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Annunciation/Evangelismos Church, Elkins Park, PA
Publish Date: 2022-11-20
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Annunciation/Evangelismos Church, Elkins Park, PA

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (215) 635-0316
  • Fax:
  • (215) 635-8301
  • Street Address:

  • 7921 Old York Road

  • Elkins Park, PA 19027


Contact Information




Services Schedule

We meet for divine worship every Sunday morning and on holy days starting with Orthros (Matins) at 8:30, Divine Liturgy at 9:30-11 AM.

Visit us at www.anngoc.org for information on how to attend church services during the COVIT-19 Pandemic.


Past Bulletins


Weekend Update

Saturday, November 19, 2022

9th Sunday of Luke, November 20, 2022

Κυριακὴ Θ' Λουκά, 20 Νοεμβρίου, 2022. Το κήρυγμα εδώ 

  • 8:30 Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy.
  • Youth Catechism following Holy Communion.
  • Memorial: Join us in offering memorial prayers for the peaceful repose of the souls of the departed members of VFW Post Eleftheria of blessed memory.
  • Artoklasia: The Avgiris family offers the artoklasia (blessing of the wine, oil, and bread) for the health and well-being of their family members - Feast of St. Catherine the Great, November 25.
  • Special tray: collection to benefit IOCC.
  • Homeless Ministry: National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week
  • Coffee Fellowship: hosted by the Homeless Ministry.
  • 5 pm GOYA Girls BB: Elkins Park vs. Cherry Hill.
  • 6 pm GOYA Boys BB: Elkins Park vs. Cherry Hill.

Monday, November 21, 2022. The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

  • 8:30 am Matins & Divine Liturgy.

13th Sunday of Luke, November 27, 2022

  • 8:30 Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy.
  • Memorial: Join us in offering memorial prayers for the peaceful repose of the soul of Panayiotis Pithis (1 year) of blessed memory.
  • 40-day mother & child blessing: Vasilios, son of Maria & Nikolaos Parikas; June Christine, daughter of Anna & Anthony Prousi. Congratulations!
  • Matthew 25 Ministry: Angel Tree set up.
  • Coffee Fellowship: hosted by PTO.
  • 3 pm GOYA Girls BB: Elkins Park vs. Upper Darby.
  • 4 pm GOYA Boys BB: Elkins Park vs. Upper Darby.
Please see this week's events in the daily updated Parish Calendar 
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Youth Activities and News

Sunday School News

We would like to thank all of the families who sent in donations to the "Socktober" sock drive. With your help we collected well over 150 pairs of socks to support the Homeless Ministry. Ms. Kelly's 1st-2nd grade class collected the most pairs and will receive a prize to celebrate their generous giving!

Please also note the following upcoming important dates for our Catechism students:

Questions or comments? Reach out to Jacinda at catechism@anngoc.org

This Week's Children's Word from OCN


Greek School News

HOPE & JOY Activities

We had a wonderful turnout with our JOY youth this past Saturday where St. Demetrius hosted our DELVAL's annual KidMission!

Our youth who attended presented Letters From St Paul to the Thessalonians. They had the opportunity to present and display their project board and have the other parishes visit their table and ask questions.

All had passports that were stamped, as they visited other areas of St. Paul's journey to Efesos, Crete and the Galatians, only to name a few.

This was a beautiful learning experience for our youth and also a great opportunity to allow them to make connections with neighboring parishes. 

They also had the opportunity to write letters of encouragement of their own and as our mission, we collected care packages for a homeless shelter.

We are proud of each of them for being so brave in their speaking presentation as we prepare them and instill in them that the word of God is powerful and enriching.

Yours in service,

Afrodite Patounas

Hope & Joy Advisor

Saturday, November 19: Hope & Joy Harvest Dance  “Planting Seeds of Faith”


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Community News & Events

Looking Ahead Beyond


Homeless Ministry News

“Sometimes socks are more important than food”

(Kiwi, a woman experiencing homelessness)

Thank you, everyone, for donating to our annual SOCKTOBER Sock Drive and especially to our Catechism School for stepping up and taking the lead on this much-needed drive! The response was TOE-rrific! We collected and delivered 313 pairs to the JOY of SOX! Please take a few minutes to listen to this documentary on socks for the homeless: Socks for the Homeless.

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

November 12-20, 2022

1870s, A National Issue

Homelessness becomes a national issue in the U.S.

1930s, The Great Depression

This era forces many Americans to take to the streets.

2009, Data on Children

It is found that one in five children are homeless.

2020, Rise in Homelessness

Poverty greatly increases due to the loss of jobs and global retrenchments.

Please join us for fellowshipafter Liturgy this Sunday, November 20th. The Homeless Ministry will serve a fasting version of the same foods we serve at Aviator Park to those experiencing homelessness! We hope this offering will further connect our church family to those we serve. We welcome questions about the work being done by our church ministry and conversations about how you can share your God-given gifts with others through the Homeless Ministry! Please consider donating hats, gloves, scarves, or a blanket for our Annual Warm Winter Clothing Drive!

Our gratitude, love, and prayers to all for a Blessed Thanksgiving and Nativity Fast!

The Homeless Ministry


Matthew25 Ministry News

Giving thanks is scriptural and goes as far back as Noah. When Noah understood the magnitude of God’s mercy in saving his family after the flood, Noah’s first act of thanks was to build an altar to God and give proper thanks and worship. The fragrant aroma of gratitude pleased God so much that even today, we are reminded of God’s promise to Noah and man when we look up at the sky after a storm.

Thanksgiving is a meal we all celebrate on the last Thursday in November. It’s marked with turkey, stuffing, and a bountiful table with food.  But to us, Thanksgiving is so much more than that… it’s a fundamental principle of our Christian faith. It acts like a cornerstone in our prayer life.  In the book of Philippians, Paul preaches and instructs the people of Philippi about thanksgiving and prayer. He says,” do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Our ministry focuses on others' anxieties and food insecurities. We take the words of Paul and, with thanks, offer them to God. He has never failed us! Our parish’s donations reflect the spirit of Thanksgiving; we are forever humbled at the outpouring of donations that come to Matthew 25. We are delivering approximately 147 turkeys to Seeds of Hope this year. Giant offered us the lowest price on bulk turkey orders and will deliver them on 11/14/22. This is huge, knowing that turkeys are so expensive and in demand as the Avian flu has plagued the turkey population.

We received several Giant certificates, and people brought frozen turkeys to the freezer. It’s not too late to donate.  Bring a turkey or, easier yet, donate Vanco. Feel free to drop a check in the mail. We will keep the drive open for a few more weeks.  We will deliver overflow donations to the Somerton Interfaith Food Bank next week.  We are excited to have enough donations to help both pantries. We also partnered with our Homeless Ministry and provided them with turkeys and gravy that they donated to Why Not Prosper.

We will finish our Turkey Drive and quickly move into our Angel Tree. The tree will be decorated with angel tags and instructions by 11/27/22.  We are working hard to fulfill Christmas wishes, and Matthew 25 can’t wait to share our tree with all of you. We will place the tree downstairs by the rear staircase. Details coming in the next week!

Happy Thanksgiving from our families to yours!

“Gratitude changes our attitudes and our actions. It changes how we live…and it’s contagious. There is tremendous power in Thanksgiving!”


We are pleased to announce the Annunciation/Evangelismos Parish 2022 Ambassador Awards Recipients!

The 2022 Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey Delaware Valley Ambassador Awards Banquet will be held on Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 5:00 pm,  at "The Adelphia" in Deptford, NJ.


Congratulations and best wishes to our 2022 Ambassador Awards Recipients:

  • Youth Ambassador of Hope (Witness): Pantelis Sourias
  • Youth Ambassadors of Love (Service): Markos Papakirk
  • Parish Honoree: Konstantina Tzouras Stackhouse
  • Youth Worker Honoree: Angela Gaugler
  • Philoptochos Honoree: Maria Grigorakakis
  • Medical Worker Honoree: Stefanie Grigorakakis

Spiritual Life Ministry News

The Spiritual Life Ministry Invites You to Join Us as We Pray the Psalter Together this Nativity Fast! 

It’s almost that time again! Beginning on November 15th through December 24th, join your brothers and sisters in Christ as we once again unite to pray the Psalms together throughout the Nativity Fast. All you need is a Bible and a little time to set aside each day.

The prayer group also offers the opportunity for us to pray for one another, for our parish, and for any special intentions any of us may have. 

Sign-up Here for Our Annunciation Psalter Group

Learn How It Works Here

Resources for praying the Psalter, available through the Resource Center or online: 

The Psalter According to the Seventy (Greek English). This beautiful hardcover edition contains the translation of the Psalms used in our liturgical services.

The Psalter (“pocket” size). Just the right size to take with you wherever you go.

Christ in the Psalms. In two-page meditations on each of the psalms, Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon takes readers on an enlightening pilgrimage through the prayerbook of the Church.

Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women. Along with the Psalter, this book offers reflections on the Psalms and pages for journaling.

Orthodox Study Bible. The complete Bible with commentary. 

“Bind yourselves to your brethren. Those bound together in love bear everything with ease…. If now you want to make the bond double, your brother must also be bound together with you. He wants us to be bound together with one another, not only to be at peace, not only to be friends but to be all one, a single soul. Beautiful is this bond. With this bond, we bind ourselves together both to one another and to God. This is not a chain that bruises. It does not cramp the hands. It leaves them free, gives them ample room and greater courage.”

-St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 9.4.1-3

May it be blessed


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Golden Thyranoixia Anniversary. Celebrating 50 Years in Elkins Park

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Annunciation/Evangelismos Church Golden Thyranoixia Celebration

November 5-6, 2022

Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for a wonderful weekend of celebrations in honor of our 50th Anniversary Thyranoixia at Annunciation/Evangelismos, Elkins Park.

Festivities began with our Gala which was attended by over 250 parishioners, young and younger, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and multiple distinguished guests.

On Sunday, the Hierarchal Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Apostolos, followed by a beautiful luncheon hosted by our Philoptochos ‘Nausica.’

The success of these celebrations could not have been possible without your generosity, special gifts from our Donors, numerous hours of planning and preparations, and most importantly, your participation! It was wonderful to see everyone living the present while celebrating our past, always with faith and hope in our future!

THANK YOU!

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Focus on Our Church Family

Pastoral care: If you or someone you know is sick, homebound elderly, or scheduled for surgery, please call the church office to let us know so Fr. John can make a pastoral visit or add someone to the prayer list.
 
Let us pray to the Lord for the health and salvation of: Suffering and persecuted Christians in the Middle East and the non-Christian world, Dimitra, Joyce, Efthimia, Sophia, Noel, Kyriaki, Mary, Maria, Betty, Lisa, Dennis, Sandi, Karl, Athena, Andy, Eugene,  Philip, Donna.
We will keep the names on this list for approximately 3 months. Please resubmit Names if needed. Fr. John will include the submitted names at the Psokomide “Offering of Gifts” during the first part of the liturgy when he prepares the mystical gifts of bread & wine. Please lift these names to the Lord in your personal prayer life as well.
 
Prayer for healing: Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent our Lord to heal every sickness. Visit and heal us. Grant patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us to pray for each other that we may be healed. We pray that You heal, guide, and protect your servant (s) (pray by name for those who are sick) and grant them the gift of complete health. You are the source of healing, and to You, we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Happy wedding anniversary to those celebrating this coming week: Danielle & Athanasios Melisiotis, Angelique & Daniel Sulon.

Χρόνια πολλά & ευλογηµένα! God grant you many years! To those who are celebrating birthdays this coming week: Marisa Hatzis, Angela Kagiavas, Stephanie Mack, Ekaterini Christou, Michael Ferrino Eleftheria Giannos, Christian Lucarini, Denise Rodgers, Steven Konzier, Tina Koukaras, Eleni Morris, Mary Roscioli, Sofia Bougioukas, Eleftherios Dalson, Angela Desimone, Scarlett Malusa, Craig Smith, Ezra Ballas, Katherine Bennett, Giorgio Economou, Petros Sfiridis, Demetrios Staurinos, Demetrius Angelikas, Madelyn Krone, Mark Papakirk, Timoclea Trifonidis.

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Mode. Psalm 27.9,1.
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10.

Brethren, God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God: not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Προκείμενον. Plagal Second Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 27.9,1.
Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.
Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Ἐφεσίους 2:4-10.

Ἀδελφοί, ὁ θεός, πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ - χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι - καὶ συνήγειρεν, καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν· θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον· οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται. Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.


Gospel Reading

9th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 12:16-21

The Lord said this parable: "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." As he said these things, he cried out: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

9th Sunday of Luke
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 12:16-21

Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἀνθρώπου τινὸς πλουσίου εὐφόρησεν ἡ χώρα· καὶ διελογίζετο ἐν ἑαυτῷ λέγων· τί ποιήσω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχω ποῦ συνάξω τοὺς καρπούς μου; καὶ εἶπε· τοῦτο ποιήσω· καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκας καὶ μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω, καὶ συνάξω ἐκεῖ πάντα τὰ γενήματά μου καὶ τὰ ἀγαθά μου, καὶ ἐρῶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου· ψυχή, ἔχεις πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ κείμενα εἰς ἔτη πολλά· ἀναπαύου, φάγε, πίε, εὐφραίνου. εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός· ἄφρον, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας τίνι ἔσται; οὕτως ὁ θησαυρίζων ἑαυτῷ, καὶ μὴ εἰς Θεὸν πλουτῶν.


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Saints and Feasts

Allsaint
November 20

Gregory the Righteous of Decapolis

Saint Gregory who was from Irenopolis of the Decapolis of Asia Minor, was the son of Sergius and Mary. He became a monk as a young man, and after struggling for many years in virtue and prayer under obedience to a wise spiritual father, he was informed by revelation that it was the will of God for him to live, like the Patriarch Abraham, with no certain dwelling, moving from place to place. His journeyings took him to Ephesus, Constantinople, Corinth, Rome, Sicily, Thessalonica, and again to Constantinople, where, after many labours in defence of Orthodoxy against Iconoclasm, he reposed in peace in the first half of the ninth century. He had two disciples, one of whom was Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (see Apr. 3), who wrote the Menaion service for Saint Gregory, his father in Christ.


Vmentrnc
November 21

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

According to the tradition of the Church, the Theotokos was brought to the Temple at three years of age, where she was consecrated to God and spent her days until she was fourteen or fifteen years old; and then, as a mature maiden, by the common counsel of the priests (since her parents had reposed some three years before), she was betrothed to Joseph.


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Bulletin Inserts

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Archdiocese News

SUNDAY SERMON SERIES 9th Sunday of Luke, November 20

11/17/2022

This week, Find insights about the upcoming Gospel reading where Jesus tells us about a greedy rich man. What are true riches? And is being rich a sin? Also, what’s it mean to be rich with God?
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