Read the Encyclical of Archbishop Elpidophoros for the Feast Day of the Holy Cross.
In Lieu of Festival Giving
This weekend marks what would have been our Annual Greek Festival. Let us reflect on this while offering prayers for the health and resilience of our parishioners, their families, our community, and our world. Let us look forward to the days we can once again come together without restriction to work in fellowship and share our church home with the community safely.
Until that time, the loss of our festival does present us with a significant financial hardship. As you know, all festival proceeds go directly towards supporting the operating expenses of our parish. This has been a primary catalyst for embarking on our “FAITH and LIGHT for All Generations” campaign with the goal of raising $125,000 to offset losses caused by the pandemic.
This weekend, when we would normally be enjoying our festival--the fellowship, the fun, the music, the dancing, the food, the pastries, the Greek beer, the Ouzo--we humbly ask that you reflect on what you may have spent leading up to the festival and throughout festival weekend, and consider offering this amount as a donation to our FAITH and LIGHT campaign.
We understand this time is impacting everyone in many ways and, therefore, all expressions of love for our church are deeply appreciated. It is your love that keeps alive the Faith and Light of our church, now and for generations to come.
Young Adult Virtual Book Club
Attention all young adults!
St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church is starting a virtual book club! Through the Telos Project at Hellenic College Holy Cross, a project dedicated to engaging young adults in their communities, we are receiving funds to buy books for participants. Discussions will be held on Zoom (TBA).
If you are interested, please contact Kirsti Settas at ksettas@nevada.unr.edu or the church office at saintanthonyreno@sbcglobal.net will be held on Zoom (TBA).
High-School Youth: The Relationship Project is an all-inclusive program that engages teens in today’s most needed conversations. We will launch this program later in September.
This program is presented in a visually stunning and highly engaging format: Teens will have fun connecting with each other as they learn the timeless wisdom and freedom that is found in the Orthodox Faith. It is composed of three connected parts, with multiple sequential teaching segments, The Relationship Project brings the teens into an exciting exploration of how they were designed by God, and what that design means within their relationships. By exploring all three Parts of The Relationship Project, our teens will discover who they are as children of God, how they were designed to be in relationship with others, with themselves, and ultimately with God. See our flyer below.
If you have a young person interested in this program please let us know. Send an email to fatherstephen@att.net
Here is the link for the Children's Word bulletin for this Sunday, September 13th
Evening Online Orthodoxy Class starts this Wednesday! It is intended for inquirers, catechumens & parishioners wanting to learn more about Orthodox Christianity. This class will be online via ZOOM on Wednesday evenings at 7pm.
Dates, Topics & References:
Sept. 16: Introduction & Orthodox Church History
Text: Orthodox Life, An Introduction to Orthodoxy = OL (OL pages 7-41)
Sept. 23: Orthodox Church History 2 (OL pages 7-41)
Sept. 30: Who is God? (OL pages 42-53)
Oct. 7: Creation (OL pages 54-62)
Oct. 14: What is the ‘Fall of Mankind’? (OL pages 64-69)
Oct. 21: How are We Saved? (OL pages 70-80)
Oct. 28: What is the Orthodox Way of Life? (OL pages 81-91)
Nov. 4: Mysteries or Sacraments of the Church (OL pages 92-131)
Nov. 11: Ascetic Practices & Orthodox Way of Life cont’d (OL pages 133-153)
Break for the Nativity Fast and Holidays
To receive a digital link to the text and a ZOOM invite, please contact Father Stephen by emailing him at fatherstephen@att.net
Bible Study Resumes Online on Thursday morning, September 24th at 11am. Please RSVP to receive a ZOOM invite by contacting Father Stephen at fatherstephen@att.net
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
Pastoral Visits & Holy Communion
For setting dates, sacraments, memorial services, personal counseling, confessions, sick calls and personal visitations that may include receiving Holy Communion, please call the church office (775-825-5365) and speak with Father Stephen or e-mail at fatherstephen@att.net. You may also contact Maria at the church office or email saintanthonychurch@sbcglobal.net
Please make sure you are receiving regular email updates from the parish. Get on our list by emailing saintanthonychurch@sbcglobal.net
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.)
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!