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Annunciation Church
Publish Date: 2021-04-04
Bulletin Contents
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Annunciation Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (603) 742-7667
  • Street Address:

  • 93 Locust Street

  • Dover, NH 03820


Contact Information



Services Schedule

We ARE OPEN for live services

During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic we are also  livestreaming our services.

To access live stream of  Services please look on our Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/annunciationchurch.dovernh/

REMINDER: Our Facebook page can be accessed regardless of whether you have a Facebook account. If the live feed doesn't show up right away, please refresh and keep checking back.

 

Matins: 8:45


Liturgy
10:00 am

 



Other Parish Info
Directions: from Boston - take Rte 95 into NH, bear left on Rte 16 in Portsmouth, get off at Exit 8E for downtown Dover and turn left at the second light on Locust St. (follow public library sign). Go past the church on your left and turn left into the public library parking.

Father's Office Hours:  Tuesday-Friday (10:00am -3:00pm) Please schedule appointments

Secretary Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday (9:30am-12:30am)

 

In the event of a pastoral emergency please call Fr. Anthony's Emergency Line 401-662-5259 and he will get back to you.

 


Past Bulletins


Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Tone

When You descended unto death, O Lord who yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the Powers of the heavens were crying out: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.
Ὅτε κατῆλθες πρὸς τὸν θάνατον, ἡ Ζωὴ ἡ ἀθάνατος, τότε τὸν ᾅδην ἐνέκρωσας τῇ ἀστραπῇ τῆς Θεότητος, ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐκ τῶν καταχθονίων ἀνέστησας, πᾶσαι αἱ Δυνάμεις τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἐκραύγαζον·Ζωοδότα Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν δόξα σοι.

Apolytikion for Sun. of the Holy Cross in the First Tone

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting our rulers to prevail over adversaries, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross.
Σώσον Κύριε τόν λαόν σου καί ευλόγησον τήν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοίς Βασιλεύσι κατά βαρβάρων δωρούμενος καί τό σόν φυλάττων διά τού Σταυρού σου πολίτευμα.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Tone

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"
Τὴ ὑπερμάχω στρατηγῶ τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια, ἀναγράφω σοὶ ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε, Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον, ἐκ παντοίων μὲ κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον, ἵνα κράζω σοί, Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.
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Prayer List

Please pray for our brothers and sisters: 

Elizabeth,  Kosta, Deborah, Roula, Jim, Donald, Tracy.

In keeping with a common Church tradition, going forward

we will keep names on the parish prayer list for 40 days

If you wish to offer names for prayer, please send those via e-mail to the church office at:

annunciationdover@gmail.com,

or call the office at 742-7667. 

Please give first names only, and preferably full names, not nicknames.

 

 

 

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Saints and Feasts

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April 04

Sunday of the Holy Cross

With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of the course of the Fast, where our strength has been worn down through abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labour set before us becomes apparent. Therefore our holy Mother, the Church of Christ, now brings to our help the all-holy Cross, the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so that by venerating it reverently, we might receive strength and grace to complete the divine struggle of the Fast.


Allsaint
April 07

Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Enlightener of North America

Born in 1865 in the region of Pskov, our Father among the Saints Tikhon was tonsured a monk in 1891 and ordained to the priesthood in the same year. In 1897 he was consecrated Bishop of Lublin, and a year later appointed Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, with his see extending to all of North America from 1900 onwards. He did much to unite the Orthodox Christians of a great many ethnic backgrounds in North America, so that there was indeed one flock under one shepherd. In 1907 he was made Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, and in 1913, Archbishop of Lithuania.

In 1917, when he was Metropolitan of Moscow, he was elected to be the first Patriarch of Russia in over 200 years, in times that could not have been more difficult. After the Revolution of 1917, the persecution of the Russian Church by the atheist government grew more bold and more fierce with every year. By nature a meek and peace-loving man, Tikhon sought to determine, while giving only to God that which is God's, what could be given to Caesar to preserve peace and avoid the shedding of blood. At his departure on the feast of the Annunciation in 1925, Saint Tikhon made the sign of the Cross thrice, pronouncing the words, "Glory to Thee, O God!" Because of the many unspeakable sufferings he endures as Patriarch, he is honoured as a Confessor.

Note: St. Tikhon's repose was on the Feast of the Annunciation according to the Old Calendar (March 25), but on the New Calendar his repose falls on April 7.


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Tone. Psalm 27.9,1.
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6.

BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek."

Προκείμενον. Plagal Second Tone. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 27.9,1.
Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.
Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 4:14-16, 5:1-6.

Ἀδελφοί, ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας. Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα μὴ δυνάμενον συμπαθῆσαι ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν, πεπειραμένον δὲ κατὰ πάντα καθʼ ὁμοιότητα, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. Προσερχώμεθα οὖν μετὰ παρρησίας τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος, ἵνα λάβωμεν ἔλεον, καὶ χάριν εὕρωμεν εἰς εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν. Πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεύς, ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος, ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἵνα προσφέρῃ δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν· μετριοπαθεῖν δυνάμενος τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν καὶ πλανωμένοις, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν· καὶ διὰ ταύτην ὀφείλει, καθὼς περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, οὕτως καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, προσφέρειν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν. Καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμήν, ἀλλὰ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καθάπερ καὶ Ἀαρών. Οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασεν γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερέα, ἀλλʼ ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν, Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. Καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει, Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Holy Cross
The Reading is from Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

Sunday of the Holy Cross
Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 8:34-38, 9:1

Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, οὗτος σώσει αὐτήν. τί γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν κερδήσῃ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον, καὶ ζημιωθῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ μοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει.


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General Announcements

CHURCH IS OPEN  and is also being live-streamed

Please note: ORTHROS WILL BEGIN ON SUNDAYS AT 8:45

Remember, you can now watch our live stream of the Divine Liturgy and other services directly on the Church website:

annunciation.nh.goarch.org

REMINDER: Our Facebook page can be accessed regardless of whether you have a Facebook account. If the live feed doesn't show up right away, please refresh and keep checking back. 

Church Services this week: 

Friday 4/2

  • 9:40 am Ninth Hour 
  • 10 am Presanctified Liturgy
  • 7pm Salutations to the Theotokos

Saturday 4/3

  • 6pm Great Vespers

Sunday  4/4 Veneration of the Holy Cross

  • Orthros 8:45 am
  • Divine Liturgy 10 am

Monday 4/5

  • Great Compline  7 pm

Wednesday 4/7

  • 5:10 pm Ninth Hour
  • 5:30 pm Presanctified Liturgy

Friday 4/9

  • 9:40 am Ninth Hour
  • Presanctified Liturgy 10am
  • Salutations to the Theotokos 7pm

Saturday 4/10

  • Great Vespers  6 pm 

Sunday 4/11 St. John Climacus

  • Orthros 8:45 am
  • Divine Liturgy 10 am

Church Cleaning Party: Saturday, April 10th at 9:00 am.  Volunteers needed to prepare our church for Easter. Please sign up in the narthex or call or email church office. (Flyer in flyer section of this bulletin)

Communion Prayers: Fr. Anthony has printed  Pre-communion Prayers and Post-communion prayers for your convenience. Please feel free to take one in the narthex (also available in the flyer section of this Bulletin).

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Sunday School News: Sunday School will resume April 18th. More details to follow.

Calling all Grads ‍‍!!

This year may have been very different but we still want to recognize these kids.
If your child is graduating from Kindergarten, Middle School, High School, of College. Please let us know ASAP! Please email me at : Sarah-wolfe@live.com

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Attention High School Seniors and Parents/Guardians: Scholarship Applications will be available non April 1, 2021 in the church and on line as well. The completed applications must be delivered to the Annunciattion Church by May 1, 2021.  Please do not put the  application or applications in a mailbox- give them directly to Hope, Fr. Anthony or a parish council member , who will sign and date it/them. Scholarship applications are in the flyer section of this bulletin.

The District 9 AHEPA scholarships, are on line.  Please let your Chapter  know.   Go to www.ahepadistrict9.org under programs. Please make sure the applicants read the directions carefully before they fill out the application.  All applications are prepared and submitted on line. Make sure they check the cut off date carefully.   No applications will be accepted after that date.  

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LENTEN SERVICE DESCRIPTIONS

Great Compline

The original Greek term for compline is apodeipno, literally meaning, after supper.  In monastic life, this service is conducted daily after the evening meal, hence its name.  In parish life, the Lenten form of this service is conducted at least weekly during Great Lent, typically on Monday evenings.  The service is replete with psalms, hymns of intercession, and penitential prayers and hymns asking for the Lord’s mercy upon us.  It is typically offered in a darkened church to reflect the Lenten liturgical mood of the service. 

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Since the Orthodox Church prohibits the joyous celebration of the Eucharist (Divine Liturgy) during the penitential weekdays of Great Lent, centuries ago, a service was developed that combined the basic Vespers service with the second part of the Divine Liturgy, and with the addition of certain unique features.  This was done in order to offer the faithful opportunities for receiving Holy Communion other than Sunday.  In parish life, this service is typically conducted on the Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent.  Holy Communion that was consecrated at the prior Sunday’s liturgy is distributed to the faithful who have prepared to receive.  The earlier part of the Presanctified Liturgy is the most unique part of the service, which includes the penitential rendition of the hymn, “Let my prayer arise as incense.”  This is a beautiful Lenten service, well-loved throughout the Orthodox world.

Salutations to the Theotokos 

Although not a Lenten service in the liturgical sense, the Salutation service has become part of the cycle of services during Great Lent.  These services are sections of the complete service known as the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos, which was originally connected to the feast of the Annunciation on March 25th.  It has become traditional with certain Orthodox jurisdictions to chant the Salutations on the first four Friday evenings of Lent, and then the entire Akathist Hymn on the fifth Friday.  Throughout the service, the Theotokos (Mother of God) is extolled for her personal holiness, and for her role as the one who brought Jesus the God-man into the world, to whom she continually intercedes on our behalf.

The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

This is the most central Lenten prayer, which we should recite daily during Great Lent.

O Lord and Master of my life, grant me not a spirit of laziness, meddling, love of power, and idle talk. (full prostration)

Instead, grant me Your servant, a spirit of prudence, humility, patience, and love. (full prostration) 

Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to judge my brother, for you are blessed unto the ages of ages.  Amen. (full prostration) 

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To Digitally Follow  Service

Agesintiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs.html

Choose Date of service

Choose Service 

GR-EN  PDF/PRINT

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Reminder: Donations can be made to the church electronically via the button on the top of our church web page.
www.annunciation.nh.goarch.org
 
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Calendar

  • Church Calendar

    April 4 to April 19, 2021

    Sunday, April 4

    Veneration of the Holy Cross

    8:45AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, April 5

    7:00PM Great Compline

    Wednesday, April 7

    5:10PM 9th Hour

    5:30PM Presanctified Liturgy

    Friday, April 9

    9:40AM 9th Hour

    10:00AM Presanctified Liturgy

    7:00PM Salutations to the Theotokos

    Saturday, April 10

    9:00AM Church Cleaning Party

    6:00PM Great Vespers

    Sunday, April 11

    St. John Climacus

    8:45AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, April 12

    7:00PM Great Compline

    Tuesday, April 13

    6:00PM Parish Council Meeting

    7:00PM Thriving Congregations Initiative zoom mtg

    Wednesday, April 14

    5:10PM 9th Hour

    5:30PM Presanctified Liturgy

    Friday, April 16

    9:40AM 9th Hour

    10:00AM Presanctified Liturgy

    7:00PM Akathist Hymn

    Saturday, April 17

    6:00PM Great Vespers

    Sunday, April 18

    Sunday School Resumes

    Spring General Assembly

    St. Mary of Egypt

    8:45AM Orthros

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    Monday, April 19

    Fr. Anthony at monastery for confession

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Flyers

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Easter Donations

2021 Items Needed for Lent & Holy Week

Following are items needed for Lenten and Holy Week services, and throughout the year.  We are grateful for your anticipated generosity; may your gift be a blessing to you and your families! Items highlighted in purple are still available to be donated.

  • Decoration of icon for the Salutations (5 Fridays) – $50 each 5 Dodnated by the Kottaridis Family in memory of Elias Kottaridis
  • Decoration of icon of the Annunciation – $40 –John Mitchell
  • Floral arrangement for iconostasis icon of the Annunciation – $50 Paraskevi Stamelos
  • Flowers for the Veneration of the Holy Cross – $150 Awad Family
  • Palm strips for Palm Sunday crosses – $50 Awad Family
  • Decorative palm branches for Royal Gate – $100 John Rouman
  • Bay laurel for Palm Sunday & Holy Saturday –$80 George & Sandy Lazarus
  • Decoration of icon of the Bridegroom (Nymphios), 2 decorations – $50 each  Evangelatos Family
  • 1 liter extra virgin olive oil for Holy Unction (Efhelaion) $50 Anthi Delintsiotis
  • Decoration of icon of the Mystical Supper – $50 Paraskevi Stamelos
  • Wreath for Cross – $50 Byers Family
  • Beeswax lambades for Cross & 12 Gospels – $50 Polychronopoulos Family in memory of Sylvia Polychronopoulos
  • Decoration of banner of the Resurrection – $50 Demetrios Delintsiotis
  • Decoration of icon of the Resurrection – $50 Claire Delinsiotis
  • Lilies for Holy Pascha – $30 each
  • Flowers for the Epitaphios (our greatest expense) – please give generously                     

Note:  The priest’s Paschal candle is not listed because Fr. Anthony is gifted his lambada each year from St. Nektarios Monastery in New York state.

The following items are needed throughout the year:

  • Communion wine – $20 per bottle ($100 Paraskevi Stamelos) ($100 The Howards)
  • Beeswax candles for altar table & candle stands – $10 per lb.
  • Incense – $100 In memory of Dr. James Faskianos
  • Charcoal – $50
  • Candle fuel cartridges – $150 In memory of Dr. James Faskianos

We kindly ask that your donation requests be made through the church office.  If an item you wish to donate has already been sponsored, please consider another available item, or simply donate toward the Epitaphios, or for items needed throughout the year. 

Lilies

1 Polychronopoulos Family

5 Annette Roylos

Flowers for Epitaphios

Vomvoris Family $100

Dr. John & Gerianne Athans $500

Alkistis $200

Zeff Demopoulos  In memory of Dr. James Demopoulos $100 

Eva Demopoulos In memory of Dino Demoopoulos $50

Annette Roylos $ 200

Atkinson Family $100

Anthi Delinsiotis $50

Victor Elios $200

 

 

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COVID 19 Guidelines

My Fellow Parishioners, 

I know that this truly has been a very difficult year for all of us trying to keep Our Church and our lives functioning as best as possible due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  

We are still under the COVID-19 Guidelines that came out on June 1, 2020 for our Church which state: 

1. If you are attending services at the Church, you Must wear a protective mask at all times except for the moment when you may be receiving Holy Communion". 

2. "If you are under medical instruction not to wear a mask, you must clearly indicate this to the Parish Council member upon entering".
 
​We all must adhere to these guidelines, to keep every one of our parishioners safe and healthy.
 
If you do not wear a mask, you will not be permitted to enter the Church or stay for services. We will provide masks for those of you who don’t have one. 
 
We will continue to Live-Stream our services on Facebook for those of you who are not attending services. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Parish Council
 
 

COVID-19 PARISH REOPENING GUIDELINES

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Household of God,  

 With the blessings of Metropolitan Methodios, and abiding by all State and local governmental directives regarding the reopening of Churches and all Houses of Worship, your clergy and Parish Council have been diligently planning for the day our parish will once again be open to our stewards, families, and friends. That day will be Saturday, June 6th at 9:30am for the Divine Liturgy of the Saturday of Souls. In these challenging times, there will be certain directives that must be implemented and followed to assure the safest possible environment for the faithful to worship, partake of the Holy Sacraments and reconnect with fellow parishioners from a safe distance. 

Christ’s Church and this Parish have existed through persecution, plagues, infectious diseases, world wars, terrorist attacks, and other periods of challenge and concern. The Church and this community stand as a symbol of faith. The Church is the place where we come together as a community to pray, receive the sacraments and be in fellowship with one another. However, in this time, and because of the unpredictable nature of this insidious virus, there are directives, rules, and limitations, which we must accept in order to re-open and resume our liturgical practices in the safest possible way. These are rules—not suggestions—that we must enforce. We ask that each person understand and follow the directives listed below.  

Preparations:

  • According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), any building unoccupied for 7 days or longer need only receive “normal routine cleaning.” Based on these guidelines, the Church will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to reopening.  From this baseline, the building will be disinfected and sanitized between each service, including high traffic, high touch areas like bathrooms, doorknobs, and handles, etc. 
  • The congregation size for any service will be limited to the current regulations in New Hampshire. The Governor has set a limit of 40% of our official capacity. Our official capacity is 350, therefore 40% of our capacity is 140. Nevertheless, social distancing requirements may decrease that number as necessary. Pre-marked seating must abide by the social distancing regulations of 6 feet in all directions.
  • If you are 65 years of age or older and if you have underlying health conditions, especially asthma, diabetes, hypertension, undergoing chemotherapy, or any age with known underlying conditions, you should stay home and continue to participate in the services via our Live Stream through Facebook or our Website.
  • If you are 65 years of age or older without known underlying health issues, we recommend that you consider staying home, participating in the services via our Live Stream
  • If you have any respiratory symptoms, fever or malaise at all, whether attributed to COVID-19 or not, you must stay home  

Advice from our Medical Team Advisors:

  • Parishioners who have a temperature greater than 100.4 F should stay home.
  • If you or anyone in your household have been exposed to anyone with a confirmed COVID-19 test you should not attend for at least 14 days. 

Additional Guidance from the NH Governor’s Economic Reopening Taskforce for Places of Worship:

Symptoms of COVID-19  Person has any of the following symptoms of COVID-19       

  • Fever (feeling feverish or a document temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;
  • Respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough or shortness of breath;
  • Whole body symptoms such as muscle aches, chills and severe fatigue;
  • Changes in the person’s sense of taste or smell?

    Risks of COVID-19

  • Person has been in close contact with someone who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days? (note: healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment can attend)
  • Person has traveled in the past 14 days either:

              Internationally (outside the U.S.);

              By cruise ship; or

              Domestically (within the U.S.) outside of NH, VT, or ME on public transportation (e.g., bus, train, plane, etc.)

 Arriving at Church:

  • Upon entering the Church, hand sanitizer will be supplied to each parishioner.
  • If you are attending services at the Church, you must wear a protective mask at all times except for the moment when you may be receiving Holy Communion. If you do not have a mask, one will be given to you upon entering the Church.
  • If you are under medical instruction not to wear a mask, you must clearly indicate this to the Parish Council member upon entering.
  • If you are attending services with a child/children between the ages of two and five, a protective mask is at the discretion of the parent. Children under the age of 2 should not wear a protective mask. 
  • Only the front entrance, (under the portico) and handicap accessible entrances in the front and rear of the Church will be open. All other entrances will be locked. If entering from the front, please enter using the door to the hallway by the Church office and exit through the front doors in the Narthex.
  • Enter Only and Exit Only signs will be posted to further assist in the orderly flow of our Parishioners.
  • Access to the rear elevator will be available.
  • The doors that are designated for entrance/exiting the church should be propped open so there is no need to touch the door handles, and to provide better airflow into the Sanctuary.
  • The Fr. Athans Fellowship Hall will be closed and off limits for the foreseeable future. The downstairs Restrooms as well as the upstairs Restroom will be available. 
  • When arriving to Church, you should venerate the icons by bowing, but you should not physically kiss any icon. 
  • The Narthex will be staffed by one Parish Council member to assist you, as much as possible, without contact. Small candles will be given to you by a Parish Council member. You may still purchase Red devotional candles, but they will be placed by a Parish Council member on a side of your choosing of the iconostasis.
  • A donation tray will be set up in the Narthex for candles. Please bring appropriate change for donations as cash cannot be exchanged.
  • A Parish Council member will guide arriving parishioners to the Narthex to ensure appropriate distancing between arriving parishioners. Household family unit members may enter the Narthex together.  

Seating in the Church:

  • Seating inside the Church will be restricted to a 6 feet distance between parishioners (again defined as an “immediate household unit”) to the left and right and front and back. It is imperative that we maintain distancing at all times. Ushers will be present to seat you at an appropriate distance from other parishioners inside the Church. 
  • Family members who are not part of the same household must sit 6 feet apart without exception. 
  • There will be markers throughout the Church to help assure appropriate distancing.

Receiving Holy Communion:

  • Fr. Anthony will administer Holy Communion in our traditional manner.
  • Beginning from the rear pews, a Parish Council member will guide you down the center aisle, row by row. Following Holy Communion, each Parishioner will return to their pews via the side aisles. One-Way aisles will be marked. Please remember proper social distancing.
  • Per the Metropolis of Boston, the faithful should be encouraged/instructed to tilt their heads back and open their mouth widely so that the priest can drop the Holy Communion in without the person closing his/her mouth on the spoon.
  • The faithful should not wipe their lips/mouth on the communion cloth.
  • No Antidoron will be given during Holy Communion.

 Exiting the Church: 

  • At the conclusion of the Liturgy you will exit as directed by a Parish Council member, again beginning from the front pews and moving up the center aisle, row by row to receive Antidoron.The Antidoron will be placed in your hands with tongs. Please remember proper social distancing. 
  • The final hands-free collection offering will be set up in the back of the Narthex as you are about to exit.  Please be ready to make your offering into the collection basket. It is imperative that there is no lingering in the Narthex. Please exit the Church expeditiously using the Front Door (marked Exit Only).
  • There will be no fellowship hour following services.

The foregoing rules for attending Liturgy and other services at our Church were taken from State directives, local guidelines, and the direction and guidance of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios. Our collective intent is to assure all our Stewards, their families and our many friends, a safe and comforting experience in the Household of God. We want to see you, we want to pray with you, but above all, we want you all to be safe, healthy and able to worship in a manner that is best for our entire Parish. 

May God continue to bless you and your families and keep you safe! 

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                      Parish Council 

 

 
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