SUNDAY of the FATHERS OF THE FIRST COUNCIL

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PROSFORA: Connie Tsironis
EPISTLE READING: Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36
GOSPEL: John 17:1-13 (Greek text, p. 85, black books)

LITURGY: 9:30 a.m. 

SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS OF THE FIRST COUNCIL 

-  May 31 

9:30 a.m. – Liturgy

SATURDAY OF THE SOULS - June 6

9:30 a.m. - Liturgy

We are taking "baby steps" towards a more normal church life. We are not yet returning to the way things were. Our personal freedom to worship is limited by our responsibility to those around us, and to those near and dear to us.

Our services are now open to parishioners with certain restrictions:

1. Anyone with symptoms of illness must stay home. Anyone aged 65 or older is asked to worship at home, watching the live stream of services. 

2. You must pre-register to attend. Please pre-register by calling the church office no later than 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. You may pre-register for Sat. June 6 (Saturday of the Souls) or any of the Sundays in June. Once you have attended a service, you will be at "the back of the line" until others have had an opportunity to attend. 

3. Everyone over the age of 10 must wear a mask. If you do not bring one, a mask will be provided at church.

4. Social distancing is required. Only households that live together may sit together.

5. Someone will take your temperature, name, and contact information when you arrive.

6. Offerings may be made by cash in an envelope or credit card. We will be unable to make change for anyone.

7. Everyone entering must acknowledge that no environment is free from risk, and that you assume responsibility for your own safety.

8. Holy Communion will be offered in the Slavic Orthodox fashion. Fr. Tom will explain this at the appropriate time. 

9. There will be no coffee hour or social gatherings after church.

You should have received a letter in the mail this week giving fuller detail on each of these steps. If you did not and wish to receive a printed copy, please contact the office at 216 932-3300 during normal business hours. God willing, the crisis will soon pass and we may return to our familiar ways as a church community.

Our parish strives "To lead people to God through Orthodox Christianity and to provide ways for them live and share God's love." It does so in good days and in bad, such as we now experience. Church attendance may be difficult or impossible for you, but we endeavor to spread the "good news" as best we can. Any financial help that you might offer is deeply appreciated.

Live streaming of our services will be available on both Facebook and YouTube. Please note that we have been experiencing some recent technical difficulties with our streaming capabilities; we are working with our internet provider to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and are hopeful we can provide you with the best viewing experience possible again soon.

We have worked hard to make improvements to lighting, sound, and video quality as we strive to bring the church into the homes of our community during this unusual time. Our pages/channels are listed here. Please join, like, subscribe, and follow for future services.

(1) You can find, like, and subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/stsconstantine

(2)  the new Facebook page is located at https://www.facebook.com/stsconstantineCLE/live/  Look for the live stream on that page on Sunday mornings. 

(3) As a member, you may also see the live stream automatically on your own Facebook feed on Sunday mornings (if you follow the group). 

You can utilize the AGES Initiatives Daily Services website for accompanying texts or assistance in singing or reading the hymns:  http://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/servicesindex.html 

You may also replace the litanies of petitions by saying "Lord, have mercy" three times, and replace the Priest's exclamations or blessings with "Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us. Amen."

If you haven't gotten an email from us lately, perhaps  we don't have an current email address for you. Please contact the office at office@stsconstantine.com or by phone at (216) 932-3300 to keep your contact information up to date.

Parishioners can also take advantage of the following online aids:

- Spend time at the appropriate moments to participate in the services via video. You can find online services at https://www.goarch.org/live-broadcasts

- Those with newer AppleTV devices, Roku, or Amazon Fire can find the Archdiocesan channel: https://www.goarch.org/tv

- Utilize the Archdiocesan Online Chapel for texts of services, daily readings, and lives of the Saints: https://www.goarch.org/chapel

- There are many edifying bible studies and educational podcasts available via Ancient Faith Ministries (https://www.ancientfaith.com/ ) or Orthodox Christian Network ( http://myocn.net ) 

- Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis offers a wonderful daily message through his “Prayer Team” ministry. Sign up using the following link: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin

Philoptochos is still sponsoring  Memorials for Father’s Day to honor our Fathers, Grandfathers and Godfathers who have departed. Everyone is invited to submit the names of their loved ones who are no longer with us.

Father will read the Fathers’ names on June 21, 2020. If you would like to make a donation to the Philoptochos, it would be greatly appreciated.

You may submit names/checks for

• Father’s Day Memorials by June 18th

to:

Melissa Manos
3356 Lansmere Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

Or

Sts Constantine and Helen Cathedral
3352 Mayfield Rd
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
Attn: Philoptochos Father’s Day Memorial

Please write Father’s Day Memorial in the memo area of your check.

If you have any questions about the Memorials please contact:
Anne Mitchell at mitchell.matt1@gmail.com/ or  text to 440 465-6014

Thank you so much!

National Philoptochos Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Realizing the critical food insecurity that would increase as a result from unemployment due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, in March, the National Philoptochos Executive Board approved immediate disbursements to two food distribution organizations:

$25,000 to Feeding America
$25,000 to Meals on Wheels America

In addition, a COVID-19 Emergency Drive was established to provide funding for social service requests resulting from the economic crisis. The drive has received overwhelming support from Philoptochos metropolises, chapters and stewards. To date, $93,515 has been contributed to the drive. Thanks go to our faithful and generous sponsors, as well as to Arlene Siavelis Kehl, Chair of the 2020 Convention Sponsorship Committee, for contacting the sponsors and securing the transfer of these funds.

For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.

FAITH IN ACTION - Upcoming Activities

Prayer Team 

You can join the prayer team and keep others in your daily prayers. If you have any requests for our prayer team, or if you have questions about other activities, please send them to peter.poulos@case.edu.

Our team has been holding evening prayers via Zoom every other night at 8 p.m.  If you are interested in participating, you should either email pmp17@case.edu or text (216) 288-1972 ahead of time to receive the link. You will need to provide your name and email address to receive the Zoom invite.

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Faith In Action

St. Herman's is currently not serving dinner inside the house because of the social distancing requirements. As a result, they have been handing out to-go bagged dinners for those in need.

 If you are interested in participating and/or donating food for the bags, please let us know as soon as possible. We would ask each person to possibly contribute part of the meal - e.g., someone brings the bread, someone brings the water, etc.

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Zelma George Shelter 

The Salvation Army Zelma George Family Shelter needs our help!  The Shelter is part of the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Complex in downtown Cleveland. We are purchasing arts and crafts supplies for the kids.  If you are interested in donating money for the supplies, please contact Peter Poulos at peter.poulos@case.edu.

REMEMBER - we are the Church. And we haven’t gone anywhere.

“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”  (James 2:18)

 Graduates: Orthodox Education Reminder!

Any high school or college senior who is graduating this school year is asked to notify Maria Sikoutris no later than today, May 31st.

We know things are very different this year due to the global situation, but we want to be sure to recognize our young people's accomplishments. Whether they’re graduating from high school or progressing from the university level to set foot into adult life, we want to let our graduates know how proud we are of what they've achieved.

Send their name, the name of the school they are graduating from, and a small bio with a picture to orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com and we will include this in our church's Koinonia. 

Thank you so much!    

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All other Orthodox Education activities have been suspended until further notice. E-ministry will continue to greatest degree possible. Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or suggestions.

Hellenic Public Radio - COSMOS FM (HPR) is a New York based internet radio station dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Hellenic heritage in the United States via the media of mass communication. This public channel exists solely to serve the interests of the community as a whole.

You can tune in online for daily, bilingual non-commercial Greek radio, including local, national and international news; news from Greece and Cyprus; and programs on politics, science, social issues, religion, health, finance, music, the arts, sports, and community affairs.​

Programs air Mon-Fri from 7-8 pm, Sat from noon-3:30 pm and Sunday from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm. You can tune in directly here or visit http://www.cosmosfm.org/ for more information.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has announced the creation of the “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese COVID-19 Relief Fund” as an important part of its efforts to support those around the country who have been impacted by the current pandemic. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros stated:

“During this desperate time, we believe it is our responsibility to provide, in addition to our spiritual care, material support for our brothers and sisters who are facing unexpected financial hardship. We are committed to helping people in their daily lives, and are grateful to those who will join our cause.”

Those facing an economic or financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and in need of emergency help with expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, childcare, medical, funeral or other daily costs, may apply to the COVID-19 Relief Fund, which has been privately funded, through the GOARCH website: https://www.goarch.org/covid19relief

Those who wish to contribute to the Fund may do so at www.goarch.org/covid19/donate.

Further information on the creation of this program is available online:

• Twitter https://bit.ly/twittercovid19reliefvideo
• Facebook: https://bit.ly/fb-covid19-video
• YouTube: http://bit.ly/youtube-covid19-release-video

Candles are one way to express our prayers and our presence in worship. During the crisis, you may make a request to light a candle several different ways:

(1)  come to the church during regular office hours  (Mon-Fri, 9:00 – 5:00) and purchase a candle to take with you or leave the candle, lit or not, in the candle stands

(2) make an email request to office@stsconstantine.com, no later than 3:00 pm on a day of regular business hours

(3) call the church office during regular hours

(4) make a request through the Facebook live stream during a service. This is an honor system in which we trust that you will make a monetary gift for your candle. 

1) Join the "Search the Scriptures" live call-in show hosted by Dr. Jeannie Constantinou, Professor at the University of San Diego on Monday evenings from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Link: ancientfaith.com/radio/live. Call in to the show: 1 (855) 237-2346.

3) Join ""The Whole Counsel of God" online Bible study hosted by Father Stephen de Young on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Link for live stream: facebook.com/TheWholeCounselOfGod/ Podcast Link: ancientfaith.com/podcasts/wholecounsel

4) Join "3 Men & a Bible" livestream show Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fr. Panagiotis Boznos, Nick Lionas, and Steve Christoforou meet every week to discuss the Sunday Gospel and Epistle readings. Link: goarch.zoom.us/j/249935036

We hope you're staying healthy and safe. By now, we've all been encouraged to exercise or clean house; but here are some other things you can do to pass the time:

- Journal Daily: Journaling is a great way to express your thoughts and experiences in a healthy way. Write down your thoughts and fears or a few things you’re grateful for to help you center yourself.

- Practice Mindfulness: The world is a scary place right now, and tensions are high. Instead of scrolling through social media, take a break and focus. Short meditation or prayer sessions can help you relieve stress and calm down from feeling overwhelmed.

- Check Books off your To-Read List: It can be difficult to find time for quiet reading during the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but now is the perfect time to immerse yourself in a book that may have been gathering dust as an escape from the pressures of the outside world.

- Take an Online Course: Lots of educational institutions and hobbyists are offering online classes for free right now, so take advantage of them! If you’ve always wanted to explore a particular subject or you’re looking to bolster your resume, now is the time to learn something new.

By keeping your mind and body active and engaged, you can help shed the stress of being stuck at home while also improving your skills, your space, and yourself.