WELCOME! If you are a first time visitor to Saint George’s today. We are glad to have you! Please stay for the coffee social in the parish hall after liturgy so we can get acquainted.

SCRIPTURE READINGS THIS WEEK
Aug 30th  Ss. Alexander, John, & Paul the New, Patriarchs of Constantinople
                 Galatians 2:11-16   Mark 5:24-34
Aug 31st  Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage; St. Gennadius, of Constantinople
                 Galatians 2:21-3:22  Mark 6:1-13
Sept 1st    Church New Year; St. Simeon the Stylite and mother the Venerable Martha
                 1 Timothy 2:1-7   Luke 4:16-22
Sept 2nd   Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves; Martyr Mamas
                 Galatians 3:23-4:5   Mark 6:30-45
Sept 3rd   Hieromartyr Anthimus & Companions; Martyr Ariston
                 Galatians 4:8-21   Mark 6:45-53
Sept 4th   Hieromartyr Babylas & Martyrs Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius
                1 Corinthians 4:17-5:5  Matthew 24:1-13

Activities/Services this Week:
Compline/Akathist: Wednesday, September 1st, 6:30 PM, at the church
Great Vespers: Saturday, September 4th, 5 PM, at the church

Last Sunday, August 22nd, 53 Adults and 18 Youth attended Divine Liturgy

The Sanctuary Lamp is burning this week for the health of Joanne Pentsos who just celebrated her birthday. Liturgical wine was donated recently in memory of Alvin & Gretchen Haulund.  Following the August 29th, liturgy, Trisagion Prayers will be offered in memory of Fr. Raphael Biernacki and Marjorie Haulund. Her husband Tom is sponsoring Coffee Hour in her memory.

For the month of September, please bring flour or sugar in whatever amount you can afford to donate for the All Saints Food Pantry. Starting Sunday, August 29th, we would like to take up a collection once a month to establish a gas fund for college students who may need some help with gas money to get them to church and help out in a small way with expenses they have. Thank you for your support!

Fr. Paul will be at St. Gregory’s Monastery from Monday afternoon thru Wednesday morning. He will return by early afternoon on Wednesday.

The Rossford/Toledo and Bowling Green Book Clubs will resume meeting during the month
of September.

ST. GEORGE MEMBERS: We need your help!  Family Day is September 19, 2010. This year we are planning a “Memory Book” as a community activity. We need any old and new
pictures of St. George members, their family, and friends to be included in the book. Our memory book will be called “OVER THE YEARS” and will be a photo historical document of our membership over the years. As you begin to gather some pictures, plan on creating a page for the book. Barb Pappas will be guiding us in this process. Nancy Angin will be collecting the pictures. If you have any questions, speak with Nancy or Barbara.

ST GEORGE FAMILY DAY ANNOUNCEMENT
We invite you and your family to participate in activities scheduled for the 2nd Annual St. George Family Day on Sunday, September 19th, beginning at 11:30 AM, right after liturgy. Free lunch will start the afternoon activities. There will be a variety of games for the children. Inside and outside games will allow for everyone to get involved.
Plans are underway to get Mom and Dad involved as well. A “Memory Book” is planned for this year’s community project. This book when completed will be enjoyed by all. Last year, backgammon games and Turkish coffee brought the old country atmosphere to St George. So we will make that available this year as well. To complete a wonderful afternoon, at 3 PM we will begin line and Bulgarian dancing; a nice way to end the day.

September 1 is the first day of the Orthodox Church calendar. On this day we remember Joshua, the son of Nun, who succeeded Moses as Israel's leader and took the people into the Promised Land. The Book of Joshua describes his exploits as commander of the armies of Israel that marched into Canaan and followed God's instructions: "But in the cities...that the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall utterly destroy them, the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites...that they may not teach you their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods" (Deuteronomy 20: 16-18a).

Some commentators see these verses as examples of the "bloodthirsty" Old Testament God who is so different from the merciful God of the New Testament that they can hardly be the same deity. Joshua, to these commentators, is a killer and no hero.

But archaeological research has shown that the Canaanite civilization was deeply decadent. Child sacrifice, sexual perversion and gruesome cruelty to slaves and conquered enemies were common. We know that the Israelites were susceptible to the influence of their neighbors. For example, they wanted a king, as we read in I Samuel 8: 5, because all the other nations had kings. There was a real danger of Canaanite practices and attitudes infecting and eventually consuming Israel, a danger that Canaan might "teach you their abominable practices."

The Canaanites had had plenty of warning about what Israel could do. We know this from the words of Rahab, a harlot who lived in the big Canaanite city of Jericho and who had sheltered the two spies Joshua sent to "spy out" the land before Israel attacked. (The fall of Jericho is famously described in Joshua 6:20). Rahab says, "For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed" (2: 10). She asks Joshua to let her family escape, and he honors his promise to do so. Hebrews 11:31 mentions Rahab as a woman of faith who "did not perish with those who were disobedient." Unlike the repentant Ninevites in the Book of Jonah, the disobedient Canaanites chose not to change their ways.

Joshua saw his duty to God in total obedience. He seems to acknowledge, speaking shortly before he dies, that it is not always an easy choice to obey God. But his own decision is unequivocal: "And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (24: 15).
Taken from: http://dce.oca.org/page/bulletins/