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
June 17th     After feast of Ascension; Martyrs Manuel, Sabel & Ismael of Persia
                       Acts 21:8-14                              John 14:27-15:7
June 18th     After feast of Ascension; Martyr Leontius & Company at Tripoli in Syria
                       Acts 21:26-32                            John 16:2-13
June 19th     After feast of Ascension; Holy Apostle Jude, the brother of the Lord
                       Acts 23:1-11                              John 16:15-23
June 20th     After feast of Ascension; Hieromartyr Methodius, Bishop of Patar
                       Acts 25:13-19                            John 16:23-33
June 21st     Leave taking of Ascension; Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia
                       Acts 27:1-44                              John 17:28-26
June 22nd    Memorial Saturday; St. Alban; Protomartyr of Britain 
                       1 Thessalonians 4:13-17       John 5:24-30

                       Greeter: Nancy Angin                                        Reader: Jim Allen

Activities/Services this Week:
Council Meeting: Tuesday, June 18th, 7:30 PM, at the church
Akathist/Compline Service: Wednesday, June 19th, 6:30 PM, at the church
Bowling Green Book Club: Friday, June 21st, 6:30 PM @ Grounds for Thought in BG
Memorial Liturgy: Saturday, June 22nd, 10 AM, at the church
Pentecost Vespers w/ Litya & Blessing of loaves: Saturday, June 22nd, 5 PM, at the church

The Sanctuary Lamp is burning this week for the health of Dave & Karen Beleny celebrating their Anniversary. There are lamp openings in June and July.

Last Sunday, June 9th, 46 Adults and 14 Youth attended Divine Liturgy.

All Saints Food Pantry
During the month of June bring iced tea or lemonade mix in whatever quantity you can afford to donate for the All Saints Food Pantry.

Meeting Room Project Update
WE HAVE REACHED OUR GOAL and have raised $13004! Thanks to everyone who donated to this important project for our parish. Once we receive final bids based on the architectural drawings that were completed, we will have a clear idea if the funds we raised were sufficient.

The St. Anna’s Ladies’ Guild will meet for lunch on Tuesday, June 18th 11:30 AM at Maumee Bay Lodge Restaurant.  Please contact Carol Yonov by June 16th at 419-472-4505 to RSVP.

The Bowling Green Book Club will meet on Friday June 21st, 6:30 PM at Grounds for Thought on Main St. in Bowling Green. We will start reading and discussing the book Stages in Life’s Way: Orthodox Thinking on Bioethics by Fr. John & Lyn Breck. The book will address Orthodox thought on issues such as; Divine & Human personhood, Bioethical challenges in the new Millennium, Marriage as a Covenant, Use and Abuse of Human embryos, sacredness of newborn life, addictions, and end of life issues. If you cannot attend and would like to participate via “Google Hangout”, contact Jim Allen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to assist you in making the connection. You can also participate via a book club discussion by clicking on: http://bookclub.stgeorgerossford.org/ . The book itself is available from http://www.svspress.com/ for $20 and Kindle additions are available from Amazon.com for $18. Read Chapter Two for the June 21st session.
 
SPEAKING OF THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF ORTHODOX CHURCHES, WHY ARE THEY SO “GRAND” AND FULL OF COLOR?
• The Book of Exodus gives God’s specific instructions for the materials and construction the Hebrew people were to use in creating their place of worship. For example, see Exodus 30:34-38 on incense, Exodus 28 on priestly vestments, and Exodus 25:31-37 on the lampstand, tabernacle and curtain.
• Then in Hebrews 8:5 we read: They [the priests] offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent [of meeting] was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
• And Wisdom of Solomon 9: 8 tells us: You [God] have given a command to build a temple on Your holy mountain, and an altar in the city of Your habitation, a copy of the holy tent that You prepared from the beginning.
• God calls us to worship Him with the best and most beautiful things we have, doing so with humble and sincere hearts. At the same time, of course, He absolutely requires us to care for each other and provide for those in need. Taken from: http://dce.oca.org/assets/files/resources/Orthodox-Worship.pdf

On June 21 the Church remembers Saint Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia, born to a pagan father who was a member of the nobility, and a Christian mother. He lived in the late third century.

Like other Christians married to pagan men, Julian's mother secretly taught him the faith. He grew into a thoughtful, well-spoken young man and a dedicated Christian. When Julian was in his late teens, the local magistrate, on the orders of the emperor Diocletian, began rounding up Christians for interrogation, threatening those who would not worship the pagan gods. Because Julian was adamant in his refusal, and because he was attractive and young, Marcian decided to parade him from city to city, subjecting him to humiliation and beatings along the way. This display was meant to show people that the government could do whatever it liked with people who so obstinately disrespected the gods, no matter how well-born or appealing they might be. But Julian, becoming weaker and more wounded every day from the terrible treatment he endured, still refused to renounce Christ.
His mother encouraged him by following at a distance, praying that he would stay strong in his faith. When he was finally thrown into a dungeon in a coastal city, she begged the magistrate to let her visit him for a few days.

Thinking she intended to convince her son to save his life by worshipping the gods, the magistrate agreed. But Julian's mother spent the time praying with her beloved boy, urging him not to give in no matter what was done to him. She contrasted the darkness of the dungeon with the light of the Kingdom, the light that illumines all darkness and that awaited Julian if he would remain strong.
When the mother and son were brought before the magistrate, they both denounced the vain superstitions of the gods, and declared their devotion to Jesus Christ. The magistrate, feeling he had been tricked, ordered their immediate execution.

Over Saint Julian's relics, which were eventually taken to Antioch, Saint John Chrysostom eulogized him, and in Saint John's words we hear about the light that illumines and the light that burns. He said, "A holy voice comes forth from the lips of the martyr, and with this voice is poured out a light brighter than the rays of the sun." He also said, "Take whomsoever you will, be he a madman or one possessed, and lead him to the grave of this saint, to the martyr's relics, and you will see the demon immediately jump out and flee as from a blazing fire."

As Saint John says, to anyone who is willing to hear Saint Julian's "holy voice" there is also that "light brighter than the sun" that comes forth from him. But to a demon, the light is unbearable; it's like a "blazing fire" and the demon must immediately "jump out." What will the light of Jesus Christ be to us: illumination, or unbearable burning? The light is given, and its effect is up to us. 
Taken from: http://dce.oca.org/page/bulletins/