ST. JOHN ORTHODOX CHURCH

1663 TUTWILER AVENUE

MEMPHIS, TN 38107

(901) 274-4119

www.stjohnmemphis.org

V. Rev. Fr. Basil Cushman V. Rev. Fr. John Troy Mashburn, Jr. Rev. Fr. Donald Berge

Assistant Pastor Pastor

GREAT VESPERS ORTHROS and CHURCH SCHOOL DIVINE LITURGY

Saturday, 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Sunday, 10:00 a.m.

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

“…the Disciples were called Christians first in Antioch!”

Acts 11:26

Sunday of Holy Pentecost

June 15, 2008

Epistle: Acts 2:1-11 Gospel: John 7:37-52, 8:12

The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Sh. Margaret McKelroy.

Welcome to all those visiting St. John Orthodox Church. We are honored by your presence. It is our sincere desire that your participation today in the Divine Liturgy will draw you closer to Christ and His Church.

If you are from a non-Orthodox background you may see new things such as icons, incense, the sign of the cross, the veneration of saints, and a great deal of standing. These can be perplexing to the uninitiated eye. Rest assured that everything we do has a solid biblical foundation and a long history among Christian people. Please feel free to participate where you feel comfortable, and feel equally as free only to observe when you prefer.

The Orthodox Church understands the Eucharist, or Lord’s Supper, to be – among other things – the paramount expression of Christian unity. While it is our deepest hope that Christendom will one day fulfill Christ’s desire for true unity among all those who claim His name (John 17:21), the unfortunate reality of our day is that the various segments of Christendom are not unified with the historic Orthodox faith. Since participation in the Eucharist expresses a unity with all the dogma and practice of the Orthodox Church, non-Orthodox guests do not receive Holy Communion. The Holy Eucharist is reserved for those members of the Orthodox Church who have prepared themselves by prayer, fasting, and recent confession. All visitors and unprepared Orthodox are invited to partake of the blessed bread as they come forward to venerate the cross at the end of the Liturgy. Thank you for your understanding.

ST. JOHN CALENDAR June 15^th – June 22^nd (No Fasting)

Sunday - No Teen Group

- No Young Adult Group

- Kneeling Vespers, 6:30 p.m.

Monday - First Hour, 6:45 a.m.

Tuesday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Choir Practice, 6:45 p.m.

- Catechumen/Inquirer’s Class, 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Ninth Hour and Vespers, 6:50 p.m.

Thursday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Men’s Lunch, 12:00 p.m. – *moved from Tuesdays*

Friday - First Hour, 6:45 a.m.

- Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Stay & Play Group – meet in parish hall after 3^rd hour prayer

- Sixth Hour, 12:00 p.m.

Saturday - Ninth Hour and Great Vespers, 5:50 p.m.

Sunday - Orthros, 8:55 a.m.

- Church School, 9:00 a.m.

- Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m.

Schedule for Divine Liturgy Sunday, June 22^nd

PRIEST: Fr. Basil

HOMILY: Fr. Basil

DEACONS: Dns. Tim & James

READER: Billy Scrantom

HOLY BREAD: Karen Wells

USHER: Aaron White

ALTAR SERVERS: Matthew, Luke S., Alex, Deon

COFFEE HOUR: Aleksandra & Aleksander Klimkowski, Rawad & Shanna Massouh

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Pentecost Kneeling prayers – We have until this year always done the vespers service for the kneeling prayers immediately after the Divine Liturgy on Pentecost Sunday. This year, we will not do that, but rather we will serve vespers this evening at 6:30 PM.

No Divine Liturgy on July 11 – We will not celebrate the liturgy for St. Ephemia originally scheduled on July 11 due to Fr. John’s being out of the country.

COMMEMORATIONS**

June 15: Prophet Amos; Apostles Achaikos, Stephen and Fourtunatos of the Seventy; Venerable Jerome of Stridonium and Augustine, bishop of Hippo; Jonah, metropolitan of Moscow; Martyr Lazarus, Serbian prince.

June 16: Tikhon the wonder-worker, bishop of Amathos in Cyprus; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga.

June 17: Martyrs Isauros, Basil, Innocent, Hermes, Felix and Peregrinos of Athens; Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael of Persia; Venerable Joseph and Pior, disciples of Anthony the Great; Martyr Nectan of Hartland.

June 18: Martyrs Leontios, Hypatios and Theodoulos of Tripoli in Syria; Venerable Leontios the Hagiorite of Dionysiou monastery on Athos.

June 19: Apostle Jude (Thaddeus), brother of the Lord; Venerable Paisios the Great and Zenon; Martyr Zosimas the Soldier at Antioch in Pisidia.

June 20: Hieromartyr Methodios, bishop of Patara; Kallistos Xanthopoulos, patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Nahum of Ochrid.

June 21: Martyr Julian of Tarsus; New-martyr Nikita of Nisyros near Rhodes.

June 22: Hieromartyr Eusebios, bishop of Samosata; Martyrs Zeno and his servant Zenas of Philadelphia; Alban, protomartyr of Britain; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia.

**For reading material on the saints for this week, visit the display in the church library.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS June 15 – June 22

Sunday Acts 2:1-11 John 7:37-52; 8:12

Monday Ephesians 5:9-19 Matthew 18:10-20

Tuesday Romans 1:1-7, 13-17 Matthew 4:25-5:13

Wednesday Romans 1:18-27 Matthew 5:20-26

Thursday Romans 1:28-2:9 Matthew 5:27-32

Friday Romans 2:14-29 Matthew 5:33-41

Saturday Romans 1:7-12 Matthew 5:42-48

Sunday Hebrews 11:33-12:2 Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30

Pray for our catechumens: In Memphis - James Pritchard, Leland & Courtney Murphree (Mary Charlotte), Gary & Cindy Karnaghon, Sue Brownlow, Larry Ichniowski, and Kinney Graham. In Tupelo - Shane Davis, Justin & Tifphanie Franks (Paris), Justin & Brandy Williams, Leah Hardy and Adam Clay.

Please remember in your prayers: His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP, His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN, Archimandrite Roman Braga, Rev. Fr. Mikhail & the faithful of Spaso-Pargolovo (St. Petersburg), Buddy Taylor, Margaret Layman, Chris Hodges, Jonathan Cushman, Jason Cushman, Judy Smith (Julie Sanderlin’s mother), Shirley Gore (Judy Terry’s mother), Stephen Wright, Linda Starr (friend of Mary Ann Coccaro), Effie Johnson (Kh. Susan’s mother), Mary Clark, Claire van Drimmelen (pregnant), Beauvais George (pregnant), Jodi Elliott (pregnant), Joy White (pregnant), Jodi Yzaguirre (pregnant), Andrew Alissandratos, Chuck Sneed (John’s brother), Ann Hicks (Dianna Hildebrand’s mother).

- ALMS-GIVING -

FOOD PANTRY - Please remember that we give items from the food pantry to a few specific families all year long and this is a wonderful way to give alms all throughout the year. We will continue to keep a bin just outside the parish hall for collection of these items.

HANDS-ON ALMS-GIVING OPPORTUNITIES - Rachel’s Kids – Interested in tutoring one on one, or donating food, drinks or paper serving items? Tuesday nights - Contact Lynda Spinolo.

OTHER CONTINUING ALMS-GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Mission Fund

Michael Bittle Fund – Holy Trinity Orthodox Church – Little Rock, AR

St. Barbara Monastery – for the benefit of Sister Thekla (Anne Marie Harrison)

Project Mexico – www.projectmexico.org

Another seminarian from St. John - In the fall, we will have the third son of our parish enter seminary with the ultimate desire to serve in the priesthood. Rev. Fr. Kevin Scherer and Rev. Fr. Joseph Bittle were catechized and received into the Church here at St. John. Both went on to attend St. Vladimir Seminary and receive ordination to the Holy priesthood. In August, Matthew Snowden and his family will leave our parish to begin his studies at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan, PA. Following the pattern with Fr. Kevin and Fr. Joseph, we have been asked by parishioners to give the entire parish the opportunity to contribute financially to his support while there. Should you desire to make a gift, they can be given to St. John, designating it for Matthew and his family’s benefit as a seminarian. - St. John Parish Council

Antiochian Women of St. John’s Calendar

**New Event!! - AWSJ – Potluck Dinner**

Monday, July 21^st in St. John Parish Hall – more details to follow

Women’s Teaching:

Thursday, June 26^th at Anne Dugan’s home

Upcoming Book Club Dates:

Monday, July 7^th – The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

We will meet on Sarah Hodges’ screened-in front porch at 7:00 p.m.

We will not meet in August

Monday, September 8^th – Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Monday, October 6^th - Diary of a Country Priest by George Bernanos

Monday, November 3^rd – The Bishop’s Mantle

AWSJ – Bi-monthly Business Meeting

Upcoming dates ~ August 3^rd

Mark your calendars! The Women of St. John Orthodox Church are invited to a BABY SHOWER for

Claire vanDrimmelen.

Sunday, June 29^th ~ 5:00 p.m.

at the home of Elizabeth Cameron.

If you are interested in the group gift please contact Marjo Labonte. Claire is registered at Target and online at amazon.com baby registry.

VCS – Registration forms are now available in the parish hall. Please complete one for each child who plans to attend and return it to the church office or the basket available in the parish hall. St. John Vacation Church will be held July 28^th – August 1^st from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and is open to rising kindergarteners through 6^th graders. If you would like to help, please contact Caitlyn Manning or Gigi Snowden.

Fr John travel – Fr John will be out of town quite a bit in the next several weeks:

June 18-22 Raleigh Parish Life Conference

July 1-16 France Pilgrimage

July 21-25 Antiochian Village Clergy symposium

***Please note the scheduling change for the Men’s Lunch***

The Men’s Lunch will meet on Thursdays at noon at the Barksdale on South Cooper.

LIBRARY LINES – As we remember our earthly fathers today, it is appropriate that the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Jude (6/19) this week. We often think of the saints as perfect, solitary, and far removed from our struggles. However, St. Jude was one from among us. We call him the brother of the Lord, because he was the son of Joseph the Bethrothed. However, he was very possessive of his inheritance from him. Later, in humility and awareness of his lack of faith and love for Christ, he always referred to himself as the brother of James, his brother who willingly shared his inheritance with Jesus. St. Jude was also married with children and the cousin of the Forerunner. He exhorts us in his short epistle to persevere in faith and good works.

Today we commemorate the Prophet Amos. Unlike most prophets he came from a family of shepherds and was unschooled. He also was a dresser of sycamore trees. Accordingly, he employs vivid imagery – wagons, grasshoppers, birds, and cattle. He spoke well, using poetic devices and picturesque speech to prophesy the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ. In some of his icons he is shown as an old man who resembles St. John the Theologian.

See their icons and stories as well as books about Pentecost in St. John Library.

Library – St. John is growing, and that growth has spilled over to our library. New titles are added monthly; and, more parishioners, catechumens and inquirers are checking out books and non-print items. Unfortunately this welcomed growth has a down side. As the circulation has increased, more items have been lost. In the last year, 45 titles have been lost or simply not returned. As of today, we will request that all lost items not returned in six months be paid for. Checks or money may be given to Meribeth. This insures that lost books, CDs, tapes and DVDs are replaced for other parishioners who are waiting for them.

Teen Group Events

No Teen Group this evening due to Kneeling Vespers at 6:30 PM

Next Sunday – No Teen Group due to Parish Life Conference

Many thanks to those who contributed!!

Update on assistance to Teen PLC attendance:

Total Costs, excluding food - $5,295

Contributed through May 25 - $1,655

Website information from Mickey Hodges: We are currently beginning the process of redoing the St. John website to make it more user-friendly and parishioner-friendly. It may take a while to make that happen. In the meantime, please send any requests for additions or changes in the current website to Mickey Hodges. In the meantime, we'll try to keep information as current as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Do you have a soft spot in your heart for the guests and inquirers of St. John? If so, then consider being a part of the Welcome/Newcomers Team.  We need you!  Feel free to see if it suits you- no obligation!  Contact Billy Scrantom

Graduate Sunday – Congratulations to each of you!

Adam Boone - Germantown High School

Layusiana Ciobanu – University of Tennessee, College of Dentistry

Griffin Fahling – Tupelo High School

Beauvais George – Concorde College

Leah Hardy - Saltillo High School

George Hilal – UT Memphis, Masters of Periodontics

Dalia Klimkowski – Tulane University, Masters

Monica Rustom – University of Memphis

Hannah Snowden – University of Memphis, Masters

Emily Stanek – University of South Carolina

Take me out to the ballgame…

Redbirds Game

Thursday, July 3^rd

7:00 p.m.

$8.50 per person

The Redbirds will be playing Nashville. There will be fireworks at the end of the game! A great way to start off your 4^th of July weekend! If you would like to join our St. John Orthodox Church group, contact Meribeth reserve your spot. Tickets will need to paid for by TODAY (June 21^st at the very latest).