A Word from Fr. John:

Two hymns from the Vespers service for the Transfiguration (August 6):

Come, let us rejoice, mounting up from the earth to the highest contemplation of the virtues: let us be transformed this day into a better state and direct our minds to heavenly things, being shaped anew in piety according to the form of Christ. For in His mercy the Savior of our souls has transfigured disfigured man and made him shine with light upon Mount Tabor.

O let us who love to see and hear things past understanding mystically behold Christ shine as lightning with the rays of divine splendor; and let us make the Father’s voice resound, who proclaimed Him as His well-beloved Son. On Mount Tabor He makes bright the weakness of man and bestows enlightenment upon our souls.

And, as background and commentary on this Feast, here is the incomparable Bishop Kallistos Ware, from The Festal Menaion:

“This is a feast that enjoys far greater prominence in Orthodoxy than in western Christendom. In the Roman rite the Transfiguration is merely a ‘double of the second class,’ while the Anglican Prayer Book of 1662 does not even provide a special Collect, Epistle, or Gospel for this day. [Note that this has been rectified in later Anglican Prayer Books, as Bishop Kallistos goes on to clarify later. – Fr. John] But in the Orthodox tradition August 6 is reckoned as one of the Twelve Great Feasts, of such importance that it supplants the Sunday office entirely [that is, if the Feast falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated in place of the standard Sunday Resurrectional Divine Liturgy, as opposed to merely having some if its hymns and other features added to the Sunday service – Fr. John].

The Transfiguration is par excellence the feast of Christ’s divine glory. Like Theophany [“Epiphany” – Fr. John] it is a feast of light: ‘Today on Tabor in the manifestation of Thy light, O Word... we have seen the Father as Light and the Spirit as Light, guiding with light the whole creation.’ Like Theophany, although less explicitly, the Transfiguration is a revelation of the Holy Trinity.”

Special Prayer Requests: 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 4:6-7)

We pray for mercy, life, peace, and healing of all parishioners, especially: Mary Spanos and Gail Jones, Chresanthe Lemieux, Zoe Kauttu, Maryann Bolt, James Day, Kostas Lantzounis, Fr. Nikitas and Pres. Mary Theodosion, His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, Margaret, James, Kyriake, Mike and Ingrid (Evangelia) Fotianos, Irene Hastalis, Jane Anderson. Remember also our missionary families: Fr. Stephanos, Pr. Alexandria, Moses & Athan Ritsi serving in Albania; and Michael, Lisa & Liam Colburn.

1-Year Memorial Service:

A one year Memorial Service will be offered today, August 9th, for George Nichols. May his memory be eternal!

Liturgical Services:

Join us for services at HTGOC:  https://www.facebook.com/HolyTrinityGOC/

• Saturday, August 15^th: The Dormition of the Theotokos
  • 9 a.m. Orthros, 10 a.m. Divine Liturgy.
• Paraklysis services:
  • Wednesday, August 12^th: Paraklysis Service at 6 p.m.
• The Dormition Fast:
  •  Begins August 1^st, and runs until the feast on the 15^th.
   

2020 Stewardship – “Partner and Grow in Faith with Us”:

A primary goal of Christian Stewardship is spiritual growth. We become Stewards when we believe in God and begin to act on our beliefs.  As Orthodox Christians, we acknowledge that every aspect of our life is a gift from Him.

On-Line Giving:

• The Parish Council has added a link “Make a Donation” on our Church’s web page www.HolyTrinityGOC.com for on-line giving.

This is a secure way to give to your Church.  Giving categories have been set up to allow giving to specific funds within the Church – for instance, Stewardship, Easter, Memorials, etc.  You can give via credit card, Paypal and you also have the ability to set up recurrent giving.  Of course, you can also set up recurrent giving through your bank if you wish.  Please be sure that a specific notation (ex: stewardship) is included for each transaction.

• We have also added a link for our new “Light a Candle & Say a Prayer” ministry.

This new service allows us to light a candle during our divine services on-line. Your request will be forwarded to the Parish Council in the narthex during the service and they will pray for you and light your candle.  Also, if you wish to provide names of loved ones to be prayed for, those will be provided to Fr. John as well.

Giving by Check:

Each time you contribute funds to the parish by check, the notation on the memo line of your check allows us to identify your intentions:  Stewardship, Candles, Trays, Memorials, etc.                                        

Weekly Offering:

Sacrificial Offerings -   August 2^nd – Candles $72; Tray $155; Stewardship $1285

Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study:

The adult Bible Study of the Gospel of John occurs each Wednesday from 8 to 9 PM online through Zoom.  The meeting can be accessed by going to https://theColburns.us and clicking on the menu item that says “Online”.  You can also see what verses will be studied each Sunday so you can read them ahead of time.

Sunday School News:

Things around the world - and at Holy Trinity - are a bit different these last few months.  As different and as difficult as that may be, we are all adapting to the changes brought on by Covid-19.  Because we believe that the continued religious education of each of us is important, we have decided that Sunday School will be offered virtually.  The first class is scheduled for Wednesday August 12 at 6pm.  Class will be conducted from the comfort of each family’s home via a Zoom call.  The first session will be held with all students and teachers in one session.  Future classes will be broken down by age and teacher availability.  We look forward to seeing all the students' smiling faces.  On your home computer, phone or other device, click on the link at 6 pm and join the Zoom Meeting by entering the passcode. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88271983746?pwd=WjRibDl3bkNpZWM0aExEMkc0OXdjQT09  Meeting ID: 882 7198 3746  Passcode: 381534

OCMC Virtual Trek 4 Missions 2020:

Join team Leader Lisa Colburn and team St Augustine Holy Trinity GO Church help fund the Orthodox Christian Mission Center’s efforts to recruit, train, and send missionaries into the world. Whether you are a walker, runner, swimmer, cyclist, or you just like to stay active and can track your miles, you can participate! There are no FEES to register, and shirts are guaranteed. Our Goal is to complete a minimum of 1,200 miles and raise at least $2,000. August 9 - September 14. If you have questions contact Lisa Colburn at 904-293-8653 or lisa@thecolburns.us.  Information and registration http://secure.ocmc.org/site/TR?fr_id=1080&pg=entry

Save the Date!  - October 9-11, 2020   -  “HTGOC 23^RD ANNUAL GREEK FESTIVAL”

If you are interested in volunteering to help plan this year’s festival, please reach out to Mikae Gaetanos <mickgae@aol.com>, Nick Lekas <nslekas@gmail.com> or any Parish Council member.  There is a lot of planning that goes into making our festival successful each year and we need everyone to get involved.  If you have any ideas or a passion for planning, cooking, fellowship, outreach and community involvement, please join us.    www. Stauggreekfest.com

December 6^th, 2020 (tentatively) 4-7 p.m., Christmas Open House at St. Photios National Shrine:

On behalf of Shrine Hierarchal Proistamenos, Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, you are invited to be part of the Christmas Open House Committee and to add this Shrine event to your calendar.  And to consider ways in which you and organizations from your communities can assist in bringing our religious (St. Nicholas Day!) and cultural (Christmas customs!) to witness in 2020. Praying you all remain safe and that you will pray for me as well, Polly Hillier, St Photios

Contact Information:

The parish council has been making phone calls to every parishioner for which we have such contact information. If you have not received a phone call, please call (904 829-0504) or email (holy3goc@gmail.com) the office and give Nelda your phone number – we will happily check in on you.  Also, if you know of anyone who doesn’t receive our emails but would like to, please encourage them to let Nelda at holy3goc@gmail.com  know their contact information so we can update our records and keep them informed.

HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

WE HAVE RE- OPENED

Orthros 9 a.m.   -    Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.

Thanks be to God!

Before entering the church, the temperature of each person will be taken by a designated person. If the person’s temperature is above 100.4oF he or she will be kindly asked to return to their home, both for their safety and the safety of others. 

We are still required to wear face coverings while we are in the church.

We wish to remind you to let us know if you plan to attend the Divine Liturgy, so that we can keep things running smoothly at the church while signing folks in and taking temperatures.

Therefore, please contact the church office via email - holy3goc@gmail.com - preferably with the subject line "I want to attend" - or by phone at 904 829-0504, and let Nelda know your name, the names of those you plan to attend with, and your phone number. Please let her know by Thursday before 1 p.m. Again, this will help us prepare well and know what to expect, as well as avoid bottlenecks and other kinds of confusion.