The Service of Supplication (Paraklesis) to the Most Holy Theotokos

On August 1st begins the Dormition Fast in preparation to the “falling asleep” of the Most Holy Theotokos.  The Service of Supplication (Paraklesis) to the Most Holy Theotokos will be held at 6:30 pm on: August 1-2, 6-9, 12-13.

A Paraklesis is a service of supplication specifically for the living. Please fill out the names of those you would like to pray for and submit the names to the church office or bring the names with you to church in the evening. Most Holy Theotokos save us!

Thursday 8/8 @6:30pm

+Paraklesis Service 

Friday 8/9 @10:30am 

Dormition Lenten Study

Friday 8/9 @6:30pm 

+Paraklesis Service

Saturday August 10^th
at 10am Ken and Samantha (Pallis) Westberg will baptize their daughter

August 5, 2019 Mass Shooting Tragedies
 

The Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy  Esteemed Members of the Metropolitan Council, Esteemed Members of the Parish Councils, Philoptochos Sisterhood, Faculty and Students of the Catechetical and Greek Afternoon Schools, Directors and Participants of all Youth Organizations, and all devout Orthodox Christians of the Communities of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey 
 
My Beloved in the Lord,
 
 Once again our nation has endured too much heartache, too much anguish, and far too much loss when we experienced not just one, but two mass shootings this past week, specifically in El Paso, Texas and in Dayton, Ohio. At least twenty-nine have lost their lives and dozens more wounded due to the vicious and senseless acts of two persons filled with anger and hate since it appears that in at least one of these events, race was the impetus for the attack. Such malice towards one other human being is inconceivable enough, but to target this many people is simply evil. 
 
 Some may ask themselves, “Why does God allow this to happen?” Why does He allow even one person to die this way, much less twenty-nine? The answer may lay in the fact that God listens to our prayers and He hears our supplications, but He also provides us with the ability to use our freedom to combat these evils. These shooters were not born like this. They did not grow up in childhood wanting to do this. They were not created with hatred in their hearts and a proclivity to kill. God made humanity inherently good since we are all made in His image and likeness. It is because of the fall and because we as a society continuously fail to address these pressing issues that these tragedies continue.
 
 God has given us the intelligence, the rationality, and the aptitude for confronting these issues using our own freedom. The question then becomes, what are we doing to confront these problems? Hundreds of thousands of Americans, family and friends, co-workers and neighbors, suffer with untreated psychological issues. The plague of racism and hatred against fellow human beings is a continuous blight on our society that we have not yet fully addressed. Balancing personal freedoms with common-sense solutions contributes to our inability to protect our communities. All of these and several other issues are at the root of this problem. 
 
Above all, the main issue is that many have forgotten how to see the person of Christ in their neighbor. If we were able to come to this simple yet profound realization, there would be no evil in the world. It is something we must work at achieving and it is something that cannot be kept only to ourselves, but shared with all people. 
 
My beloved in the Lord, these tragedies have tried our spirits, but we must not lose heart that, with the Lord’s help and in allowing Him to guide us to address these underlying issues, we may overcome the pain these heartbreaking events. The psalmist tells us, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). Though our nation has suffered much in these past few days we can be confident, if we place our trust in God and put our faith into action, that love, tolerance, and peace will prevail. I pray you all endeavor to live Christ-like lives and to spread the joy of the Gospel so that we may combat evil by using love as our weapon of peace. 
 
 
    
With Paternal Love and Blessings, 
 
 
† E V A N G E L O S Metropolitan of New Jersey

It is our summer tradition that all coffee hour trays will benefit our Ministries. We all share the responsibility of bringing food. Please bring a cake, cookies, fruit, etc. to church with you from time to time to add to our coffee hour table. Or, arrange to host a coffee hour by contacting the church office. If we do not have someone to host and/or sponsor the coffee hour, we will not be able have one on that particular Sunday. 

Thanking-you in advance for your participation this summer.

August: 8/11 Melekos, 8/15 Kelly, 8/18 Frangoudis, 8/25 need host

September: 9/1 Philoptochos, 9/8 PTA, 9/15 no Coffee hour we will be at Asbury Park, 9/22 DOP, 9/29 GOYA

BAGELS for Sunday Coffee hour are donated by ALPHA BAGELS located on Route 10 in Randolph, NJ. We thank them for their generosity and continued support. 

Rummage Sale: To benefit St. Andrew Church

Friday, Sept. 6, from 9am-4pm & Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9am-4pm

The St. Andrew Philoptochos is looking for items you no longer want or need.

Don’t fill the landfills -- your trash may be someone else’s treasure! Electronics, small appliances and costume jewelry are popular items. We will accept any clean, unbroken, useful items (except tube TVs and baby/child car seats). You may begin dropping your items off at church on August 16. If you would like to volunteer to help during the month of August or it you have any questions about donating items, contact:  Mary Michailidis mmichailidis@yahoo.com or Eleni Constantinides, Maro Schuster, Marina Venizelo

Stewardship Update  8/7/19:

We would like to thank everyone who submitted their 2019 Christian Stewardship Commitment. 187 families have sent in their pledges Totaling  $182,090.   

Total Operating Budget 2019 $ 800, 000

Stewardship Income $350,000 | $182,090 committed to date)

Fundraising Income $450,000

Balanced Budget $800,000.

If you have not already made your commitment to Saint Andrew church, we ask that you prayerfully consider your blessings and submit your 2019 pledge today.

Online Giving System – WeShare click on link and follow instructions  
https://standrewgonj.churchgiving.com/ws/opportunities/ our website/ or call the office

Save the dates  

Sept 6-7: Rummage Sale  

Sept 8: 1st Day of Sunday School 

Sept 12: 1st Day of Greek School 

Sept 19: 1st Day of Greek Dance 

June 12-13-14, 2020: 50th Anniversary of our BigGreekFestival 

We’d like to be able to better communicate with everyone on social media where appropriate.

Please Like Us / Follow Us on our church Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Religious-Organization/St-Andrew-Greek-Orthodox-Church-Randolph-NJ-758987230951158/ 

If you would like us to remember you or your loved one in our prayers, please contact the office. 973-584-0388

Names will be kept on this list for approximately 3 months. Please resubmit Names if needed.   Fr. John will pray for the Names above during the Proskomide “Offering of gifts” during the first part of the Divine Liturgy when our priest prepares the mystical gifts of bread and wine. Please keep these names in your prayers as well.

John, Nicos, Hannah, Christos, Theoseva, George, Genevieve, Christine, Anna, Louis, Marilyn, Suriana, Antonios, John, Maria, Dimitry Elias, Evangelia, George, Lois, Kyriaki, John, Rose, Evmorfia, Fr. Demetri, Prz Spyridoula, Eugenia, Constantinos, Eftychia, Kyzoula, Lukas, Athanasios, Angeliki, Christian, Olga, Efthimia, Demitra, Antonia,Anna Christina, Ronnie, Stephanie, Lukas, Zoe, Spyridoula, Maria, Eugenia, Alexa, Eleni, Vasiliki, Rosemary, Corinne, Sophia, Stavroula, Konstantinos, Anastasia, Pamela, Brian, Brandon, Irene, Eleutherios, Panayioti, William, Kyriaki, Panayiota, Beatrice, Demetrios, Andreas, Ioanna, Marykate, John, Konstantinos, Barbara, Despina, Eleni, Bonnie, Richard, Mary, Petros, Demosthenes, Norma, Beatrice, Geoffrey, Theonimfi, Alexandra, Kathy, John, Reggie, Shannon, Yiota, Christopher, Asimina, Margarita, Ellen, Konstantinos, Despina, Margaret, Georgia, Antonios, Maria, Kleo,

Prayer for a Sick Person:

Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal (me) Your servant from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant (me) patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health.  Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed.  I pray that You heal (me) as Your servant and grant (me) the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen