ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH U.S. POSTAGE 303 Cullum Drive PAID Euless, TX 76040-4625 EULESS, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 18 Return Service Requested THE FORERUNNER VOL. XXIV NO. 8 August 2008 Sponsorship for This Month’s Forerunner Volume XXIV No.8 Volume XXIV No.8 Page 1 Page 2 1998, when a group of evangelical Christians decided to do something to promote abstinence before marriage. So came the idea of the Purity ball where young girls, accompanied by their fathers make a public vow of preserving their purity until marriage. At their turns the dads Council Capsule commit to guarding their beloved pupils so nothing will harm their innocence. My Fellow Parishioners, Living aside the controversies around the true Christian nature of these balls and the THE FORERUNNER clichéd nature of the fathers and daughters The Parish Council welcomes its newest member, declarations of chastity, this initiative tries in its Monthly Bulletin of Taki Sofokidis. He will be an outstanding own eccentric way to address a growing problem addition. in our society today: teen sexuality. St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church 303 Cullum Drive ▪ Euless, TX 76040-4625 Looking at the alarming growth in the The week of 13 July Father Vasile and I attended number of pregnant girls under 16 something Church (817) 283-2291 or (817) 545-9644 ▪ Fax (817) 545-0302 the 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress in indeed should be done. The schools have tried to Web Site: www.stjohndfw.info ▪ E-mail: [email protected] Washington, DC. Along with the many do something dedicating an entire curriculum to Volume XXIV ▪ Number 8 workshops offered, I was able to meet and interface teen sexual education. But instead of solving a with much of our Church Leadership. problem they’ve created another one by trivializing the whole issue, focusing only on the Our Philoptochos had their hard work rewarded August 2008 safety side and less of the true education on the when the Chapter was recognized for their CD on meaning of these acts. Simply promoting Autism by the National Philoptochos Convention. contraceptive devices is really not going to solve Schedule of Services at St. John’s Present were members Bertha Gianulis, Barbara anything. Vittas, Lynn Peters,and Stacia Leeders. These kind of “educational” activities Sunday, August 3: Holy Liturgy, 9 A.M. will be to no avail since the problem lays deeper My report on the business conducted by the into the decaying foundations of the society we Wednesday, August 6: Holy Liturgy, 6 A.M. Council at the end of the month meeting will be live in. Rather than trying to quick-fix the issue Sunday, August 10: Holy Liturgy, 9 A.M. reported next month due to the Forerunner at hand we need to go back to the fundamentals deadline. Friday, August 15: Holy Liturgy, 6 A.M. and reassess our baselines, trying to build again on a more solid base. We should try to be like Sunday, August 17: Holy Liturgy 9 A.M. Harry G. Karegeannes the man “who built a house and dug deep and Sunday, August 24: Holy Liturgy, 9 A.M. Council President laid the foundation on a rock; and a flood Sunday, August 31: Holy Liturgy, 9 A.M occurring, the stream burst against that house Father Vasile’s Message and could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock.” (Luk 6:48) Orthodox Calendar The only rock we can start building Marriage and Virginity: properly is the rock of faith, not just superficial The quest for purity and theoretical faith, but faith that permeates our See enclosed calendar for dates, times, and places for the Special whole being, body and soul, making us not only I recently read an article that intrigued appreciate what faith is, but actually live our services and other events this month. me by its unusual title. In a world concerned faith on an everyday basis. only with war, crime and uncensored sensuality a The reason I bring the issue of purity title like “The purity Ball” captured my attention. today is that on August 15 th we are going to So what is a purity ball? Its origins date back to celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Volume XXIV No.8 Volume XXIV No.8 Page 3 Page 4 Holy Virgin Mary. The troparyon of the feast to the traditions of the time, at the age of 15 with lives, if we do everything to preserve the true 2008 Stewards reads like this: ”In giving birth, you preserved a fisherman, also a Christian. But one day her goal of our marital relations. This is what the Alexander, Leo & Teresa your virginity! In falling asleep you did not father in-law, blinded by her beauty, wanted her, Lord and His Church bless in the Sacrament of Antahades, Dr. Lou & Judyth forsake the world, O Theotokos! You were seeking to lead his daughter-in-law into sin. Crowning, a wholesome relationship of both Arlington, Linda translated to life, O Mother of Life, and by your Refusing to subdue and abiding by the body and soul, in which the priority is salvation. Ball, David prayers you deliver our souls from death!” commandments of the Lord, Saint Thomaida Anything that falls outside of this goal is sin Ballas, Andy & Pat The Mother of God is the very symbol received a martyr's death by the sword for her against the Lord because “the body is not for Basiliadis, Nick & Dr. Margaret of purity and chastity, giving birth and still prudence and faith in the Lord. fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for Began, John remaining a virgin. This miracle that transcends This beautiful example of solid faith, the body.” (1Co 6:13). Berca, Sorin & Carmen time and matter still amazes the entire universe. extreme, as many will call it today, gives us a Preserving our purity is therefore not Bitner, Carol But what is that amazes us, what is about purity suggestion of what we are called for: being just a matter of the body, it is also a matter of the Blasé, Clarisse that it needs to be preserved so dearly and not married and yet still keeping our purity. If we soul; it is a state we should seek if we want to Bogdos, George & Soterra given away cheaply at a late night high school look carefully in this example we realize that enter in the kingdom of heaven because we are Bogordos,George & Kasandra drinking party? marriage is not just about the body, is actually warned: “Unless you are converted and become Bokoyas, Chris Virginity is a condition that once lost more about the spirit. In a world that considers as little children, you shall not enter into the Bokoyas, Jim & Kiki we cannot take it back because as the scriptures adultery as something almost normal we should kingdom of Heaven.“ (Mat 18:3). Bouras, Andreas & Ann say: “the wife and the virgin are different. The start realizing that the true purpose of marriage is Brandon, Roberta unmarried woman cares for the things of the not to indulge in the pleasure of the flesh, nor Callesen, John & Kathleen Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in even to have kids at any price, but it is to enter in Summer Schedule for Services Chokas, Margaret spirit. But she who is married cares for the a redeeming relationship for the salvation of the Chokas, Mitch & Maretta things of the world, how she may please her souls of both the wife and the husband: together. We will continue the summer schedule for Clay, Wayne & Aria husband.” (1Co 7:34) Keeping this goal as a top priority will ensure the Sunday Services. We’ll start Orthros at 8:00AM Cline, Tim & Angela In purity there are no bounds to this preservation of the purity of our bodies and and the Holy Liturgy at 9:00 AM. This we’ll Coston, Kathryn world and its temptations, the body and the soul souls. allow us to avoid the midday summer heat and to Cramb, Kristina are free to roam with God in the Garden of Eden, All the other things that come in the better accommodate the holiday activities. We’ll th Dempsey, Walt & Dorothy uncluttered by the desires of the flesh. Once this wedding package, the marital relations, the kids resume our normal schedule on September 7 . DiGiovanni, Greg & Joy is lost, man and women - doesn’t matter if you’re etc. are additional blessings springing from the Eftimie, Michael & Tamara one or the other - loose their innocence and start kindness of our Creator, but they should not be Stewardship News Feichtinger, Pavlina being dragged down to the ground and there they the sole purpose of our marriages. The union of As of 7/16/08 we have 111 stewards for a total of File, Russell & Hope live forgetting all about the splendor of paradise. Husband and wife is first in Christ: “a man shall $132,063 or 94% of our goal. Fondulis, Paul Virginity however is not only in flesh leave his father and mother and shall be joined Fox, Mike & Kathy but also in the mind. Saint Basil the Great once to his wife, and the two of them shall be one We are almost there so, please, if you have not Geil, Christopher & Sandra said: “I have not known any woman, yet I am not flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak turned in your pledge card as yet, consider doing Genovezos, George a virgin anymore”.