This Tuesday, September 14 is the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross.  A Divine Liturgy with the Procession of the Cross around the Church will be chanted here at Saint John the Forerunner at 9:30 am.  This also is a very strict fast day. Please try to abstain from meat, dairy, and fish products on this day. We are also in need of sweet basil to adorn the Holy Cross on this day. If you have some you could donate please see Father Tom. Please make every effort to attend.

We are pleased and excited to welcome back our children to our Sunday Church program.  Classes will begin next Sunday, September 19 following Holy Communion. Tjhe children will be asked to come to the front pews after Holy Communion. We have an exciting  program planned and we hope all of our children will return.  

A kick off picnic will also take place on Sunday, September 19 at Boardman Park from the conclusion of church and church school until 4 PM. We have reserved the Ex-Serviceman pavilion at Boardman Park.   We will provide food and refreshments. We hope to see you all there!

Beginning next Sunday, we will return to our coffee hour at the conclusion of the Liturgy in our Social Hall.  Please join us for our fellowship hour!

With the scare of the Pandemic that has changed our lives and way of thinking, it is time we try to live our lives normally again. Yes, we all still must take precautions to keep ourselves safe, however staying away from church, in the long run, hurts us more than helps us. We need as a community to pray together and fellowship together. Please encourage yor friends and relatives to join us in person in Church on Sundays. We need you, and YOU NEED the Church!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! This year's GLENDI was a tremendous success! 

We want to thank everyone for helping to make our GLENDI a fantastic success this year.  Coming off a Covid-19 year, we made some changes in order to try to accommodate our workers and guests.  There was a lot of effort put forth by all to make our GLENDI successful.  You are the reason it was a success. From our chair-people, Andrew Rosko and Anthony Orologas, to our cooks in the kitchen led by Georgia Davis, to our ladies who made all the sweets, led by Eugenia Pontikos and Arlene Denney - to those who worked the entire weekend, and to those who only worked one shift, to those who sponsored and gave donations to help defray the cost of our festival, to those who patronized our event, many thanks!  Your love for your Saint John Church is greatly appreciated.  Thank you for a job well done!!!

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Maria Pontikos Chames will be organizing our youth groups.  We will have an organizational meeting and activities at our youth picnic at Boardman Park on Sunday, September 19. This will be at the Ex-Servicemen pavilion. We are calling all parents to come for this brief but extremely important meeting as we re-organize her youth programs. Please make every attempt to come, bring your children for our lunch and activities. Our meeting will take place approximately 12 noon. Thank you 

*St John Commandarie communion wine ($175)

We want to thank all who have sent in contributions to be a sponsor for our GLENDI!  It takes everyone's support to make this great event a huge success.  Your contributions whether physically, spiritually, or monetarily are greatly appreciated.  And it is not too late to contribute.  Please see a parish council member or Father Tom for details.  Thank you again!!

We are happy to announce that electronic donations are now being accepted on our stjohnboardman.com website. On the lower part of the page, you will notice a donate button. You are now able to make your stewardship payments on the site via paypal. May God bless our Saint John parish.

In the past few months when some have been limited in their ability to physically attend Church on Sundays, we want to thank especially those who have continued to offer their offerings, pledges and donations to our St John Church.  There are a couple of ways to continue contributing to the Church.  The first way is by bringing or mailing your contribution to the Church.  The other way is by donating through our website - stjohnboardman.com.  On the lower left hand corner of the home page there is a yellow "donate" tab.  You can donate through PayPal using this method.  

Lastly, we encourage everyone to reach out to our members of our Church family to let them know that they are being thought of and prayed for, and, most of all LOVED!  Now that the restrictions have been lifted, we encourage everyone to come back HOME – back to your Church – Saint John the Forerunner.  Thank you and may God bless you and our Saint John family!!

WELCOME TO ALL – We want to welcome everyone to our St. John Parish.  All visitors are asked to kindly sign our guest book.  Although everyone is welcome to worship with us, please note that only Orthodox Christians that are properly prepared may receive Holy Communion. HOLY COMMUNION - One of the most sacred acts an Orthodox Christian participates in is the reception of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist at the Divine Liturgy, to receive Holy Communion, one must be prepared through; FASTING; On Wednesday and Friday (Consuming nothing after 12:00 AM on Sunday. PRAYER; Asking for forgiveness of one’s sins and by making frequent use of HOLY CONFESSION.  If one is guilty of serious sin, (A violation of the Lord’s 10 Commandments) one must receive Holy Confession before receiving Holy Communion. ATTENDANCE - We encourage everyone to be on time.  The Divine Liturgy is an all-encompassing the church preparing for Holy Communion also requires us to be present before the epistle and the gospel reading.  

HOSPITALIZATION – Please notify Father or the Church office of any hospitalization, nursing home admissions, or illnesses so that Father can visit and offer the Holy Sacraments to your loved ones.  We do not want to ever deprive anyone support and consolation during an illness. If you desire this information kept confidential, please advise us and strict confidence will be maintained. Please keep in mind that according to Federal Law, hospitals are not allowed to give our personal information such as religious affiliating.  Hospitals will notify the priest or church only if the patient requests the facility to do so.  STEWARDSHIP - An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards. Each year the Steward is expected to carefully review his or her personal circumstances and make a commitment of time, talent, and treasure to support the Parish and her Ministries, which in turn support the National Ministries of our Archdiocese, Metropolis, and institutions.  Have you pledged to your Church? Pledge cards have been sent out. Please turn them in so we can continue in the work of the church. Think Stewardship!

We have received our 2021 Church calendars and are awaiting to find homes.  You may pick yours up from the Narthex desk.  May God bless us all as we near the end of this pandemic and what has turned out to be a very unusual 2020-2021 year.

Our secretary and office manager is Joanne Martin. Our new office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am - 2 pm. Joanne has been a long time friend to Saint John the Forerunner and has bookkeeping experience. She is an asset to our Church family. We are thankful that Joanne is with us!

Tuessday, September 14 - The Worldwide Elevation of the Holy and Lifegiving Cross -                       Divine Liturgy and Procession with the Cross @ 9:30 am