Christmas Pageant - Sunday, December 16
Our Catechism School students will be presenting the Christmas Pageant this year on Sunday, December 16. Our Youth Choir, newly-established, will be making their debut during the Christmas Pageant. The pageant will be presented at the close of the Divine Liturgy. Following the presentation our students will receive antidoron and go to the social hall, where they will have a special visitor awaiting them. That will be followed by lunch and their putting the kits together for the Winchester Rescue Mission.
Lunch will also be served for everyone. Many thanks to John and Annitsa Spanos for hosting the luncheon. Since we are in the Christmas Lenten period, lentils will be featured on the menu, with other things. Please stay and enjoy.
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Christmas Tree Decorating
What a great time our Catechism School students had last Sunday decorating the Christmas tree. After their classes and dress rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant presentation this coming Sunday, December 16th, our students stayed behind (with their parents' assistance...thank you parents) and decorated our tree. What a terrific job they did. Very impressive and creative. Thank you so much!!!
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Please Help...
Our Catechism students have adopted a Christmas giving project of helping the Winchester Rescue mission. During these upcoming cold weeks and months, our children want to help the Rescue mission keep its guests warm. The deadline for bringing in the items for making up these kits is this Sunday, December 16th. Our students last Sunday did some preliminary work for this project by crafting individually written Christmas cards to go with the kits. After the Christmas Pageant presentation and lunch, our students will be putting the kits together. Please help by bringing in the supplies needed for the kits (see the below flyer for details). Many thanks to our students for helping others at this special time of year.
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Parish Record Form
As I mentioned at the Parish Assembly on June 24th, the parish records are lacking and need to be updated. Everyone will need to complete a Parish Record Form (click on link below for the form) in order to be certified as eligible (upon review) for membership in the parish. Only Orthodox Christians in good standing are eligible to be members of the parish. Completed Forms are to be returned to me. Only I will be seeing them and after review, keeping them with the Sacramental Records. You may drop them into the slot at the top of the locked box located on the wall next to my office door if you like or mail them to the church.
Please review the following information from the Uniform Parish Regulations...
Article 18, Section 7
Each Parish shall maintain a Parish Record which shall include, at a minimum, the following information concerning each parishioner: baptismal and family name, occupation (optional), dates of baptism and/or chrismation and marriage, complete family record of spouse and children, date of entry into the Parish indicating if transferred from another Parish, date of death, and such other information that shall be deemed appropriate.
Article 18, Section 1
Every person who is baptized and chrismated according to the rites of the Orthodox Church is a parishioner. The religious, moral and social duties of a parishioner are to apply the tenets of the Orthodox Faith to his/her life and to: adhere to and live according to the tenets of the Orthodox faith; faithfully attend the Divine Liturgy and other worship services; participate regularly in the holy sacraments; respect all ecclesiastical authority and all governing bodies of the Church; be obedient in matters of the Faith, practice and ecclesiastical order; contribute towards the progress of the Church's sacred mission; and be an effective witness and example of the Orthodox Faith and Traditions to all people.
A parishioner in good standing practices all the religious and moral duties as described in this Section 1. At a minimum, a parishioner in good standing must: be eighteen years of age or over; be current in his or her stewardship and other financial obligations to the Parish, abide by all the regulations herein stated and the Parish Bylaws; and cooperate in every way towards the welfare and well being of the Parish. (Stewardship is recommended to be ten percent (10%) of one’s annual income as stated in Holy Scripture to help meet the financial obligations of the Parish, the Metropolis and the Archdiocese.)
Parish Record Form