Sunday Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Fr. John Hays, Interim Priest
On the Sunday that falls on or immediately after the eleventh of this month, we chant the Service to the 350 holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which gathered in Nicaea in 787 under the holy Patriarch Tarasius and during the reign of the Empress Irene and her son, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, to refute the Iconoclast heresy, which had received imperial support beginning with the Edict issued in 726 by Emperor Leo the Isaurian. Many of the holy Fathers who condemned Iconoclasm at this holy Council later died as Confessors and Martyrs for the holy Icons during the second assult of Iconoclasm in the ninth century, especially during the reigns of Leo the Armenian and Theophilus.
Saint Carpus was Bishop of the Church of Thyatira in Asia Minor and Papylus was his deacon, whom he had ordained. Seized as Christians and tormented in Thyatira, they were taken to Sardis, whither Agathodorus, their servant, followed them, and also confessed Christ, and was tormented with them. Together with Agathonica, the sister of Saint Papylus. they were all beheaded during the reign of Decius, in the year 250.
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15.
Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.
When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.
All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from Luke 8:5-15
The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
A Word from Fr. John:
From St. John of Damascus, First Treatise on the Divine Images:
“I come into the common surgery of the soul, the church: the luster of the paining draws me to vision and delights my sight like a meadow and imperceptibly introduces my soul to the glory of God. I have seen the perseverance of the martyr, the recompense of the crowns, and as if by fire I am eagerly kindled to zeal, and falling down I venerate God through the martyr and I receive salvation....
“Shall I not paint in words and in colors the martyrdom of the martyrs and embrace with eyes and lips ‘what is wonderful to angels and the whole creation, painful to the devil and fearful to demons’?”
Special Prayer Requests:
We pray for mercy, life, peace, and healing of all parishioners, and especially His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos as he recovers from foot surgery, Augustina, Margaret, James, Kyriake, Ingrid (Evangelia) Fotianos, Irene Hastalis, Jim Manos, Chresanthe Lemieux, Jane Anderson, Betty & Fred Day, Despina Xynidis, and Nicola Lykam’s father-in-law and mother-in-law with health issues. Pray for the Sunday School and all efforts of our teachers, students, and families, for the Adult Bible Study, and the continued growth and edification of the parish family ministries, and for the Colburn and Ritsi missionary families.
Hostess Schedule:
Carman Gaetanos (904) 540-0367 or carmgaet@gmail.com
Adult Bible Study:
The adult Bible study on the Gospel of John meets in the classroom opposite the men’s room. The class starts 15 minutes after the start of coffee hour, and is led by Michael Colburn. We are using the epic 2003 movie “The Gospel of John” directed by Philip Seville. This movie uses the text of the Gospel of John from the Good News Bible verbatim—no extra words added and none left out. This Sunday we are not meeting, due to the festival. The next class will be the Sunday after the festival. We will study John 1.29-34. The syllabus and study questions for each week are available at https://thecolburns.us/classes/john. Also check there for any last minute announcements about the class.
HTGOC 22nd Annual Greek Festival – October 11th -13th
Help Needed for Festival Setup - As many as possible!
***DIVINE LITURGY (NO ORTHROS) WILL BE AT FRANCIS FIELD,
NOT THE CHURCH PROPER. LITURGY BEGINS AT 9 A.M.
Diakonia Retreat:
Join St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Daytona Beach at the Diakonia Retreat, February14-17, 2020. Space is very limited. Registration and monies must be submitted timely. For more information or to secure your spot, please contact Irene Katra at 386-290-3208 or email Santorini257@aol.com
Youth Safety Compliance:
All parishioners seeking blessing to participate in Sunday School and Youth events throughout this Ecclesiastical Year are required to complete the registration in order to have access to the needed background check which is facilitated through our Metropolis Youth Office. Please see all details of the new compliance www.goarch.org/safety and www.goarch.org/youth-safety-compliance, and contact our Parish Youth Safety Compliance Officer, Margo Kelley (htgocpresident@gmail.com or (602) 617-2467) for further details.
Youth Dance Group:
Pizza & Pumpkins: Dancers and families are invited to join us for dinner at Carmelo’s Pizza on Fri, Oct 18, 5:00 - 7:00 pm. After dinner, we will walk to the United Methodist pumpkin patch and each dancer will receive a pumpkin. Please RSVP or Angela Lekos (904.347.4485 or angelmou1@att.net). Opa!
Stewardship – A Pattern of Caring:
Giving is a habit that begins with a commitment. Becoming an active steward requires a conscious decision to actively support the needs of the Church. The commitment card we offer to Holy Trinity parish each year encourages us to give regularly. There are extra cards in church, or you can call the church office.
Weekly Offering:
Sacrificial Offerings - Weekly Offering: Oct. 6th - Candles $122; Tray $139; Stewardship $3964
Contributions - Tracking Your Giving:
Each time you contribute funds to the parish, the notation on the memo line of your check allows us to identify your intentions: Stewardship, Candles, Trays, Memorials, etc.
If you are setting up contributions through your bank, please be sure that a specific notation (ex: stewardship) is included for each transaction.
For any cash contributions, please use one of the envelopes in the Narthex so that we can add that amount to your record of donations.
Volunteers:
Volunteers interested in assisting with the development of tools and courses for translators and publishers of Orthodox liturgical texts worldwide are needed. Software developers, annotators and former Wycliffe translators needed. See olw.ocmc.org.
Wednesday Bulletin Submission:
Please submit your articles weekly by Wednesday if possible. Thank you.
Is your email address or your US mail address changing?
Please notify the church office! holy3goc@gmail.com