ST. JOHN ORTHODOX CHURCH

 

1663 TUTWILER AVENUE

MEMPHIS, TN 38107

(901) 274-4119

www.stjohnmemphis.org

 

V. Rev. Fr. John Troy Mashburn, Jr.                                   Rev. Fr. Nicholas Meyers

Pastor                                                                          Assistant Pastor

 

    V. Rev. Fr. Basil Cushman                                                Rev. Fr. Donald Berge

Associate Pastor                                                                      Attached

 

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

 

Commemoration of the Great Martyr Demetrios

October 26, 2008

Epistle:  II Timothy 2:1-10        Gospel: Luke 8:27-39

                                                                                                                               

The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Sarah Hodges.

 

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                                 October 26th – November 2nd (Wed. & Fri. Fast)

Sunday            - Teen Group – Corn Maze & Bible Bowl

- Young Adult Group, at Fr. John & Kh. Pamela’s home, 7:00 p.m.

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

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

                        - Men’s Lunch, 11:45 a.m.

- Choir Practice, 7:00 p.m.

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

Wednesday     - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Vespers, 5:30 p.m.

- Wednesday Dinner, 6:15 p.m. (be sure to sign-up!)

- Wednesday Teaching, 7:00 p.m.

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

                        - OCF will meet at Memphis Pizza Cafe, 7:00 p.m.

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

- Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Stay & Play Group will meet in the fellowship hall after third hour.

- Sixth Hour, 12:00 p.m.

- Great Vespers for St. Raphael, 6:00 p.m.

Finger Food Potluck to follow

Saturday         - Divine Liturgy for St. Raphael, 9:00 a.m.

                                    Breakfast Coffee Hour to follow

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

Sunday            - Church School, 9:00 a.m.

- Orthros, 9:00 a.m.

                        - Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m.  

 

Divine Liturgy for St. Raphael                                      Saturday, November 1st, 9:00 a.m. 

PRIEST:                       Fr. John                                    HOMILY:        Fr. John

DEACONS:                 Dns. Tim & James                    READER:        Subdeacon Joshua

HOLY BREAD:           Sh. Margaret McKelroy           ALTAR SERVERS:     Any who can

COFFEE HOUR:         Kh. Jeanette Meyers & Kh. Susan Cushman

 

Schedule for Divine Liturgy                                                  Sunday, November 2nd

PRIEST:                       Fr. Basil                                   HOMILY:        Fr. Basil

DEACONS:                 Dns.Charles & James               READER:        Billy Scrantom

HOLY BREAD:           Sue & Nancy Ingram                USHER:           John Sneed

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

COFFEE HOUR:         John & Elizabeth Cameron, Mary Anne Coccaro

TUPELO:                     Dn. Tim

COMMEMORATIONS

 

Oct. 26: Great-martyr Demetrios the myrrh-streaming of Thessalonika; Venerable-martyr Joasaph of Dionysiou monastery on Athos.

 

Oct. 27: Martyr Nestor of Thessalonika; Procla the wife of Pontius Pilate; Kyriakos, patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves.

 

Oct. 28: Martyrs Terence and Neonilla and their children; Athanasios I, patriarch of Constantinople; New-martyrs Angelis, Manuael, George and Nicholas of Crete; Venerable Stephen of Mar Sabbas monastery in Palestine; Arsenios of Srem, archbishop of Serbia; Great-martyr Paraskeva of Iconium; Venerable Job of Pochaev.

 

Oct. 29: Venerable-martyr Anastasia the Roman; Venerable Abraham and his niece Mary of Mesopotamia; New-hieromartyr Athanasios of Sparta; Venerable-martyr Timothy of Esphigmenou monastery on Athos; Abraham, bishop of Rostov.

 

Oct. 30: Martyrs Zenobios, bishop of Aegae, and his sister Zenobia in Cilicia; Apostles Cleopas and Artemas of the Seventy; Venerable Joseph and Kyriakos, patriarchs of Constantinople; Therapont and John the wonder-workers; Milutin, Serbian king.

 

Oct. 31: Apostles Stachios, Apellos, Amplias, Urban, Aristoboulos and Narcissos of the Seventy; Martyr Epimachos of Alexandria; New-martyr Nicholas of Chios.

 

Nov. 1:  The holy wonder-working unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia and their mother Theodota; Venerable-martyr James and his disciples James the deacon and Dionysios of Prodromou Skete on Athos; Venerable David.

 

Nov. 2:  Martyrs Akindinos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidophoros and Anempodistos of Persia.

 

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

 

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS       October 26 – November 2

Sunday             II Corinthians 11:31-12:9          Luke 8:27-39

Monday           Philippians 2:12-16                   Luke 10:22-24

Tuesday           Philippians 2:17-23                   Luke 11:1-10

Wednesday      Philippians 2:24-30                   Luke 11:9-13

Thursday          Philippians 3:1-8                       Luke 11:14-23

Friday              Philippians 3:8-19                     Luke 11:23-26

Saturday           II Corinthians 1:8-11                Luke 8:16-21

Sunday             Galatians 1:11-19                     Luke 16:19-31

 

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

 

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, 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, Joy White (pregnant), Jodi Yzaguirre (pregnant), Alicia Stickle (pregnant), Ann Hicks (Dianna Hildebrand’s mother), Sue Ingram, Alexandra Dense, Polly Scrantom (Billy’s mother), Ted & Patty Stackhouse (Shelley Snowden’s parents), and Reuben & Earlene Snowden (Gene’s parents).

 

- 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.

 

OTHER CONTINUING ALMS-GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Mission Fund

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

St. Paul Mission Station – Tupelo, MS

St. John’s Alms Fund

St. John’s Camping Fund

 

 

Wednesday nights –This Wednesday night, October 29 our schedule will change.  The revised schedule for Wednesdays will be as follows:

                        Vespers                        5:30 PM

                        Dinner                          6:15 PM

                        Teaching                       7:00 PM

The teaching time will be limited to no more than 45 minutes, so we plan to be finished at 7:45 PM, which we hope will work well for families.  We also plan to post the teaching topics beforehand.  This is a great opportunity for all of us to pray and learn together – I hope many of you will take advantage of it!

 

 

Antiochian Women of St. John’s Calendar

 

Upcoming Book Club Dates ~ Monday, November 3rdThe Bishop’s Mantle

 

Upcoming Bridal Shower for Gigi Snowden ~ Sunday, November 9th

 

Women’s Teaching ~ Upcoming Dates: November 13  ~  December 4

 

Mark Your Calendars! ~ Saturday, November 22nd at 8:00 a.m.

The women have purposed to meet quarterly to pray an Akathist. This last quarter of the year we will meet on November 22nd at 8:00 a.m.  Afterward, we will enjoy breakfast together and then assemble the Thanksgiving baskets to be delivered. Please keep an eye out for the list of items needed for the baskets in the fellowship hall.

 

 

Coffee hour – Since we initiated our Small changes in Coffee Hour” as I termed them, we have had many comments, mostly negative.  To that end, we are putting together another revision which we hope will better match the desires and needs of our parishioners.  Thanks to everyone who offered your thoughts.  If you have additional thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to forward them to me.  Obviously it is impossible to please everyone completely, but we hope to structure coffee hour to best facilitate hospitality for our visitors and fellowship for our parishioners.

 

 

OCF – Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Will meet at the Memphis Pizza Cafe at 7:00 pm

Any questions contact Ethan vanDrimmelen

 

Mark your calendars – Fr. Michael Dahulich, Dean of St. Tikhon Seminary, is scheduled to be with us for the Divine Liturgy next JUNE – June 7, 2009.  He will talk a bit after the liturgy about the seminary.

 

WELCOME TEAMNext meeting date - November 10th at 7:00 p.m.

 

LIBRARY LINES – This week we honor two sets of sibling saints.  As often occurs in our Tradition they were offspring of pious parents.

St. Zenobios (10/30) lived during the reign of the emperor Diocletian, a great persecutor of Christians. Upon seeing her brother tortured, Zenobia confessed her faith to the governor and joined him in martyrdom. They were beheaded after much suffering and buried in a single grave.

Sts. Cosmos and Damian (11/1) belong to a group of saints known as the Holy Unmercenaries, pious physicians known for their powers of healing.  These powers could truly be called gifts because they vowed never to charged anyone they cured. Actually there were about twelve men given this designation; among them three brothers named Cosmos and Damian and two named Cyrus and John.  All of the Church’s hymns to these men praise them with words that speak to us, “Freely ye have received, freely give.”

Once, St. Damian healed a seriously ill woman. In gratitude, she offered him a gift in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He did not refuse her in honor of the Trinity.  When St. Cosmos, from his deathbed, heard that his brother had accepted a gift, he thought St. Damian had accepted a payment and said that he should not be buried beside him. Shortly afterward, St. Damian died.  Before his burial, a camel, which the saints had healed, miraculously spoke and declared that St. Damian had received the woman’s gift in respect for the Trinity. Their relics are buried together in Mesopotamia, and the saints continue to heal after their deaths.

See the icons and stories of these devoted siblings in St. John Library.

 

NEW ADDITIONS TO ST. JOHN LIBRARY!!! –

(Some are new titles; others are duplicates.)

Anna Karenina  by Leo Tolstoy                                  

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Orthodox Way  by Bishop Kallistos Ware

Children’s Bible Reader  by the Greek Bible Society

Daily Life at the Time of Jesus  by Miriam Vamosh

The Forgotten Medicine, the Mystery of Repentance by Arch. Aleksiev

Ordained For Men in the Things of God (about Metropolitan Phillip)  Joseph Allen, ed.

The Synaxarion  July-August & The Synaxarion  Appendix and General Index

These are on the display cart below the commemoration books.

 

GOOD LIBRARY MANNERS:  Please do not put library books, tapes, CDs or DVDs back on the shelves. This applies to ones you have looked at and decided not to check out as well as returned items. Recently several new, music CDs have been placed on the wrong shelves and other parishioners have been unable to find them. Unwanted and returned items need to be placed on the second shelf of the circulation cart. 

 

 

Mark your calendars!

Sunday, November 9th after coffee hour

 

The Women of St. John

are invited to a

 Bridal Shower

for Gigi Snowden

 

at the home of Fran Tylavsky

 

Gigi & Chase are registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond

If you are interested in participating in the group gift, please

contact Shanna Massouh at 262-6781 or shanna_snowden@yahoo.com

 

 

Personal and Home Security

The following are “Good Practices” as distributed in Evergreen Historic District Association’s weekly email:

· Program 545-COPS (545-2677) into your cell phone.

· Look up and down the alleys every day as you walk, bike or drive by -                                   immediately report suspicious activity to the police.

· Don’t leave intriguing items visible in your car. Stow it, don't show it!

· Lock your doors when you are in your yard.

· Discourage walk-up workers by never hiring them – Hire folks recommended by your neighbors.

· Use porch and other outdoor lights at night. Lights on motion detectors can help with security AND save energy.

· Don’t look like a victim. Keep your head up, be alert, make eye contact.

· Close blinds where possible so would-be burglars can’t see potential loot.

· Report street lights that are not working properly-       http://www.mlgw.com/SubView.php?key=res_streetlight

 

Teen Group Events

 

TODAY, October 26th – Corn Maze & Bible Bowl

 

Next Sunday, November 2nd – Meeting with Middlers

 

Bulletin Boards – Remember to check the bulletin boards!!

 

PLEDGE CARDS – I will start working on the budget for next year this Tuesday morning. If you have not already turned-in your pledge cards, please do so before then. There are pledge cards available on the counter in the church office as well as an envelope to put them in once completed. Thank you.        - Paul Parham.

 

Pro-life Corner - While visiting my mother at Manhattan Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, Mississippi last week, I met one of the sitters we've hired to be with her when we're not there. (She's at the nursing home for rehabilitation following surgery for a broken hip. She also has Alzheimer's, so she's confused and disoriented quite a bit.) This young black woman, in her thirties, I would guess, was reading to Mom from the Bible and talking with her about her faith, which was a great comfort to Mom and to me. 

            As Father Basil and I visited with Mom and the sitter on Saturday afternoon, looking at photographs of our three adopted children, the sitter told us her "story." She has two children, ages 16 and 17. When she was pregnant with her 17-year-old, she almost had an abortion. She didn't think she could raise a child in her personal and financial situation. But somehow "God spoke to her" and she chose to have the baby. And when she became pregnant shortly thereafter, again she chose to give birth and to keep her second child. 

            Sixteen years later she is working, putting herself through school, and thanking God for the blessing that her two children are in her life. She didn't mention a husband or father as part of the picture, and I didn't ask. I was just caught up in her joy. In her faith. In her love for life. In her peace. She seemed to communicate all of these things to my mother in her care for her. Love, peace, joy. The name of the company she works for is "Comfort Keepers." They seem to hire people who put a high value on life, whether it's an elderly woman with Alzheimer's or an unborn child in the womb. Both equally helpless and dependent upon the kindness of others.

            Thank God for Comfort Keepers, and especially for this young woman who continues to make good choices in her life.

                                                Kh. Susan Cushman, October 19, 2008

 

 

 

Apartment for Rent - At the beginning of November, the first-level apartment in the duplex next door will be available for rent. It has two bedrooms, an office and one bathroom. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact the church office.

 

“Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance.  It won't last forever. We must take it or leave it.”

C.S. Lewis

 

THE FOOD PANTRY

IS IN NEED OF RESTOCKING

 

We have lots of soup, canned pasta and green beans. We need canned items such as meat, vegetables, fruit and juice, crackers in sleeves, toilet paper (in individual rolls or small packages).

 

 

HOLIDAY BASKETS ~

 

This year we'll be assembling Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for a small group of individuals and families in need. As in prior years, we'll post a list of the needed items on the AWOSJ bulletin board so you can sign up for what you and your family would like to contribute. If the slots fill fast for Thanksgiving, remember that you'll have an opportunity to give for the Christmas baskets. The AWOSJ will meet on Saturday, November 22nd from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.  for an Akathist and breakfast (fasting potluck), after which we will assemble and deliver the baskets. Kim Hilal and Cindy Karnaghon will be heading up the effort this year, please feel free to contact them if you have any questions.

 

 

Special services for St. Raphael – Remember, we will pray vespers

for the saint this Friday night at 6:00 p.m. with a finger food potluck to follow. 

Saturday we will celebrate the Divine Liturgy for the saint at 9:00 a.m.

Sue Brownlow will also be chrismated prior to the liturgy.