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, Maria Grecos Dalson (40 days). The coffee hour today will be sponsored by her family.  May her memory be eternal!

Philoptochos Meeting Today

The Ladies Philoptochos will hold a meeting in the Fireside Room following Divine Liturgy today. New members are always welcome!

"Men Who Cook"- SOLD OUT Event - Today

Our inaugural "Men Who Cook" event will be held today in the Grand Room from 5:00 – 8:00pm. This event is sold out! Tickets will NOT be available at the door. However, we will be selling HT dollars in the Gallery today following Liturgy to be used for the chef tip jars this evening. Think of this as Monopoly Money but made exclusively for tonight's event.  Please see Jan Petredis and plan on buying your HT dollars so that you can vote for your favorite chefs!

Hunger Doesn’t Stop After the Holidays - Volunteers Needed to Help Feed the Homeless at Pleasant Valley

Holy Trinity has a long-standing commitment to serve meals to the men at Pleasant Valley homeless shelter.  This organization, near our old neighborhood on the North Side, provides overnight accommodations to 30 homeless men, 365 nights each year and relies totally on volunteers to feed the men.  The following two dates in 2020 are still available, to prepare and serve these men dinner:  July 12; and Sept 13.  (They are Sunday evenings. Dinner is at 8:00pm. Our volunteers prepare and bring the cooked food to the shelter, where they serve it): Please see Mike Kritiotis today, or contact him at 412-518-0588, or at mkritiotis@gmail.com to sign up your family/group/ministry.

Services This Week:

Thursday, January 30: Note – Liturgy for Three Hierarchs moved to Holy Transfiguration Monastery (321 Monastery Lane, Ellwood City, PA 16117). Liturgy will not be held at St. George Chapel as previously scheduled.

Saturday, February 1: 7:00pm Great Vespers of Ypapanti (Presentation of Christ Church, 1672 Electric Ave, East Pittsburgh, PA 15112)

[Jan 29] “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 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.
• Wed. Jan 29, 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).

Stewardship Update

The 2019 Stewardship Year-end statements will be sent out at the end of January. Also, the 2020 Holy Trinity Stewardship Pledge Cards have been distributed and all Holy Trinity Stewards should complete one immediately. If you have not yet received a 2020 pledge card or are new to Holy Trinity, additional pledge cards can be found at the Welcome Table located in the Narthex of the church.  Our member-funded church needs each and every one of us, no matter the amount. And remember, a signed pledge card is required as part of maintaining your membership in good standing at Holy Trinity Church each year. We’re grateful to all of you for your commitment. Questions? Contact Stewardship Co-chairmen Mike Kritiotis or Ted Stewart or email stewardship@HolyTrinityPgh.org.

[Jan 27] GOYA Basketball Practice

GOYA will hold basketball practice tomorrow, Monday, January 27. Please check the GOYA email list for time and location.

[Feb 8] International Soup Sampling and Health Kit Drive to Benefit the IOCC

Please join our sister parish of Holy Cross on Saturday, February 8 from 11am to 2pm for an International Soup Sampling to benefit the IOCC. Experience tastes from around the world! Sample five homemade soups for $10 and then take your favorite quart home for an additional $10 donation. Holy Cross is located at 123 Gilkeson Rd (Mt. Lebanon) Pittsburgh, PA 15228. Questions? Contact Marianne at 412-668-0420 or marianne.carmack@gmail.com. On the same day, youth groups from all jurisdictions will assemble health kits for the IOCC. Donations are needed to purchase bulk health kit supplies. To be a sponsor, please call Nick Terezis at 740-282-5198.

[Feb 9 – Mar 8] GOYA Eyeglasses Collection for Needy

As part of the 2020 Holy Trinity Basketball Tournament, Holy Trinity GOYA will be sponsoring an eyeglasses collection to benefit the “Lions Recycle for Sight”program from February 9 thru March 8. This program helps conserve sight by providing usable eyeglasses to children and adults throughout the world. Please deposit your unneeded glasses, including sunglasses and reading glasses, in the Lions' collection box located outside the church office, or see any GOYAn. Thank you!

[Feb 14-16] Volunteers and Donations Needed for GOYA Basketball Tournament

Holy Trinity GOYA is putting out a call for all who are interested in helping with the Metropolis GOYA Basketball Tournament being hosted at Holy Trinity Church the weekend of February 14-16, 2020. Volunteers are needed as hospitality greeters and guides, gymnasium supervisors, concession stand personnel, cooks for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday meals being served at the Church, and general setup and cleanup for the beginning and end of the event. Donations are also needed to help extend our Holy Trinity hospitality to our hundreds of visitors. The deadline for donations has been extended to Sunday, February 2. See enclosed form. Although this is a GOYA event, basketball tournaments at Holy Trinity have always been a community offering of “Holy Trinity Hospitality”, and our teens will be depending on our help, since they are wrapped up in the games during the weekend. Please use the form included in the January edition of the Herald or contact Presvytera Becky (GOYA@HolyTrinityPgh.org or 412-874-5195) to volunteer or donate. Thank you!!!

Festival Cooking – IT’S BACK!

Mark your calendars NOW with these important dates! Our goal is to get at least 30 people each day so that we may finish on time!  The festival is bigger than ever and can only work if EVERYONE gives at least a few hours of THEIR time for OUR festival! Look over the dates and times below…you’ll see both evening and daytime hours, during the week and on the weekend. Everyone’s help is needed!

• Sunday, February 23, after Liturgy, 12:00pm-6:00pm - Tiropita
• Monday, February 24, 9:00am-9:00pm - Tiropita
• Thursday, March 12, 5:00pm-10:00pm - Spanakopita
• Friday, March 13, 9:00am-6:00pm - Spanakopita
• Saturday, March 14, 9:00am-6:00pm – Spanakopita
• Thursday, March 26, 5:00pm-10:00pm - Pastitsio
• Friday, March 27, 9:00am-6:00pm - Pastitsio
• Saturday, March 28, 9:00am-6:00pm - Pastitsio

2020 Philoptochos Stewardship

It is time for current Philoptochos members to renew their memberships for 2020.  Suggested annual stewardship donation is $30.00.  Checks should be made payable to “Holy Trinity Omonia.”  Please return your Stewardship form and your Stewardship donation to Pam Bolkovac, Membership chairperson, or mail to Holy Trinity Philoptochos, Attn: Membership, 985 Providence Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237. Copies of the form can be found in the January edition of the Herald and at the church office window. If you aren’t a member, we would love for you to join us!  It is only through your generous commitment of time, talent and support that we are able to pursue our philanthropic mission.

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!

In the Hospital? Home-Bound? Please let the Church Office know! 
In today’s age of information privacy, churches are not notified when parishioners are admitted to hospitals, nursing homes or other care facilities. Both those facilities and your church depend on having the church notified by a friend or family member so that pastoral care and outreach can be offered. The same goes for those homebound. If you or any of your loved ones are in any of these situations, please contact the Church Office at 412-366-8700 to request a visit from our priests or our new and wonderful Visitation Ministry. Also, interested in helping reach out to fellow parishioners in those situations? Please contact Amy Armanious at visitation@HolyTrinityPgh.org.

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 Memorials: Feb 23: Mary Alexiades (3 yrs.), Michael Alexiades (42 yrs.) and Theologia Alexiades (27 yrs.); March 1: Helen Balouris (6 months) and William H. Andromalos (10 yrs.)