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Assumption Church
Publish Date: 2020-08-09
Bulletin Contents
Allsaint
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Assumption Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (203) 748-2992
  • Fax:
  • (203) 748-7747
  • Street Address:

  • 30 Clapboard Ridge Road

  • Danbury, CT 06811


Contact Information




Services Schedule

 
Orthros at 8:45 am - Sundays
Divine Liturgy at 10am - Sundays
 
Weekday Divine Liturgies without Orthros begin with the Doxology at 9:50 am
 
Summer Services Schedule (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend):
Orthros at 8:15 am - Sundays
Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am - Sundays
 
Summer weekday Divine Liturgies without Orthros begin with the Doxology at 9:20 am


Past Bulletins


IMPORTANT NOTE: Our Parish Remains without Power!

As is likely true for many of our families in Danbury and the surrounding towns and cities, the Assumption Church campus has been without electricity since Tuesday, August 4th and as of "press time" this remains the case.

With God, of course, we are never truly "powerless" (pun intended) however in the temporal 21st Century world, the current conditions can be very disruptive to daily living. And yet, despite the fact that we have NO POWER, NO AIR CONDITIONING, NO INTERNET, NO WATER, NO PLUMBING, etc. we will pray the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning as scheduled.

However we strongly encourage our parishioners to use great caution if you are intent on attending.  Even with temperatures dropping into the 60s tonight, the RealFeel tomorrow will be in the mid 80s.  Obviously, this weather creates very uncomfortable and potentially unsafe conditions inside the Church given the requirement to wear masks and if there are any underlying health conditions, especially without any air circulating as our windows do not open.  At the same time, we are sad to say that we will not be able to livestream our services.

Nevertheless, we are hopeful that power will be restored early this week and in the unlikely event that this powerlessness continues into next weekend, we have some contingency plans under consideration.

May Almighty God bless and protect you all and may the Theotokos support and pilot us through these storms "towards [the safety of Her] port." (excerpt from Paraklesis) 

A protection and shelter,

I have with you in my life,

You, the Theotokos and Virgin,

Pilot me towards your port;

For you are the cause,

The cause of that which is good,

Support of the faithful,

The only all-praised One.

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Fourth Mode. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 3:9-17.

Brethren, we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.


Gospel Reading

9th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 14:22-34

At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.


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Saints and Feasts

Allsaint
August 09

The Holy Apostle Matthias

After Judas by transgression fell from his apostleship (Acts 1: 25), and hanging himself out of despair ended his life with a wretched and shameful death (Matt. 27: 5), then, that the number of the Twelve not be lacking, all the disciples gathered in one place after the Ascension of the Savior (the number of men and women being 120), and they chose two men from among them, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was also surnamed Justus, and Matthias, and they set them in the midst. Then they prayed to God and cast lots, "and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles" (Acts 1: 15-26). And thus, having taken the place of Judas, Matthias fulfilled the work of apostleship and the prophecy concerning Judas, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David: "And his bishopric let another take" (Ps. 108(109):8). After this, it is said, Matthias preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, and completed his life there in martyrdom.


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Parish News

Archpastoral visit of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America last Sunday

It was indeed a great joy and blessing to welcome His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros to His and our Assumption Church community.  As alluded to in my email last week announcing this first Archpastoral visit, our faithful received His Eminence with love, warmth, hospitality and respect that comes so naturally to the members of our Assumption Church Family.  For those who prayed with us in person or online, His Eminence was deeply touched by the presence of so many young families and likewise very complimentary and appreciative of the ministries and members of our community.  The beauty of the physical sacred space that we are blessed to worship in thanks to the sacrifices of our forefathers and mothers...some who have gone before us in rest and others with us to this day...is a reflection of the beauty of the people comprising our Church Family whose hearts and offerings are lifted up to God in thanksgiving to Him.

Our gratitude to everyone who made this such a special day and we continue our prayers that our Lord grant our Archbishop Elpidophoros "peace, safety, honor and health, unto length of days" in His Eminence's Archpastoral witness and service in the vineyard of Christ's Holy Church.

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Links for Livestreaming Services & Calendar

***UNFORTUNATELY AS MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THIS BULLETIN, OUR LIVESTREAMING IS DOWN BUT WE PROVIDE THE LINKS FOR EASE OF FUTURE REFERENCE***

Links for Livestreaming Services

Pray with us by subscribing to the Assumption YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tD5mB_u3GgO1J8ikwIW0g

Or by visiting our Assumption page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/assumptiongreekorthodoxchurch/videos/?ref=page_internal

Live events will be streamed on both these services on programmed service hours.

Weekday Divine Services

During the balance of the summer, we will schedule and pray a variety of weekday services, including an evening Vespers, and as always, morning Orthros & Divine Liturgies for various saints and major feasts.  Please keep an eye on our Google Calendar (https://agoc.us/services-calendar/) for the most up-to-date details and services which will also be announced via our Listserv whenever possible.  We encourage attendance at these weekday services for our seniors and others who would like to avoid the larger gatherings on Sundays.  We continue to livestream on YouTube and FaceBook Live. 

Sights & Sounds Ministry

If these services have been a blessing to you, we’d love to hear from you!  We have invested approximately $10,000 in upgrades to our Live-streaming infrastructure in order to enhance the quality and reliability of our audio-visual (A/V) ministry that will last well beyond the Coronavirus pandemic.  This has and will continue to be an essential ministry to enable our seniors and homebound parishioners to pray with us from anywhere in the world!

Might you consider a monetary gift (small or large) toward the AGOC Sights & Sounds Ministry?  Please contact Fr. Nikolas or a member of the Parish Council to join in this effort. With your prayers and support, we can improve the quality and bring the beauty of our Orthodox Liturgical Life and the Good News of Christ Risen into the homes of so many others!

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Church is Open

Greetings and Welcome Home!  We hope and pray that you continue to feel safe and secure as you worship with us in person.  And we continue to be grateful to our faithful parishioners who find ways to pray the liturgy with us from the safety of their homes.  We continue to monitor and implement the most current guidelines from state authorities, health officials and from the Archdiocese and Church leadership.  If you have a positive experience worshipping with us, please tell your family and friends! And as always, use your discretion and follow the advice of your physician as you navigate the world during these difficult times.

Reservations (for lack of a better way of putting it) will be on a first come first serve basis and need to be made in one of the three following ways:
  • Online via SignUp Genius (You will receive an email every Tuesday with a link to register for the upcoming Sunday)
  • Via voice call to Zoy Beretis (203) 792-9467, or 
  • or SMS/text message to Panaiota Constantine (845) 913-6922

Those in attendance and those at home may want to access the text of the divine services by visiting Digital Chant Stand at https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html.  Just click on the date on the left side of the page and/or download the app and navigate to the appropriate service. For safety, we have removed the service books from the pews and chances are that folks at home may not have a copy of the Divine Liturgy.

As you begin to resume your "normal" weekly routines in these challenging times, we ask that you consult the guidelines listed below (subject to change) to help you prepare for what to expect during this "new abnormal" way of attending Church.

Latest Guidelines for Attending Divine Worship

ON TIME ARRIVAL

Please arrive between 8:15-10:00am. Only the north entrances, near the handicapped parking, will be open. Allow extra time for social distancing protocol upon arrival. Please leave all nonessentials in your car.

MASKS REQUIRED

All attendees are required to put on protective face masks before exiting their vehicle. Exceptions are only permitted for those with valid medical reasons, special needs and children less than 2 years of age.

FOLLOW THE SIGNS

Please follow signs to posted entry points and maintain distancing via the ground markers. These have been prepared in advance to provide safe social distancing and need to be respected for everyone’s well-being.

UPON ENTRY

Be prepared for a touchless temperature reading of your forehead by an infrared thermometer and hand sanitizing. Temperature must not exceed 99.1 for admittance. Next, a member of Parish Council will hand you a candle to light. Please venerate Icons with a bow only. No touching or kissing.

SEATING

A member of Parish Council will escort you to your designated seat and record your name for our attendance recordkeeping. Seating has been designed to adhere to social distancing requirements. Only members of the same family may sit together without distancing between them. Please remain in your designated seat throughout the entire service, except for restroom needs. The restroom in the “crying room” is the only restroom open to attendees. A Parish Council member will open the room for one person at a time. Please use provided wipes to clean faucets and doorknob after use.

HOLY COMMUNION AND DISMISSAL

On Sundays, Holy Communion will not be offered at the usual appointed time. Instead, attendees are invited to receive communion at the end of the service and it will be distributed in the following manner:

  • Parish Council members will guide attendees by row, adhering to distancing markers placed in the aisle.
  • Remove mask before approaching the Holy Chalice.
  • Please do not touch the Communion cloth or dab it on your lips. It will be held by altar servers to prevent spills.
  • A separate metal spoon will be used for each communicant.
  • Do not return to your seat, but continue to the doors to exit the church.
  • Those not receiving Communion will be dismissed by Parish Council members beginning with the last row.
  • Antidoron will be individually wrapped on tables in the Narthex.
  • Continue walking to your car. No congregating inside please.

Kindly know that we are doing our best to "normalize" what is a challenging and strange time.  What remains True and Pure and Eternal throughout is Jesus Christ and our human desire to praise, glorify, thank and honor Him, the Panagia, and the Saints.  When you are tempted by the "strangeness" of how we've temporarily made provisions for the safest possible experience for our faithful, and as everyone regains a level of confidence, I encourage you to return your thoughts as quickly as possible to the "why am I here" - to remember that you are an essential part of His Body and the ranks of angels and archangels rejoice with us when we invoke His name.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Fr. Nikolas

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Parish Precautions

We continue to clean and disinfect the church between each service, require masks, temperature checks, hand washing, limited capacity and appropriate distancing.

In addition, an application of G200, a disinfecting solution approved by the CDC, is applied to all non-wood surfaces (doorknobs, handles, bathroom fixtures, etc) at the CDC recommended intervals. G200 continues to repel bacteria, including Coronavirus, for up to 30 days.

We have also upgraded the air filters in our HVAC system to those that filter even more fine particles as part of our overall risk mitigation approach.

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Stewardship Ministry

In this time of social distancing we'd like to remind our parishioners of the Church's new ability to accept online donations by CLICKING HERE  You will be taken to Assumption Church's secure payment portal through Vanco, a reputable and leading provider of electronic payment and donation processing solutions (https://www.vancopayments.com).  More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools and educational organizations trust Vanco to simplify administrative processes, organize events and securely complete transactions every day.

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Ladies Philoptochos Society

Registration for the National Philoptochos Virtual Biennial Convention Now Open

Registration is now open for the National Philoptochos Virtual Biennial Convention to be held August 21 & 22, 2020. 

Register Now below. Also email Caryn Flannery, Philoptochos President if interested or registering. We are allowed 3 delegates and unlimited observers. Please note, registration is exclusively by credit card. 

  • Friday, August 21, 2020 5:00pm-9:00pm EST
  • Saturday, August 22, 2020 11:00am- 6:00pm EST
  • $50 – Registration Fee for Delegates 

Click here to register online.
Deadline to register is August 17, 2020


For more information please access the Convention 2020 page at: 

https://www.philoptochos.org/2020-national-philoptochos-biennial-convention/

NOTE: See email also sent to all Assumption Philoptochos members.

Locally, our Ladies Philoptochos continues our outreach to church family members to offer support and "stay in touch" even as church is opening.  As a chapter, we continue to look for ways we can help and/or donate to support others as we focus on our philanthropic mission.  There are many needs out there during this pandemic. To help us continue to offer support as well as meet our monthly National obligations, we welcome any donations in place of our monthly trays and fundraisers.   Donations may be made directly to our Philoptochos on the church website or mailed to church (see details below).   Information regarding our National obligations can be found at:  https://www.philoptochos.org/commitments/

Some of our ladies have graciously offered their talents by sewing face masks as we joined the National Philoptochos "Mask On" campaign. Face masks are available for families in the parish. If you are in need of masks, please email Eleni Manolakes at eleni.manolakes@yahoo.com.  Email us (philoptochos@agoc.us) with any questions or comments.  May God bless us all and keep us safe.

Philoptochos Stewardship/Donations:

We are over 115 stewards strong. Thank you all.  If you have not already done so this year (Stewardship is from Jan. to Dec. 2020), please consider renewing your Philoptochos stewardship. You may email us (see below) if you are not sure if you completed a stewardship form. We invite all ladies 18 years and older to join. We accept online stewardship and donations as we have joined with the Church's secure payment portal through Vanco by CLICKING HERE.  BE SURE TO CHECK OFF LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS. You may also visit our website www.agoc.us – just click the "WE NOW ACCEPT ONLINE DONATIONS" or the “DONATE ONLINE” buttons on our home page.  Of course we still accept checks and cash.  Please mail to The Ladies Philoptochos, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811.  Please be sure to include a Stewardship Form, which is available on the church site: https://agoc.us/agoc-organizations/philoptochos/ . We pick up mail about once a week.  Philoptochos provides the opportunity to offer time, talent and treasure through Christian fellowship.  NOTE: If you donate online, we may be in contact with you to confirm your personal information or confirm the intent of your donation (stewardship, general donation, etc.) or you may email us at philoptochos@agoc.us with the same information. A huge thank you for your support - we have been blessed with many thinking about stewardship and donations. You are helping us make a difference. 

Link to National Ladies Philoptochos Society July Newsletter:

Philanthropy Witness- July 2020

Link to Philoptochos promo video:

Come Join Us!

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Birthday Celebrations

August 10 - Ricky Flannery

August 10 - Maria Rountos

Your Assumption Church Community wants to celebrate with you! Please let us know of any upcoming events in your life, birthdays, name days, anniversaries so we can (virtually) share the joy! Your submissions will be announced in future weekly bulletins. Email details to: creationcare@agoc.us

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Creation Care Ministry

When you feel like you are drowning in life, don't worry, your lifeguard walks on water.

Anon

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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese News

Free Preview of “Effective Christian Ministry” Training Program

08/05/2020

We all know that the Church faces critical ministry challenges. Research shows that 60% of young people fall away from the Faith as they grow into young adults. And did you know that a new study has found that ⅓ of people have stopped attending church altogether during the coronavirus pandemic. They’ve completely disconnected, and aren’t even streaming services. Why? And what can we do to connect people (especially youth and young adults) to the Church?

From One Spoon to Many

08/05/2020

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Orthodox Church has found itself in an existential crisis. The situation has challenged our traditions and even the way that we receive Holy Communion. One of the points of disagreement that has arisen concerns the manner in which Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful from the common cup by means of a common spoon.

GOARCH Launches Spanish Ministry Initiative's Facebook

08/05/2020

In August, 2019, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America identified the need for this ministry and tasked His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos to coordinate the development of Spanish-language materials, resources, and outreach ministries throughout the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, supporting efforts of its Metropolises, Parishes, and Institutions nationwide.
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Volunteer Opportunities

The New American Dream Foundation - Danbury Seniors & Special Needs Adults Meal Delivery 

In partnership with the Amber Room, the Vice-President of the New American Dream Foundation Emanuela Palmares has personally invited up to ten (10) members of our Assumption Church community to volunteer with meal packaging and delivery to food insecure, low-income seniors and adults with special needs in the city of Danbury.  As you may recall, Assumption Church made a gift of $4,000 to the New American Dream Foundation to sponsor 800 meals on Saturday, June 13, 2020 - what would have been Saturday of our annual Festival.  City students and families received these meals to supplement what the schools provided Monday through Friday while school and distance learning was in session.

Now that schools are no longer in session, working with Age Well Community Council, the Foundation has directed attention to our other vulnerable brothers and sisters of our city to provide 500 meals to residents of Palace View, Kimberly Place, Danbury Towers, Bishop Curtis/Augustana Homes, Putnam Towers, Glen Apartments, & Crosby Manor.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Fr. Nikolas directly via email or phone.  We will gather at the Danbury City Hall Parking Lot (155 Deer Hill Ave, Danbury, CT 06810) at 10:30 AM to individually bag all 500+ meals. And then teams of two to four volunteers will go to each building with their respective meals to be delivered.  Social distancing rules are STRICTLY observed at the buildings since seniors are a high-risk population. Gloves and masks are required during the bagging of the meals and delivery. Volunteers are asked to bring their own masks, and gloves will be provided.

Visit their website www.thenewamericandreamfoundation.org or FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/TNADF/ to make a donation and to learn more about the Foundation's work.

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Calendar

  • Month at a Glance

    August 9 to September 6, 2020

    Sunday, August 9

    9th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, August 10

    6:00PM Paraklesis

    Tuesday, August 11

    10:00AM Paraklesis

    Wednesday, August 12

    6:00PM Paraklesis

    Thursday, August 13

    10:00AM Paraklesis

    Friday, August 14

    6:00PM Great Vespers - Feast of Assumption/Koimisis

    Saturday, August 15

    The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Liturgy

    Sunday, August 16

    10th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Thursday, August 20

    7:30PM Parish Council

    Sunday, August 23

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Sunday, August 30

    12th Sunday of Matthew

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, August 31

    6:00PM Vespers of Creation

    Tuesday, September 1

    Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year

    Sunday, September 6

    8:15AM Orthros

    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

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