December 2013 ¨1645 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308 ¨ (850) 878-0747 ¨ Rev. Fr. Robert J. O’Loughlin¨ http://www.hmog.org Keeping the Nativity of Christ Simple ~ A Message from Fr. Robert We live in the world today where technology keeps us informed immediately of dif- ferent things going on all the time. Within the busyness we may not include God and trusting in Him to assist in making our lives more simple. The more we trust Him, the simpler life becomes. What God asks of us is to release some of our own desires and wants and trust in Him that He will guide us to all we need. One of the central mes- sages of the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus is that He becomes alive in each one of us. Our thoughts, words and deeds become ways to carry out His will. We are to engage in the opening of our heart, mind, soul and body to the presence of the Holy Spirit as it takes effort to integrate the thoughts and feelings to become temples of His Holy Spirit. We come to that time of year when we take time to think of others. One thing that is associated with the cel- ebration of Christmas everywhere is giving. Christmas is the feast of giving and St. Nicholas has become a symbol of Christmas because he gave all of what he had and was never tired of giving. The biggest gift that we can receive and then ultimately give is receiving Christ in our hearts. And then when we have this we can give the gift of ourselves more and spend the time that many people long for. We need to strive to find the time to visit and be with people. This is the greatest gift because its value cannot be calculated in terms of money. And everybody needs love and encouragement. Everybody needs the inner peace and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit that we can inspire to utilize. When we visit people this Christmas season, let us try to share with them the Spirit of God in us, the Spirit of peace and joy. At this time of year when we are generally so distracted by everything else except the reason that we are celebrating Christmas, it’s important for us to pay attention a little more closely to what is happening. As we come together to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity, let us be reminded that Christ came to live with people just like us. He accepts us and embraces us no matter where we have been. So as we prepare for this joyous Feast, let us never lose sight that God has entered the world and changed it forever. The big ques- tion is whether we truly realize this entrance of God into the world, and accept His entrance as an event that directly impacts our lives in the way we live. I pray this Christmas will be a time of renewed commitment for all of us. Let us open our hearts and receive the greatest gift that God has given us in His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Fr. Robert Page 2 If an emergency or special need should arise, please contact Next Spaghetti Dinners: Fr. Rob immediately at 850-559-8184. Friday, December 6th Our next ECHO Sundays are December 1st and January 5th. Please drop off your non- Friday, January 10th perishable food donations into the bins located in the Hellenic Center and Patmos Hall. Dear Parishioners, November has been a good month for our parish in many aspects and I wish December to be even better for everyone. Following a two-month suspension due to preparation work for the Greek Food Festival, we resumed our monthly spaghetti dinners on November 1. It was indeed very inspiring to see those dedicated volunteers gathering that early morning and carrying on with great enthusiasm throughout the day. If you can spare a few hours in the future, I guarantee you will enjoy joining them while at the same time helping your church. Usually, this event takes place on the first Friday of each month. The next one will be on December 6. Hope to see you then either volunteering or dining or both! Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Archangel Michael Award, Jimmy Koikos and Krista O'Loughlin. His Eminence, Metropolitan Alexios presented the awards during the Archangel Michael Honors Banquet on November 9 at the Metropolis of Atlanta. We all are proud for these recognitions and thankful for Jimmy and Krista's paradigmatic dedication to the faith, our church and ministries. Our most heartfelt wishes to both. The General Assembly of October 20 nominated six church members for four seats on the Parish Council. Our Elec- tion Day is December 8. On behalf of the entire Parish Council, I wish you a Very Merry Christmas followed by a Prosperous and Happy New Year! Yours in Christ Pete Koikos Metropolis of Atlanta Archangel Michael Recipients Nov. 9, 2013 Jimmy Koikos Krista O’Loughlin Christmas Services Tuesday, December 24th For more information and if you would Great Hours and like to donate a Vasilopita for Sunday, Vespers of the Nativity 8:30 a.m. January 12th, 2014, please see or call Orthros & Divine Liturgy Vicky Gavalas. All proceeds from the of St. John Chrysostom Vasilopita benefit St. Basil’s 6:00 p.m. Academy and the children. SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 f 2 f 3 f 4 5 f 6 7 f Orthros 9:30 a.m. & Catechetical Class Feast Day of Divine Liturgy (Newcomers/ In- St. Nicholas Choir Practice 10:30 a.m. quirers) Divine Liturgy, 9:00 a.m. OCF/GOYA ECHO Sunday 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Spaghetti Dinner No Church School Christmas Caroling 11:00 am— 7:00 pm 8 f 9 f 10 f 11 12 f 13 14 Orthros 9:30a.m Parish Council Second Harvest Feast Day of St. Spyridon & Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m. Meeting Choir Practice 11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. 10:30 a.m Church School 5:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Orthodox Life Parish Council 6:00 p.m. Elections Feast Day of St. Nicho- las Pancake Breakfast (sponsored by GOYA) 15 16 + 17 18 + 19 + 20 21 Orthros 9:30 a.m. & Divine Liturgy Choir Practice Catechetical Class Great Vespers 10:30 a.m. (Newcomers/ In- Youth Sunday 6:00 p.m. quirers) 5:00 pm Church School 6:00 p.m. 22 23 + 24 + 25 OFFICE CLOSED 26 No Fast 27 No Fast 28 No Fast Orthros 9:30 a.m. Great Hours & No Fast Prosforo & Divine Liturgy Vespers 10:30 a.m. of the Nativity Schedule Church School 8:30 a.m. 12/08— Margarita Joanos Orthros & Divine Christ is Born, 12/22—Youla Lountos Liturgy 6:00 p.m. Glorify Him! Calendar Symbol Key Pangari Schedule for December + = Strict Fast 29 No Fast 30 No Fast 31 No Fast *Denotes a 9:30 start time = Wine and Oil Orthros 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve 12/01— Gorb*/Perrigan/EJoanos (c) allowed & Divine Liturgy 12/08— Branch*/SJoanos/Poulos (c) 10:30 a.m. Vespers and Divine 12/15 — Gorb*/Pappageorge/Koikos © No Church School Liturgy of St. Basil s = Fish Allowed 12/22 — Perrigan*/Manias/SJoanos (c) 6:00 pm 12/29— Koikos*/EJoanos/Branch (c) = Dairy & eggs Page allowed 01/05 — Poulos*/Gorb/Papageorge (c) = Father Away 3 Page 4 A huge thank you to the Holy Mother of God community for support- ing our bake sale in which proceeds will go towards purchasing toys for “Toys for Tots”. Over $300 was made! Sat. Dec. 7th– Christmas caroling to parishioners Sun. Dec. 8th- 6th Annual Feast of St. Nicholas Community Pancake Breakfast GOYA Bake Sale November GOYA meeting –dinner ,discussion and fellowship Feast Day of St. Nicholas Family Pancake Breakfast Sponsored by GOYA Sunday Dec. 8th, 2013 Following Divine Liturgy After breakfast there will be crafts and a surprise visit from St. Nicholas For more information please contact Presvytera Joy at Nov. OCF Meeting at FSU 320-1101 or email at [email protected] Holy Mother of God Monthly Community Outreach Wednesday, December 11th If you would like to make a difference and help fight hunger, join us at America’s Second Harvest Warehouse facility on Four Points Way . The time that you donate at the food bank will go a long way towards helping the men, women, and chil- dren of the Big Bend get the food they so desperately need. We will meet at Second Harvest at 11:00 am.. If you are interested in assisting in this effort for one or two hours or have any questions, please contact: Fr. Rob @850-559-8184 or Presv. Joy @ 850-320-1101. Page 5 Christmas Poinsettias Philoptochos will be adorning the Solea with Poinsettias for the Nativity! If you would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one for $15.00, please contact Olibia Drzewiecki after Liturgy on Sunday’s or reach her at 877-7604 by December 15th. The names will be listed in the January Reflection. Parish Christmas Card Please call the church office about including your family in the Parish Christ- mas Card by December 15th. Donation is $10 per family. Sign up early. Stewardship Ministries Orthodox Christian Stewardship is a way of life, which acknowledg- es accountability, reverence, and responsibility before God. A primary goal of Stewardship is to promote spiritual growth and strengthen faith.