THIS SATURDAY!

Philoptochos warmly invites you and your family to… 
Annual Membership Reception
Seccombe Hall 2:00 until 4:00
Dr. Nicholas Itsines ~ Speaker
Please join us for warm fellowship, live entertainment, good bites, wine & refreshments
Learn about the amazing year our chapter had in 2018 and what’s ahead for 2019
Suggested Membership Dues $45
Guests $20 ~ or any gift welcome
RSVP alex@alexandramouzas.com or 619-518-2755

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This Sunday we are blessed to host Father John Takahashi who will celebrate with us Orthros and the Divine Liturgy. Father John was the Dean of the Holy Trinity Cathedral (OCA) in San Francisco for over 12 years until he "graduated" to retirement in January 2018. Father John and Presbytera/ Matushka Robin reside in Aromas, not too far from us. We are honored to have Father John celebrate with us and to offer hospitality with much love in Christ.

Here is your chance! Packages of Homemade Valentine cookies will be for sale February 10 following the Liturgy.  ALL proceeds go to the church. So come prepared! Questions: Call Sandy Sanders at 831-229-1937.

The Sunday School classes will meet this Sunday. After lunch, preschoolers follow Presbytera Ana and Carrie and older kids Jacob and Daniel.

The purpose of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is to give children and teenagers an opportunity to learn, write, and speak about their Orthodox faith, church and heritage. This process will enhance their understanding and appreciation of their identity as Orthodox Christians and cultivate spiritual growth and maturity.

Our church will hold its parish Oratorical Festival on Sunday, March 24. There will be 3 age groups: grades 3-6, grades 7-9, and grades 10-12 with different topics and time requirements. Pre-registration is required and help with preparing the speech is available. Please contact Presbytera Ana for more information or to sign up. presbytera.ana@gmail.com. Information on topics can be found at: http://www.stjohn-monterey.org/youth-ministries/oratorical-festival

Orthodoxy 301 class:  calling on all levels, from catechumens to the life-time Orthodox: we are beginning a new cycle in the Sunday Adult Education space inspired by Father Alexander Schmemann's book "Great Lent - Journey to Pascha". This is a most excellent, much needed review and explanation of what is ahead of us. It is offered to allow all to prepare and  to engage stronger than the years before with the most blessed time of the year - the Great and Holy Lent.

The presentations will be by Father Ion. Participants are encouraged to do the readings privately in preparation for the class. They are not very long. A few copies of the book are available at our bookstore. The book is also available online. The readings for this coming Sunday are posted online as pdf files at our website here. This is to allow those interested more time to buy the book.

The remaining classes are as follows:

• February 10: The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (Chapter 3)
• February 17, Triodion begins: The Lenten Journey (Chapter 4)
• February 24: Lent in our Life (Chapter 5)

The Book Forum continues with the reading and discussion of the marvelous book Father Arseny - Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father. The book can be found at our bookstore or online here.

Brief commentary: It is one of the great mysteries of life that in atmospheres of the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive but emerge as beacons of light and life. Father Arseny, former scholar of church art, became Prisoner No. 18736 in the brutal 'special sector' of the Soviet prison camp system. In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul, he shone with the light of Christ's peace and compassion. His sights set on God and his life grounded in the Church, Father Arseny lived by injunction to 'bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2). This narrative, compiled from accounts of Father Arseny's spiritual children and others whom he brought to God, gives stirring glimpses of his life in prison camp and after his release. It also tells the stories of people whose lives, often during times of almost unimaginable crisis, were touched and transfigured through their connection with Father Arseny. Emerging from the context of the particular tragedies of Soviet Russia, this book carries a universal impact certain to be felt by readers in the West today.

• February 12: The Path - p. 99-172
• February 19: Spiritual Children - p. 175-277

The Meatfare Sunday is the last day when meat is allowed before the Great and Holy Lent begins. It is not on a Tuesday and it is not fat either! Just delicious meat - good, healthy stuff...

Our 2019 Meatfare meal (in Greek "Apokreatiko") will take place on Sunday, March 3, after the Divine Liturgy, when we will also be hosting our first OPEN HOUSE organized through the Carmel Chamber of Commerce. Stay tuned for details.

Serving this Sunday in church and at the fellowship hour following Liturgy:

February 10
   Parish Council member: Euthimios Saites
   Fellowship: Team Pink – always 2nd Sunday of the month.

February 17
   Parish Council member: Kevin Wheeler
   Greeter: Temia Demakopoulos
   Fellowship: Team Orange – always 3rd Sunday of the month.

Our 2019 stewardship budget this year is $144,000. We are now up to 47 stewards – double our last month count!! Thank you!! But this is a large gap from the 86 Stewards we had last year!

As you know, this commitment helps us to continue on our path to growing in our faith, supporting each other, and reaching out to others. It keeps the lights on and the doors open. Thank you to:

If we don’t have a stewardship card from you for 2019, we are praying it is just an oversight.  You can download one here from our web site. Once completed, either mail it in to the church or leave it in the offering tray on Sunday, with our gratitude.

It is the tradition of the Church that during the days following Theophany we receive the visit of the priest at our homes for the short service of the blessing with Holy Water, to renew the presence of the Holy Spirit in our homes, in our families and to bring the Light in our lives. This is also a great opportunity to spend quality time with our priest, Father Ion.

Please contact Father Ion to set up a time for the blessing of your home and indicate the days and the time that would work for you the best. If you have children, plan to do the home blessing when they are present as well.

Father Ion is available to hear confessions after services and also by appointment at other times. If you need to do confession, please contact Father Ion ahead of time.

Our Metropolis Summer Camp is open to campers ages 8-18 (campers entering 3rd grade in Fall 2019, or will be graduating High School in Spring 2019). Come and experience an incredible summer at St. Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA with youth and young adults from across our Metropolis as we have a blast meeting new friends, reuniting with old friends, and learning more about our beautiful Orthodox faith! Monthly payment plans are available, as this will help families spread out the cost for camp over the next 4 months. All payments are due in full by June 1, 2019. To register, a $100 non-refundable deposit is required.

2019 REGISTRATION FEE: $550 Late Registration (until May 31)

Our sister Church of Prophet Elias in Santa Cruz will host on Friday, March 1 from 6pm the premier West Coast screening of the movie: Love to the End. We will have a panel discussion after the movie with Anberin Pasha, who will be with us from Holy Cross Hellenic College in Boston, and few more people who are very familiar with the topic. Presbytera Josefina will be the moderator. Come and learn about the remarkable life of a modern saint. No admission, only free-will donations. View a preview: https://www.lovetotheend.com/

Book the date: Saturday, March 23 from 10am - 2pm. We will be having Father Aris Metrakos as our guest speaker at the Annual Lenten Retreat. Details will follow.