TODAY’S EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES  

Memorial Today

Memorial prayers will be offered at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy today for the repose of the soul of the servant of God, Helen Balouris (40 days). Coffee Hour is being hosted in her memory by her family. May her memory be eternal!

Chrismation Today

Today the servant of God, Marc McMullen, will be received into the Holy Orthodox Church through the Holy Mystery of Chrismation. His sponsor is Vasilios Rizos. Coffee Hour is also being hosted by the family in honor of Marc’s Chrismation today. May God grant him many years!

Church School Open House Today

The Holy Trinity Church School Ministry will be hosting an Open House today following Liturgy. Starting at 11:15am parents may go to their children’s classes, see the materials and activities the students are using, meet the teacher(s) and pick up students. Thank you for supporting our religious education ministry.

Philoptochos Traditional Greek Dance – Tickets Available for Purchase Today

Please make plans to support our Ladies Philoptochos by attending a Traditional Greek Dance to be held here at Holy Trinity on Friday, October 25 from 7:30 pm until 11:30 pm featuring live music by Panigiri. Tickets are $15 per person and will include complimentary desserts and coffee. Casual Dress – All Ages – Open Seating – Cash Bar – Hot & Cold Appetizer Platters will be available for purchase. For tickets, please stop by the Philoptochos table in the Gallery following Liturgy today! Please note that the deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday, October 20.

[Oct 6-9] “Faith and Family WEEKDAYS” This Week

Holy Trinity Church’s “Faith and Family WEEKDAYS” ministry has been updated once again to provide valuable faith growth and learning to the entire Holy Trinity family. Building on the fruits of our five six years, we are now including more days and more opportunities for everyone to participate in and grow from worship, spiritual life and educational ministries beyond Sunday morning and to make the Church the "crossroad of daily life”.

THIS WEEK’S OFFERINGS:

• Daily: Prayer Partners. Have you remembered your prayer partner every day? Please keep the promise.
• Prayer Partner Cards for Fourth Quarter 2019 Distributed Today. Here is a ministry EVERYONE can participate in this vital ministry EVERY DAY: “Prayer Partners!” Would you like to know that someone is praying for you every day “just because” you are a part of this parish family? As a core component of our “Faith and Family Weekdays” Ministry, that is what happens here at Holy Trinity Church. On the first Sunday of January, April, July and October, blank prayer cards are distributed. Those in attendance are asked to write their first name only (baptismal name preferred) on one card. They will then be collected and randomly distributed at the end of the service. Each person will commit to offer prayers daily for the person they receive daily during that quarter. What a beautiful gift to pray for someone and be prayed for yourself. This “anonymous” ministry of spiritual service is known only to our merciful Lord, Who directs us through his Holy Apostle James, "Pray for one another" (James 5.16). Thank you for adding to the spiritual life and dedication of our Holy Trinity parish family. Remember: pray for your Prayer Partner every day!
• Wed. Oct 9, 6:30pm Worship/7:00pm Bible Study: “Explore the Word” - Bible Study Ministry - Prayerfully read the Bible! In Deut. 11, it says, “Lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul.” Each Wednesday come and till your heart in worship in the Church at 6:30pm and then meet at 7:00pm in the Conference Room for the study of the Gospel of St. Matthew led by Father Radu Bordeianu. Learn the Scriptures. Depend your faith. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3.18).

[Oct 7] New Bereavement Support Ministry: Monthly Group Sessions - Come & Join Us Tomorrow

Our Bereavement Support Ministry Team provides spiritual care to our parishioners and their extended family & friends in time of grief and loss. If you have questions about grief and want to learn and share conversation, then please attend our next Bereavement Support Group session scheduled for TOMORROW, Monday, October 7 in the Fireside Room. Light refreshments and relaxed fellowship begin at 6:30pm for those who choose. Then 7:00-8:30pm is group learning and sharing with our Bereavement facilitators. Feel free to bring a family member and/or friend. Contact Amy Armanious, Visitation Ministry Coordinator with any questions by email at Visitation@holytrinitypgh.org

[Oct 8 & 10] Philoptochos Baking This Week

The Philoptochos ladies will be getting ready for their Christmas Holiday Bake Sale starting this week! Please join us on Tuesday, October 8^th from 9:00am-3:00pm to make Spanakopita and Tiropita and on Thursday, October 10^th from 9:00am-3:00pm to make Baklava.  All are welcome to help, if you don't know how we have on the job training! Call Nicole Steiner for details 412-352-0289.

[Oct 9] Senior Fellowship Ministry Meeting

The Senior Fellowship Ministry Group will hold its next meeting this Wednesday, October 9, beginning at 11:00am in the Fireside Room. Everyone is welcome to share a very nice luncheon from all who attend, by bringing a small casserole, fruit, veggie or dessert dish. For more information call Joyce (412-366-1498) or Georgianne (412-761-6953).

[Oct 10] Holy Trinity Social Committee Meeting

The Holy Trinity Social Committee will hold an organization meeting this Thursday, October 10^th beginning at 6:30 pm in Conference Room A. Anyone interested in being involved with the Social Committee is invited to attend. Please see Karen Georgiadis for more information.

[Oct 13] National Church Music Sunday Next Week

Next Sunday we will honor those women and men who have heard and responded to the Lord’s invitation to be church musicians: that is, Chanters and Choir members. As church musicians, these people represent the laity in the liturgical dialogue of our worship services. In glory to God, the Holy Trinity, they commit themselves to learning the hymns of our Orthodox faith, understanding the sequence of our liturgical worship, and actively offering their prayers in song to enhance the beauty of our worship. Memorial prayers will also be offered at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy for all our departed Church Musicians and they will host Coffee Hour.

[Oct 13] Flu Shot Clinic

Holy Trinity Church will be hosting its 6^th Annual Flu Shot Clinic in the Fireside Room following the Divine Liturgy next Sunday, October 13. Certified immunizing pharmacists from Rite Aid will be here to offer Flu Shots from 11:15 am until 1:30 pm for adult parishioners and children ages 9 years and older. The Center for Disease Control states that an “annual influenza vaccination is the most effective method for preventing influenza virus infection and its complications”. Please be sure to bring your insurance card listing your ID# as there is $0.00 Copay with most insurance plans and Rite Aid will handle the direct billing for the majority of insurances. The standard vaccine for those without insurance is $34.99.

[Oct 13] Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery Fund-Raising Dinner at St. Nicholas Cathedral

Next Sunday, October 13, the sixth Annual Dinner Banquet to benefit the Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Monastery in Saxonburg will be held at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Oakland. This year’s event will honor the 25^th Anniversary of the Repose of Gerontissa Taxiarchia and the 30^th Anniversary of the Founding of the Monastery. Tickets for the Dinner Banquet are $125 per person. Please call 724-352-3999 or visit nativityofthetheotokosmonastery.org and click on the https://2019monasterybanquet.eventbrite.com/ link to register online. Holy Trinity’s own Harry Athanasiou will serve as Master of Ceremonies and Jim Balouris will serve as the Live Auctioneer. You won’t want to miss this event!

[Oct 15] NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN: Women’s Book Club

The Faith and Family Weekdays ministry presents a new “Women’s Books Club”. This new opportunity takes a “for women, by women” approach to providing time for prayer, fellowship and discussion that is geared toward the lives and hearts of women. The group will be studying “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers, which has been described as an “icon book in Christian circles” and “definitely the best book I've read all year, and probably one of the best books I've ever read.” The group meets from 9:30-11:00am on the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the Fireside Room. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 15. If you plan on attending, please see Joyce Athanasiou or Presvytera Becky so your book can be ordered. All women are welcome.

[Oct 20] Philoptochos Meeting

The next Ladies Philoptochos meeting will take place following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 20. New members are always welcome!

[Oct 20] HOPE/JOY Event

Join HOPE/JOY (K – 6^th grade) families at Shenot Farm for a hayride on Sunday October 20^th at 2:00pm. We will meet near the ticket booth. Please buy your own tickets ($2 per person which includes an apple). Once the group has gathered, we will get in line to get on the hayride together. It will take us out to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. We hope you can join us. If you have any questions, please contact Renee Caromano (rcaromano@hotmail.com).

[Oct 27] Regular Fall General Assembly

Please plan to attend the regular Fall General Assembly on Sunday, October 27. An agenda was mailed in the October edition of the Herald. This Assembly is to review parish life, nominate candidates for the Parish Council and other important committees and hear reports on important parish matters. It is vital to the life of a healthy community that all members attend, as these meetings are quite important in the day-to-day life of the parish. Please remember that, to vote at an assembly or in elections, you must be a member in good standing as defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations. Also, the requirements to run for Parish Council according to the UPR and the Holy Trinity By-Laws are indicated in the nomination form mailed in the Herald. These include, but are not limited to, being an enrolled member in good standing for three years prior to the date of nomination, having a signed 2019 Holy Trinity Stewardship Pledge card submitted and attending the Parish Council Seminar on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 6:30pm. The Parish Council elections are scheduled for December 1, 2019. Whether it is attending assemblies, being voted on council, taking in a leadership role in a ministry or just getting involved more, the Lord has a calling and a role for every one of us at Holy Trinity Church because you are a part of the Body of Christ and have an important contribution to offer. God has already equipped you with it and is waiting for you to step up and use it. Consider it. Pray about it. What's yours?

[Oct 28] Visitation Ministry Leadership Group Meeting

A Visitation Ministry Leadership Group Meeting will be held on Monday, October 28^th, 6:00-8:00pm in Conference Room A.

Lost and Found Items

There are a number of items that have been left at the Church from the Festival and before!  They will be in the Gallery for the next two Sundays. After that.... they will be donated. There are several coats, multiple pairs of shoes and athletic wear. Please stop to see if anything belongs to you or your family!

Church School Theme for 2019/2020: “Grounded in Truth”

Our theme for the 2019/2020 Church School year at Holy Trinity Church is “Grounded in Truth.” This theme is based on the words of Jesus in John 14.6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” In a world which offers many other “truths,” it is essential that we hold firmly to the foundational teaching of the Lord and His Holy Church that real “Truth” is found in Jesus Christ, Who is Himself Truth. And there is no better place for the seeds of Truth to be planted in a child’s heart and mind than in the Holy Church of Christ. Parents, please remember that you are an essential part of the teaching team, for what happens briefly in Church School classes each week must be affirmed and lived in the home, even when pressure to deny that truth comes from elsewhere. As Saint John the Evangelist says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1.4). Thank you for continuing to teach your children Truth, support them in walking in Truth and bringing them each Sunday to experience Him Who is Truth.

Church School Dismissal Times
A message from our Church School Staff to all parents: Please assist us in offering our children the time to fully participate in their lessons each Sunday by allowing them to remain in class until the end of the session. IMPORTANT: ALL CLASSES CONCLUDE AT 11:30am. Parents of Pre-School and Kindergarten students may pick up their children on the upper level Education Center by using the Education Center stairs in the Gallery near the Bookstore. Parents of all other students are asked to wait for their children downstairs in the Gallery or Grand Room during Coffee Hour. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Holy Trinity’s Connect Center
The “Connect Center” is a great resource and contact display prominently located in the Gallery every Sunday and it is for YOU! The purpose is to help EVERYONE in our Holy Trinity community become more informed about the many ministries and opportunities offered here and to make it easier to become involved in all areas of life at Holy Trinity Church. Want to CONNECT with a person or ministry? We can help!

Attention Current and Prospective Members!

Are you an official member of Holy Trinity Church?  Do you know how the church uses the contributions we pledge every year?  Did you know that unless you have signed a “Pledge Card” you aren’t officially a member?  As members, we all should know how the church uses the contributions we make and affords you the right to participate in the General Assemblies, where you can find out those answers, as well as understanding the current and future plans for the church.  The next General Assembly is on October 27^th, so we hope to see you there!

For 2020, the Stewardship Committee will be sending out Pledge Cards again this year.  They will be available for pick-up in the next couple of weeks. We ask that you to fill them out and bring them back to church on Stewardship Sunday, November 10^th.

If you haven’t fulfilled your pledge for 2019, please do so.  We are in the last few months of the year and need everyone’s participation to fulfill our obligations.  Lastly, thank you to all those who have fulfilled their 2019 pledge.  We couldn’t do what we do without you and are grateful to God for your continued love and support.

Welcome, Holy Trinity Guests!

We welcome all our guests to Holy Trinity Church today, whether as visitors from out of town, family members joining others here for worship today or even soon-to-be members here for the first time. No matter what the reason the Holy Spirit brought you here today, we welcome you with open arms and hearts filled with the love of Christ. Please help us welcome you by signing in at the hospitality table in the Narthex, where you will be presented with a yellow lapel Cross to help our Holy Trinity family know you're here. Please fill out an information card so we can contact you with any information you may need concerning life here at Holy Trinity Church. Following Liturgy, we invite you to stop by our Connect Center located in the Gallery and join us for our Fellowship Coffee hour.

About Receiving Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church

As an extension of our hospitality and outreach ministries, we welcome all who have come to worship with us today. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian, an inquirer to the faith or a first-time guest in an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us and thankful for the opportunity to share and bear witness to this ancient and timeless Faith. In accordance with the holy canons and traditions of the Church, please note that Holy Communion and the other Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) are received only by those who are baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared through prayer, fasting and confession. All others are invited receive the antidoron (blessed bread) and a blessing from the priest at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The antidoron is not a sacramental offering but is blessing and a reflection of the agape (love) feast that followed worship in the ancient Christian Church. Please join our parish family for hospitality after the holy services and allow us to meet and welcome you. Interested in joining or learning more about the Orthodox Christian Faith? Please see one of our priests or complete a visitor’s card today!

            For those who do receive, please remember the following helpful hints aimed at helping to preserve the solemnity and safety of the Holy Mystery: 1) The Church School Staff only is asked to please proceed first to receive from the left-most chalice so they may depart for their classrooms before their students arrive; 2) All other students, parishioners and Orthodox Christian guests, please remain at your place until you are dismissed by the Parish Council down the center aisle only; 3) We respectfully ask women to remove their lipstick before approaching the Holy Chalice; 4) Please wait in the Holy Communion line reverently, prayerfully and quietly without talking; 5) It is traditional as we approach with awe that we make the sign of the Cross  or bow down with a “metanoia” as an act of humility before the Lord; 5) Be sure to offer your baptismal name to priest before receiving; 6) Please take great care to place the red cloth under your chin and to fully open your mouth so that none of the precious Body and Blood of Christ is accidentally spilled, then to dab your lips on the cloth afterwards so none of the Holy Gifts are left on other objects. Thank you for your cooperation, and may God have mercy on us all!

Upcoming Memorial October 27: Stella Kalaris (3 years)