ST.
JOHN
ORTHODOX CHURCH
1663 TUTWILER AVENUE
(901)
274-4119
www.stjohnmemphis.org
V. Rev.
Pastor
Assistant Pastor
V. Rev. Fr. Basil Cushman Rev. Fr. Donald Berge
Associate
Pastor Attached
GREAT
VESPERS ORTHROS and
Saturday, 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Sunday,
10:00 a.m.
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of
“…the
Disciples were called Christians first in
Acts 11:26
Fifth
Sunday of the Great Fast
Sunday of St. Mary of
Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14 Gospel: Mark
The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Ellie Moore.
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
Sunday - Vespers, 4:30 p.m.
- Teen Group, Meeting for Middlers,
Monday - First
Hour, 6:45 a.m.
-
Great Compline,
Tuesday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.
- Men’s Lunch,
- Catechumen/Inquirer’s Class,
- Parish Council Meeting –
Wednesday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.
- Presanctified Liturgy,
Thursday - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.
Friday -
First Hour, 6:45 a.m.
-
Third Hour,
-
Stay & Play Group will meet in the fellowship hall after third hour.
-
Sixth Hour,
-
Small Compline with Canon of Lazarus,
Saturday -
Divine Liturgy for Lazarus Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Coffee hour to follow.
-
Ninth Hour and Great Vespers,
Sunday - Orthros, 9:00 a.m.
-
-
Divine Liturgy of the Triumphal Entry,
- Soup Kitchen at 1st Presbyterian Church –
Schedule
of Divine Liturgy – Lazarus Saturday Saturday, April 11th
PRIEST: Fr.
Nicholas HOMILY:
Fr. Nicholas
DEACONS: Dns. James & Charles READER:
Caleb McGee
HOLY BREAD: Margaret McKelory USHER: Any who can
ALTAR SERVERS: Any who can
COFFEE HOUR: Trent &
Schedule
of Divine Liturgy Sunday, April 12th
PRIEST: Fr.
John HOMILY:
Fr. John
DEACONS: Dns. Tim & James READER:
HOLY BREAD:
ALTAR SERVERS: Caleb, Luke S., Misha,
Joe
COFFEE HOUR: Ethan & Claire vanDrimmelen,
Dates to remember:
April 12 – Palm Sunday May
28 – Ascension
April
19 – PASCHA – 11:00 p.m. June
7 – Pentecost
Please
note the time change June
10-14 – Parish Life Conference
COMMEMORATIONS
April 5: Martyrs Claudios, Didymos and Diodoros; New-martyr
George of New Ephesos; Venerable Theodora of Thessalonika.
April 6: Eutychios, patriarch of Constantinople;
Venerable Platonida of Nisibis;
Venerable Gregory Byzantios of the Great Lavra on Athos; Venerable-martyr Gennadios
of Dionysiou monastery on Athos; the Martyrs of
Samothrace; Methodios, archbishop of Moravia and
enlightener of the Slavs.
April 7: Martyr Kalliopios of
Cilicia; Venerable George, bishop of Mitylene; repose
of Tikhon, patriarch of
April 8: Apostles Agabos, Rufos, Phlegon, Asynkritos, Herodion and Hermas of the Seventy; Celestine, bishop of
April 9: Martyr Eupsychois of
Cappadocia; Venerable-martyrs Vadim, Raphael,
Nicholas and Irene; Venerable Simeon.
April 10: Marytrs Terence and Pompeios of Carthage together with Alexander and their
forty companions; New-hieromartyr Gregory V,
patriarch of
April 11: Hieromartyr Antypas, bishop of
April 12: Basil the Confessor, bishop of Parium;
Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople; Venerable Akakios the Younger, founder of Kafsokalyvia
skete on Athos.
**For reading material on the
saints for this week, visit the display in the church library.
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Sunday Hebrews 9:11-14 Mark 10:32-45
Monday Genesis 27:1-42 Proverbs 19:16-25
Tuesday Genesis 31:3-16 Proverbs 21:3-21
Wednesday Genesis 43:26-31; 45:1-16 Proverbs
Thursday Genesis 46:1-7 Proverbs
Friday Genesis 49:33-50:26 Proverbs 31:8-31
Saturday Hebrews
Sunday Philippians 4:4-9 John
12:1-18
-
ALMS-GIVING –
Diocese of
Michael
Bittle Fund – Holy Trinity Orthodox Church –
Pray for our catechumens: In
Please remember in your
prayers: His
Catechumen and Inquirers’ classes – Will meet this week at our regular time,
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!
Sons of
Thunder – The men’s book club will next meet on Monday, April 27th at
Letters
to schools - Should you desire to take your children out of
school for services and activities here at the church on Holy Friday, letters
from Fr. John Troy requesting that the school excuse your child/children are
available from Meribeth in the church office.
REVISIONS IN SCHEDULE of Paschal
services -
1. We have moved the start time for the Paschal service back to
2. The Bright
Week Divine Liturgy has been moved to Wednesday
night at
Antiochian Women of St. John’s Calendar
Upcoming Dates to note:
First Friday Lunch ~
May 1st
Women’s Teaching ~ May 7th
Bridal Shower for Sally
Elliott – May 17th
At the home of
Worship and liturgical reminders:
Remember that it is customary for all
Orthodox
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.
–
Lenten Alms-Giving –
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 12th – 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. ***Please note that the date for Week 5 has been corrected…we will collect the last items on Sunday April 12th.
LIBRARY
LINES – Today is Mary of Egypt
Sunday (4/5), and last Wednesday we heard her story in St. Andrew’s canon. Do
you and your children remember that a lion licked her feet and dug her
grave? Look for the story of St. Mary of
This
week we honor two saints who built up the Church through their pens; one
commemorated Monday and the other honored all through Lent. St. Methodius (4/6), together with his
brother St. Cyril, are known as equal to the apostles
and enlighteners of the Slavs. They devised a Slavonic alphabet and translated
books used in celebrating the divine services and almost the entire Old
Testament. They were frequently opposed by the German bishops who insisted the
services be done in Latin.
Several
times a day throughout Lent we repeat the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian,
commemorated January 28. In his youth he
had a reputation for fighting because of his quick temper. He turned his life
around and went to live with the hermits, becoming a disciple of St. James of Nisibis. This saint saw promise in the young man and took
him with him to the First Ecumenical Council in 325. St. Ephriam
was given the gift of teaching. He became a strict ascetic and continually
studied the Scriptures. Besides his famous Lenten prayer, he wrote a commentary
on the Penateuch and prayers to the Most Holy
Trinity, the Son of God and the Most Holy Theotokos. He also composed hymns for
the Twelve Great Feasts of the Lord and funeral hymns.
Look
for information on these saints, others on the commemoration list and Lenten
reading suggestions in St. John Library.
Teen Group Events
Today, April 5th – Meeting for Middlers, 5:15 p.m.
Next Week,
April 12th – Soup Kitchen
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 - A new book entitled My Child, My
Gift: A Positive Response to a Serious
Prenatal Diagnosis, quotes one mother of a child with Down syndrome, “The
greatest surprise is this: Our life
together has been less about my helping him reach his potential than about him
helping me reach mine.”
HOLY WEEK REMINDERS:
Sign-up sheet for Paschal Vigil (from the end of Holy
Friday vespers {4:00 PM} to the beginning of the Paschal service {11:00 PM}) –
The sign-up sheet is in the parish hall for those wishing to participate in the
vigil that is kept from the “Taking Down” Vespers on Holy Friday until the
Paschal Service. Sign up early to get
the time you want!
Preparation for Holy Unction – Remember, we prepare for
Holy Unction, one of the Holy Mysteries, just as we should for receiving the Eucharist. We need to have fasted and to have kept a
confessional practice, which should have included a confession during Great
Lent. The Holy Mystery of Unction will
be given to those prepared on the night of Holy Wednesday, as is our tradition.
Holy Thursday Divine
Liturgy and meal –
We will celebrate the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Holy
Thursday (April 16) at
Epitaphios Canopy decoration - Those who would like to help decorate the funeral bier are encouraged to
bring flowers and greenery Thursday night (April 16) or Friday morning (April
17). You may leave your flowers in the
room next to the kitchen. Cut flowers, stems from flowering shrubs, trailing
ivy -- all can be used. Any flowers will be greatly appreciated. We will decorate the bier following Royal
Hours (
Sign-up sheet for Agape Vespers – Please sign up if you
plan to be at our picnic following Agape Vespers. We need this information to know how much
food to order. Thanks.
Sign-up sheet for
pizza party
- On the evening of Wednesday, April 22nd, at
Join us at the
PASCHAL FEAST
Following the Paschal Divine Liturgy
Please bring enough
food for your family and a guest!
Paschal
Celebration – Brief reminders
Food - Following the Paschal
service (early morning of April 19), we will celebrate together as we all bring
our baskets and favorite foods to share with one another. For those new to the parish (and to remind
us all), prior to the Paschal liturgy, individuals and families prepare a
basket of their favorite foods, especially those from which they have fasted
during the fast. Those items that don't
need refrigeration or warming are placed on the solea
prior to the liturgy. Other items are
taken to the kitchen. Following the
liturgy, special blessing prayers for those foods are prayed, and we then move
to the parish hall for our Paschal celebration where we share together in the
joy of the Resurrection!
Clean up - Everyone who is
willing to help with the clean-up process following the Paschal celebration is needed and most welcome. When
you leave the celebration, please take your food and your dish with you to aid
our clean-up. If you wish to leave your food, transfer it to a disposable
plate which should be available.
Alcohol consumption -
Remember, no alcohol will be served or
consumed on Church property by persons under 21 years of age, even with
parental consent. This is the law in our state and public
institutions must adhere to it. (Obviously the Holy Gifts are an
exception to this.) Parents are asked to inform their adult children
under 21 of this rule and to supervise their behavior.
Agape
Vespers (afternoon of April 19 at
The
EASTER EGG HUNT
following Agape Vespers is for children in the 4th Grade and
under. They should bring a dozen plastic
candy-filled eggs per child and a basket for hunting the eggs! Please put eggs in the room next to the
kitchen before Vespers. NO HARD-BOILED
EGGS, PLEASE, for they will not be hidden. Contact
Revenue
Graphs
Included herein are graphs showing our
tithes and contributions so far in 2009.
Parish Life Conference
This year the PLC
is in
Several have asked, “What is a parish life
conference?” In short, it is a diocesan
meeting of clergy and laity from all the parishes in the diocese, during which
we pray, visit, plan, and make new Orthodox friends as well as strengthen old
friendships. Some of the regular events
include:
·
Homilies from
various priests throughout the diocese following each vespers service and
divine liturgy;
·
The “Bible Bowl,”
where teams from the various parishes compete against one another answering
questions from a specific book from the Scripture;
·
The Oratorical
competition, where teens give orations which are judged, with the winner
representing the diocese at a national competition;
·
Display of all
the works produced by the children of the diocese for the creative festivals;
·
Various meetings
for the Antiochian Women, Fellowship of St. John
(each parish), Teen SOYO, clergy, Order of
·
Several meals
together, including a “grand banquet.”
·
Bishop ANTOUN
will be present for the entire time.
Our parish is scheduled to host the PLC in 2011, so it
would good for as many of our parishioners as possible to attend one to get a
sense of what it is about. You can come
for a day, two days, or the entire time.
Consider how you would like to participate.
From
the Fathers
When Abba Agathon went down to
the city to sell some of his baskets and to procure a little bread, he found
near the market place an old, poor cripple. “For the love of God, Abba,” the
cripple began to plead on seeing the Saint, “don't you, too, leave this poor
wretch unaided. Bring me near to you.” Abba Agathon
picked the man up and sat him next to him in the place where he had set up his
baskets to sell them. “How much money
did you make, Abba?” the cripple would ask each time that the Elder sold a
basket. “Such and such,” the Elder would tell him. “That's good enough,” the
cripple finally said. “Won't you buy me a little pie, Abba? That would be good
of you, since I have not eaten since last evening.” “With pleasure,” the Saint
told him, immediately fulfilling the cripple's request. Shortly thereafter, the
cripple requested some fruit. And then some sweet.
Thus, for each basket that was sold, the Saint spent the proceeds, until,
thanks to his patronage, all of the baskets and money were gone, without his
having kept even two pennies for himself. More importantly, he did this all
with great eagerness, even though he knew that he would thus go perhaps two
weeks without any bread for himself.
Since he had sold his last basket, the Saint got ready to leave the
marketplace. “So you're going?” the cripple asked him. “Yes, I have completed
all of my work.” “Uh, do me the favor of taking me as far as the crossroads,
and you can leave for the desert from there,” the strange old man again
pleadingly said. The good Agathon took the cripple on
his back and carried him to the place where he wanted to go, though with great
difficulty, since he was exhausted from his day's work. As soon as he reached
the crossroads and started to put down his living burden, he heard a sweet
voice say to him: “May you be blessed, Agathon, by God, both on earth and in Heaven.” The Saint
raised up his eyes to see who it was who had spoken with him. The would-be old
man had completely disappeared, since he was an Angel sent by God to test the
Saint's love.
- A Desert Father