Calendar

Upcoming Events

July 19 to July 27, 2020

Sunday, July 19

+ST. MACRINA

8:15AM ORTHROS

9:30AM DIVINE LITURGY

Monday, July 20

+PROPHET ELIAS/ELIJAH

Tuesday, July 21

6:30PM Parish Council Meeting

Wednesday, July 22

+ST. MARY MAGDALENE & ST. MARKELLA

+FAST DAY

Thursday, July 23

+RIGHTEOUS HANNAH

Friday, July 24

+ST. CHRISTINA

+FAST DAY

6:30PM AKATHIST HYMN (Outdoor)

Saturday, July 25

+DORMITION OF ST. ANNA

9:30AM Divine Liturgy in Eau Claire, WI

Sunday, July 26

+STS. PARASKEVE & HERMOLAOS

8:15AM ORTHROS

9:30AM DIVINE LITURGY

Monday, July 27

+ST. PANTELIEMON

Announcements

Sign up for Divine Liturgy July 19

Follow this link to sign up for Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 19 at 9:30 am https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-divine5

Sign-up for Divine Liturgy July 26

Follow this link to sign up for services on Sunday, July 26 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-divine6

Click the links below to stream upcoming services

YouTube Channel

Facebook Page

Virtual Fellowship Hour

The next virtual Fellowship Hour will be on Sunday, July 26, following Divine Liturgy. Log in here https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83860479574.

You do not have to have Zoom to participate. Those interested may simply call in. Call (301) 715-8592 and enter the Meeting ID: 838 6047 9574.

Sunday School Teacher Wanted

Interested in serving with Sunday School? Looking for someone to teach 2nd and 3rd grades, either in person or remotely. If interested, please contact Aida at aidaabebe1@gmail.com or 651-434-7826.

Loaves and Fishes

Our next meal is scheduled for Monday, August 3 at Saint Matthews in West St. Paul. We begin around 4:30 pm and will finish before 6:30 pm. We will all be wearing masks and social distancing to serve a take-out meal. Please consider helping this worthwhile mission that has continued throughout the pandemic and social crisis- contact George Mastrogiorgis if you are interested.

Opportunities to Serve

From August until the end of the year- we have opportunities available the first week of every month to serve a hot, nutritious meal to the hungry at either Loaves and Fishes or FOCUS. Please consider volunteering to help make a difference. Dates are August 3, September 6, October 5, November 1 and December 7. Contact George Mastrogiorgis to reserve a volunteer spot.

2020 College Scholarship Winner

The winning essay in this year’s John Pitsavas Memorial Scholarship is by Dinah Lampros. Thank you to Mrs. Theologia Pitsavas for generously sponsoring this scholarship! Congratulations Dinah!

Memory Eternal

A 40-day memorial service will be held for Nancy Lambros and for Vasilios Skiada next Sunday, July 26, following Divine Liturgy.

Outdoor Services

Over the next few weeks, we will be celebrating some additional outdoor services. Please join us in August for Paraklesis on the church lawn. Dates are listed below. Services will take place at 6:30 pm, weather permitting. If a service is canceled due to weather, a LISTSERV (parish email service) notification will be issued. If you know someone that is not currently signed up for LISTSERV to receive Sunday bulletins, news updates, funeral notices, etc, please ask them to contact the church office!

Paraklesis Services at 6:30 pm:

Saturday, August 1
Wednesday, August 5
Friday, August 7
Wednesday, August 12

Community Coffee Klatch

Join us on Friday, August 14 from 2:00-3:00 pm for a virtual St. George Community Coffee Klatch. Call-in or Zoom-in. We will provide the call-in number and Zoom link, you provide your own coffee, tea, and snacks. Contact information will be in next week's E-bulletin. Participants are encouraged to find a quiet spot in the back yard or in their homes and join together for fellowship. We hope that you will join us!

2020 Greek Summer Festival Update

Due to Covid-19 and the need to keep our community and volunteers safe, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our Greek Summer Festival that was scheduled for the weekend of August 22-23, 2020. However, we still wanted to celebrate Greek culture, food, dance, charity, and help support our church. Instead of the Greek Summer Festival, we are happy to announce the Greek Festival Odyssey!

During the weekend of August 22-23, we will encourage our festival community to visit participating restaurants for take-out or social distancing dining and enjoy some of the same Greek food, desserts, coffee, and refreshments that we typically serve at our summer festival. To complete their Odyssey, we will also encourage our quests to donate a grocery bag of non-perishable food to our favorite mission, FOCUS MN, to help those in need in our St. Paul community. There will be prizes for those that complete their quest.

If there are any in the community who have a restaurant or know of a restaurant owner who may be interested in adding their restaurant in our Odyssey, please contact Phyllis Kapetanakis phylliskapetanakis@gmail.com. We thank those who have already signed up!

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15

Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.

When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.

All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from Matthew 5:14-19

The Lord said to his disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Saints and Feasts

July 19

Macrina the Righteous, sister of St. Basil

Saint Macrina, the elder sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, was sought after by many as a bride because of her beauty, wisdom, and illustrious birth, and in tender youth was espoused by her parents to a bridegroom of fitting nobility. When her betrothed died, Macrina refused any other suitors, and devoted herself to a life of virginity, asceticism, and prayer. When her brother Basil returned from a brilliant career in the best schools of Constantinople and Athens, puffed up with not a little youthful pride-for knowledge puffeth up-it was the ardent admonitions and holy example of his blessed sister that persuaded him to turn from seeking worldly glory to the service of God. Saint Macrina founded a convent, where she ended her earthly life in the year 379, and was buried by her brother Gregory, who wrote a moving account of her last days and his grief at seeing such a light pass out of the world.

Wisdom of the Fathers

"But whosoever shall do and teach," said He, "shall be called great." For not to ourselves alone, should we be profitable, but to others also; since neither is the reward as great for him who guides himself aright, as for one who with himself adds also another.

St. John Chrysostom

Homilies 15 and 16 on Matthew 5, 4th Century

Since he who cannot teach himself, yet attempts to set others right, will have many to ridicule him. Or rather such a one will have no power to teach at all, his actions uttering their voice against him.

St. John Chrysostom

Homilies 15 and 16 on Matthew 5, 4th Century

In Other News

OCMC Trek for Missions

Join the Orthodox Christian Mission Center's Virtual Trek for Missions by gathering a team to run, walk, or cycle between August 9-September 14 to raise funds for Orthodox missions. See insert; register at http://ocmc.convio.net/site/TR/Trek4Missions/General?fr_id=1080&pg=entry. For questions, email events@ocmc.org.

We are exploring the idea of having a St. George group participate in a local hike in the Metro area. Please reply to this email if you are interested.

Red Cross Blood Drive July 31

Hosted by Lexington-Hamline Community Council, a blood drive will take place in the St. George social hall from 1-7 pm on Friday, July 31. To schedule an appointment go to https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&range=10&zipSponsor=LexHamCC, or call 1-800-733-2767. Free COVID-19 antibody testing is available to donors.

Archived Sermons

Archived sermons are hosted on our YouTube Channel - St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Paul, MN. If you missed a service, visit https://www.youtube.com/c/StGeorgeGreekOrthodoxChurchofSaintPaulMN.

Giving in 2020

93 pledges have been received as of July 15, averaging $1,568, totaling $145,870. Our annual parish budget is approx. $350,000. Planning out your 2020 stewardship offerings: 1. Pray for God’s inspiration and guidance. 2. Plan/budget stewardship first. 3. Challenge oneself to grow and give with joy (our individual goal is 3% of our yearly income). 2020 orange pledge cards are available; contact the office. We thank you for supporting the ministries of our parish!

Looking for a Painter

A family at church is looking to pay someone to paint their house. Please email info@stgeorgegoc.org if you are interested and we will forward your contact info to the family.

July Update from FOCUS MN

A July 20^th Zoom meeting is scheduled for volunteers to learn about FOCUS projects, current volunteer opportunities, etc. Also, stay tuned for information about the FOCUS virtual Fall Fundraiser celebrating 10 years of service! Details about these events and more can be found in the FOCUS monthly newsletter in the Inserts section.

Bulletin Inserts

General Information

Contact Information

Services Schedule

Past Bulletins