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April 2020 Issue of the Light

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April 2020 Issue of the Light ISSUE 4 APRIL 2020 Looking into April April 14th - Holy Tuesday April 1st 6:00 pm Bridegroom Service 6:00 pm Presanctified Liturgy April 15th –Holy Wednesday April 3rd 6:00 pm Holy Unction 6:00 pm Akathist Service April 16th –Holy Thursday April 5th 9:30 am Vesperal Liturgy 8:45 am Orthros 6:00 pm Reading 12 Gospels 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Ushers: William Christopher April 17th –Holy Friday 9:00 am Great Hours April 6-8 3:00 pm Vespers Tenting- All Buildings closed 6:00 pm Salutation Service April 10th April 18th -Holy Saturday 9:30 am Clean the Church 9:30 am Vesperal Liturgy 11:30 Nocturns April 11th - Lazarus Saturday 12:00 am Paschal Orthros & Liturgy 8:45 am Orthros Ushers: Litsa Halverson 10:00 am Divine Liturgy April 19th –Great and Holy Pascha April 12th - Palm Sunday 12:00 pm Paschal Vespers 9:00 am Orthros April 25th 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Food Pantry Ushers: Orson Gregory 3:00 pm Bridegroom Service April 26th –Thomas Sunday 8:45 am Orthros April 13th-Holy Monday 6:00 pm Bridegroom Service 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Ushers: Harriet Crozier Very Rev. Fr. John W. Stefero, Proistamenos Cell # 678-637-4425 Email: [email protected] Rev. Deacon John Panteli 3600 76th Street North · St. Petersburg, FL 33710 - www.ststefanos.org 727-345-8235 Email: [email protected] 2 FROM THE DESK OF FR. STEFERO Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As I sit down to write this letter, I just finished participating online in a ‘Virtual Town Hall Meeting’ led by His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros and attended by the Met- ropolitans as well as 325 clergy from across the country. The purpose of the webinar was to receive guidance and encouragement from His Eminence and to address the practical issues that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to our churches and society in general. I don’t think any of us saw this crisis coming a month ago when we began our Len- ten journey. But here we are now in the midst of a global pandemic that has affected everyone in one way or another. We have felt the impact physically, spiritually, psy- chologically and economically. Furthermore, we don’t know how long this virus will continue or what the lasting effects may be on us or our way of life. Yet in spite of the many challenges that we are enduring, we also have witnessed acts of compassion and courage. These include care and concern being offered by health professionals, first responders, clergy, parishioners, civil authorities, members of our military and countless others reaching out to those in need. Archbishop Elpidophoros stated that many decisions will be made in the next week or two - how Holy Week and Pascha will be celebrated, whether the Clergy-Laity Conference will be postponed (he said it most likely will), how Holy Cross/Hellenic College graduation will take place, etc. The trip to the United States by His All- Holiness Bartholomew scheduled for May has already been postponed. In this issue of The Light I have included several resources to help you as you seek to discern the will of God during these difficult times and to actually use this time to grow spiritually and trust in and rely on our Lord and Savior more deeply. We must remember the words of Psalm 90 (91) which states: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge, my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pesti- lence.” Let us not forget that GOD IS WITH US and He is in control. Let us deepen our faith in Him and our commitment to Him. May we use this time to pray more often, to read Holy Scriptures and to share our love and concern for one another by connecting with them by phone, email, text or social media. We WILL endure for “the Lord of Hosts is with us and the God of Jacob is our protector!” Psalm 45 (46):12 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - NICKY STAMOULIS 3 Dear St. Stefanos Parishioners and Friends, We are already half way through Great Lent. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days," and "Great Fast," respectively) is the most important fasting season in the church year in the Eastern Orthodox Church - Wikipedia According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, “on the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha, Orthodox Christians celebrate the life-giving Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This feast of feasts is the most significant day in the life of the Church. It is a celebration of the defeat of death, as neither death itself nor the power of the grave could hold our Savior captive. In this victory that came through the Cross, Christ broke the bondage of sin, and through faith offers us res- toration, transformation, and eternal life.” We all are aware of the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-9) throughout the world, including the United States. Metropolitan Alexios’ message was “The sea- son of Great Lent is one of vigilance: both spiritual--in terms of prayer, and physical- -when we fast. As we await further developments concerning the coronavirus, this is but another way we can remain vigilant, caring for our bodies--the Temples of the Lord--and also for our family, friends, and neighbors”. On March 26, 2020 I saw this message. Isaiah 26:20 “Go my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.” As many of you know, the annual budget for our Parish is funded by stewardship. At every Council meeting we receive a finance report for the month and year to date. This information is shared with you in the bimonthly financial report. To this date we received 64 stewardship cards, 51 pledged for 2020 for a total $69,610.00 towards our budget of $394,735.00 approved at the General Assembly. Thank you to all our faithful who completed their stewardship pledges already for 2020. Thank you to all who are still contributing through these difficult times. This year our Humanitarian donation pledge was $20,000.00. In March, we sent to The Rotary Foundation $1,000, All Children’s Hospital $1,000, to the As- sembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA $500 and Dia- konia Center $1,000. Please stay safe and healthy. Happy Resurrection, ΚΑΛΗ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗ! 4 SCRIPTURAL VERSES ABOUT GOD’S PROTECTION God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10) The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14) The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6) For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy (Psalm 63:7) What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) The Name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10) But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid (Psalm 27:1) May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the Name of the God of Jacob protect you (Psalm 20:1) The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever (2 Timothy 4:18) The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him (Nahum 1:7) ORTHODOX RESOURCES FOR DEALING WITH COVID-19 5 The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA announced a Resource Center for clergy and faithful during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes updated news from the various jurisdictions as well as practical guidelines and resources for families, ministry leaders, parish leaders, and everyone. The Center can be accessed at http:// www.assemblyofbishops.org/covid19 and will be update regularly with new materials and expanded selections. Religious Education at Home Weekly Resources, Activities, Lessons, and Crafts – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has been developing ways for normal parish ministries to be brought into the home. Instead of just hit- ting ‘play” on a video to “teach” children, take this opportunity to dig into the teachings of the Church together so that they work on their Lenten journey as one. The weekly lessons have sections for various ages, but if you do not have time to work with each age group, try to at least utilize the “Family” section. Every Saturday a new page will be uploaded with educa- tional ideas to achieve at home. Go to https://www.goarch.org/-/ religious-education-at-home?inheritRedirect=true You can also find additional articles, videos and other resources related to Lent and Holy Week at http://www.goarch.org/lent 40+ Activities for Children During Great Lent can be found under the ‘Department of Christian Education’ at the Antiochian Orthodox website at www.antiochian.org An On-Line Church School began on March 25th entitled “COVID Catech- esis: A Reflection.” For more information go to https://bit.ly/oca- churchschool 6 FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS “When you pray to God in time of temptation do not say, ‘Take this or that away from me’, but pray like this: ‘O Jesus Christ, sovereign Master, help me and do not let me sin against You…’” Abba Isaiah the Solitary Every affliction tests our will, showing whether it is inclined to good or evil.
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