
Calling all MOMS!!! Let’s get together and have a blast! Orthodox TNT invites you to be part of the Annunciation Mommy and Me Playgroup! Let’s learn, laugh and love together so moms and their children (ages 0-5) can get to know the other moms and children in our Parish. Our next play date will be Thursday, January 21st at 10:15 am at the Church Classroom building.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE
It is the practice of our Faith that as we enter the House of God, an offering is made and we say a prayer as we light candles to symbolize that Christ is the Light of the world. Please remember that if a check is being written for this purpose or for a donation, in accordance with the non-profit status of our Parish, any check made out to the Annunciation Church must be for the exact amount. Thank you!
CHURCH MUSIC MINISTRY
The ministry of our choir members is to represent YOU and to serve as volunteers by using the gift of music to sing praises to our Lord is a true act of Christian Orthodox Stewardship.
Parishioners, who may be interested in of our Church, and especially our young people, are invited to join the choir. St. Augustine wrote: "What better thing can the people do than sing. I know of no better thing than this!" Please contact Markella Tsatsaronis or the Church Office, to find out more about our Church Choir.
YOUTH NEWS
The success of this ministry rests with the parents as we strive to teach our young people to live our Faith through fellowship and service. We urge the parents of our young people to support this ministry with enthusiasm and love.
Our next meeting will be on November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom Building.
Our Youth Ministry is comprised of young people in:
H.O.P.E. - Grade 3-5;
J.O.Y. - Grades 6-8;
G.O.Y.A. - High School;
Y.A.L. - College - 35 yrs. old
The officers of our youth groups are:
H.O.P.E.
Nicholas Affholter, President
Anna Conley, Vice-President
J.O.Y.
Kylie Affholter, President
Ryan Hatton, Vice-President
Alexia Mason, Secretary
G.O.Y.A.
Jonathan Word, President
Kristina Gavrilis, Vice-President
Althena Mason, Treasurer
Jacob Gavrilis, Secretary
Matthew Myrtakis, Corresponding Secretary
The GOYA will have their monthly Fireside Chat on Monday, January 25th at 7:00 pm at the Gavrilis home. See you there!
CHRISTMAS DONATIONS
We wish to thank everyone that has supported our Parish during the celebration of Christmas. We are grateful to all who maded donations towards flowers or to the 2015 Christmas Offering. If you have not made your gift to our Church, we hope you will do so this week by returning it in your Christmas offering envelope.
PARISH BOOKSTORE
It has been said: "The more you read.the more you know!" We have a great selection of books, icons, music and other items that every Orthodox Christian can use! Our bookstore is brimming with new arrivals that also make excellent gifts for every occasion.
We have received a new selection of books for all ages. New titles in our bookstore include: Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives (Teachings of the Elder Thaddeus); Meditations for Great Lent; Meditations for Holy Week; If We Confess Our Sins; and several children’s titles that include: Pictures of God and From God to You. In addition, our bookstore has many excellent gifts for every occasion. Please visit our Bookstore during Fellowship Hour!
ANNUNCIATION GREEK DANCE GROUP NEWS
We have completed the registration process for FDF 2016. Our Greek Folk Dance Ministry has once again covered the registration cost for all dancers participating (if a dancer is registered late, the family will assume the difference in cost).
Greek Folk Dance practices are in session! Practices are held immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Dancers are to attend our Sunday Church School program to participate in this ministry.
In preparation for FDF 2016, the Dance Group will host a “Pontian Glendi” on Friday, February 5th, at 6:00 p.m. We invite EVERYONE to join us for an evening of good food, dancing and fellowship.
The 2016 FDF Preview Performance & Luncheon will be held on Sunday, February 7th, following the Divine Liturgy. All groups will perform! Dancers MUST attend practice in preparation for their performance.
The Dance Parent Support Group officers elected to serve for 2014-2015 are:
Aliki Alexander - President
Janelle Hatton - Vice-President
Anna Affholter - Treasurer
Kelly Lemons - Secretary
PARISH PROJECTS
The ongoing responsibility to maintain the beauty and safety of our church complex is of utmost importance. We have accomplished many projects and express our appreciation to the Stewards and Friends of our Parish that have been so generous to our ministry.
In the last three years we have completed:
1. The replacement of the doors throughout our facility which was approximately $25,000.00.
2. The installation of new lighting around the complex perimeter that was completed at a cost of $3500.00.
3. The new lighting in front of the church (replacing the old MID poles) has finished. The cost of this project was $23,000.00.
4. Sealing and repairing the parking lot - cost $17,000.00
5. The addition of new curbing on back parking lot planters - cost $4,000.00.
6. New lighting in the Classroom Building - cost $10,000.00...DONATED!
7. New Heating/Air Conditioning for the back of the Church Hall - cost $12,000.00;
8. Upgrading of the main electrical panel of our Church complex - cost $3,000.00.
9. Painting of the outdoor pavilion. (Donated.)
10. Landscaping in the upgraded planters behind our complex.
11. Trimming of the cypress trees. (Donated.)
12. Upgrade to the Internet Broadcast equipment.
13. Painting of the Vestry and Sacristy. (Donated.)
14. Sound System for the Pavilion. (Donated).
15. 2 Flagpoles (Donated)
16. New handicap ramp on side of the church (Donated).
17. Remodeling of the Classroom Building (Donated).
18. New and repair of gutters on the entire church complex (Donated and completed)
We, again, are grateful to the parishioners that have already made contributions towards these projects.
Upcoming Projects:
1. A railed platform area and ramp behing the kitchen. (Donated due to be installed January 2016.)
2. Security cameras inside and outside our facilities (Donated).
3. A new sound system for the church ($15,355)
Please contact Fr. Jon or Jeff Brown if you are interested in contributing to either of these projects.
Recently, we have received donations for new items that will be used during Divine Services. They are:
1. New Acolyte Robes (Donated and received);
2. A new Resurrection Candleholder (Donated and received);
3. 2 new sets of covers for the Holy Altar Table and Chalice Set (Donated and received);
4. A set of new Bishop Candlesticks (Donated and received);
5. A new Gospel in Greek and English (Donated and received);
6. A new set of convers for the Holy Altar Table and Chalice Set (Donated)
7. One Rantistirion (Sprinkler) for Holy Week (Donated)
New ecclesiastical items needed for the church:
1. Two silver vigil lights to be placed on each side of the Cross ($1400.00);
If you would like to contribute toward ecclesiastical items needed, please contact Fr. Jon or a member of the Parish Council.
PARISH HERITAGE
We encourage you to visit our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org. It is frequently updated and contains the Monthly and Weekly Bulletins, along with photographs and other information about our Parish.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We are very blessed to have a wonderful church complex. This has only been accomplished by the generosity of the stewards of our Parish that understand the importance of gathering for Christian Orthodox Fellowship. We are grateful to everyone that has contributed over the years and we commit ourselves to be responsible to maintain our facilities to the best of our abilities.
For this to happen, we need YOUR support too! This is why we must remind parishioners that church property is not to be removed from our complex. Please do not remove plates, pans or other utensils from our facilities for any reason unless approved by the Parish Priest and Parish Council. If you have any items from the Cultural Center please return them this week. In addition, we would like to remind parishioners that we rely on volunteers to serve the meals at our luncheons. During meals that are served in our Church Hall please do not enter the kitchen unless you are volunteerin g to help! We thank you for your understanding and support!
PLEASE REMEMBER
The demands on each individual and family are great. In an effort to understand this we would like to remind our parishioners that before anyone plans on selling items in our church complex or during Parish activities, they must have the approval of the Parish Priest. We also understand that organizations within our Community, as well as, organizations we may support, have a need to raise funds for their activities. We do not want times of fellowship to become a time when parishioners may be bombarded to purchase items.
We would also like to remind everyone that the placement of flyers on our cars is prohibited! Flyers that you wish to have distributed may be brought by the Church Office for approval and then included in either our Monthly and/or Weekly bulletins.
IN TIMES OF ILLNESS
"Come, O blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;.for I was sick and you visited me." (Matt. 25:31-46). When a member of our Parish is ill and has been hospitalized or may be recuperating at home, the immediate family of the ill person should contact the Church Office, 522-7694. It is beneficial to both the body and the soul when our priest prays for us when we are healthy or ill. The local hospitals will not notify us when an Orthodox Christian has been admitted to the hospital, so it is imperative that the immediate family accept this responsibility.
CHURCH BEHAVIOR
Divine Services on Sunday morning begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. There is no set time as to when the Divine Liturgy actually begins since the hymns of the Matins vary from week to week. According to actual Church Service procedures, each and every member of the congregation is required to be seated in the pews by the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. It is only through leniency that anyone is allowed to enter the Church once the Service has begun. Thus it behooves us not to take undue advantage of this leniency. Also, unnecessary noise is extremely distracting during worship, especially when it comes from the adults talking; in addition, our nursery is equipped with all the conveniences for young children and a parent to participate in the Liturgy. Please remember to prepare yourself properly to attend the Divine Liturgy; dress accordingly; do not chew gum; turn off your cell phone; and please do not create a disturbance. Please remember that the Parish Council members are re quired to see to the order during Church Services and everyone should follow their directions at all times.
"The Lord has given us many counsels and commandments to help us toward salvation. He has even given us a pattern of prayer, instructing us on how we are to pray. He has given us life, and with His accustomed generosity, He has also taught us how to pray. He has made it easy for us to be heard, as we pray to the Father in words taught us by the Son.Let us pray as God our Master has taught us. To ask the Father in words His Son has given us, to let Him hear the words of Christ ringing in our ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer." St. Cyprian, martyred Bishop of Carthage (+258)
OBLATION OFFERING
The Divine Liturgy begins with the offering of the faithful people of God. The gifts we bring forth are an expression of our faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Holy Communion makes us one with the Holy Trinity and is given for "remission of sins and life everlasting". The people are invited to bring forth their offering, i.e. "Prosforon", for the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated. We use 4 prosfora on a regular Sunday and they may be given through our Philoptochos for a donation. The Eucharist Bread may be offered in memory of a loved one or for someone's health and well-being. Anyone wishing to donate the Eucharist Bread ("Prosphoron") on a particular Sunday may contact Anna Petrulakis, 522-0298.
In addition to contributing the Eucharist Bread it is customary to bring a bottle of olive oil for the vigil lights and a bottle of wine for Holy Communion. The ONLY wine being used for Holy Communion is Coumantaria and will now be available for purchase from the Church Office.
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“Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them;
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 19:14)
SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL
Our regular Sunday Church School program
gathers each Sunday at 10 am.
Parents are urged to bring their children to
Sunday Church School each Sunday
Ages 3 – Grade 12
Please be prompt in coming to church each Sunday and remember that the SS children are to sit in the front pews each Sunday!
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