SEPTEMBER 2017 Speed • Caretaker: Jason Leon PASTORAL MESSAGE • GOYA Advisors: Dr
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SAINT GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CHURCH STAFF • Parish Priest: Fr. Michael Constantinides The Trophybearer • Chanter: Deacon Paul VOLUME 7 ISSUE 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 Speed • Caretaker: Jason Leon PASTORAL MESSAGE • GOYA Advisors: Dr. Vicky Pyevich/Anne “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” This mes- Kirpatrick sage was given by Christ to the people and to the disciples. The Disciples lead people, yet the disciples are • HOPE/JOY Advisors: part of the people of God. There are no special rules for leaders versus those who are led. What should Pres. Maria Constanti- they deny? Not the good things, but sin, the predisposition towards evil and the evil passions and desires that nides/Candice Elias sometimes govern us. In other words, they need to put to death the old man. The old man is separated from God and from his fellow man and thus paradoxically lives in death. The old man died in baptism, yet we • After Church Club: resurrect him when we sin. We must get rid of him. Loukia Constantinides This must be a voluntary action. God does not force us but calls us to good things and not evil, to rewards • Outreach and Evangelism and not punishment. Man is free to choose yet there are ramifications to his choices. Brethren, the Christian Chair: Angela Spurgetis life is not a bowl of cherries. St. John Chrysostom tells us: “for although it be in my power, as Son of God, to • Parish Council President: hinder you from having any trial at all of those hardships, yet such is not my will for your sake, that you may Mary Rankin yourself contribute something and be more approved.’ God does not smooth everything over for us He • Philoptochos President: does not remove trials and tribulations, but rather He explains costs of discipleship which are self-denial, car- Susan Coin rying one’s cross (that is suffering) and obedience to Christ. “If it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? St. Paul here • Prayer Ministry: Gus Pappas talks about repentance. Repentance is a change of mind. We need this change because we fall short. Man is called to grow in the image and likeness of God, that is, to imitate God’s life. In fact C. S. Lewis tells us in his • Sunday School Director: book the Screwtape Letters , “He (God) really wants to fill the universe with a lot of…little replicas of Him- Deacon Paul Speed self—creatures whose life, on a miniature scale will be like…His…(He)…really wants a world of beings • Senior Ministry: Kay Coin united to Him but still distinct.” Unfortunately we decided to do things our way yet we need to do things God’s way. We should not wait to repent since we do not know the time of our death and because after death will be too late. In this life Christ grants mercy and grace to those who repent, in next life simply judg- INSIDE THIS ment. Christ offers forgiveness freely because He is the Son of God and thus has the authority to forgive I S S U E : sins, but also because He is the Son of Man and was tempted like us. There are tools that we can use to achieve our goals. First is prayer. Prayer is communication with God September 2 and links us to Church and fellow man through God. It is an important element to Christians because it Calendar makes us realize that there are others besides us. Second is fasting. Fasting restores the relationship be- President’s 3 tween body and soul. It restores our relationship with God, our fellow man, and nature. Fasting makes us Corner realize we are not the most important things in the universe. Finally there is Holy Communion. Holy Com- Community 5 munion brings us into union with God and the saints and makes us part of Christ. In fact it is the defining News characteristic of Christians. Stewardship 8 So we can see then that Christ calls us to follow Him. To truly follow Him we must deny ourselves. More Update accurately, we must deny the part of ourselves that was added on, that is sin. Having severed our evil dispo- sitions we may approach the great mercy seat of Christ and be cleansed of our stains. This becomes easier Greek Fest 9 knowing that Christ is indeed one of us and underwent temptation. He lived the life that He calls us to live News and for that reason He can be merciful, because He knows how tough that life is. We approach the seat of Lives of the 12- mercy by using the tools that He provided us. These tools are prayer, fasting and Holy Communion. Let us Saints 14 then not overlook this great mercy that is given us to approach the mercy seat of Christ. For we know not the day or the hour of our death. Let us then take up our cross and follow Him. Let us not rebuild what we tore down. Let us rather persevere in the struggle so that we may join Saint Paul in saying, “It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me”. Amen September 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Fast Day + Sacrament Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 13th Sunday of Labor Day 9:00 a.m. Packaging Fast Day Nativity of the Greek Fest Matthew Office Closed of Pastries 10:30 a.m. Senior Theotokos 11:00a.m.— 8:00a.m. Orthros 9:30 a.m. Rock Island Parade Outing Fish, Wine and oil 11:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy allowed 9:00 a.m. Orthros Sunday School/ followed by the HOPE JOY/GOYA Divine Liturgy at registration Assumption Church Fast Day Greek Fest 3:00p.m.— Festival set up and preparation all Week! 11:00 p.m. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Sunday before the Fast Day The Universal Elevation of the Exaltation of the Cross Holy Cross 8:00a.m. Orthros Strict Fast Day 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy 8:30 a.m. Orthros Sunday School/ followed by the HOPE JOY/GOYA Divine Liturgy registration 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 Sunday after the Fast Day Fast Day Elevation of the 10:00 a.m. Ortho- Cross dox Study Forum 8:30a.m. Orthros 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy Sunday School Class 6:00 p.m. Orthodox begin with an 7:00 p.m. Study Forum Agiasmos Service Parish Council 7:15 p.m. Chanting Meeting Class 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1st Sunday of Falling Asleep of Fast Day Fast Day Luke Saint John the 10:00 a.m. Ortho- Theologian 8:30a.m. Orthros dox Study Forum 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy at the Sunday School Class Church of the As- following sumption Holy Communion 6:00 p.m. Orthodox Study Forum VOLUME 7 ISSUE 8 P A G E 3 P A G E 4 THE TROPHYBEARER Evening Meal Volunteers Epistle Readers September 27-Kathy December 4-Father Mi- Sunday, Sunday, Farrell and Adrian John- chael, Presbytera Maria September 3, 2017 September 17, 2017 son and family 13th Sunday of Sunday after the Cross October 28-Mary and Anyone interested in Matthew Ethan Kirpatrick Bill Rankin participating in this Alexa Florence Sunday, November 8-Dena worthwhile ministry Sunday, September 24, 2017 Manta and Alexa Flor- should contact Dena September 10, 2017 1st Sunday of Luke ence Manta at 332-1684. Sunday before the Scot Johnson Cross Loukia Constantinides Parish Registry Baptisms Gena Coin and Eric Voss The servant of God Sophia, were united in the Sacra- daughter of David and ment of Holy Marriage on Parish Council Sunday Duty Melissa Tumbarello was Bap- August 19, 2017 and the tized into the Orthodox sponsor was Anne Sunday, Sunday, Kirkpatrick. September 3, 2017 September 17, 2017 Faith on August 19, 2017 and the sponsor was Patricia An- Funeral Joe Burmeister, John Mekus, drews. The servant of God, Mary Mary Kay Eckert, Dennis Spurgetis, Ted Pitsoulakis, Weddings Spurgetis, fell asleep in the Diana Spurgetis, Lord and was buried on July Ken Stiegel Sara Knaack and Jaymes Mary Rankin 25, 2017 Eckert were united in the Sunday, Sunday, Sacrament of Holy Marriage The servant of God, Steve September 10, 2017 September 24, 2017 on July 8, 2017 and the spon- Morgan, fell asleep in the Nick Coin, Joe Burmeister, sor was Marguerite Nelson. Lord and was buried on Brad Crosson, August 1, 2017 Mary Kay Eckert, Jessica Stratton and Daniel Mariellen Crosson, Ted Pitsoulakis, Sheridan were united in the The servant of God, Gary Mike Patramanis Ken Stiegel Sacrament of Holy Marriage Coin, fell asleep in the Lord on July 30, 2017 and the and was buried on August 3, sponsor was John Stratton. 2017 Coffee Hour Hosts for September 2017 Memorials September Sunday, September 3, Sunday, September 17, 2017 hosted by: 2017 hosted by: September 3, 2017 Family of Mary Spurgetis Families of Gary Coin and Mary Spurgetis: 40 Days Sunday, September 10, Steve Morgan Cleo Mallires: 1 Year 2017 hosted by: Sunday, September 24, September 17, 2017 Open 2017 hosted by: Steve Morgan: 40 Days Angela Spurgetis Gary Coin: 40 Days VOLUME 7 ISSUE 8 P A G E 5 Community News SUNDAY SCHOOL teachings of the Fathers, the year. NEWS Tradition of the Church and •We need as many volun- Our Sunday School classes with our lives today.