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

 

Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast

St. John Climacus

March 29, 2009

Epistle:  Hebrews 6:13-20         Gospel:  Mark 9:17-31

                                                                                                                               

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                                         March 29th – April 5 (The Great Fast)

Sunday            - Teen Group, Bible Bowl Meeting, following the Liturgy

                        - Vespers, 4:30 p.m.

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

            - Great Compline, 6:30 p.m.

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

            - Men’s Lunch, 11:45 a.m.

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

Wednesday     - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

            - Small Compline with Great Canon, 6:30 p.m.

                        There will be no meal this evening.

Thursday        - Third Hour, 9:00 a.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.

            - AWSJ First Friday Lunch, following Sixth Hour in the fellowship hall

            - Akathist, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday         - Church Spring Cleaning – 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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

Sunday            - Orthros, 9:00 a.m.

                        - Church School, 9:00 a.m.

                        - Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m.  

 

Schedule of Divine Liturgy                                                                         Sunday, April 5th

PRIEST:                       Fr. Basil                                   HOMILY:        Fr. Basil

DEACONS:                 Dns. Charles & Tim                  READER:        Mickey Hodges

HOLY BREAD:           Ellie Moore                              USHER:           Matt Spinolo

ALTAR SERVERS:     Joshua, J. Morgan, Alex & Benji

COFFEE HOUR:         Ethan & Claire vanDrimmelen, Mary Ann Coccaro

 

Dates to remember:

            April 12 – Palm Sunday                                    June 7 – Pentecost

            April 19 – PASCHA                                        June 10-14 – Parish Life Conference

            May 28 – Ascension

                                   

 

A REVISED SCHEDULE of Lenten services is in the parish hall.

 

PLEASE NOTE:  We have moved the start time for the Paschal service

back to 11:00 PM, the same time we have begun in the past.

 

 

 

COMMEMORATIONS

 

March 29: Mark, Bishop of Arethusa; Martyr Cyril the deacon of Heliopolis; Martyrs Jonah and Barachisios; Eustathios the Confessor, bishop of Bithynia.

 

March 30: Venerable John of Sinai, author of ‘The Ladder;’ New-hieromartyr Zachariah, bishop of Corinth; Sophronios, bishop of Irkutsk.

 

March 31: Hypatios the wonder-worker, bishop of Gangra; Venerable Akakios the Confessor, bishop of Melitene; Prophet Joel; repose of Innocent, metropolitan of Moscow, enlightener of the Aleuts and apostle to America; repose of Jonah, metropolitan of Moscow.

 

April 1: Venerable Mary of Egypt; Martyrs Geontios and Basileidos; Venerable Euthymios, wonder-worker of Suzdal.

 

April 2: Venerable Titos the wonder-worker; Virgin-martyr Theodora of Palestine; Martyrs Aidesios and Panayiotis.

 

April 3: Venerable Nikita the Confessor and Joseph the Hymnographer; New-martyrs Paul and John.

 

April 4: Venerable George of the Peloponnesos; Martyrs Theodoulos the reader and Agathopodos the deacon of Thessalonika; Venerable Thonas, archbishop of Thessalonika; Isidore, bishop of Seville.

 

April 5: Martyrs Claudios, Didymos and Diodoros; New-martyr George of New Ephesos; Venerable Theodora of Thessalonika.

 

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

 

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS       March 29   - April 5

            Sunday                         Hebrews 6:13-20                       Mark 9:17-31

            Monday                        Genesis 13:12-18                       Proverbs 14:27-15:4

            Tuesday                        Genesis 15:1-15                         Proverbs 15:7-19

            Wednesday                   Genesis 17:1-9                           Proverbs 15:20-16:9

            Thursday                      Genesis 18:20-33                       Proverbs 16:17-17:17

            Friday                           Genesis 22:1-18                         Proverbs 17:17-18:5

            Saturday                       Hebrews 9:24-28                       Mark 8:27-31

            Sunday                         Hebrews 9:11-14                       Mark 10:32-45

 

 

- ALMS-GIVING –

St. John Alms Fund                            St. John Camping Fund

St. John Food Pantry             St. John Seminarian Fund

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Mission Fund

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

St. Paul Mission Station – Tupelo, MS

 

 

 

 

Pray for our catechumens:  In Memphis - Maria Cartagena, Maria Brackey, Lisa Martin, Barbara McWilliams, Jill Healy, Priscilla Neale, Misty Duke and David Twombly. In Tupelo - Shane Davis, Justin & Brandy Williams, Leah Hardy, Adam Clay, Casey & Jessica Hardy (Davis) and Justin Stevens. In Hernando – Donald Estes.

 

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, Effie Johnson (Kh. Susan’s mother), Mary Clark, Melissa White (pregnant), Hannah Snowden (pregnant), Shanna Massouh (pregnant), Ann Hicks (Dianna Hildebrand’s mother), Sue Ingram, Charles Ingram, Ted & Patty Greathouse (Shelley Snowden’s parents), Laura Greathouse, Reuben & Earlene Snowden (Gene’s parents), Joyce Bittle, David Williams (Jill Healy’s son-in-law), Allen Sudduth (Paul’s father), and Helen Robbins (Sheila Sudduth’s mother).

 

ST. JOHN COMMUNITY:

 

 

Catechumen and Inquirers’ classes – Will meet this week at our regular time, 7:00 p.m.

 

Wednesday night we will pray Small Compline with

the entire Great Canon and the Life of St. Mary of Egypt.

This is a long service, but beautiful.  Come for what you can.

 

***There will NOT be a Lenten Meal this week***

 

SOUP KITCHEN Mark your calendars!  We will serve at the soup kitchen on Western Easter, April 12. This will be the Sunday we celebrate the Triumphal Entry and there will be a potluck lunch after the Liturgy. Have lunch here at the church and then come help us help others!

 

Church Spring cleaning – we will again have a church cleaning day on April 4 from 9:00 to 1:00.  Please contact Meribeth (274-4119 or Meribeth@stjohnmemphis.org) if you can participate, even for only a portion of the time.

 

 

There is a very nice note of thanks on the bulletin board from Judy Blackburn, Murphy George’s mother.

 

 

 

Antiochian Women of St. John’s Calendar

 

Friday, April 4 – AWSJ First Friday Lunch

This Friday is our next AWSJ First Friday/Brown Bag Lunch. We will pray sixth hour

together and then enjoy lunch together in the fellowship hall.

 

 

 

Worship and liturgical reminders:

     Remember that it is customary for all Orthodox Christians to make their confession during this period (as well as other times during the years as needed and suggested by their confessor).  The “Little Red Prayer Book” has a very nice guide to help one prepare.  We also have a second, and equally profitable, booklet for the examination of conscience as one prepares.  Copies are in the parish hall with the other Lenten material.  Please take one as you desire.

 

 

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – There are Food for Hungry People coin collection boxes available in the parish hall for you to take home and collect loose change.

            When you see a poor person, remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ by which He declared that it is He, Himself who is fed. For though that which appears be not Christ, yet in that person’s form, it is Christ Himself who receives and begs.

             St. John Chrysostom “Homilies on Matthew” #78

 

Lenten Alms-Giving – St. John Food Pantry

For the remaining weeks of the Great Fast we have an opportunity to add to the food pantry. There is a bucket just outside the food pantry door in which to leave these specific items:

Week 1 – Sunday, March 15th – Jars of Peanut Butter & Boxes of Crackers

Week 2 – Sunday, March 22nd – Canned Goods - Soup, Chili, Meat & Beans

Week 3 – Sunday, March 29th – Cans of Fruit and Individual Serving Fruit/Applesauce

Week 4 – Sunday, April 5th – Toiletry Items – Toilet Paper, Lotion, Soap

Week 5 – Sunday, April 20th – Rice, Beans, Pasta & Boxed Meals

If you have missed any of the previous weeks and would like to bring other items than the ones highlighted for the week, please feel free to do so. Our food pantry is in greater need lately and will continue to be so during these tough economic times. Please consider giving alms in this way.

 

LIBRARY LINES Today is the Sunday of John Climacus; his feast day is tomorrow. This is a moveable feast day, as are the other Sundays of Lent. The days on which we celebrate them are determined by the date of Pascha. Sts. John Climacus, Gregory Palamas and Mary of Egypt all have their own feast days as well. Typically a saint is commemorated on the day of his death.

            Wednesday is the feast day of St. Mary of Egypt (4/1).  And, that of St. Zosimas is April 4. He is not named on our commemoration list but is listed on our wall calendars from the bookstore.  We will honor them together on Mary of Egypt Sunday, April 5.

            This week we sing the complete canon of St. Andrew of Crete.  Ironically, he was mute as a child until age seven.  He began to study the Scriptures and was tonsured as a monk at age fourteen.  He attended the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 601 A.D. and was afterwards appointed a bishop of Crete.

            St. Andrew created the canon which was then an unknown liturgical form. He also wrote canons for the Nativity, Palm Sunday and other feasts days. His poetic tradition was followed by Sts. John of Damascus, Cosma of Maium and Joseph the Melodist. He died around 720 A.D.

 

Teen Group Events

 

TODAY, Sunday, March 29th – Bible Bowl Meeting

After the Liturgy in the church library

 

ALSO TODAY!!!  Meeting for Seniors, 5:15 PM

 

 

ATTENTION SHOPPERS!

          The bookstore has been moved (again) to the fellowship hall area. Please remember this is a great resource for Lenten reading, Pascha gifts, CDs and even DVDs.

 

 

Pro-life Corner:  The most profound event in eternity was just celebrated by the Church at the Great Feast of the Annunciation!  God became a man in the womb of the blessed Theotokos.  The Son of God became the Son of man, at first as a single cell.  With that reality as part of our dogmatic, theological, and pious Holy Tradition, how can we do other than decry abortion?

 

 

From the Fathers

“Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate. Just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter's storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us, this present age is a storm and it is only through many trials and temptations that we can obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.” - Amma Theodora

 

“He who is traveling the path of heedfulness should not trust only his own heart, but should verify the workings of his heart and his life with the law of God and with the active life of ascetics of piety who have passed through such endeavor. By this means one may the more easily both save oneself from the evil one and more clearly behold the truth.” - St. Seraphim of Sarov

 

“In Job there was no trace of avarice; therefore, when he lost everything, he remained undisturbed.”  - St. John Climacus

 

“Dispassion does not mean that a man feels no passions, but that he does not accept any of them.” - St. Isaac of Syria

 

“If zeal had been appropriate for putting humanity right, why did God the Word clothe himself in the body, using gentleness and humility in order to bring the world back to his Father?”   - St. Isaac the Syrian