Here is the link for the Children's Word bulletin for this Sunday, July 19th
Reminders & Guideline Adjustments
You do not need to sign up for services held Monday-Saturday. These are open on a first-come first-seated basis until capacity is reached.
Please do not congregate in the Narthex or Small Hall after church.
We all miss seeing each other and it is natural to want to visit, but for the health and safety of all it is important that we continue to move outside after services and maintain social distancing standards.
In accordance with the Governor’s recent new directive on face coverings we have slightly altered our mask policy as follows:
o Face masks/coverings are required for everyone 10 years of age and older.
o Children ages 2-9 are strongly encouraged to wear a mask/covering.
o Masks/coverings are prohibited for children under age 2.
o Any exceptions will be in accordance with the guidelines of the state directive. More information can be found on the Nevada Health Response Website
Live Streaming
All scheduled services are being live-streamed on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/saintanthonychurchreno/.We have seen great improvement with the quality of our streaming, but we are still learning. We now have someone at church monitoring the live-streaming and correcting issues as they arise. If your video freezes or disconnects, please refresh your screen. Sometimes you will need to look for a new post to pick up on services where they cut out. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we learn and grow with this capability. It is a blessing to be able to connect with those at home in this way.
Parishioners who are sick or at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are strongly encouraged to refrain from attending services at this time. This includes those who are 65 or older, have underlying medical conditions, have been exposed to the virus, or are experiencing symptoms of illness. (If you are high-risk with underlying health challenges, you can make a personal appointment with Father Stephen to receive Holy Communion during the week.)
ENCYCLICAL from the THE HOLY EPARCHIAL SYNOD of the GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
“And Let Our Cry Come Unto Thee” Sunday, July 19, 2020
To the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Again and most fervently, the Members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, write to you with urgency, determination, and great faith; for we have heard your cries of anguish and pain over the seizure of the Great Church of Holy Wisdom, our Ἁγία Σοφία. We know that your hearts are broken and, for you as well as our Ἁγία Σοφία, we have spoken out and will continue to do so “in season and out of season,” (εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως, II Timothy 4:2), and we will not relent in our pursuit of justice and righteousness.
Therefore, knowing that on Friday, July 24th, there will be an ‘inauguration’ of this program of cultural and spiritual misappropriation and a violation of all standards of religious harmony and mutual respect, we call upon all the beloved faithful of our Holy Archdiocese to observe this day as a day of mourning and of manifest grief. We urge you to invite your fellow Orthodox Christians and indeed all Christians and people of goodwill to share in the following observances.
We ask that every Church toll its bells in lamentation on this day. We call for every flag of every kind that is raised on the Church property be lowered to half-mast on this day. And we enjoin every Church in our Holy Archdiocese to chant the Akathist Hymn in the evening of this day, just as we chant it on the Fifth Friday of the Great and Holy Fast.
Let us, in this time of grief and mourning, appeal to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. She is the “only Hope of the hopeless” (Ἡ τῶν ἀπελπισμένων μόνη Ἐλπίς), and as we chant to Her in the Akathist, “the Repository of the Wisdom of God, the Treasury of His Foreknowledge” (Σοφίας Θεοῦ Δοχεῖον, Προνοίας Αὐτοῦ Ταμεῖον, οἶκος Ρ).
Therefore, with complete faith in the Foreknowledge of our Trinitarian God, and in the Divine Plan for our salvation (oἰκονομία), we entrust the future of our beloved Ἁγία Σοφία to His Wisdom, and we supplicate She who is the very Treasury of that Knowledge and the Repository of that Wisdom to intercede for us, to comfort us, to give us Her strength, and to manifest to us Her counsel, that we may ever do and say that which is pleasing in the sight and in the hearing of Her Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, Who together with the Holy Spirit is worshipped One God, unto the ages of ages. Amen!
With paternal love in our Lord Jesus Christ,
† ELPIDOPHOROS, Archbishop of America, Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit, Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago
Online Giving Portal for Stewardship & Donation Offerings
The Online Giving Portal can be accessed through our Church Website by clicking the new “Donations & Stewardship” tab. This functionality is secured for your protection and gives you the opportunity to make a one-time contribution or set up a recurring offering.
Our traditional ways of accepting offerings remain the same – the portal has been added for those who prefer the convenience of online giving. It also helps to mitigate the risks associated with handling cash. Our office remains open during weekdays and at services a collection tray will be placed in the Narthex (as a health and safety precaution it will not be passed).
Also be reminded it is still important to fill out a Stewardship Pledge card each year - this helps us to plan and budget effectively. If you have not completed one yet, please view and print a 2020 Stewardship Commitment Card by clicking on this address: http://www.saintanthonyreno.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Pledge-Card-PDF.pdf
Our prayers remain with you, your families, our community and our world for good health, strength, peace, and resilience now and in the days ahead!
Festival Update – July 2020
The festival committee continues to meet regularly and is closely monitoring the safety, health and social distancing guidelines unfolding before us. As the course of this pandemic and its impact has evolved, the realities for our festival are becoming clearer – we are now working with the expectation of a significantly reduced event and possible cancellation.
We understand the weight and implication of such decisions about our festival. We find inspiration in the leadership of our Parish, Metropolis and Archdiocese, keeping faith in God and the safety of parishioners, guests and communities as our top concern.
At the beginning of June, and with the blessing of the Parish Council, we made the decision to narrow our focus to exploring the feasibility of a To Go Only variation of our festival. We are not yet sure if this will be an economically viable option for us but do believe it to be the most realistic approach we can take.
Since our decision we have seen the Nugget’s Rib Cook-Off and the Balloon Races cancel, and the Governor announce mandatory face coverings, as well as a pause of plans to move into Phase III. This isn’t a deterrent to our analysis of the To-Go Only option, but it does reinforce the restrictions we will likely be working under through our preparation months and into festival weekend.
We have met with other festival planners throughout the Metropolis and know all parishes are faced with very similar challenges. Most have also narrowed on a To Go only approach or have made the difficult decision to cancel their festival. Many creative ideas have been shared that we will consider as we contemplate our options.
The prayers of the Festival Committee for good health and resilience remain with you and our community. We will update you as decision are made. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out with any ideas, suggestions, or questions – all are welcome and appreciated. renogreekfestival@yahoo.com
Church Music Scholarship Applications
Dear Reverend Fathers, Music Directors, and Church Musicians,
Sending our prayers your way for a safe and blessed summer. Please remember that there is still time to apply for a share of the $4,000 of scholarship funds available to any church musician who wishes to increase his or her skill and education in church music arts! This is an incredible opportunity to make the most of the time while we are waiting to fully return to providing music in our services. Refer to this link on our website for full details and application materials.
https://sfchurchmusic.org/#scholarships
FIRM DEADLINE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS IS AUGUST 15, 2020
Also, please be sure to check out our ministry’s YouTube video channel featuring excellent instructional materials that may be utilized during this and any time. Our videos have two primary playlists: Theory/Music Literacy and Hymnology. We will be continually adding sub-playlists that cover more specific cycles and topics (see the Matins Gospel cycle). Please e-mail us if you have suggestions for topics you would like to see featured. Subscribe to the channel and never miss our regular video postings!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-aehxCuwfPePrVWB7kljmQ
As always, your questions and comments are more than welcome.
May the peace and protection of God be with us all. Keep singing!