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

 

All Saints Sunday

First Sunday after Pentecost

June 22, 2008

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

                                                                                               

The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Karen Wells.

 

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 22nd – June 29th (Apostles Fast)

Sunday            - No Teen Group

- No Young Adult Group

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.

                        - Parish Council Meeting, 7:45 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 3rd 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 – Feast of Saints Peter & Paul                Sunday, June 29th   

PRIEST:                       Fr. John                                    HOMILY:                    Fr. John

DEACONS:                 Dns. Charles & Tim                  READER:                    John McGee

HOLY BREAD:           Jack Turner                              USHER:                       John Sneed

ALTAR SERVERS:     Ethan, J. Morgan, Luke L., Benji

FINGER FOOD POTLUCK:  Set-Up : Williams, McKelroys and Keith Harlow

Clean-Up: Farhas, Dianna Hildebrand & Brandon Maas

                                               

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

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. 

 

The Apostles Fast begins on Monday - The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine and oil) is observed during the APOSTLES FAST which lasts from the Monday after All Saints Sunday through June 28th (with katalysis for wine and oil on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and for fish, wine and oil on Saturdays and Sundays).

 

***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.

 

 

COMMEMORATIONS**

 

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

June 23: Martyrs Agripinna of Rome, Aristokleos, Eustochios, Demetrian, and Lollias; Venerable Barbaros Pentapolites; translation of the relics of Herman, archbishop of Kazan.

 

June 24: The Nativity of the Forerunner; New-martyr Panayiotis of Caesarea in Cappadocia.

 

June 25: Venerable-martyr Febronia of Nisibis; Martyr Longinos; Venerable Prokopios of the skete of Iviron on Athos; Venerable Dionysios the Hagiorite, founder of Dionysiou monastery on Athos; Vnerable Dometios, abbot of Dionysiou monastery on Athos; Prince Peter (Venerable David) and Princess Febronia (Venerable Euphrosyne), wonder-workers of Murom.

 

June 26: Venerable David of Thessalonika; John, bishop of the Goths.

 

June 27:  Sampson the host of strangers; Mary and Joanna the myrrh-bearers.

 

June 28:  The translation of the relics of Cyros and John the unmercenary healers; Martyrs Papios and Paul; Venerable Moses the anchorite; Venerable Simeon; Venerable Sergios and Herman, wonder-workers of Valaam.

 

June 29:  Apostles Peter and Paul.

 

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

 

 

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS       June 22 – June 29

 

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

Monday           Romans 2:28-3:18                    Matthew 6:31-34; 7:9-11

Tuesday           Romans 4:4-12                         Matthew 7:15-21

Wednesday      Romans 4:13-25                       Matthew 7:21-23

Thursday          Romans 5:10-16                       Matthew 8:23-27

Friday              Romans 5:17-6:2                      Matthew 9:14-17

Saturday           Romans 3:19-26                       Matthew 7:1-8

Sunday             II Corinthians 11:21-12:9          Matthew 4:18-23 & Matthew 16:13-19

                       

 

 

 

 

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

 

Women’s Teaching:

THIS THURSDAY, June 26th at Anne Dugan’s home

 

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

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

 

Upcoming Book Club Dates:

Monday, July 7th – 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 8th – Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

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

Monday, November 3rd – The Bishop’s Mantle

 

AWSJ – Bi-monthly Business Meeting

Upcoming dates ~ August 3rd

 

 

LAST CALL! One last call to be on the ground floor of this new team. 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.  

 

OCF

Movie Night ~ Take-out Food Potluck

Monday, June 30th ~ 7:00 p.m.

at Claire & Ethan vanDrimmelen’s home

RSVP: Caitlyn Manning

 

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

 

LIBRARY LINES – Who has more feast days than any other saint?  Hint: his birthday is Tuesday.  Jesus was his cousin, and he was the last Old Testament prophet.  Like Moses, he had devout parents, had enemies from his childhood and spent time in great rivers and around locusts. He wore animal skins and is shown with wings in some icons. See the icon of the nativity of St. John the Forerunner (6/24) and the account of his birth on display in St. John Library.

Saturday we commemorate the icon of the Theotokos of “the Three Hands” (6/28) and its connection with St. John of Damascus, the hymnographer. Because of the saint’s love for icons, Leo III made an accusation of treason against him to the caliph of Damascus.  As punishment, the caliph ordered his hand to be cut off. St. John prayed to the Theotokos for healing, and his hand was restored to his wrist with a faint red line visible.  He placed a hand of silver on her icon, and the icon has been known by its name, “Of the Three Hands” since then.

St. Sampson the Hospitable (6/27) is a saint who intended to pursue his salvation by living in the wilderness but was given a different path by God. Christ directed him to spend his time among men rather than live in solitude.  He welcomed homeless wanderers, the sick and the poor to his small house. God gave him the gifts of healing and wonderworking, and he served the poor and sick until his old age. After his peaceful death, his intercessions to God saved the hospice he founded from a powerful fire.

See icons and stories of these saints 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

 

 This Sunday – No Teen Group due to Parish Life Conference

Next Sunday – No Teen Group due to Camp St. Thekla