Thank you to everyone who made the first two weeks of Catechism School a success ! We welcomed back more than 50 students on our kickoff Sunday! Let's keep the momentum going into what is sure to be a busy October. Our teachers are hard at work planning meaningful and fun lessons for their students.

Service is an integral part of being an Orthodox Christian. As such, we are once again partnering with the Homeless Ministry to help them kick off their annual SOCKTOBER sock drive. During the month of October, please send your child to class with new pairs of socks to be donated to those less fortunate. Perhaps they can help you pick out a fun pattern, or an extra cozy pair for the cold winter months. The classroom that donates the most pairs will win a special sweet treat for their efforts!

As always, thank you for your support!
With Gratitude,
Jacinda

This Week's Children's Word from OCN

• PTO Membership Drive 2022-2023

Come and See GOYA Retreat, October 14-16, 2022

We all know that the past 2 years have been incredibly hard on everyone, and our church attendance numbers, especially in youth, have been significantly affected. Our retreat theme this year addresses exactly this issue, and prompts a campaign to return to church. 

The theme is “Come and See”, and it is an invitation for all of us to see what our faith is all about, what it means to participate in worship, and what tools the church has to offer to help us navigate this often scary world. Our goal for this retreat is to cover why Orthodoxy still works, why it is relatable in our everyday lives, and why fostering Orthodox relationships is key. 

We look forward to what is sure to be an exciting and enlightening weekend with our youth, and we truly can’t wait to get started! 

ABSOLUTE Deadline of Saturday October 1st, 2022.

• Girls Basketball Team Announcement
• Boys Basketball Team Announcement

• Monday, October 10: The Fall General Assembly of our Parishioners 
• Sunday, October 30: 11th Annual IOCC Banquet
• Saturday, November 5: Golden Thyranoixia Anniversary
• Thursday, November 10: Ladies Philoptochos 'Nausica" Annual Bid 'n Buy - "Passport to Paris"
• Saturday, December 10: Spiritual Life Ministry Nativity Retreat

Annual Bid 'n Buy "Passport to Paris"

Tickets are available for purchase for our annual Bid 'n Buy on Thursday, November 10, 2022, in our Church Hall.  We look forward to you joining us for a great evening of fun and fellowship for this, our major fundraiser of the year. Seating is limited, and no tickets will be sold at the door. Please see attached flyer for the link to purchase tickets.

What is SOCKTOBER?

If you don’t already know, SOCKTOBER is a national movement that gives everyone an easy and fun way to help those in need!

Beginning October 1st until October 31st, we invite everyone to bring in new socks of all sizes, colors, and patterns to benefit men, women, and children in need in our area. Please place your donations in the Homeless Ministry basket located by the Resource Center on the balcony.

A big THANK YOU to our Catechism School for kick-starting our drive!
Sock donations will be distributed to those we serve at Aviator Park and by “THE JOY OF SOX.” to preselected non-profits the Homeless Ministry supports.

Please copy and paste the link below into your web browser to learn more about this mission:
https://thejoyofsox.org/10th-anniversary-socktober-fest/

Please join in and be a part of this “sole warming” drive!

Thank you!

The Homeless Ministry

Give Thanks

It’s that time of year when we reflect on the many blessings that God has graced us with. November is a month of feeling thankful and bountiful. Our tables will be overflowing with delicious turkey, fixings, and pies. Unfortunately, this isn’t true for so many people in our community who are food insufficient.  They are struggling to put weekly meals on the table, unable to provide a feast this November. As most of you are aware, food cost inflation has impacted everyone, especially those who are more in need.  Our supplier partners have notified us that turkey prices will be up considerably again this holiday season. It is recommended that we should order earlier than usual to be assured adequate supply and a more reasonable price than if we wait until later in the fall.

Matthew 25 is excited to once again promote our Annual Turkey Drive!  Anyone can participate.  It doesn’t matter if you are unable to attend church.  We will collect money, place the order, and deliver your turkeys to Seeds of Hope Food Pantry on November 14th, 2022. It’s so easy… all you need to do is fill out the form below and mail it by October 24th.  The cost per turkey is $35.  You can make a donation directly through Vanco and type “Turkey Drive” under Matthew 25. You can also make a check payable to Annunciation Church and in the memo write “M25 Turkey Drive.”  Of course, you’re always welcome to bring your own turkey to church if you prefer.  If you choose to bring your own turkey or have any questions, please email us at oceancitymom1@gmail.com.  Matthew 25 will also be donating a few turkeys to the Homeless Ministry . 

Thank you so much for supporting us and being a part of feeding families this Thanksgiving.  Continue to drop off any food donations in our bins throughout the months of September, October and November.  Fixings are always appreciated this time of year along with any other non-perishable foods you might like to donate.

Bulletin Announcements

Please submit your material by Tuesday noon for the upcoming Sunday’s bulletin.
Your submission should be an editable document (Word, Publisher, Google Doc, Pages), as well as your final PDF document. Avoid dark page backgrounds and use white because it is easier to read and ‘lighter’ to include on our e-bulletin. Please send your submission to office@anngoc.org and always Cc Fr. John at frjohn@anngoc.org for his review and approval.
All submissions will be placed on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis and are subject to editing for content, clarity, and space.

Sunday Extra Services

Please call or email us at the parish office at least two weeks in advance if you would like a 40-day mother & child blessing, memorial, trisagion, artoklasia (the blessing of the five loaves-wine & oil), fanouropita (St. Phanurios bread), etc.

Requests are considered based on the ecclesiastical calendar.

The chief virtue that characterizes the Christian steward is humility. This virtue is widely thought of as a form of self-abasement. That understanding, however, is off the mark. Humility is simply the awareness of who (and Whose) we truly are. 

On the one hand, we are children of the Most High God who loved us into existence and who, by virtue of our Baptism, have the Holy Trinity dwelling within us. On the other hand, we are children who are completely dependent on God for our existence and for every breath we take.

Our Lord speaks of true humility in our Gospel passage from Luke, telling the parable of the guests invited to a wedding banquet and instructing us not to seek a place of honor at the banquet table lest a more distinguished guest arrives and we are asked to move to a lower place. 

Jesus has much more in mind here than an etiquette lesson. He is reminding us that all glory belongs to God. The visual image He offers in having to slink down to a lower seat at the table points out how silly we are when we forget to give God credit for our blessings and talents. 

On the other hand, when we live in humility — recognizing that all we have is a gift from God and using those gifts to serve Him and others — then God “exalts” us by filling us with even more of Himself and His grace.

Jesus encourages us to serve and share our blessings with people facing circumstances that would make it impossible for them to offer us any worldly advantage or prestige — “the poor, the crippled, the lame.”  

Our attitude and how we serve and share should be centered on true humility — recognizing that we are all “little” ones in the eyes of God. We are all His children, brothers, and sisters invited to our Father’s heavenly banquet. 

Please make all your church donations via:

• Regular Sustaining Stewardship payments through Vanco Faith, your bank’s bill payer, personal checks, or cash at the church office.
• Great Lent donations through Vanco or cash/checks at the narthex.
• Candle donations through Vanco or cash/checks at the narthex.

Thank you for your generosity

• Sept 30-Oct 1, Annunciation/Evangelismos Church, Elkins Park, PA
• Oct 6-9, St. Thomas Church, Cherry Hill, NJ
• Nov 5-6, St. Demetrios Church, Upper Darby, PA