Welcome to Saint George Church!

“Faith is collaboration: thinking together, praying together, acting together.

The Church is not the place of my prayer but of our prayer.

We pray together and are responsible for each other.” 

-Archbishop Anastasios of Albania

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Hebrews 13:2

WELCOME!

We hope you will join us on Sundays and to participate in our various programs as you are able. Visit us online to learn about our church and our various programs. Sign up for our weekly bulletin and become a supporting member at www.SaintGeorgeNYC.org.

Today we welcome Cassandra to the chanters' stand in John's absence. Cassandra will be assited by Emilee, who is now with us on a regular basis. Serving Orthros and Divine Liturgy today will be Fr Constantine Ursache, from the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Hempstead.

VIEW THE COMPLETE MATINS SERVICE FOR TODAY IN ENGLISH & GREEK HERE.

 Sunday Service Schedule:

Matins (morning service) at 9:30

DIVINE LITURGY (Eucharist) AT 10:30 AM

Celebrated mostly in English

 JOIN US!

 Visit us on our web site and on  facebook.

      VISIT OUR MINISTRIES PAGE: CLICK HERE

“Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

MARILENA'S MEALS:  Resumes in September

Thank you to all that help and support this ministry.

On March, 15, 1965, Archbishop Iakovos joined Martin Luther King, Jr. in a historic civil rights march. Prior to the march, a memorial service was held for Rev. James Reeb, a white Unitarian minister who had been beaten to death by the Ku Klux Klan a few days earlier, for his commitment to improving housing in poor, black neighborhoods. Archbishop Iakovos’ words at the memorial follow.

I came to this memorial service because I believe this is an appropriate occasion not only to dedicate myself as well as our Greek Orthodox communicants to the noble cause for which our friend, the Reverend James Reeb, gave his life; but also in order to show our willingness to continue this fight against prejudice, bias, and persecution.

In this God-given cause, I feel sure that I have the full and understanding support of our Greek Orthodox faithful of America.

For our Greek Orthodox Church and our people fully understand from our heritage and our tradition such sacrificial involvements.

Our Church has never hesitated to fight, when it felt it must, for the rights of mankind; and many of our Churchmen have been in the forefront of these battles time and again….The ways of God are not always revealed to us, but certainly His choice of this dedicated minister to be the victim of racial hatred and the hero of this struggle to gain unalienable constitutional rights for those American brethren of ours who are denied them, and to die, so to speak, on this battlefield for human dignity and equality, was not accidental or haphazard.

Let us seek out in this tragedy a divine lesson for all of us. The Reverend Reeb felt he could not be outside the arena of this bitter struggle, and we, too, must feel that we cannot. Let his martyrdom be an inspiration and a reminder to us that there are times when we must risk everything, including life itself, for those basic American ideals of freedom, justice, and equality, without which this land cannot survive. Our hope and prayer, then, is that we may be given strength to let God know by our acts and deeds, and not only by our words, that like the late Reverend James Reeb, we, too, are the espousers and the fighters in a struggle for which we must be prepared to risk our all.

HOW FINAL WISHES ARE COMMUNICATED: It is critical that you make your wishes and plans known to your loved ones.  Our world today requires that many of these wishes be documented in a will or trust or a living will.  A living will and burial instructions can be prepared so there is no confusion at a time when it is easy to overlook important Orthodox traditions when stress and emotions are running high.  The Stewardship Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has prepared an Orthodox Living Will that can be filled in and reviewed by your family, doctor and legal advisor. It is important, and we urge you to seek competent legal and financial advice. Please contact Stewardship Ministries (stewardship@goarch.org) for a copy of the Orthodox Living Will. 

STEWARDSHIP OF FAMILY: Throughout our lives and the roles we assume within the family, we are stewards of the love, authority, trust and respect that exist among members of the family. Unlike material possessions, these are not diminished by use. But if mishandled, they can be lost. Love, authority, trust and respect require the most diligent stewardship, because once they are lost, they are most difficult to recover.

MEMORIAL SERVICES  Prayer for the dead is seen by Orthodox Christians as an essential component of our faith in Jesus Christ. Praying for those who have died is not merely an expression of mourning, it is a proclamation that Christ has risen from the dead and that, in His love, even death cannot separate us from one another! Forty days after the death of a loved one (or on the Sunday nearest to the 40 days), it is the custom of our Church to celebrate a prayer service in remembrance of the deceased known in English as a Memorial Service. In this service we ask God to “grant rest” to the deceased “in the bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16:22-23) and to place him/her “in a place of light, a place of happiness, a place of refreshment, where there is no pain, no sorrow and no suffering” (Revelation 21:4) as we did during the funeral service.

We are Stewards of the Gospel: We are called to guard the Gospel message, but not to hoard it. We are instructed not to hide our light under a bushel. As we share the voice of Christ, the message we share is one of hope, truth, grace, divine power, life and invitation. In this busy, ever-changing world, His voice of wisdom is needed to guide us in discerning what is good, what is true and what will bring us closer to Him and to one another.

Saint George Church seeks to offer:

1. A sense of Peace and Presence of God in worship;
2. Opportunities to Serve Others;
3. Meaningful opportunities for Fellowship;
4. Education in aspects of the Faith for all ages; and
5. A well-maintained and inspiring place of worship & fellowship

    SAINT GEORGE PROFESSIONALS

Our mission is to bring together professional members & friends of St George Church to form stronger friendships through events & activities. We accomplish our mission through Laughing, Learning and Giving, alternating between social, philanthropic and spiritual activities. Questions or Ideas? Contact Marissa at marissapallis@gmail.com to be added to our e-list.

WINE FOR HOLY COMMUNION If you would like to offer wine to be used for the preparation of Holy Communion at Saint George Church, you are welcome to do so. The sweet wines that we use for Holy Communion are: Mavrodaphne, Commondaria and Nama Byzantino.

 
SUNDAY PARKING: is available for $10 at ICON Parking on 54th St just east of 8th Ave. Bring your ticket to the candle stand to be validated. Effective from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM after which regular rates will apply.

 What is Christian Stewardship?

 Stewardship is caring for the needs of others.

 Stewardship is offering one’s self to God as He offered Himself to us.

Stewardship is what a person does after saying “I believe…” as proof of that belief.

 Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership

Click here

to set up regular or 1-time stewardship contributions to St. George Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE CHURCH IN YOUR ESTATE PLANNING

BEFORE YOU RESERVE YOUR WEDDING DAY

The Holy Church has a sacred obligation to uphold and abide by the spiritual guidelines which have been formulated over the ages. One of these guidelines dictates that Wednesdays and Fridays are to be observed as days of fasting, in some cases that includes Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore, weddings are prohibited on such days. In order to avoid confusion and conflict, before you reserve a reception hall you need to check with the church if that day is indeed a day when weddings are allowed.
 

SUNDAY BEFORE THE ELEVATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Carrying our Cross toward Exaltation

Rev Dr. George Parsenios

            Every Gospel opens with the ministry of John the Baptist, who is the forerunner of Christ.  But in the Gospel of John, the Baptist is more than a forerunner. He is called a witness.  And he is not the only witness.  Moses is also called a witness.  The Scriptures are a witness. Even God the Father is a witness.  Indeed, the entire Gospel is cast as the witness testimony of another John, the Evangelist (21:24).  The language of witness suggests a legal tone, and is actually an important part of what scholars call the "lawsuit motif" in the Gospel of John.  John has cast the entire ministry of Jesus as a trial.  Jesus is constantly interrogated and challenged, and other legal terms like judgment or condemnation appear throughout the Gospel.  For, Jesus' opponents believe that they are gathering evidence and building a case against him that will lead to his crucifixion.  But the central irony of the Gospel is that Jesus is not the one on trial.  He is the judge.  There is certainly a trial taking place, but Jesus is the one conducting it.  "The Father judges no one," Jesus says, "but has given all judgment to the Son" (5:22).

            It is in his final trial before Pontius Pilate that his role as judge becomes most clear. For, it is here that Jesus is enthroned on his judgment seat as King of the Jews.  But he is enthroned in a particular way.  A closer look at the Johannine Passion account will make clear the special character of his enthronement.

            The other Gospels tell us that Jesus is beaten, crowned with a ring of thorns and clad in a royal robe.  Mark’s Gospel emphasizes that this is done to mock Jesus for claiming to be a King.  The Roman soldiers are having fun with the would-be King of the Jews.  John also includes the crown of thorns, the beatings and the royal robes, but he does not call them a mockery of Jesus.  John understands the crown of thorns and the purple robe, not as the distorted ridicule of Jesus' kingship, but as its very essence.  This is what his kingship entails: to be beaten and to be given a crown of thorns.  These are the required tools of his office.  This is the kind of King he is. 

            And then, an even more surprising thing appears to happen.  John 19:13 is usually translated as follows: "When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha."  I have put in italics the phrase "sat on the judge's bench," because this typical translation is very likely incorrect.  It assumes that Pilate himself sat down to judge Jesus.  But it is possible to read the verse slightly differently, so that Pilate sat Jesus down on the judge's bench.  And, if Jesus is now seated on the judge's bench, we see yet again that Jesus is not the one on trial, but the King on his judgment seat.  This tribunal is led not by Pilate, but by Jesus, while Pilate and the Lord's accusers are the ones facing a moment of judgment.

            And now that he has been invested with the tools of his office, we might expect Jesus to be recognized by his people.  A worldly King, for instance, might be greeted with the acclamation "Long Live the King."  This is not what we get in John.  Instead, when Pilate tells the people, "Here is your King" (19:14), they respond, "Crucify Him!" (19:15). But in keeping with all that we said above, the crucifixion is actually his exaltation.  The Gospel of John often refers to the crucifixion of Jesus as his being "lifted up."  The Greek verb translated "lifted up" has two senses. The first sense refers to the physical act of his being raised up on the cross.  But, the second sense of being "lifted up" implies that he is exalted and elevated in status. Through the humiliation of being lifted up on the cross, therefore, Jesus is really lifted up in royal exaltation.  To make this even clearer, John never tells us that Jesus' purple robe was removed before he was crucified.  He is crucified with the robe still on his back, suggesting that his crucifixion is his very enthronement.  The cross is the throne of his glory.  So again, this is not a mockery of his kingly role, but its very essence.  He is the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep.  This is the kind of King that Jesus is.

            And this is also the kind of disciple that Jesus requires.  When he washes his disciples' feet in John, Jesus tells the disciples that he has given them an example to follow.  But it is not only an example of humble service.  The footwashing is a symbolic depiction of his death.  For, when he washes his followers' feet, Jesus first lays down his outer garments and then takes them up again. The phrases given here in italics call to mind what Jesus said a few chapters earlier, that the Good Shephed lays down his life, in order that he might take it up again.  The parallel phrases - lay down and take up - tell us that, when we see Jesus laying down his garments, we should hear the Good Shepherd speaking of laying down his life.  When he washes the disciples' feet, and tells them to do likewise, Jesus is really telling them to lay down their lives for one another, and to take up the cross and follow him.  He is telling them that the servant is not greater than the master, and that, if the world hated him, it will also hate them.  The followers of Christ must nevertheless be faithful as they approach and carry the cross, though its burden is sometimes great.  For, we do not carry the cross aimlessly. Like John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, we are witnesses to Christ.  And we do not carry the cross toward defeat.  We carry it toward exaltation, for the Lord has reassured us with the triumphant promise, "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world!"  (John 16:31).