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Welcome to Saint George’s today. We are glad to have you! If you are here for the first time, please stay for the coffee social in the parish hall after liturgy so we can get acquainted.
SCRIPTURE READINGS THIS WEEK
Jan 30th Synaxis of the 3 Hierarchs; Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian & John Chrysostom
1 Peter 2:21-3:9 Mark 12:13-17
Jan 31st Holy Wonderworkers & Unmercenaries Cyrus and John
1 Peter 3:10-22 Mark 12:18-27
Feb 1st Fore feast of Entrance; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada in Syria
1 Peter 4:1-11 Mark 12:28-37
Feb 2nd ENTRANCE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST INTO THE TEMPLE
Hebrews 7:7-17 Luke 2:22-40
Feb 3rd After feast of Entrance; Holy & Righteous Simeon & Anna the Prophetess
2 Peter 1:1-10 Mark 13:1-8
Feb 4th After feast of Entrance; Venerable Isidore of Pelisium
2 Timothy 2:11-19 Luke 18:2-8
Greeter: Popadia Biernacki Reader: Natalia Hutnyan
Activities/Services this Week
Vesperal Liturgy: Feast of the Entrance, Wednesday February 1st, 6:30 PM, at the church
Great Vespers: Saturday, February 4th, 5 PM, at the church
Last Sunday, January 22nd, 47 Adults and 15 youth attended Divine Liturgy.
The Sanctuary Lamp is burning this week for the health of Bill, Michael, and Kathy Dimitroff. There are openings to sponsor the lamp on 2/5, and 2/12. Trisagion Prayers (6 months) will be offered in memory of Andrew Scisson after the 1/29 liturgy.
Please remember to save the icons from the 2011 church calendars and bring them to church.
Fr. Paul can take them to St. Gregory’s monastery where they can mount and laminate them then sell them to support their community life.
All Saints Food Pantry/Gas Cards
For February, bring in pasta or pasta sauce in whatever quantity you can afford to donate. We also resume our practice of taking a collection the last Sunday of the month to go towards purchasing gas cards for college students who are connected to our church community.
Family Soiree Potluck
Will take place on Saturday, February 11th, at 6 PM following the Saturday Vespers service. There will fun, games, music, and dancing. The event is open to all (young and old) to attend. To view a flyer and for more info, go to the General Info menu of the web page and click on Upcoming Events.
On January 25th, Protodeacon Blagoy Nicoloff of our Diocese fell asleep in the Lord. The arrangements for +Protodeacon Blagoy is as follows: Viewing and all services are at: Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church; 3056 Reeves Ave. Lorain, OH 44052. For directions/map, go to:
http://maps.yahoo.com/#q=3056+Reeves+Ave%2C+Lorain%2C+OH++44052-4274&conf=1&start=1&lat=41.442509&lon=-82.200844&zoom=15&mvt=m&trf=0
Sunday, January 29, 2012: 7:00 PM Parastas
Monday, January 30, 2012 10:00 AM Funeral Service
May his memory be eternal! Vechnaya Pamyat!
St. Anna’s Bookstore has expanded the card section to include many reasonably priced options for Birthday, Get Well, Encouragement/Thinking of You, Sympathy and Thank You cards. Stop by and take a look!
The new church council met on Tuesday, January 24th and the following officers were elected: Chairperson: Steve Timofeev; Vice-chairperson: Stan Pentsos; Treasurer: Jim Allen; Recording Secretary: Matushka Catherine Russin.
January 31 is the feast day of Saints Cyrus and John, who belong to the group of saints known as "Unmercenaries" because they used their healing skills to help people and did not take payment.
They were not blood brothers. Cyrus lived in Egypt and later became a monk in Arabia, while John was an officer of the Roman Army serving in what is now Turkey.
John heard of the things Cyrus had done, not only curing people's physical ailments with his medical ability, but urging them to pray and to repent of their sins so that both their bodies and souls could be healed.. John was intrigued, and traveled to Arabia to meet Cyrus. In the words of Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, the two became "brothers in spirit." They served together as doctors and spiritual fathers to countless people. Both being outspoken Christians, they faced torture and martyrdom together, too, and were killed in the year 311.
Christopher Hitchens, an outspoken opponent of Christianity and all religions, recently died of cancer. Hitchens was an articulate and well-educated man who appeared often on television and wrote for national magazines. He was one of two brothers—actual blood brothers—and the two men diverged very widely in their attitudes toward the Christian faith. Christopher wrote a book called "God is not Great" in which he argued that religion, and particularly Christianity, has had a harmful effect on the world. Peter Hitchens, his brother, is the author of "The Rage against God" in which he tells how "atheism led me to faith" and lays out the reasons why he strongly disagrees with his brother, and is a practicing Christian.
In our society, such atheists as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins receive considerable media attention, and influence some people to question their faith. So Peter Hitchens' book is a helpful one, because he argues effectively against his brother's assertions, specifically in a section of the book entitled "Addressing the Three Failed Arguments of Atheism."
He takes issue, for example, with Christopher's statement that "the order to 'love thy neighbor as thyself' is too extreme and too strenuous to be obeyed." Peter refutes this idea by offering examples of people risking their lives, health or safety for others. He acknowledges that living as a Christian is difficult, especially in a culture that places little value on selflessness, but insists that "we are far better for trying than for not trying."
Peter Hitchens published his book before his brother died. Despite his profound disagreement with Christopher, he doesn't condemn him. Instead he hopes for his brother's conversion, or that at least he will discover that "belief in God is not a character fault." His compassion is an example of what is called for in one of today's readings, I Peter 3:15: "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence." Taken from: http://dce.oca.org/page/bulletins |
