With our Altar Boys’ safety and well-being in mind and keeping with COVID directives and restrictions, we invite all Altar Boys back to church to begin serving again on Sundays (2 per Sunday rotation).

Contact me at 267-255-1380 or Paul.Fisfis@usfoods.com to place your child on the rotation to serve.  

Please make every effort to encourage your son to participate if they are healthy; we miss you all and can't wait to have everyone back together.

Many Blessings!

Paul Fisfis, Altar Servers Coordinator

At the annual meeting in October 2020, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America declared 2021 the Year of the Youth, with the intent of augmenting ministry to children, teens, and young adults across the country. 

Please click HERE for more information

Apply HERE for the 2021 CrossRoad Summer Institute

• Saturday, March 6, 2021 - First of Three Saturdays of Souls. Please submit the names of your departed loved ones HERE to be commemorated
  
• Monday, March 15, 2021 - Clean Monday, Start of Holy and Great Lent
• Thursday, March 25, 2021 - Our Feastday, The Annunciation/Evangelismos of the Theotokos. Greek Independence Day 
• Sunday, April 25, 2021 - Plam Sunday, Start of Holy Week
• Sunday, May 2, 2021 - Holy and Great  Pascha

The church teaches us that those who have fallen asleep are not dead but still alive in Christ Jesus!  Therefore, in its very essence, prayer for the dead is a proclamation of the Resurrection of Christ. This is a central reoccurring theme for the Saturday of the Souls. Therefore, it is imperative for us, the living, to remember our loved ones who have passed on and to pray that the Lord accepts them into His heavenly kingdom. 

Please submit the names of your departed loved ones HERE to be commemorated. Fr. John will commemorate them on all three Saturdays.

Remember to register HERE to attend in person.

If you submit your names electronically through the above form, you don't have to re-submit them in writing when you attend in person. 

Matins begin at 8:30 am, and we kindly ask that koliva (memorial wheat) and printed names be brought to church no later than 9 am on Saturday. The ushers on duty will be here to assist you. Remember to package your koliva in small ziplock bags or cups for individual distribution, and make a cellophane-wrapped plate for your family.

Fr. John will be offering graveside Trisagion prayers at Lawnview Cemetery after the divine liturgy on the first Saturday, March 6.

As we are gradually returning to church services, we want to have more of you actively participate in the liturgy and the other church services by being a Reader for the Epistles, Psalms, and other prayers offered during the services. You can choose to read in Greek or English.

You have noticed a handful of dedicated Readers doing this occasionally. We want to make this more structured and open to anyone who wants to participate, from GOYA age boys and girls to mature adults. You have also noticed that readings are done from the Left side cantor’s stand in keeping a safe distance from the cantors and the congregation. 

Here is how to participate:

1. Install the AGES Digital Chant Stand app on your tablet or mobile phone so that you can have access to all the church services and the Readings for each service.
2. Call or email George Dalagelis at the church office and let him know you are interested in participating. He will go over a brief tutorial with you on the process, how and when to come up, how to intone the verses, how to end the readings etc.
3. Sign up to attend liturgy as you would normally do, but instead of choosing Parishioner, choose Reader on the signup page.

A. the Feast Day of Annunciation/ Evangelismos of Theotokos,

B. the 200^th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821,  and

C. the 120^th Anniversary of the Founding of Our Community in 1901

Great Vespers * will be prayed on Wednesday, March 24, at 7:00 pm.

The Feast Day Hierarchical Orthros & Divine Liturgy * will be celebrated on Thursday, March 25, starting at 8:30 am, presided by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia. A thanksgiving doxology for the liberation of Greece will be offered at the conclusion of the liturgy.

* Please let the church office know in advance if you would like to offer artoklasia—the blessing of the bread, wine & oil- for the health and salvation of your family in honor of the Annunciation Feast

We are looking for a parishioner who can provide organ music for church weddings.

This position is ideal for a young person who can play the piano or organ.

Interested persons should contact Fr. John for more information frjohn@anngoc.org 

Our Weekly Bulletin is emailed to 550+ parishioners by Friday every week.

If you know of a parishioner who is not receiving the e-bulletin and would like to, please encourage them to visit our website and enter their email at the Join Our Email Listserv button on the homepage. Alternatively, give us a call (215) 635-0316 or email us at the parish office, and we will gladly do it for you.

If you know of a parishioner who does not have an email address, please let us know to place them on our Paper Bulletin mailing list.

Fun Fact: This month marks the 20th year that we have been emailing our Weekly Bulletin to our parishioners! In January 2001, we started with a few dozen parishioners' emails and were among the first parishes in the nation to use this amazing new communication tool. It has certainly been a blessing, and we look forward to improving our communications utilizing all the new technology tools becoming available to us.

We thank you for your support, patience, and cooperation. 

OUR SUSTAINING STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE

A Sustaining Steward commits to stay engaged continuously and support the church through regular weekly or monthly payments. A Sustaining Steward’s pledge rolls over to the following year without filling out a pledge card each year. A Sustaining Steward can adjust their pledge anytime to reflect their level of commitment or personal/family situation.

WHY BECOME A SUSTAINING STEWARD?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SUSTAINING STEWARDSHIP?

Becoming a Sustaining Steward (1) fulfills God’s command to give faithfully and regularly.  As a sustaining steward, your enrollment and giving (2) rolls-over annually, eliminating the need to re-register and re-pledge every year. This automatic and recurring giving also (3) helps the church address seasonal funding gaps, and (4) helps us achieve festival independence, allowing us to save more. 

Ultimately, it (5) creates better ministry and budgetary planning, and (6) helps support our church, her ministries, and their growth. 

HOW DO I BECOME A SUSTAINING STEWARD?

1. Fill out the Family Information Form HERE (first- time registration or annual update)

2. Fill out the Online Pledge Form HERE and choose  your method of payment (auto-debit from a debit card, credit card, or checking account trough GivePlus⁺; personal check; or your bank’s bill payer service)

3. If you are already signed up for regular payments through GivePlus+ or your bank's bill payer service, you are already a Sustaining Steward!  Please adjust your pledge and payment to reflect your new level of commitment for 2021 and make sure your automatic payments continue through the new year.

Annunciation is a full stewardship parish that requires no minimum pledge to be a Steward.
Our Stewardship Program encourages parishioners 18 and over to pledge donations in any amount, according to the blessings they have received from our Lord.
Our Stewardship Pledge Drive starts in November for the following calendar year, although new members and current members may submit a pledge at any time.
We offer you the Weekly Giving Guideline chart below to help you determine your level of giving. Being a good steward is using your resources wisely.

• Greek Revolution of 1981

• Greece today, 200 years after independence

• Greeks who left their mark on the world in the last 200 years

• 2021 as a window of opportunity for the future of Greece

• Ελλάδα 2021

• Celebrating 200 Years of Freedom- GOARCH Sponsored Events

• “Greece 2021” Releases Video for 200 Years of Greek Independence

Apply HERE for the 2021 CrossRoad Summer Institute

Apply HERE for 2021-2022  Scholarships

2020-2021 PanHellenic Scholarship Application

We are delighted to share an exciting new initiative, ideal for high-school graduates of Greek heritage:

Know Thyself while exploring Greece, volunteering for a worthy cause, and adventuring on cultural immersion. An exceptional way to enrich the students' educational and life experiences, and a unique opportunity to deepen the connection and understanding of Greek culture.

College Year in Athens (CYA) is offering two opportunities for Gap Year students: one for those passionate about antiquity with the program "Archaeological Field Work: Excavation, Workshops and Digital Technologies" and one for those interested in learning more about activism and diversity, with the program "Understanding Activism, Diversity, and Equity: the example of Greece".

While gaining a fuller understanding of a different culture via interactive learning methods, students will create an e-portfolio as a record of what is learned and accomplished through this program. Field trips within Greece will not only allow the broadening of perspective and expanding of the worldview but mainly grant them a unique chance to come into a close encounter with the land of their ancestors whose cultural heritage became the pillar of the western civilization.

CYA, recognizing the difficult times that COVID-19 has created, has established the Fall 2021 Gap Flight Award. A student who will be accepted in the Fall 2021 Gap program, will receive $1,000 to offset the cost of the round-trip ticket to/from Athens, Greece.

College Year in Athens (CYA) is a non-profit educational institution, which, since 1962, provides English-speaking undergraduates (more than 10,000 to date)  the transformative experience to study in Athens and familiarize themselves with the Greek culture.  To find out how Greece & CYA is faring up, please check out the COVID-19 FAQ on our website here.