FATHER TOM TO ATTEND COUSIN'S FUNERAL
Father Tom and his family will travel today to Baltimore to attend and participate in the funeral of his first cousin, Dr Pete Sitaras. Father will return tomorrow evening after the funeral. May the memory of Pete be eternal!
IN PERSON CHURCH SCHOOL HAS BEGUN
We are pleased and excited to welcome back our children to our Sunday Church program. Following Holy Communion, our children are asked to come to the front pews for a talk with Father Tom. We have an exciting program planned and we hope all of our children will participate!
COFFEE HOUR RETURNS!
After church today please join us in the social hall for a coffee hour. This is a wonderful time to be able to fellowship and share with our fellow parishioners.
HOPE, JOY, GOYA YOUTH GROUPS TO BE ORGANIZED
We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Maria Pontikos Chames will be organizing our youth groups. We will have an organizational meeting and activities soon. Please keep an eye out for our first event - a Fall Family Fest happening on Sunday October 17th. Details will be forth coming. Thank you!
SOMETHING IS MISSING IN CH_RCH - U
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 your friends and relatives to join us in person in Church on Sundays. We need you, and YOU NEED the Church!
CHURCH MUSICIAN SUNDAY
Today Is Church Musician Sunday. On the Sunday following the Feast of Saint Romanos the Melodist, the Church has designated this Sunday for us to honor our chantors and choirs as they make "a joyful noise unto the Lord." Please read the beautiful letter from His Eminence Alexios of Atlanta included in this bulletin.
To the Member of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians:
My beloved ones,
I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, particularly as we
prepare to celebrate National Church Music Sunday on October 3rd because it is closest to the Feast of St. Romanos the Melodist on October 1st. St. Romanos’ story — how his chanting and reading were at first ridiculed until he was visited by the Theotokos in a
dream, and awoke, able to compose and sing—demonstrates not only the importance of church
music, but also of humility.
St. Paul writes in this Sunday’s Second Letter to the Corinthians that, “We have this treasure in clay
jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come
from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the
death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-
10) Though St. Romanos knew the world considered him unworthy, he was not given a beautiful
voice because he wanted to receive honor; he was given this true gift because he only wished to serve
the Lord in a spirit of humility. St. Romanos shed tears for the unkind words he received, but he
cried only because he loved the Church, and wanted to honor our Lord. The Psalmist writes “The
sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not
despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
We commemorate National Church Music Sunday after the feast of St. Romanos, not simply
because he is the most famous Orthodox musician, but because it is this spirit of humility which all
our parish choirs demonstrate. As church musicians, you are not simply people who like to sing, but
rather, are devoted Christians who have chosen to serve the Lord and His Holy Orthodox Church
through music. The famous Russian Orthodox composer Igor Stravinsky once said that “Music
praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its
decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament.” On this Church Music Sunday, I congratulate all
our choirs, and our National Forum, all of whom humbly offer their time and talents because you
believe in the importance of choirs that can encourage Orthodox parishioners throughout the nation
and the world in this greatest form of praise.
Our Creator has truly blessed us with faithful and gifted individuals who are zealous for the
Church’s greatest ornament. May the Holy Spirit, through the intercessions of St. Romanos guide
and enlighten all you Musicians and Choir Members as you seek to do the will of God, praising Him
with joy and gladness.
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
ON-LINE CHURCH MUSIC INSTITUTE
The Direct Archdiocesan District Federation of Church Musicians is co-sponsoring a new online Church Music Institute in October. “Singing Together in Harmony.”
It’s a series of three helpful sessions dealing with a host of important topics for directors, aspiring directors, and singers, especially as choirs are beginning to sing again. See the attached fliers to see the instructors and topics.
The first session begins on Tuesday, October 9th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. The cost is $25. You will be sent the ZOOM access code upon receipt of your payment – so act soon! Details are in the two attachments.
WISH LIST
*St John Commandarie communion wine ($175)
2021 GLENDI
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!!!
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ON ST JOHN WEBSITE
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.
TO THE FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF SAINT JOHN THE FORERUNNER
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
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!
2021 CHURCH CALENDARS
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.
CHURCH SECRETARY/OFFICE MANAGER AND OFFICE HOURS
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!
CALENDAR - EVENTS THIS WEEK
Sunday, October 3 – Special Parish Council Meeting - after Church
Tuesday, October 5 - EOCA meeting 10 AM (at St John the Forerunner)
Wednesday, October 6 - Divine Liturgy (St Thomas the Apostle) - 9:30 AM
Thursday, October 7 - Parish Council Meeting 6:00 PM
Saturday, October 9 - Community Meal - 12 - 2 PM