Welcome to Saint Nicholas on This Sunday, June 7, 2020 Today We

Welcome to Saint Nicholas on this Sunday, June 7, 2020

Today we commemorate:

Holy Pentecost The Holy Martyr Theodotus of Ancyra Our Righteous Father Panagis (Paisios) Basias Tarasios & John the Martyrs

EPISTLE READING

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11

Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 4. Psalm 18.4,1 Their voice has gone out into all the earth. Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God. The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they

were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 2:1-11

Προκείμενον. Ήχος πλ. δ'. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 18.4,1 Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν. Στίχ. Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ. Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 2:1-11 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα Ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς, ἦσαν ἅπαντεςN ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦχος ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας, καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν ὅλον τὸν οἶκον οὗ ἦσαν καθήμενοι. Καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός, ἐκάθισέν τε ἐφʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις, καθὼς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς ἀποφθέγγεσθαι. Ἦσαν δὲ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατοικοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς, ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. Γενομένης δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης, συνῆλθεν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ συνεχύθη, ὅτι ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν. Ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐθαύμαζον, λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Οὐκ ἰδοὺ πάντες οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ λαλοῦντες Γαλιλαῖοι; Καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθημεν; Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης τῆς κατὰ Κυρήνην, καὶ οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι, Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ προσήλυτοι, Κρῆτες καὶ Ἄραβες, ἀκούομεν λαλούντων αὐτῶν ταῖς ἡμετέραις γλώσσαις τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel According to John 7:37-52; 8:12

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So, there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." Nikodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 7:37-52, 8:12 Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα

᾿Εν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς εἱστήκει ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς καὶ ἔκραξε λέγων· ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτόν· οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα ῞Αγιον, ὅτι ᾿Ιησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη. Πολλοὶ οὖν ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον ἔλεγον· οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης· ἄλλοι ἔλεγον· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός· ἄλλοι ἔλεγον· μὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ Χριστὸς ἔρχεται; οὐχὶ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Δαυῒδ καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης, ὅπου ἦν Δαυΐδ, ὁ Χριστὸς ἔρχεται; σχίσμα οὖν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ἐγένετο δι᾽ αὐτόν. τινὲς δὲ ἤθελον ἐξ αὐτῶν πιάσαι αὐτόν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας. ῏Ηλθον οὖν οἱ ὑπηρέται πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαίους, καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνοι· διατί οὐκ ἠγάγετε αὐτόν; ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ὑπηρέται· οὐδέποτε οὕτως ἐλάλησεν ἄνθρωπος, ὡς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων; ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν νόμον ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσι! λέγει Νικόδημος πρὸς αὐτούς, ὁ ἐλθὼν νυκτὸς πρὸς αὐτόν, εἷς ὢν ἐξ αὐτῶν· μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ πρότερον καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ; ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ἐρεύνησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι προφήτης ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας οὐκ ἐγήγερται. Πάλιν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐλάλησε λέγων· ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου· ὁ ἀκολουθῶν ἐμοὶ οὐ μὴ περιπατήσῃ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ ἕξει τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς.

Welcome to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

† If this is your first time visiting St. Nicholas, thank you for coming and we look forward to meeting you. † Please fill out one of the visitor cards located in the pew pockets and place it in the offertory basket or hand them to one of our ushers. † May God bless your time with us as we worship God The Father, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. † If you are not familiar with Orthodox worship, please ask one of our ushers or one of the greeters in the fellowship hall after services. † If you are in need of spiritual assistance or would like to know how to become an Orthodox Christian, please ask to speak with Father Andrew.

ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF TEMECULA 41132 Guava Street Murrieta, CA 92562 Parish Priest: Fr. Andrew Lesko: 909 224-5046 Email: [email protected]

June 2, 2020 My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I pray that all of you and your families are healthy and safe from the violence that is plaquing our nation.

This letter is to formally let everyone know that, after weeks of work to comply with 9 pages of checklists from the Metropolis and 13 pages of guidelines from the CDC and the state of California, we are finally permitted to partially reopen our church this coming Sunday, June 7, 2020.

I stressed the word partially because, due to the guidelines, the number of people allowed in the church and the hall are greatly restricted. Fortunately, the Metropolitan is allowing people to remain outside the church for the Divine Liturgy. Arrangements are being made for a speaker to be placed in the patio so that everyone could, at least, hear the Liturgy. Everyone who desires to receive Holy Eucharist will be able to receive communion. Strict adherence to social distancing must always be maintained.

Attached to this letter is a letter written by the Parish Council which describes the guidelines in detail. I urge everyone to read and follow these guides. Failure to follow the guidelines could result in the church being closed again.

I realize that this is not a perfect solution and I apologize in advance for any inconvenience the reopening may cause. It has been an extremely painful two months for me, and I assure you that we are only doing those things that are absolutely required. If anyone is fearful to return to the church building, please contact me personally so that I can arrange for a home visit.

Please continue to pray for me, Presvytera Karen, our Parish Council, and our entire community. Together we will get through this situation and hopefully, soon return to normal church services.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Fr. Andrew J. Lesko Parish Priest

______Parish Phone: 951 296-6207 Email: [email protected] Church Website: stnicholastemecula.org

St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will Reopen (Phase Two) on Sunday, June 7th. To reopen, we must follow State and Metropolitan Guidelines detailed below: Total attendance is limited by required social distancing (6 feet apart). Once the sanctuary has reached its limit, more attendees will be seated in church hall to watch the service on the television in there.

• If you or a family member have been sick, please stay home until you feel better. We miss you but want you to be healthy before coming to church.

Hand sanitizer is available in the Narthex and the church hall. All attendees must wear a Face Mask. Masks may be purchased from the church for $2.00. When entering the Narthex, please venerate the Icon without touching. Please wait for ushers to escort you to your seat. Families or those in the same household may sit together without social separation. Traffic flow: All must enter though the Narthex and depart through the church hall. Ushers will assist in the communion to help keep social distancing and movement to avoid touching and passing other parishioners. Father Andrew is required to wear a mask while serving communion. You can remove your mask for communion and replace mask after communion. Attendees from the church hall will be guided by ushers through the Narthex to receive communion. Please do not touch the napkin or Father Andrew. The antidoron will be distributed at the end of liturgy. There will not be a coffee hour after church as we are required to depart after liturgy. Hopefully, we will move into phase 3 very soon and return to normal services but at this time we are required to strictly follow State and Metropolitan guidelines.

Rev. Father Andrew Lesko Angela Ryan, Parish Council President Kyle Royce, Parish Health Officer

Calendar

Sunday June 7 Orthros 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Sunday June 14 Orthros 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Sunday June 21 Orthros 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Sunday June 28 Orthros 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Announcements

Church Bulletin Nicole Maverakis is now producing the weekly church bulletin. Please send any announcements to her at [email protected]. Articles should be submitted in text (*.txt) or Microsoft Word (*.docx) formats and pictures in JPEG (*.jpg *.jpeg *.jpe) format for inclusion in the bulletin. The deadline for submissions is on Friday 5:00 PM anything submitted after that time will not be included in the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday.

Bible Study Our next Bible Study will be Tuesday June 9 at 6:30 PM at the church hall. Contact Presb. Eleane Manneh at [email protected] or 714-337-8179 if you have any questions. We will be studying the topic of angels.

Sanctuary Lights The two Sanctuary Lights on the Holy Altar are replaced every Sunday and burn for one week. You may offer one or both of them for a loved one. Please contact Fr. Andrew if you would like to donate towards one or both. The cost is $10.00 each.

Ill Parishioners Reminder: If you know of any parishioners who are ill or hospitalized, please provide Father Andrew with the information as soon as possible.

Church Bookmobile St. Nicholas Bookmobile is adding many new items for sale. You may purchase items after Liturgy on Sunday or by talking to Elaine Manneh at cell 714-337-8179 or house at 951-691-8938.

Church Library A church library is now available. You may borrow books for a period of three weeks. Please write your name and telephone number on the library card. Consider sharing your reading in the bulletin. Children's books are available for borrowing in the Sunday School trailer.

St. Nicholas Cookbook Our St. Nicholas cookbook is now available for sale. Copies are in the church office. The cost is $12. each. Consider buying several to give out as gifts. Thanks to all who contributed recipes to make this project a success.

Hall Set Up and Clean Up Committee Our board is looking to form a facilities committee. We really need help with setting up tables, taking down tables and general clean-up after events. Please contact Pres.Elaine (951-691-8938) if you would like to chair this committee or would like to help on this committee.

Food Assistance If any family is in need for food, please contact Fr. Andrew. Several parishioners have offered to help.

Can you donate any 1/4" or 3/8" elastic sitting for face masks? Dru Bradford is sewing face masks for the healthcare personnel in our congregation for starters, and if you are aware of other healthcare personnel whose departments need face masks, please let her know. Once she all the healthcare personnel covered, she can start making the masks for friends and family. Bless you Dru! She would like to know however, if you might have 1/4" or 3/8" elastic sitting in your sewing basket you could donate. All stores are out. If so, please contact her. Send her a text at 405 779 4764.

Online Giving Here is the Online Giving that has been customized for our church: https://stnicholastemecula.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities

Church Usage Policies In order to facilitate and coordinate usage of the church hall, kitchen, and schedule memorials we are asking all parishioners to fill out special forms for all events and submit them to Pres.Elaine Manneh. The forms can be found in the hall in black bins. Please make payments to St.Nicholas and submit as soon as you know the information. She will in turn work with Dr.Egger to put events on the master calendar and let Fr.Andrew know of the memorials. If you wish for Koliva, Paximathia,please let her know by submitting the forms and payments. The board is trying to organize usage of the facilities. Her home phone is 951-691-8938.

Statement from Metropolitan Gerasimos on the Current Protests

DATE: JUNE 2, 2020

CATEGORY: METROPOLITAN'S MESSAGES Metropolitan's Messages AUTHOR: HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN GERASIMOS His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 Violence. Destruction. Loss of business. Loss of lives. We are just easing up on “stay at home” and “shelter in place” orders as a result of the pandemic, and now there are new restrictions across the country brought forth for another reason. The death of George Floyd was the result of inexcusable and brutal behavior. The angry response across our nation has, once again, exposed illnesses in our society that have existed for many decades, if not centuries: racial inequality, profiling, and mistrust, to name only a few. Racism is a sin. However, turning to violence and destruction in response to this tragedy is not the way for voices to be heard and change to be realized. The greatest commandment given to us by the Lord in the New Testament is to “love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength . . . and your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). If we truly understand the depth of this message, there would never be violence against one another. Rather, we would cultivate respect, compassion, and love for our fellow human beings. How sad it is that we live in the most civilized land, yet people continue to demonstrate some of the most uncivilized and destructive behaviors. As Greek Orthodox community throughout our history, we have been the victims of racist acts. We must never respond in kind. In our collective conscience, we remember that, we marched -- praying with our feet -- for civil rights. There are many peaceful and lawful ways to express our opinions, our concerns, and even our outrage. The violence currently being experienced across this country brings harm to people, their livelihoods and property, and only exacerbates the situation. As George Floyd’s brother Terrence said, “Let’s do this another

way.” In a world so desperately in need of the love of Jesus Christ, we must become voices of justice, peace, and unity. I encourage all our clergy and faithful to pray the Paraklesis to the Theotokos during these unsettling times, seeking her intercessions to bring calm to our world, and grant wisdom and forbearance to all. With Love in Christ, + G E R A S I M O S Metropolitan of San Francisco Download: Statement from Metropolitan Gerasimos on the Current Protests

Philoptochos Special Services are offered.

Memorials: Koliva Small Tray - $30.00 Large Tray - $60.00

Prosfora 3 Loaves - $20.00

Artoklasia 5 loaves - $40.00

Trisagion: For your special requests, please call Vaso Bouras at (951)401- 2440 or Phofy Bachakes at (951)698-7016.

Please call Vaso or Phofy to make arrangements for services or events.

Saint Nicholas Bookstore: Visit the St. Nicholas Bookstore in the Church Hall. There are a variety of gifts and books available.