Schedule of Services

Note: week-day services are posted on Zoom.

Saturday, September 4
    5:00pm Vespers
Sunday, September 5
    8:30am Matins
    9:45am Liturgy
    11:15am 40 days Memorial for Colonel Gus Moutos
Monday, September 6 - Labor Day
    No service
Tuesday, September 7
    9:00am Matins - Church University
    5:30pm Vespers
Wednesday, September 8 Nativity of the Theotokos
    8:00am Matins + Liturgy
    10:00am Book Forum: Big in Heaven
    6:00pm Vespers
    7:00pm Faith and Fellowship: Characters of the Old Testament (1/6)
Thursday, September 9 Saints Joachim & Anna
    9:00am Matins - Church University
Friday, September 10
    9:00am Matins - Church University
Saturday, September 11
    5:00pm Vespers
Sunday, September 12
    8:30am Matins
    9:45am Liturgy
    11:15am Philoptochos Supports HCHC
    12:00pm Catechism Class

See the whole calendar at http://www.stjohn-monterey.org/parish-calendar

Special Services

The 40-day Memorial Service for Colonel Gus Moutos will take place this Sunday at the end of the Divine Liturgy. This will be the time for us to remember Gus in prayer and to share memories about him. Our parishioners who serve in the military are invited to wear their uniform and to participate in the memorial service.

Also this Sunday, we will remember Kent Mitchel (1 year).

May their memory be eternal!

Greek Festival News

OUR 'NO FESTIVAL FUND' HAS BEEN LAUNCHED

Our thanks to the parishioners below who have given a combined total of $9,550. We are attempting to raise $30,000 in expenses and lost profits the festival would have brought. Won’t you join the list of those committed to compensate?

Thank you to:

Corkey & Brian Balcom - Father Ion, Presbytera Ana - Olga Drumev - Janel Fraij - Michel Georgariou - Michael & Maria Hahn - Mike & Mary Kanalakis - Shirley - Manis - Thimi & Charlotte Saites - Renate-Karen Wunsch - Jim & Angela Wagoner - Jamie Wojtal - Rania & Anthony Zavitsanos

We are all so grateful to you for quickly stepping in.

Offer to the No-Festival Fund here:

Stewardship News

ANNUAL STEWARDHSIP APPRECIATION

Annual Stewardship Appreciation Lunch
Saturday, September 25

A thank you to this year’s Stewards
&
2021 Stewardship Launch

Lunch at Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club
31 Wharf #2, Monterey, CA
11 am to 4 pm
CHILDREN WELCOME!

Nautical Theme – Dress is Casual
Hot Dogs and Hamburgers plus, plus, plus
Admission is a completed 2022 Stewardship Card or $45

RSVP required:

contact Mary Kanalakis at 831-657-7018 with number attending
and number children in your party

OUR MISSION & VISION

Our VISION:

Our Orthodox community seeks transformation in Jesus Christ and to bring people to Christ.

Our MISSION:

Worship: We worship God in the Divine Liturgy and other services and the Sacraments.
Education: We offer and participate in adult and youth education to enhance our spiritual life.
Living the Gospel: We follow the teachings and commandments of Christ in our lives.
Community: We grow as a family in Christ and we serve Him within and outside the parish.

2021 STEWARDSHIP STATUS

A Ministry Led by Mary Kanalakis

We are 3/4 the way through the year. Please take a look at your Stewardship giving. It may need updating or improving as we move back into regular activities. Open your Stewardship account in Breeze here: BREEZE LOGIN

Many thanks to our 2021 Stewards. 70 families or individuals are now stewards. And thank you to the 16 (23%) of these families who have committed to percent giving. It is such a blessing for these families to lead us on the path to becoming a tithing parish.

Our pledged total so far is $134,098, or 83% of our budget goal. We are four fifths of the way there.

If you have not yet completed a 2021 pledge card, please complete the Stewardship Card ONLINE!! Just Click: I WANT TO SIGN UP NOW!

Living the Gospel

News & Events

NEW: FAITH AND FELLOWSHIP FALL 2021 SESSION

A ministry led by Paige Benton

The small groups Faith and Fellowship will resume in September. We will again be meeting from 7pm, after the Paraklesis, on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month via Zoom and, for those who desire, in person as well.

Characters of the Old Testament

September 8 - God's Greatest Dream - Genesis 1
September 22 - Abraham Answers God's Call - Genesis 12
October 13 - Abraham's Great Test - Genesis 22
October 27 - Jacob, "The Deceiver" - Genesis 27
November 10 - Moses Seeks Justice - Exodus 2
November 17 - The Exodus from Egypt - Exodus 12

Adult Education

NEW: SERVE AT THE FOOD BANK

A Ministry Lead by Despina Hatton

The Ladies I-HELP ministry continued during the COVID period until a few months ago when it closed. We thank Despina for leading that effort with exemplary dedication and for her initiative to discover new ways for us to serve the larger community.

Starting September, Saint John the Baptist Church will participate in the food distribution project at the Food Bank location in Seaside. We have committed to providing 8 people to serve once a month on the following Tuesdays, 8:30-10:30am:

September 14, October 12, November 9 and December 14.

Community

BOOK FORUM: BIG IN HEAVEN

A ministry lead by Kathy Shaw

Our book forum is discussing Big in Heaven: A Collection of Stories About Life in an American Orthodox Parish. There are still a few copies available at the bookstore.

These stories begin to paint a new kind of Icon, that of a truly American Orthodox Christian, of regular people simply trying to be or tragically rejecting being regular human beings, the kind of people perhaps never even imagined by most American readers. . . . The stories break the mold of what a religious or non-religious story ought to be. They are not moralistic, nor are they irreverent in their honest portrayal of the realities of life in the Church. Rather they are just good, honest stories, and in being this they are sacramental, conveying and holding together elements of life that are seemingly disparate. (from the Foreword) Sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes convicting, these stories of life in an inner-city immigrant Orthodox parish are guaranteed to shake your assumptions and make you see your life and faith in a new way. They are not for the faint of heart but they are very much for all who want to embrace the truth more fully.

Join the Book Forum on Wednesdays from 11am, right after the daily Matins service.

Our next meeting on Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 8
Meeting time: from 10am, right after Matins/ Church University.
To prepare: Please read the pages 107 - 139

Zoom in at the known link.

Adult Education, Community

NEW: A JOURNEY TO FULLNESS BACK IN SEPTEMBER

A ministry led by Angela Wagoner

JOURNEY TO FULLNESS: An Introduction to the Fullness of the Original Christian Faith -

The Journey to Fullness presentations and small groups discussions will meet again starting September 27 to continue with Part 13 - Salvation as Participation.

Education

NEW: SUNDAY SCHOOL TO START IN SEPTEMBER

God willing, we will start the Church School program for all the age groups on Sunday September 12. All children ages 3 and up are invited to attend. For more information, please contact Presbytera Ana presbytera.ana@gmail.com.

SUNDAY CATECHISM CLASS

A Ministry led by Father Ion

The Catechism Class will take place on August 29 from 12pm via Zoom. The topic will be The Divine Liturgy - Part 2. Please pray for our catechumens: Angelina, Mikael, Jenel, Justin and Arthur.

Education

THE CHURCH UNIVERSITY: DAILY SERVICE, PRAYER and REFLECTIONS

A ministry led by Father Ion

Every weekday morning, the Church University will offer the daily Zoom webcasting from Saint Nektarios Chapel with the short Matins Services. At the end of the service Father Ion offers a reflection, teaching on the readings and the saints of the day. Connect via Zoom to extend Matins with the study of the Scripture readings, great discussion and fellowship time.

Worship and Education

SERVING THESE SUNDAYS

A ministry led by Angelina Ruiz

We are thankful to Corkey for coordinating the Fellowship ministry for many years. Obviously, with moving out of the area, Corkey will not be able to serve as needed. However, we have been blessed to have Angelina step up and lead. Angelina will communicate with all of us regularly to enable us to serve in the Fellowship ministry, a pivotal part of our community.

Serving these coming Sundays in church and at the fellowship hour following Liturgy:

September 5
Parish Council: Mary Kanalakis
Welcoming: Temia Demakopoulos
Fellowship Gratitude Luncheon: Team 1 (Gold) 1st Sunday of the month

September 12
Parish Council: David Zajicek
Welcoming: Mary Kanalakis
Fellowship Gratitude Luncheon: Team 2 (Pink) 2nd Sunday of the month

Community

AFGHAN REFUGEE SUPPORT UPDATE

Ministry led by Andrew Benton

Thank you so much to all who have donated to help Afghan refugees and military air crews! The first box is packed and will be shipped to refugees on Wednesday, 1 September! Andrew can share pictures taken of the types of supplies generously donated by our community.

Due to how quickly evacuation efforts out of Kabul, Afghanistan have ended (last plane left the airport on 30 August), refugee supplies will not be sent to the military Chaplains in Qatar, as previously stated. Instead, they will be sent to different locations housing Afghan refugees here in the United States. The first box will be shipped to Quantico, VA, where about 5,000 refugees are being housed. There is no news as yet of any refugees being housed in CA, but if anyone knows of one, please let Andrew know!

Supplies donated for military air crews will still be sent to 816 EAS in Qatar, with words of thanks and prayer from the community. The 816 EAS is the Air Force unit that flew many of the airplanes in and out of the Kabul airport during the evacuation.

Thank you to those who donated online to The Nazarene Fund! Thanks to their efforts, supported by your donations, they were able to fly approximately 5,000 Christians out of Afghanistan before the US Military withdrew. Glory to God! Their work is not done, however. There are Christians that remain in Afghanistan, as well as in other countries in which The Nazarene Fund operates (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and others), so please consider donating to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Andrew and Paige Benton will continue to accept donations for refugees and military members stationed in the Middle East. For questions contact Andrew Benton at 412-477-2642 or at abent76@gmail.com.

To donate to The Nazarene Fund and directly support middle eastern Christians, please use the following link: https://thenazarenefund.org/

Living the Scriptures

2021 FATHER BERRIS GOLF CLASSIC

The 32nd annual Fr. Berris Golf Classic will be held Monday, September 20th at Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose. Father Berris Golf Classic, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization benefiting seminarians from our diocese enrolled in the Masters of Divinity Program at Holy Cross Seminary as well as- projects to benefit the youth of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Please join us for a fun day of golf and fellowship and/or consider being a sponsor, gift donor or volunteer at the tournament. For more information visit www.FrBerrisGolf.org or call Jim Chiochios at 408.741.5534 or Nick Tsolis at 408.921.4029 or email FrBerrisGolf@comcast.net. Thank you for your support!

URGENT - HELP OUR BRETHREN IN GREECE!

As an immediate response to the call by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to support our brethren, National Philoptochos Society donated $40,000 to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's Greece Fires Relief Fund.

This is not the first time that Philoptochos has responded to the human and physical devastation caused by wildfires in Greece. The road to recovery and healing will be long for fire victims in Greece. The devastating fires will likely be followed by flooding and further devastation during the fall and winter. Our help is urgently needed. National Philoptochos asks that you turn your immediate attention in the month of September to this appeal.

Please make best efforts to send your contributions, big or small, earmarked for the “2021 Greece Fires Relief Fund”. Send to the National Philoptochos Society by Thursday, September 30, 2021. Collections may be forwarded to the National Philoptochos Society at 126 East 37th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Make donations online at www.philoptochos.org/donation and select “Aid to Greece & Cyprus” from the “direct my gift to” drop down menu. To download the campaign appeal letter, click here.

ONLINE RESOURCES from THE COVID ERA

Most of our services and meetings are available online.

Witness remotely:

Zoom with video here.
By phone dial - add the following string to your address book: +16699006833,,9475885646#,,1#,April2020#

Liturgical texts at Ages Initiatives here. Select the date and the service of interest. Then, choose pdf if you want to print, or DCS for viewing on the screen (which also has a night mode).

• Please note that our Metropolis requests compliance with the CDC regulations. This means parishioners who are not vaccinated wear masks for their own protection. It is also recommended for those who are vaccinated. Please respect the comfort level of those around you by keeping reasonable distance.

• The fellowship hour will continue as usual both inside and outside.

Lighting Candles remotely is possible through our Light a Candle website. Click this link: Light a Candle

OUR AUDIO AND VIDEO ARCHIVES

The Audio/Video Ministry is led by Hussam Ibrahim

Daily services, reflections and homilies video.
Sunday homilies audio.
Some Sunday homilies video and archives prior to June 1 2020 audio.

Organization and Leadership

Archdiocese News

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Acquires Popular Byzantine Chant Resource “AGES Initiatives”

08/31/2021

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has acquired certain assets of the respected AGES Initiatives organization, which has provided digital music for Byzantine Chant utilizing both Byzantine and Western notations and translations of liturgical texts for Orthodox churches around the world since 2012. In that time, AGES Initiatives has developed a full suite of digital texts designed to facilitate the study of Byzantine chant in a variety of languages for those at church, at home, or in the classroom.

https://www.goarch.org/-/2021-08-31-ages-goa-digital-chant-stand

Prayer Requests

Lord, Bless, strengthen, and guard, by Your grace, all those who, with love for humankind and a spirit of sacrifice, care for the sick in their homes or in hospitals.

We pray for the servants of God:

"Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on your servant (first name)."

Olge Drumev - for health, recovery, and endurance.

Michael Borgeson - for health and quick recovery after surgery.

Marlyn Anton - for comfort after losing her beloved husband, John.

Chris (Chrisanthi) Georgalos - for health, recovery, and endurance.

Sheila (Despina) Doyle-Rickenbacher - for health, recovery, and endurance.

Sophie Britton - for strength and recovery.

Eleni Saites - for patience and endurance.

Maria Kastros - for strength and endurance.

Kylie and her family - for health, faith and hope.

For those who are in prisons: Constantine and Sergei.

And for our catechumens: Jenel, Mikael, Angelina, Arthur and Justin.

In case of emergency, Father Ion is available for home visits. Please call him directly at 408.605.0621 if you would like to schedule one.

Saints and Feasts

September 05

Holy Prophet Zacharias, Father of the Venerable Forerunner

According to the opinion of many Fathers of the Church, based on an ancient tradition, this is the Zacharias whom, as our Lord said, the Jews slew between the temple and the altar (Matt. 23:35), first, because even after the Virgin Mary gave birth, he continued to refer to her as virgin and number her among the virgins; second, because Zacharias' son John was not found during the slaughter of the Innocents, since the elderly Elizabeth had taken him and carefully hid him while he was yet an infant, in an unnamed place somewhere in the desert, where, according to the Evangelist, "the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel" (Luke 1:80). When the child was not found, his father was slain by Herod's command.

September 08

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

According to the ancient tradition of the Church, the Theotokos was born of barren and aged parents, Joachim and Anna, about the year 16 or 17 before the birth of Christ. Joachim was descended from the royal line of David, of the tribe of Judah. Anna was of the priestly tribe of Levi, a daughter of the priest Matthan and Mary, his wife.

September 09

The Holy & Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

Today, the day following the Nativity of the most holy Theotokos, we celebrate the synaxis of Saints Joachim and Anna, honouring them as her parents.

September 11

Euphrosynos the Cook

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Eleventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 21:14-25

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead, and he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So, the word went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die; but Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. 2nd Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 9:2-12.

Brethren, you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to our food and drink? Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a share in the crop. If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? If others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

Gospel Reading

11th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 18:23-35

The Lord said this parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the torturers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

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