There is a quaint story about a monk who despaired of the cross God had given him and complained of it constantly. God finally relented and offered him a chance to select a different cross. He led the monk into a room filled with several crosses from which to pick. The monk was appalled at what he saw, including large crosses, bloody crosses, and crosses with nails. He wandered through the room and finally spied a lovely small silver cross, tucked away in a corner. He picked this cross and held it up saying, "I'll take this cross!" God simply replied, "But that is the cross you already have!"

You see, the monk was unaware of how relatively light his cross really was. We should ask ourselves: Is our cross that we bear really so heavy?  If so, do we willingly carry the cross God has given us? Is it light or heavy relative to the cross of the Lord or the cross others have borne?

Please join us Sunday. Divine Liturgy begins at 10 a.m.

Holy Communion is being distributed by using seperate spoon for each individual.

The procession for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will take place on Sunday, Sept. 12th.

 Please note, on Tuesday September 14th, we will also celebrate

Orthros at 8:45 a.m.

Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.

TODAY, AFTER THE PROCESSION OF THE CROSS, PROCEED TO THE CLASSROOMS TO MEET AND GREET YOUR TEACHERS. THEN, WE WILL BE OFF TO PIRATES COVE.

The update of our sound system is complete! The new sound quality is much improved. Come Sunday and hear, and then lend your feedback to the Parish Council. Thank you very much to all those who contributed and made this upgrade possible.

Fr. Milton Gianulis is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom Orthodox Study Group. We meet weekly from the comfort of your own home. Join us beginning again on Thursdays, 7 p.m., beginning again on Sept. 9th. Log in using the link below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85443892141?pwd=U283M1VRcUhCTXFRM0d5WXJIeGxuUT09

Meeting ID: 854 4389 2141 Passcode: 315679

"O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." (Ps. 96)

For all persons interested in joining the choir, we will have our first practice in the sanctuary of St. Demetrios on September 21st at 6pm. No experience is required! Please contact Daniel Monahan if you have any questions at monahand@vt.edu.

Fr. Makarios an ordained priest/monk of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai will be visiting St. Demetrios. There will be a slide presentation and discussion with Fr. Makarios on Sunday, November 21st, after the Divine Liturgy. Mark your calendars now.

Although we do not have a Greek School per se, we are offering Greek Language classes for children and adults. For more information, contact Demetra Demetriou at demetrademetriou7@hotmail.com

The dates are set: October 15, 16 and 17. The co-chairmen are Nick Vlahakis and Maria Reed. If you would like to help with the planning and preliminary work, contact either Nick or Maria. If you don't know who they are, Fr. Milton will be happy to introduce you. With your support, we look forward to a successful Festival.

...especially during this difficult time, call your priest for pastoral needs, but understand that he is not a mind reader.  If you are sick and hospitalized, or have any other pastoral or sacramental need, do not hesitate to call him. Fr. Gianulis can always be reached by calling the church phone number, 220-0994.  If he is not in, leave a message and he will return your call at his earliest convenience.

Our St. Demetrios parish serves as a collection point for FISH, Inc. of Williamsburg. Please leave your donations in the boxes marked for nonperishable food and clean serviceable clothing in the room to the left of the narthex as you enter the church. FISH depends entirely upon donations of nonperishable food, clean serviceable clothing, volunteers, and financial donations to serve our neighbors in need. It is an all-volunteer not-for-profit, providing help to residents of the greater Williamsburg area. They are located at Messmer Historic Triangle Community Services Center 312 Waller Mill Road, #800, Williamsburg, VA 23185. Visit their webpage or call 757-220-9379.

We really do get support from those who use Amazon Smile and designate St. Demetrios as the charity of choice. We could do so much better if everyone would designate St. Demetrios as your Amazon Smile Charity when doing your online shopping.

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Same products, same prices, same service, but we get a donation. Click the link below to learn more.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-4454773

Updates on Orthodox Church news items can be found on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=saint%20demetrios%20greek%20orthodox%20church%20-%20williamsburg%20va.

We now have a Go Fund Me page for St. Demetrios. Help spread the word on it, share it with friends and boost it if you can.  That can be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.