A Word from Fr. John:

In connection with the blessing of fruits at the Feast of the Transfiguration – from the Church’s service books:

“Bless, O Lord, this new fruit of the vine, which, through the wholesomeness of the air and through showers of rain and temperate weather, You are well-pleased should attain to ripeness at this time. May our partaking of this birth of the vine be for gladness, and for the offering of a gift unto You, for the cleansing of sins, through the sacred and holy Body of your Christ, with whom You are blessed, together with your most holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.”

                                    – Prayer at the Partaking of Grapes on the 6^th of August

Some further notes after this prayer: “And let it be known that this prayer is said over grapes where there are vineyards, and these are brought into the church for a blessing on this 6^th day of August. But… where vineyards are not found, apples are brought this day into the church [or, presumably, if apples are not readily available, whatever fruit is ripe and available at that season and particular locality – Fr. John]…. In modern times, when fresh fruits may be obtained at any season, a sampling of fruits should still be brought for a blessing on August 6. Likewise, for those who grow their own fruits, some should be brought to the church for a blessing when they are ripe for harvest.”

Not surprisingly, there follows after these directives a second prayer, covering fruits beyond, or in place of, the offering of grapes:

“O Master, Lord our God, who commands everyone to bring as an offering your own of your own, and grants to them in return your eternal good things; who favourably accepted the offering of the widow which was according to her ability: Do You now also accept the things offered by your servant(s) _______, and count them worthy to lay up the same in your eternal treasury….”

Special Prayer Requests:  We pray for mercy, life, peace, and health for His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, for Presbytera Mary Theodosian and Jim Manos who can be visited in Moultrie Creek Nursing & Rehab Center, and for Chresanthe Lemieux, Jane Anderson, Betty & Fred Day, Steve Sarris, Despina Xynidis, George P. Nichols, JoAnne Long, our parish and missionary families, and catechumens preparing for Illumination.   

Services and Events:

• August 5^th        
• 1 Year Memorial for Dolly Welling  
• August 6^th        
• Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ, Liturgy at 9 a.m.
• Festival Meeting 6:30 p.m.

• August 8^th        
• Paraklysis service, for Dormition Fast, 6 p.m.
• August 15^th       
• Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Orthros at 9 a.m./Liturgy at 10
• Philoptochos Name Day

• August 18^th       
• Parish Panagyri, Greek Summer Night 2018;
• August 19^th       
• Philoptochos brunch for the Dormition of the Theotokos

August 6^th Festival Meeting:  All parishioners are invited to a festival meeting to be held at church, Monday, August 6^th, at 6:30 p.m.  This meeting will include an overview of the major components of our 21st annual festival and provides an opportunity for everyone to better understand what is involved.  Please consider sitting in, asking questions, and offering suggestions.  The more people involved, the better the results!

Philoptochos:

• The Holy Trinity, St Augustine, chapter of the National Philoptochos Society is named for the Dormition of the Theotokos (Kimisis Tis Theotokou) and celebrates its name day August 15th.  This is one of the major feast days in the church calendar, and all are invited to Liturgy on that day.  
• On Saturday, August 18, there will be the Greek Summer Night Paniyri, honoring Panagia, the all-holy Mother of Christ.  
• On Sunday, August 19, our Philoptochos will be offering a Dormition of the Theotokos brunch following Divine Liturgy.  All are welcome, and we request only a good will donation to support Philoptochos outreach efforts.

August 18^th Greek Summer Night Paniyiri:  Save the date for Greek Summer Night Paniyiri,August 18.  Join us for a family Greek night to honor the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, our Ladies Philoptochos Society, and benefit our Holy Trinity Church, at the Parish Hall, Saturday, August 18, 6:00-11:00 PM.  Enjoy Greek food, music and dance.  Come for the fun, fellowship and family.  Opa!

Tickets, $20 donation per person, $15 per children 12 & under, and reserved seating available (for tables of 8).  Please see Andy or Angela Lekos, Carman or Mikae Gaetanos, for tickets.  For reservations, call Andy at 904-823-8882 or email ajlekos@att.net.

Sunday School:Holy Trinity parish is abundantly blessed to have six committed teachers whose love and commitment have been exemplary. If you are interested in getting involved with Sunday School in the coming 2018/19 school year, please contact either Carman Gaetanos or Presbytera Renee.

The Adult Dance Group Nisiotes:  We will be resuming practice for this year's Greek festival.  Anyone of high school age and older, regardless of skill level, is welcome to join! We will be doing the same suite of five simple and commonly known dances as last year to keep it easy and fun for everyone. Practices will resume on Sunday, August 19 after coffee hour. Anyone who is interested in dancing please put your contact information on the sign-up sheet on the board in the Church Hall.”  OPA! Pamé!

Outreach Update:

School Supplies for Needy: Help! Last year there were more than 800 homeless students in St. Johns County, and the St. Johns County School’s ASSIST program needs all the help they can get! They have a critical need for the following:  

*School Supplies (pens, #2 pencils, lined paper, folders, notebooks, backpacks, etc.) *Gift Cards to Wal-Mart and Publix as well as gas cards *Hygiene products *Cleaning supplies.

Items can be left by the Outreach display in the Fellowship Hall.

Hot and Homeless: It’s the time of the year when the sweltering heat really challenges the lives of our poor brothers and sisters. We pray that you can help us by reaching in your closets, drawers and boxes for:

*Cool summer clothing, like T-shirts, shorts, some comfortable shoes. *New socks, underwear for both men and women are extremely helpful, too. *Beverages and light food includingwater bottles, Gatorade, flip-top cans of fruit or other food. *Plastic cutlery preferably sealed in plastic helps too. *Other critical care products including sunscreen lotion, backpacks, and baby wipes.  

Please drop off products at the Outreach table in the back of the Fellowship Hall.

St. Francis House Thanks! - Our heartfelt appreciation to Lisa Colburn for the chicken dinners she delivered in June at St. Francis House. Residents always love a good chicken dinner.  Also:   If you're interested in helping for our St. Francis House Aug. 13^th dinner, please let Dick Billeter, dickbilleter@yahoo.com know. Or think ahead to Sept. and Oct. dinners.

Hostess Schedule:  Carman Gaetanos (904) 540-0367 or carmgaet@gmail.com

• August 5          
• Carman Gaetanos
• August 12        
• Toula Zotos, Vassi Kahiotis
• August 19        
• Gail Jones, Kristina Wilkes
• August 26        
• Monthly Potluck

2018-2019 Ministries & Committees:  Are you and your family interested in gathering for regular activities?

Please contact the Church Office to help grow, plan, and strengthen the following ministries/activities in the New Ecclesiastical Year (September through August) for any of the following:  

Baking Prosphoron                    

Sunday School                                     

Youth

St. Photios National Shrine        

Stewardship                             

Bookstore

OCF/College Ministry                

OCMC/Missions/Evangelism     

Greeters/Newcomers

Library                                     

Greek Fest                               

Ecological/Recycling

Facilities & Maintenance                       

Outreach                                  

Iconography/Beautification/Consecration

Religious Education                  

Greek Dance                            

And More…

Visiting the Church Outside of Office Hours:  We strive to always welcome parishioners and the many visiting out-of-towners to the best of our ability. Please call the office to arrange a visit. If there is no answer, call the emergency number on the voicemail, (904) 814-4930, to discuss options that may exist. 

Bulletin Submission:Please submit your articles weekly by Wednesday, or at the latest, Thursday. Please be aware that Fr. John and Margo Kelley will edit bulletin prior to publication. 

Wild Fires in Greece:The deadly wild fires in Greece have created widespread devastation, devouring homes and seaside villages, including the Lyrio Orphanage boys' dormitory, the nuns' accommodations, and damaging the school classrooms and smaller buildings used for storage.  Our brothers and sister in Greece need our love and support at this time.  The National Philoptochos has established a humanitarian relief fund.  Donations can be sent to the “2018 Fires in Greece Fund” at the National Philoptochos Society, 126 East 37^th Street, New York, NY 10016 or donations can be made online at http://bit.ly/1MpMsF3, and select “2018 Fires in Greece Fund.”