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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2019-01-13
Bulletin Contents
Gospel and Epistle Readings
news
Hymns of the Day
Wisdom of the Fathers
INVITATIONS

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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (201) 652-4774 for emergencies: 201 870 2676
  • Fax:
  • (201) 652-0789
  • Street Address:

  • 467 Grandview Avenue

  • Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Contact Information

Reverend Basil C. Gikas
Pastor

frbill@stnicholasnj.org | 201 652 4774 ext. 12

Ms. Rula Thasites
Administrator

office@stnicholasnj.org | 201 652 4774 ext. 10

Services Schedule

 

Sundays in the fall, winter & spring:

Matins: 9 a.m. &  Divine Liturgy 10a.m. except during the summer

 

Summer hours for Sundays in July and August:

Matins: 8:30a.m.  & Divine Liturgy 9:30a.m.

Past Bulletins


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. First Mode. Psalm 32.22,1.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13.

BRETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (in saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Gospel Reading

Sunday after Epiphany
The Reading is from Matthew 4:12-17

At that time, when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

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news

WEEKLY BULLETIN

12/30/2018

 

January 6, 2019                       Holy Theophany: The Baptism of Jesus Christ

 

Like us on Facebook: @stnicholasnj                            Follow us on Instagram: @stnicholasgoc

 Holy Theophany:Today’s great feast commemorates the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River by his cousin Saint John the Baptist and forerunner. Today God appears as He truly is: 3 persons in one essence– Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Father’s voice was heard during the baptism saying “this is my beloved Son.”  Jesus, the Son was being baptized in the Jordan as the Holy Spirit appeared above our Lord in the form of a dove.  You will receive Holy water (Agiasmos) today. The Agiasmos should be drunk and any remainder kept by an icon in your home and used during the course of the entire year.  You can drink the Agiasmos any time you have a spiritual need. Our entire Church has prayed over the water sanctifying it for you.

 

Why do we have our Homes/ Businesses Blessed after Theophany?

We celebrate Theophany on January 6th each year. Theophanymeans the appearance or manifestation of God. At Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, according to the gospels of Mark & John, Jesus was there, the voice of the Father was heard and something in the form of a dove alighted on Jesus’ head. The Holy Trinity- (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was present.  As Orthodox Christians, it is imperative that God is in our homes ALL year round. By inviting our pastor to bless our homes and businesses we are inviting Christ Himself to be in our midst as our pastor prays with us.  Saint John Chrysostom asserted that the first church is the home.   The active presence of Jesus Christ   creates a nurturing, loving home. A church home is the foundation of who we are and in Whom we believe. Thus Holy water blessings (Agiasmos) bring Christ into our homes and businesses.

 

Wisdom from the Fathers on the significance of the Baptism of Christ:

Why were the heavens opened? “To inform you that at your baptism also this was done, God calling you to your country on high”. -  Saint John Chrysostom

“Christ is illumined; let us shine forth with Him. Christ is baptized; let us descend with Him that we may also ascend with Him.   Moses baptized but it was in water ... John the Baptist also baptized ... not only in water, but also "unto repentance." Still it was not wholly spiritual, for he does not add "And in the Spirit." Jesus Himself was baptized, but in the Spirit. This is the perfect baptism. - Saint Gregory the Theologian

 

House/ Business Blessings 2019: to have your home and/or business blessed for 2019 please complete the request form and insert in the drop box in the narthex or mail it to the parish office.

 

 

Tommorrow is theFeast Day of John the Baptist: The name John is a very popular name, and there are more than fifty saints in the Orthodox Church who bear his name. The English form of the Greek IOANNES is from the Hebrew JOCHANAN meaning, “God is gracious”. The Feminine form, JOANNA, is nearer to the original Hebrew word.  Tomorrow we observe the feast of St. John the Baptist who was sent “to prepare the way of the Lord.” To all who bear his name, may our Lord grant you many years- CHRONIA POLLA! 

Monday, January 7th Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist: Orthros 9a.m. Divine Liturgy 10a.m.

 Religious Education: Happy New Year! Classes resume today.

Please Save The Date: Sunday, February 10 we will be hosting our annual Godparent Sunday Brunch, immediately following church services. We encourage all godparents to attend this celebration with godchildren by preparing for and receiving Holy Communion together.

 Young Emerging Adults Ministry (YEA): Our thriving “Young Emerging Adults Ministry” (ages 18+)

Will meet tomorrow evening, January 7th, 2019 at 7:30PM in the home of Fr. Bill and Presv. Sophia Gikas.  It’s a gathering meant for inquiring, sharing, and growing through faith, fellowship and some food (desserts)! At the casual gathering we apply the teachings of our Lord in our daily lives.   Most importantly YEA is about relationship.   If you have any questions e-mail Fr. Bill at frbill@stnicholasnj.org  or call 201 652 4774 ext. 12.

 

Philoptochos: All Philoptochos members are invited to attend the Philoptochos meeting on January 7th at 7:00pm in the conference room.

 

Sessions on Scripture (SOS): SOS will resume on Wednesday, January 23rd in the conference room at 2:00pm and at 7:30pm for a discussion of Saint Paul’s Letter to Timothy chapter 1. We use the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) which is available in our bookstore. For info contact Fr. Bill at frbill@stnicholasnj.org or Caroline Kalliotzis at ckalliotzis@aol.com. SOS is open to all. No prior knowledge of Scripture is required.


Kali Parea: Kali Parea wishes everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. Our first meeting of the New Year will be on Tuesday, January 8th at 12Noon in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring your lunch and we will share Vasilopita and coffee. We look forward to seeing many of you. In this New Year may you be blessed with Love in your heart and Peace in your soul. If the weather is questionable we will cancel the meeting.

 

Orthros: 9:00A.M.

Epistle: Titus 2:11-14 ; 3:4-7 (pg. 1357)

Divine Liturgy: 10:00A.M.

Gospel: Matthew  3:13-17 (pg. 1149)

 

Acolytes: Paul Dobrow, Nick Seretis, Emmanuel Pittas, Nico Pittas, Alex Peppes, Alexi Argyros, Aidan William Soukas
CJ Soukas, Harrison Bouloukos

 

Ushers:  Michael Kalliotzis, Ted Milyadis, John Peters, Christos Agrapidis

Narthex: Melissa Gasparis, Jon Zymaris

 

Reader & Greeter: GOYA

 

Fellowship Hour: Daughters of Penelope

Prosforon:  The Tsiamtsiouris Family

Artoclasia: The Tsiamtsiouris Family
                       

 

     

 

Vasilopita, Sunday, January 13th, 2019: Please join us for our Vasilopita celebration in the Fellowship Hall after church. May this wonderful tradition of our Faith be a source of goodness and joy for all our   Saint Nicholas families.

 

Parish 50th Anniversary Celebration: November 3, 2019: We are planning the 50th Anniversary Celebration of our parish. To help, please join the event committee. See Fr. Bill, Nick Pirsos or any parish council member to offer your time, talent and treasure.

 GIVING TREE/MORTGAGE BURNING CAMPAIGN:  saint nicholas CHURCH CAN be mortgage free by 2020- you can make it happen! Various giving levels are available: you can leaf your donation!or show your love - donate a dove! Or be not forlorn, give an acorn! Be the first on your block and donate a rock. Be a hunk and give a tree trunk!   and you can memorialize a loved one by donating to the giving tree and including a scriptural message. We are at about 30% of our goal.

 

STEWARDSHIP BY THE NUMBERS: Stewardship is our personal offering of time, talent and treasure. Stewardship is based on Holy Scripture as  God has heavenly expectations for His people. Since time and talent offerings are more difficult to measure, one measurement of our response to God is our average “treasure” pledge per steward household. In 2017, we had 400 steward households that donated a total of $325,429.
To date in 2018, we have 239 households that have pledged $236,227 plus 135 unpledged households that together have donated $328,445 thus far. Please pledge for 2019 by completing a 2019 stewardship card


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal Fourth Mode

From on high didst Thou descend, O Compassionate One; to burial of three days hast Thou submitted that Thou mightest free us from our passions. O our Life and Resurrection, Lord, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion for Theophany Afterfeast in the First Mode

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Mode

You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its mark upon us. With fuller understanding we sing to You: "You came, You were made manifest, the unapproachable light."

The translations of hymns are under copyright and used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:

  • Resurrectional Apolytikion in Plagal of the Fourth Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
  • Apolytikion for Theophany Afterfeast in the First Tone © Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
  • Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Tone © Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
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    Wisdom of the Fathers

    For as persons not even knowing where to put a step forward, so they sat, overtaken by the darkness.
    St. John Chrysostom
    Homily 14 on Matthew 4, 4th Century

    Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith.
    St. Ignatius of Antioch
    Epistle to the Ephesians Ch. 13, 2nd century

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    INVITATIONS

      YOUNG EMERGING ADULTS (YEA)

      YOUNG EMERGING ADULTS (YEA)

      we gather on the 1st Monday evening of the month for fellowship and discussion at 7:30 P.M. CONTACT FR BILL GIKAS FOR DETAILS AT 201 652 4774 EXT. 12

      Acolytes

      Acolytes

      Join the team! if you are a male nine years of age or older, baptized in the Orthodox Christian Church, you can be on the Acolyte team! contact frbill@stnicholasnj.org

      giving tree mortgage burning campaign

      giving tree mortgage burning campaign

      give

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