St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church August 8, 2021 - 7th Sunday of Matthew Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis (Proistamenos) Fr. Stratton Dorozenski (Retired Priest In Residence) Fr. John Stefero (Retired Priest In Residence) (Above, Transfiguration) SYNAXARION: Emillian the Confessor & Bishop of Cyzikos; Our Holy Father Myronus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Crete; Holy New Martyrs Triantaphillus of Zagoras and Anastasius of Thessolonica; Gregory of Sinai and Mouth Athos; Kallini- kos, Metropolitan of Edessa and Pella; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; Anastatios the Mar- tyr from Bulgaria; Second Antiphon: Save us o Son of God, who was Transfigured on Mount Tabor, to Thee we sing: Alleluia. So-son i-mas I -e The-ou, o en to O-ri to Tha-vor Me-ta-mor-fo-this, psa-lon-tas Si: Alliluia. Entrance Hymn: For with You is the Fountain of Life, and in Your Light we shall see Light. Save us o Son of God, who was Transfigured on Mount Tabor, to Thee we sing: Alleluia. Apolytikion of the Week (Pl 2 Mode): When the angelic powers appeared at the tomb and soldiers guarding You became as though dead and standing by Your sepulchre was Mary seeking Your pure and sacred Body. For You did vanquish Hades and uncorrupted by its touch, You came unto the virgin woman bestowing the gift of Life. O You who rose from the dead, Lord, we give glory to You. Apolytikion of Transfiguration: Me-te-mor-fo-this, en to O-ri Chri-ste o The-os, di-xas tis Ma-thi-tes Sou tin do-xan Sou ka- thos i-thi-nan-to. Lam-pson ke i-min tis a-mar-to-lis, to Fos Sou to a-i-di-on, Pres-vi-es tis The-o-to-kou, Fo-to-do-ta Do-xa Si. You were Transfigured on the Mountain O Christ our God, showing to Your disciples Your Glory as far as they could under- stand; shine upon us the sinners as well, the Light of Yours, eternal, by the prayers of the Theotokos, O Giver of Light, Glory to You. Apolytikion of St. John: The memory of the just is observed with hymns of praise; for you O Forerunner the witness of the Lord is sufficient. You have proved to be truly more venerable than the prophets. Since you were granted to baptize in the river, the One Whom they proclaimed. Therefore, you strove for truth, proclaiming with joy the Good News, even to those in Hades: that God was manifested in the flesh, and takes away the sins of the world, and grants to us His great mercy. Kontakion (Grave Mode): Upon the Mount, You were Transfigured and Your Disciples beheld Your Glory, as far as they were able to, O Christ our God; so that when they would see You crucified, they would know that You suffered willingly; and thus proclaim to all the world: that You are truly the One who is the Father’s Radiance. Readings for 7th Sunday of Matthew Epistle Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 15:1-7 Brethren, we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruc- tion, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmo- ny with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Gospel Reading is from Matthew 9:27-35 At that time, as Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mer- cy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Je- sus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of de- mons." And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. The Parish Assistance Program Continues Happy Birthday and Happy Nameday! (PAP) If you want to make sure we have your birthdate on file, please call the office. Since May 1 2020, we have been offering a Parish Assistance Birthdays Namedays Program, PAP, with BayCare Behavioral Health. The PAP pro- Lucas Elly-August 8 gram provides our parishioners access to free and confidential Gabriela Fotopoulos- counseling services - offering additional support when life’s MYRON, TRIANTA- August 8 FILIA, challenges become overwhelming. The PAP utilizes a network Michael Mantzanas- August 8 TRIANTAFILI-OS - of faith-based providers and are sensitive to the values and be- Presbytera Loretta Karpele- AUGUST 8 liefs of those they serve and provide compassionate care to nia - August 10 Lindsey Skourellos- IPPOLYTOS, IRO, children, adults, parents, and seniors. Parishioners can contact August 10 IRON, LAURA, LA- BayCare to request up to three free and confidential counseling Nikolas Massey-August 11 VRENTIOS - sessions from a licensed mental health professional. The Scott Olsen-August 11 AUGUST 10 Jimmy Reader-August 11 BayCare helpline, 800-878-5470, is answered 24/7 by mental Judith Zeban-August 11 EFPLOUS - health professionals. Many BayCare therapists are also offering Ava Snyder-August 12 AUGUST 11 George Fallieras-August 13 telephonic and virtual counseling sessions to help parishioners Laura Paloumpis-August 13 maintain their emotional wellbeing during these trying times. Conner Price-August 13 PHOTIS - AUGUST 12 Upcoming Services & Events Sunday, August 8 7th Sunday of Matthew Orthros 8:45 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Monday, August 9 Paraklesis 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 11 Paraklesis 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 13 Paraklesis 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 14 Sunday School Seminar 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Vespers for Dormition 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 15 Dormition of the Virgin Mary Orthros 8:45 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Welcome Back Celebration (Following Divine Liturgy) GOYA 5:00 p.m. Stewardship 2021 Update Praying For School Students, Sunday, August 8! As of Wednesday, August 4, we have re- All school students and teachers (high school and below) are invit- ceived 317 stewardship forms, with a ed to participate in a special pray- er that will be held at the conclu- pledged amount of $474,968.00 for 2021. sion of the Divine Liturgy on Au- gust 8, prior to the beginning of Don’t forget to fill out your form and send the public school year. Fr. Stavros will offer a special prayer for all it into the office! of our students and teachers as they begin the new school year. Fifty-Two Verses in Fifty-Two Weeks: The Bible Project August 8 - 14 They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Many of us were finally able to get away this summer and take a break after a long two years. A vacation and a change of scene is very restorative. Prayer and worship offer a change of scene, because they intentionally slow life down. Prayer can slow down life at any moment for any amount of time. Worship slows down life at specific moments in time for a more significant amount of time. Most of us are forced by circumstance to live our lives at warp speed. This leaves us tired, stressed and chaotic. Prayer and worship provide rest, lessen our stress and bring order into our chaotic thoughts and lives. Prayer and worship help us to continue to run and not be weary. They allow us to soar above the stress, above the fray, like an eagle soars above the ground. It is up to us to come to the Lord in order to find renewed strength. Do you have a heart for Service, Prayer, and Fellowship? Then you won’t want to miss this special day! On Saturday December 4th, 2021, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church is teaming up with Christ the King Catholic Church for a day of Service, Prayer, and Fellowship. The day will begin with serving at Metropolitan Ministries, assisting in preparing food and assembling food items in their warehouse. We are in need of at least 25 volunteers to serve alongside Christ The King's 25 volunteers. Afterwards both of our communities will meet at Christ the King for prayer led by parish leaders and followed by fellowship, with a cookout sponsored by Christ the King! This is a great opportunity to grow in communion with one another and demonstrate Christian service to those in need around our communi- ty.