PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASKS
At the direction of His Eminence Metropolitan Savas, a mask mandate for everyone is imposed on all Church Functions whether in or outside of the parish facilities. There are no exceptions. Please read the encyclical to follow:
BLESSING OF THE WATERS
Today at 3:00 pm, the Eastern Orthodox Clrgy Association will be blessing the waters at Mill Creek Park as we pray for the well being and prosperity of our Youngstown area. Please join us at the Lake Glacier lower parking lot for the service. The television media has been invited. May God bless our Mahoning Valley!
SAINT GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN
Tuesday, January 25 is the Feast of Saint Gregory the Theologian. A Divine Liturgy will be chanted at 9:30 am. Chronia Polla!
MEMORIAL FOR GEORGE GEORGOPOULOS
A 40 day Memorial service will be chanted for Dr. George Georgopoulos at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, January 25th. May His Memory be Eternal!
HOME BLESSINGS
Father Tom will be blessing homes this week. There is a sign–up sheet in the Narthex. He will be in the Boardman and Poland areas this week. Please sign up or contact Father directly to have your home blessed.
VASILOPITA
On Sunday, January 30, we will have the cutting of the vasilopita. With the current COVID conditions, the vasilopita will be done in Church. Individual pieces will be given out. Donations will be gladly accepted. All donations received will be given to the Saint Basil Academy, an Archdiocese school and a home for the unprivileged. Please be generous!
AHEPA SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
The Buckeye Scholarship Foundation gladly announce that they are offering scholarships for high school and collegestudents. Applications are available on line. You may access the application via the following link: www.bsf.buckeyedistrict11.org.
Applications and related material must be submitted no later than March 31.
PAN HELLENIC SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE
The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation has released the 2021/22 scholarship application. The Foundation will accept applications from eligible Greek American college students through January 31, 2022 and will distribute $250,000 in scholarship awards to exceptional undergraduates as follows: Twenty (20) Awards of $10,000 each based on academic merit and financial need and Twenty (20) Awards of $2,500 each based solely on academic achievement. The application and qualification criteria, requirements, and guidelines are available at www.panhellenicsf.org. For any questions or inquiries, please email info@panhellenicsf.org or call (312) 357-6432.
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!
WISH LIST
* St John Commandarie communion wine ($175)
* Eight round Tables ($100 each)
* Twelve 8 foot long tables ($75 each)
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!
2022 CHURCH CALENDARS
We have received our 2022 Church calendars and are awaiting to find homes. You may pick yours up from the Narthex desk. Please feel free to take some. May God bless us all.
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!