This Sunday, the first of the Great and Holy Lent, is the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Bring your favorite icon to church! We will all go out for a procession holding up our icons as a witness to the incarnation of God who took flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Our church will hold its parish Oratorical Festival on Sunday, March 24.

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 current Book Forum has been a great source of enrichment for its participants and also much fun. The small group environment invites opening up to the others. We will continue the discussion of the 6th book since the Forum came into existence less than a year ago: THE FIRST FRUITS OF PRAYER - A 40-DAY JOURNEY THROUGH THE CANON OF SAINT ANDREW. The book is available at our bookstore and also online here.

The Canon of Saint Andrew is a jewel in the collection of spiritual treasures of our Church. It will be prayed in church a quarter at a time during the first evenings of Lent (March 11-14) and in its entirety on the fifth Thursday of Lent.

The assigned readings are as follows (a chapter per day):

Tuesday, March 19: Chapters 7-13
Tuesday, March 26: Chapters 14-20
Tuesday, April 2: Chapters 21-27
Tuesday, April 9: Chapters 28-34
Tuesday, April 16: Chapters 35-40

Orthodoxy 101 Class: The class will meet on the following Lenten Sundays after lunch to bring the powerful, transforming beauty of this holy season against our daily life challenges. The leading message for our group interaction will come from the book "The Lenten Spring" by Father Thomas Hopko. During the 40 days of Lent we will read a chapter per day and then on Sundays we will gather to reflect upon them. A few copies of the book are available at the bookstore. Buy the book online here.

We meet in Saint Nektarios Chapel following lunch. Our guests are invited to join the group.

The class schedule is as follows:

• March 17: Chapters 1-8
• March 24: Chapters 9-16
• March 31: Chapters 17-24
• April 7: Chapters 25-32
• April 14: Chapters 33-40

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The Church welcomes the Lenten spring with a spirit of exultation...with the enthusiasm of a child... The tone of the church services is one of brightness and light.

Thus the author begins the first of forty meditation on Great Lent, casting out the gloom and darkness with which many Christians approach this holy season and revealing, in a simple, clear and beautiful manner, its true meaning.

In his meditations, Fr Hopko draws on his long experience as a pastor and teacher, working with young and old throughout the country, to present to the modern reader the relevance of the Church's two-thousand-year-old tradition of preparing to greet our Lord's Resurrection. But in so doing he also makes extensive use of all facets of church tradition from all times inspiring scriptural and liturgical passages from the Lenten services, the spiritual wisdom of the ancient saints and fathers, as well as the teachings of modern guides to the Christian life.

All Christians who undertake the yearly journey to the blessed Pascha of our Lord will find inspiration and guidance in these meditations. All can enjoy reading and rereading them and share in the profound thoughts of the author as they make their own spiritual way through this holy season.

This coming Lent we will continue the tradition of Wednesday evening lectures after the Presanctified Liturgy. You are cordially invited to attend the services, share a Lenten dish for dinner and enjoy the presentations. Please see the Schedule of Services for the timing of these events. These are excellent opportunities to break bread together after fasting and receiving holy communion while keeping the mind and the heart in the spirit of Lent. We are blessed to have a variety of speakers, clergy and lay men and women, some local, others coming to be with us from as far as San Francisco and Squaw Valley/ Dunlap. The plan is to offer a variety of subjects as follows:

• Week 2, March 20: Discipleship in the Gospels by Jacob Voyce
• LENTEN RETREAT, March 23: Orthodoxy: A way of life and the Way of Life by Father Aris Metrakos
• Week 3, March 27: Saint Nikiforos the Leper by Dr. Michael Bachik
• Week 4, April 4: Make a Difference for Life by Carrie Voyce
• Week 5, April 10: Panagia Provides.. for the Orphanage School by Rosa Deamant
• Week 6, April 17: Great Fast and Great Feast by Father John Takahashi

Book the date: Saturday, March 23 for our Annual Lenten Retreat.

Orthodoxy: A Way of Life and the Way to Life

with Father Aris Metrakos

The schedule is as follows:

• 8:15am - Matins
• 9am - Divine Liturgy
• 10am - Retreat with Lenten potluck lunch
• 2pm - Closing Prayer

We welcome Father Aris and our guests through our hospitality and love.

Please let us know about your participation by RSVP at saintjohnmonterey@gmail.com

By God's grace and with the help and support of All Saints Church, we are blessed to own the responsibility of hosting the ladies members of the I-HELP program once a month, on the first Tuesday of the month. We will be providing a delicious dinner and fellowship on Tuesday evening and a bagged breakfast for the next day in the morning. This is a great opportunity to serve and to offer from the heart. We thank the ministry leaders Corkey and Despina for pursuing the project and the ASC leadership for making it possible. Now, time to get to work: our first time will be Tuesday, April 2.

We are excited to announce the beginning of a new ministry here at Saint John’s: Orthodox Christians for Life, Central CA. We are going to be among a larger community of Orthodox Christians, as there are chapters within the Bay Area , Southern CA, and other areas within the US.

The vision of the ministry is to promote the sanctity of all innocent human life, from birth until natural death, all with an underscoring of love and compassion to all people, regardless of what they believe about abortion: this will be a movement based out of love for others, as we see evidenced by our own precious Theotokos, as she intercedes for us on our behalf to the Lord. This ministry will also extend to the topics of euthanasia, infanticide, and child/elder abuse.

The mission of the ministry calls for a variety of tasks. We hope to promote sanctity of life issues through initiation and encouragement of education of all people starting from preschool on about the sanctity of life, to energize action within our parish and hopefully, in time, other Orthodox parishes, regardless of jurisdiction. Additionally, we will provide the members of our community with opportunities to give of our time, talent, and resources to pro-life groups, specifically starting with our very own pregnancy centers in Monterey and Salinas. We will also offer and engage in special prayer services at church and other pro-life events. More info to follow. Lastly, we want to spread the word of encouragement to those to have experienced abortion, either through a family member, close friend, or personally. There are many resources to help someone walk through a time of healing –for both men and women-that are both confidential and easy to use. Please see Carrie Voyce @ 707-344-0787 for more info.

Brothers and Sisters of Philoptochos,

The Philoptochos 2019 membership drive is in full swing.  The chapter reached great heights in 2018 by His Grace, with your love and enthusiasm for our work.  We cannot do it without your support, and invite/ask each family at St. John the Baptist to become a member of Philoptochos.   Membership application forms are on the literature table in Seccombe Hall, fill it in, send it with your pledge, and return it to the church office attention to Philoptochos. 
 
Election Announcement:
In may our chapter will hold their elections and are looking for a few good women.  If you love our church and community, and want to help the less fortunate then Philoptochos needs you.  Won’t you please consider sharing one small part of your heart with those in need and join the board of directors.  Pease contact me if you have the time to give to God and His Work.  Alexandra 619-518-2755 or reply to this email.
 
Bake Sale:  Sunday, April 21st we are taking orders for traditional fragrant 1 lb loaves of Pascha Tsoureki $10.00 each.  100% of the Pascha Bake Sale proceeds benefit HCHC.  Help us reach our goal of 150 loaves!!  YES, I want to help Philoptochos and will order _________ loaves at $10 each. 

Board meeting Sunday March 17th immediately following Divine Liturgy - board members are asked to attend.
 
The beautification of the church and the church life is traditional a task lovingly executed by the Philoptochos chapters around the world.  Please be on the look out for the beautification letter.  

The Feed the Hungry Initiative is alive and well in our very own community.  Please join us on March 27th at 10 AM as we assemble and distribute 50 lunch bags for the homeless.  If you would like to contribute please contact Christina Pressas.

How quickly time flies! It is already time for the first meeting for our 33rd Annual Greek Festival. The Custom House Plaza has been reserved and now the time has come to choose our menu, set our cooking schedule, and fill in a few vacant booth chairs. Last year we made a profit of close to $42,000, and this year we have set the goal at $50,000. I believe that if we can get the entire community to begin the work a little earlier this year, that this goal will not only be achieved, but we will surpass it. Some of this work began a few weeks after last year’s festival; I would like to thank Candace Sanders for organizing the inventory from the left-over paper goods. This will make ordering for this year’s festival much easier and I am sure will save us money, and that will help increase our profits. Anywhere that we can save from spending the church’s money, allows us to get closer (and surpass) to our goal.

Kick-off Meeting: March 18, 7pm

At the March 18 Kick-off Meeting we will be presenting new ideas that need feedback from you. This meeting is not only for the booth chairs who are kindly asked to attend, but also for anybody who would like to get involved. This is a great time to step up! Opportunities include other areas besides cooking: advertising, sponsors relationships, social media, set-up before, and clean-up after the festival - just to mention a few. We count on more ideas and collaboration to make for a more enjoyable and successful festival.

I wish to thank all of you for your last years' participation in the Festival and for picking up an active role this year as well. In particular, I would like to thank Anthony Zavitsanos, Mary Kanalakis, Sandy Sanders, Aris Dakis, and Fotis Papoulias. Without your advice and counsel, the last two festivals would have been a much more difficult endeavor. I am looking forward to working with you again this year.

Finally,  please make a note of our Pre-Festival Festival, also known as the Paschal Picnic, that will be on April 28, at the Buckeye Picnic Area at Toro Park. More details to come soon.

Yours in Christ,
Thimi Saites, Festival Chairman and Parish Council President

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

Time for hospitality and fellowship with our neighbor... We are blessed again to host the All Saints congregation for a Lenten Potluck lunch on March 31, the fifth Sunday of the month. All our fellowship teams will be on duty.

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

March 17
   Parish Council member: Brian Balcom
   Greeter: Temia Demakopoulos
   Fellowship: Orange Team – Every 3rd Sunday each month

March 24
   Parish Council member: Kevin Wheeler
   Greeter: Mary Kanalakis
   Fellowship: Green Team – Every 4th Sunday each month

This month's service in Salinas will be for the feast of Annunciation (March 25) and it will be followed by a fish potluck meal.

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.

The services for Presvytera Anastasia Karastamatis will be held at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, 223 Church Street in Santa Cruz. The Trisagion Service will be prayed on Monday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos will preside at the Funeral on Tuesday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m. The interment will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the Greek Orthodox Memorial Park in Colma, CA, followed by the Makaria at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont, CA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed in memory of Presvytera Anastasia Karastamatis to: Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, 223 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. May her memory be eternal!

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)

The PAOI and the Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont are very excited to be bringing Eikona to the Bay Area this Spring on April 5, 6, and 7!  

Eikona "is a three-sister ensemble who chant Byzantine-styled Hymns and sing Contemporary Christian Music.  Rooted in the Greek Orthodox Church, their music preserves, shares and promotes centuries’ worth of rich, musical tradition of hymns and psalmody.  Their angelic voices have been heard in services and homes around the world and continue to inspire, encourage, and excite the newest generation of Greek Orthodox and Christian music fans." (Please see www.Eikona.com for more information on the group)

Our preliminary schedule for the weekend is as follows:

FRIDAY APRIL 5, 2019 - SALUTATIONS AT HOLY TRINITY IN SAN FRANCISCO
Eikona will sing the Salutations at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco, followed by refreshments and a discussion with the group after the service.  Services will begin at 7pm. 

SATURDAY APRIL 6, 2019 - LENTEN RETREAT AT HOLY CROSS IN BELMONT 
Eikona will treat us to an interactive performance with discussion focused on families and people of all ages in the morning, followed by lunch, and then a second interactive performance with discussion focused on adults.  The second performance will also feature faculty from the PAOI and the GTU in Berkeley.  There will also be a separate activity for children during the second performance so that their parents can participate in the afternoon event.  Tentative start time is 10 am, but specific times TBA. 

SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2019 - LITURGY & YOUTH MUSIC WORKSHOP AT HOLY CROSS IN BELMONT 
Eikona will sing the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont in the morning.  In the afternoon they will facilitate a youth music workshop open to youth from all churches in the area.  Orthros begins at 8:45 am and Divine Liturgy starts at 10 am. 

Metropolis of San Francisco to host Young Adult League Conference

Labor Day Weekend 2019

Labor Day Weekend 2019 in southern California is the place to be for young adults ages 18 - 35 at the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco Young Adult League Conference. This event will offer a wide array of activities including engaging workshops, inspiring speakers, worship, fellowship, and a community service project. Mark your calendars for August 29 - September 2, 2019 because the YAL Conference is where you will want to be!

Apply to be on the YAL Conference Steering Committee:

The Metropolis YAL Conference is a great way to share your time and talents as a young adult and emerging leader of the Church. You have the opportunity to be part of the planning team for this Conference and making it a spiritually uplifting, memorable, motivating and fun weekend!

Applications are being accepted for the Steering Committee and can be found online and must be submitted by March 1, 2019. All applicants must be 21 years of age by August 1, 2019. Volunteers are needed to work in a variety of areas including: Events, Finance, Communications and Marketing, Worship, Registration and more. Share your talents, gain valuable experience, and build up this powerful ministry!

For more information, please email yalconf2019@gmail.com.