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 4/9

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

Saturday 4/10

• 6pm Great Vespers

Sunday  4/11 Sunday of St. John Climacus

• Orthros 8:45 am
• Divine Liturgy 10 am

Monday 4/12

• Great Compline  7 pm

Wednesday 4/14

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

Friday 4/16

• 9:40 am Ninth Hour
• Presanctified Liturgy 10am
• The Akathist Hymn 7pm

Saturday 4/17

• Great Vespers  6 pm 

Sunday 4/18 St. Mary of Egypt

• 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).

Parish Council Meeting: Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 6pm.

MBC Summer Camp 2021: Will be open for registration on April 15th at 7pm. (Flyer in flyer section of this bulletin)

Lenten Youth Retreat: For grades 3-12 at St. Demetrios in Saco, ME on Saturday April 17th. (Flyer in flyer section of this bulletin)

Spring General Assembly: Sunday, April 18th Immediately following Divine Liturgy

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

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Meeting Agenda For Spring General Assembly 2021 

1. Call Meeting to order 

2. Opening Prayer

3. Election of Parliamentarian for Spring 2021              

4. Approval of Minutes of Combined 2020             

5. Priest’s Comments

6. President’s Comments

7. Treasurer’s Review of the Financial Condi tion of the Parish

8. Board of Auditors Report for 2020 – Chris Veziris, Jerry Karabelas, Toby Weir 

9. Replacement of Church Boilers/Furnace Sys tem

10. Cemetery Committee Presentation – Review of Financial Condition 

11. Election of the Board of Elections (3 Mem bers) – For Parish Council 2022-2023 

12. For the Good of the Parish

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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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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 In memory of Ora & John D. 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. ($50 In memory of Kiki & George Demopoulos)
• Incense – $100 In memory of Dr. James Faskianos
• Charcoal – $50 In memory of Kiki & George Demopoulos
• 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

Nancy Trudeau $100 In memory of Florence Houreas Simpson & David Trudeau

Parthena Yaakob $50  In memory of Socrates & Rhodopi Espiefs

 George & Althea Coussoule $100

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".