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      August 5, 2018                                           Forefeast of The Transfiguration of Our Lord               

Memorials:   A 1 year memorial for Emmanuel Pittas, beloved husband of Irene, father of Katherine and her husband John and Michael and his wife Demetra. Grandfather of Alexander, Emmanuel and Nicholas. Beloved brother to Paul and uncle to many dear family members.

A 5 year memorial for Antonia Gikas, beloved spouse of Spiros Gikas, mother to Fr. Bill and Christine Kostantakis. Beloved mother-in-law to Presvytera Sophia and Dino Kostantakis. Beloved grandmother to Justin, Lillianna, George and Victoria.       
Eternal be their memory.

Feast of the Transfiguration: The Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church and is celebrated tomorrow, Monday, August 6^th Orthros will begin at 9:00am and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 10:00am.

Accounts of the Transfiguration are found in the New Testament: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36, and II Peter 1:16-19.  Jesus had gone with His “inner circle” disciples Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor. Christ's appearance was changed while they watched into a glorious radiant figure. Jesus was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became glistening white.

There also appeared Elijah (Elias the Prophet) and Moses, speaking with Jesus. Peter declared how good it was for them to be there and expressed the desire to build three booths for Moses, Elijah, and Christ. While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." 

When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces filled with awe. Jesus came to them and told them to not be afraid. When the three looked up they saw only Jesus. As Jesus and His disciples came down the mountain, He told them not to speak of what they had seen until He had risen from the dead.

The aforementioned reference to the booths could imply that this event occurred during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles when the Jews would be camping out in the fields for the grape harvest. The feast had acquired other associations in the course of its history, including the memory of the wanderings in the wilderness recorded in the Old Testament book of Exodus.

The great event manifests the divinity of Christ, so that the disciples would understand that after His Ascension that Jesus was truly the radiant splendor of the Father and that His Passion was voluntary (Mark 9:2-9). It also shows the possibility of our own theosis-becoming like God by grace.

Saint Nicholas Vacation Church School (VCS) (on site): August 6- August 10, 9am-12:30pm for children 5-11 years of age. VCS 2018 Registration forms are available in the fellowship hall area, office reception area and on our web site! Register at $55 per child. www.stnicholasnj.org  VCS starts tomorrow!

Philoptochos News: Food Donations: We are collecting nonperishable food items for the homeless. A basket is placed in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your support!

Dekapentaugouston:  The 14-day period (August 1^st thru 14^th) of fasting and prayer that we observe in honor of the Feast of the Dormition (Falling asleep) of the All Holy Mother (Panaghia) Mary has begun. At the evening Paraclesis (Supplications) services, we petition Mary to pray along with us to Christ for our well-being and protection.  At these services the priest reads the baptismal names of the living for their health and well-being.  Prayer request forms are available in the Narthex of our Church for this purpose.  Our Paraclesis services have begun and continue August 8^th and August 10^th beginning at 7:00pm.  Supplications will be held in the Theotokos Chapel. We observe a fasting period through August 14^th. Abstain from sin, the eating and drinking of animal products and dairy products as well. Consult your 2018 Orthodox calendar for details on fasting.

Panagia Soumela: You are cordially invited to attendthe 35^th Annual Pilgrimage and Festival in honor of the Dormition of our Most Holy Mother of Mount Mela “Panagia Soumela”, which is to be celebrated on Friday, August 17^th: Festival at 5:00pm; Saturday, August 18^th – Festival at 1:00pm and Vespers at 7:00pm and Sunday, August 19^th Orthros at 9:00am and Divine Liturgy at 10:00am and all day Festival.

The Orthodox Ladies Prayer Group:  All ladies are welcome to join our prayer meetings held on the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday evening of each month at 7:30pm in our Theotokos chapel.  We spend a dedicated time of informal prayer for our nation, church community, families and friends.  Not only are we seeing countless answers to prayers, but this intimate time of fellowship together is encouraging and deepening our own faith.  Please feel welcome to join us anytime.  All prayer requests are kept confidential.  Call the church office or Irene Ayvas 201-803-2307, with any prayer requests you want added to our list or submitted to the “Email Prayer Chain”.
“Email Prayer Chain”: Prayer is a simple, effective way to serve the people of our community. Since the majority of people read emails on a daily basis, we invite members of our congregation to join our “Email Prayer Chain”.  You will receive occasional urgent prayer requests for those in immediate crisis, and we ask only that you take a moment and pray.  It’s simple and powerful.  If you are interested in being a part of this ministry, email Irene Ayvas at iayvas@yahoo.com with your email contact info or call 201-803-2307.

Annual Greek Festival September 21-23: Please join us in helping Saint Nicholas once again proudly showcase its faith and heritage via our wonderful Festival, in which we were rated First Place in one category and 2^nd place in another by Bergen 201 Magazine in 2017. Every week we will be circulating an updated Festival list. Please respond by sending your name, e-mail address, and which station you would like to volunteer for to office@stnicholasnj.org OPA! If you are interested in chairing a department, contact Nick Pirsos at Pirsos@verizon.net

“Leaf”  your donation! See our Tree of Giving in the Narthex.  Help Saint Nicholas be mortgage free by 2020. Various giving levels available.  

Matching Gift Program: Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees. Corporate matching gifts are a great way for Saint Nicholas stewards to maximize personal contributions to our church and increase the impact of their gift. By taking advantage of a company's matching gift program, you may be able to double or even triple the amount of a contribution. For more information contact Mary Aletras at mary@stnicholasnj.org   Check with your employer to see if they would match a donation to our Saint Nicholas.