(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,
Antiochian Orthodox
“…the
Disciples were called
St.
Nicholas the Wonder-worker
Epistle: Hebrews 13:17-21 Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Reem Mansour.
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
The Orthodox Church understands the Eucharist, or
Lord’s Supper, to be – among other things – the paramount expression of
Sunday -
Teen Group – Meeting with Middlers,
- Sons of Thunder,
Monday - First Hour,
- Advent
Paraklesis,
Tuesday -
Third Hour,
- Men’s Lunch,
- Catechumen & Inquirers Class,
- Choir,
Wednesday - Third Hour,
- Vespers,
- Story time for the children is
directly following Vespers
- Wednesday dinner,
- Wednesday teaching,
- Parish Council Meeting
Thursday -
Third Hour,
Friday - First Hour,
- Third Hour,
- Paraklesis,
5
Saturday - Ninth Hour and Great Vespers,
Sunday - Orthros,
-
- Divine
Liturgy,
Divine
Liturgy Sunday, December 13,
PRIEST: Fr.
Basil HOMILY:
Fr. Basil
DEACONS: Dns. Tim & James READER:
Caleb McGee
HOLY BREAD: Margaret McKelroy USHER:
ALTAR SERVERS: Ethan, Luke S., Luke L., Joe
COFFEE HOUR: Ethan & Claire Van Drimmelen, Caleb
McGee
WELCOME TEAM: Mickey Hodges and Jill Healy
Churching
Today
Shanna Massouh
and Noah Anthony
will be
churched this morning prior to the liturgy.
Many years!
Upcoming
Chrismations
Nathan Powell - December 13
Rod, Trish, Jake and Cailyn Ratliff – December 20
COMMEMORATIONS
December
6: Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in
December 7: Ambrose, Bishop of Milan; Martyr Athenodoros of Mesopotamia; Venerable Gregory, founder of Gregoriou monastery on Athos; Venerable Gerasimos;
Venerable Anthony of Sia and Neilos
of Stolb Island; Venerable Philothea
of Thrace.
December 8: Patapios
the Righteous of Thebes; Sophronios, bishop of
December 9: The Conception of the Most Holy
Theotokos by Righteous Anna.
December 10: Martyrs Menas,
Hermogenes and Eugraphos of
Alexandria; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia; Joasaph,
bishop of Belgorod; Angelina of Albania, mother of Blessed John, king of
Serbia.
December 11: Venerable Daniel the Stylite, Luke the New Stylite, Noman and Leontios; Martyr Barsabbas of
December 12: Spyridon
the Wonderworker, bishop of Trymithous; John,
metropolitan of Zichnon.
December 13: Martyrs Eustratios,
Auxentios, Eugene, Mardarios,
and Orestes at Sebaste; Virgin-martyr Lucia of
Syracuse; Hieromartyr Gabriel, patriarch of
- ALMS-GIVING –
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Rachels’ Kids, Inc. |
Diocese of
Michael Bittle Fund – Holy Trinity Orthodox Church –
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
Sunday Ephesians 5:9-19 Luke
Monday 1
Timothy 5:1-10 Luke
Tuesday 1 Timothy
Wednesday 1
Timothy 5:22-6:11 Luke
21:5-7, 10-11, 20-24
Thursday 1 Timothy
Friday 2 Timothy 1:1-2,
8-18 Luke
Saturday Galatians 5:22-6:2 Luke 13:18-29
Sunday Ephesians
Pray for our catechumens: In Memphis - Maria Cartagena,
Please remember in your prayers: His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP, His Grace, Bishop
ANTOUN, Buddy Taylor, Margaret Layman, Chris Hodges, Judy Smith (Julie Sanderlin’s mother), Shirley Gore (
Antiochian Women of
Women’s Book Club
Our next meeting will
be on January 4,
We will be discussing Gown
of Glory by Agnes Turnbull.
Women’s Teaching
We will meet on
Thursday, January 7,
Women’s Crafts Club
There will be NO meeting this month due to Advent
Paraklesis.
We will resume on
January 11,
Inquirers/Catechumen Class Tuesday,
Weekly Paraklesis services – During the Nativity fast, we will continue to pray
the Paraklesis service on Monday evenings at
Second Day of Christmas - Everyone is invited to St. Paul Skete
to celebrate the Second Day of Christmas. Fr. Nicholas will serve Divine
Liturgy for the Synaxis of the Theotokos at
Sons of Thunder – We will meet tonight at
THE NATIVITY FAST is divided into two periods: The
1st period is November 15th throu
Do
You Like to Have Fun? Do you like to get
together with friends? We’re looking for YOU to set up for or clean
up after the Nativity Feast. We need men
(for clean up) and women (set up and clean up) to volunteer. If you have any questions see Nancy McGee or
sign up on the sign up sheet downstairs.
NATIVITY CELEBRATION – We will have a light celebration after Divine
Liturgy on December 24. As in the past, the church will provide deli trays and
bread for sandwiches as well as drinks. Please feel free to plan to bring any
side items and/or desserts to share.
This will be a great opportunity to share and enjoy holiday goodies
& tasty treats that are a part of each family’s Christmas traditions.
**NOTE** If
you do bring items to share, please bring them in a dish from home labeled with
your name. Whatever you use from the
kitchen will be your responsibility to clean and put away BEFORE you leave. We all need to remember that it is Christmas
Eve and all families want to get
home at a reasonable hour after the feast.
We can show our appreciation for those who have volunteered to clean up
by not adding extra work. We will simply discard any dishes left at the
church after the feast.
teen Group Events
TODAY, December 6 – Meeting with middlers
Next week, December 13 – meeting
with seniors
aa LIBRARY LINES aa
Friday we commemorate two men who spent years on
pillars. These men are known as Stylites and are considered fools-for Christ. Bishop Kalllistos Ware has a brief and very readable explanation
of this in our library’s The Inner Kingdom (CAT/GEN/WAR). For a more scholarly explanation, see The
Person in the Orthodox Tradition (SPR/LIV/VLA) by the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos.
Sts. Daniel and Luke engaged in prayer and fasting in
this form of asceticism. The Venerable Daniel (12/11) received his name
in an unusual manner. His mother had
been barren for a number of years and promised to dedicate her son to God if He
granted her petition for a son. His parents said that since their child was a
gift from God, then God should name him. He was taken to the monastery where
the abbot randomly opened the Bible to the book of Daniel. He went to live there at age 12 and was
visited frequently by his parents. He excelled in his ascetical efforts, and
St. Simeon the Stylite predicted his life of healing
and counsel during his 33 years on a pillar.
aa LIBRARY LINES con’t. aa
The Blessed Angelina (12/10) was a Serbian princess.
She and her husband Stephan were the parents of St. John of Serbia. They were threatened by the Turks and fled to
St. Spyridon (12/12) was
born in
themselves unexplainably tied up there. Upon seeing them the
next morning, St. Spyridon gave them the sheep and
said, “Take them for your trouble, so that you did not spend a sleepless night
in vain.”
See icons of these saints and their stories in St.
John Library.
aaaaaaaaaaa Iconography
Work Underway
aaaaaaaaaaa
As you can see, our
iconographers have been working very hard since they arrived. The project has already expanded (thanks be
to God) from what we hoped they would accomplish on this visit. We will provide more specifics as time goes
by. As of the end of Friday, the
following icons (with their inscriptions noted) should already be installed in
the altar:
St. Gregory the Great (Dialogist) – “And number us with thine elect flock” (from the Roman Canon)
St. Gregory the Theologian – “What is not assumed is not healed” (Ep. 101 to Cledonius)
St. Basil the Great – “O Existing One, Master, Lord God . . .” (Anaphora
of Liturgy)
Archangel Michael
The Most Blessed Theotokos
Christ Enthroned
John the Baptist
Archangel Gabriel
St. Athanasius – “God became man so that we might become God” (De Incarnatione,
54)
St. Ignatius of
Prophet Isaiah – “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted
throne . . .” Isaiah 6:1
Prophet Daniel “The God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never
be destroyed . . .” Daniel 2:44
Prophet Jeremiah It is the Lord that made the earth by His strength and
His wisdom . . .” Jeremiah 10:12
Prophet Ezekiel “Behold the glory of the Lord of Israel came from the
way of the East . .” Ezekiel 43:2
Please keep Dmitry, Victor,
and Aleko in your prayers. I am even more excited than before about what
I anticipate will be wonderfully vibrant altar!
- Father John