March 2015 - Saint George Orthodox Church

Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #251
Flint, MI
St. George Orthodox Church
5191 Lennon Road
Flint, MI 48507-1050
Address Service Requested
A Church of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
THE VOICE
of St. George
Published Monthly with Special Editions by St. George Orthodox Church -- Flint, MI
March 2015
Volumes 24, Number 7
\
The Orthodox Churches of Greater Flint
Assumption (Greek) 2245 Baldwin Road  Grand Blanc, MI 48439  810-771-4611
St. George (Antiochian) 5191 Lennon Road  Flint, MI 48507  810-732-0720
St. Mary Magdalene (OCA) 2439 South Long Lake Road  Fenton, MI 48430  810-750-1701
St. Nicholas (OCA) 2143 South Center Road  Burton, MI 48519  810-744-0070
Come, Join Us
for a Lenten Talk!
The Bible:
An Orthodox
Perspective
Saturday,
March 28, 2015
St Nicholas Orthodox Church
2143 S. Center Rd.
Burton, MI 48519
(810) 744-0070
5:00 pm Great Vespers (Confessions before and after Vespers)
6:00 pm Light Lenten Meal (free will offering)
6:30 pm Presentation followed by Q & A
RSVP at (810) 744-0070 by March 25
Guest Speaker
Fr. Silviu N. Bunta, PhD.
Fr. Silviu specializes in Scriptural studies and has his Ph.D. in
Second Temple Judaism from Marquette University. He has his
M.A. in New Testament from the University of Oradea (Oradea,
Romania). He is a priest of the Diocese of Toledo (OCA) and is
an Associate Professor at the University of Dayton teaching Bible,
ancient Judaism, Hebrew, and Greek.
Member Churches of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North America
A Vision of Orthodox Unity
The Orthodox Churches of Greater Flint
Assumption (Greek) 2245 Baldwin Road Grand Blanc, MI 48439 810-771-4611
St. George (Antiochian) 5191 Lennon Road Flint, MI 48507 810-732-0720
St. Mary Magdalene (OCA) 2439 S. Long Lake Road Fenton, MI 48430 810- 750-1401
St. Nicholas (OCA) 2143 South Center Road Burton, MI 48519 810-744-0070
~ 2015 Great Fast ~
Pan-Orthodox
Divine Services and
Potluck Dinners
Great Compline (Mondays) We will be celebrating the Great Compline service together every Monday
night at St. George. The service begins at 6:30pm. This beautiful service allows us to experience the Great
Fast more deeply. Confessions will be available from 6pm–6:30pm and after the service.
Lenten Hours (Wednesdays) St. Nicholas will celebrate the Lenten Hours at 9am every Wednesday.
Presanctified Divine Liturgy (Wednesdays) We will celebrate the Presanctified Liturgy together
beginning at 6pm according to the schedule below. Holy Communion is given at the Presanctified Liturgy.
To partake of Holy Communion, please be prepared with prayer and fasting (not eating or drinking anything
after 12 Noon). Confessions will be available only prior to the Liturgy from 5:30pm–6pm. On the Great
Feast of the Annunciation (see below), Vesperal Divine Liturgy begins at 6pm.
Potluck Dinners: A Lenten Dinner follows each Wednesday liturgy. Please bring a covered Lenten
Dish (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, olive oil or their by-products) to the hall prior to the
beginning of liturgy. Please note on the Great Feast of the Annunciation, fish, wine, and olive oil are
allowed. If you have questions, call the church office where the combined service will be celebrated.
February 25th Presanctified Liturgy or Compline at each church
March 4th Presanctified Liturgy Combined at St. Nicholas
March 11th Presanctified Liturgy at each church
March 18th Presanctified Liturgy Combined at St. Mary Magdalene
March 25th Annunciation Vesperal Liturgy Combined at Assumption 6pm
April 1st Presanctified Liturgy Combined at St. George
April 4th Preparation of Gifts, Raising of Lazarus Divine Liturgy, and
Lenten Breakfast Combined at St. George – 9:30am
Assumption is located 1 ½ miles west of Holly Road on Baldwin Road.
St. George is located between Linden and Dye Roads on Lennon Road.
St. Mary Magdalene is located ¼ mile east of Torrey Road on South Long Lake.
St. Nicholas is located ½ mile south of Lippincott on Center Road.
Member Churches of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North America
A Vision of Orthodox Unity
TO TITHE IS TO LOVE!
2015 OFFERING UPDATE
As of February 12, 2015
The Bible says a “tithe” is giving 10% of our income to God
through His Holy Church. In the Old Testament, the tithe was
the maximum. For Christians, the tithe is the minimum! ALL
of our 240 families need to make an Offering as soon as possible.
Don’t let anyone rob themselves of this blessing from God!
• Our budget for 2015: $244,453.00
• Total Offered by 64 Families/Individuals: $69,116.00
Number of Families who still need to offer: 176
• New Offerers: 7
• Increase in Offering: 9
• Offering Range: according to how God has blessed you!
Your commitment is NEEDED!!!
Please fill out the 2015 Offering
Form as soon as possible.
THANK YOU!!!
ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST!!!
We thank the following families for turning in their 2015 Offering Form in support of
God’s work at St. George. If your name is not listed, please fill out your 2015 Offering
Form and mail it to the Church or put it in the Sunday Offering Tray.
Thank You and God Bless You!
New this year in BOLD (did not fill out a form last year)
Increase in Offering is Underlined
As of 2/12/2015
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Mr. and Mrs. Fares Abdallah
Mr. and Mrs. Youssif Abousamra
Mr. George M. Abuaita
Mr. and Mrs. Najeb Abuaita
Mr. and Mrs. Tawfiq AbuAita
Fr. and Mrs. Joseph Abud
Mrs. Laila Abud
Mr. and Mrs. Anwar Abueita
Mr. and Mrs. Atallah Abueita
Mr. and Mrs. Issa Abueita
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Alqazaha
Mr. and Mrs. Basil Andoni
Mr. and Mrs. Ceasar Banna
Mr. and Mrs. Adeeb Bathish
Mr. and Mrs. Emil Bathish
Mr. and Mrs. Issa Daoud
Mrs. Iman David
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy David, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. James Delbridge
Mr. and Mrs. Antoine Elia
Mr. and Mrs. Ayman Elias
Miss Christine Elias
Mrs. Gisele Farah
Mr. and Mrs. John Farah
Mr. Said Farah
Mr. and Mrs. Troy Farah
Mrs. Vera Farah
Miss Betty Froberg
Mr. and Mrs. George Gantous
Mr. and Mrs. Jamil Ghantous
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Green
Mr. and Mrs. Nasri Haddad
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Mr. Ronald Haddad
Mr. and Mrs. Salim Haddad
Mr. and Mrs. Elias Hanna
Subdeacon Salim Hanna
Miss Areen Bathish-Hutchins
Miss Daisy Isaac
Mr. John Isaac
Mr. and Mrs. Issa Ishaq
Mrs. Sally Shaheen Joseph
Mrs. Najwa Joubran
Mr. and Mrs. Shawki Khoury
Miss Amal Koubty
Mr. and Mrs. Samir Meshraky
Miss Alexandra Nassar
Mr. and Mrs. Jamil Nassar
Mr. and Mrs. Karam Nassar
Mrs. Olga Nassar
Mr. and Mrs. Souheil Nassar
Mr. and Mrs. George Nassif
Mr. and Mrs. Jeries Qumseya
Mrs. Aida Raffoul
Mrs. and Mrs. Roger Saadeh
Miss Deborah Salim
Mrs. Mary Salim
Miss Elaine Shaheen
Mr. and Mrs. William Shaheen,Jr
Mr. and Mrs. Ric Shahin
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Silpoch
Mr. and Mrs. William Sophiea
Mr. Robert Teunion
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Thomas
Mr. and Mrs. Salim Zarour
‫م‬
2015 Offering Form
St. George Orthodox Church ~ Flint, Michigan
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Amount
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% of Income
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2015
‫وم ا ور دو‬
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I Want To Be Counted!
Frequency
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OR Twice Monthly
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OR Quarterly
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~ All Offerings Are Treated Confidentially ~
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Please fill out completely.
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Please CHECK this box if it applies to you.
I have a concern and wish to be contacted or visited by the priest.
I have a concern and wish to be contacted or visited by a Parish
Council Member.
Signature:
‫ا‬
Date:
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10)
Seeing the rich bringing their gifts and then a widow bringing a few pennies, Jesus
said, “Truly I say to you that this widow has put in more than all.” (Luke 21:3)
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Learning Humility
Fr. Paul Jannakos, Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene-Fenton, MI
“He who exalts himself will be humbled,” and that “he who humbles
himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11).
Humility is the greatest of all the virtues. As the Holy Fathers say, it is
humility that gives birth to mercy, forgiveness, patience, meekness, kindness,
gentleness, generosity, fortitude, purity, joyfulness, thankfulness, moderation,
self-control, and to every other good thing that has as its source the Son of God
made flesh from a holy virgin.
But the question is how does one learn humility? The answer is by
practicing humility. In other words, humility is not simply something one prays
for as a gift, but something one must “do” on a continual basis. “For he who
humbles himself will be exalted.” Here we find an action statement, a statement
showing how humility is something we actualize through certain spiritual
disciplines. Such as:
1) Striking down vainglorious thoughts. In the Church we believe
that every attitude and action, every disposition and behavior, has as its
beginning, a single thought. Good thoughts produce good attitudes and actions.
Bad thoughts, the very opposite. As the elder Thaddeus says, “Our life depends
on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek,
and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to [worldly]
circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts and
can have neither peace nor tranquility.” As we grow in the faith, what we learn
is how to be watchful over what kinds of thoughts we are having. And
unfortunately for us, this means watching out for prideful, self-congratulating
thoughts, the kind of thoughts that lead us away from God and are an affront to
the Holy Spirit. And the very best example of this in the New Testament
happens to be in the pseudo-prayer of the Pharisee who stands up in the front
of the temple and verbalizes his thoughts by saying, “I thank you, God, that I
am not like other men, sinners, adulterers, thieves, or like that tax collector; I
fast twice a week and give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:12). Here
again we see how the thought leads to the self-congratulation, to the puffing up
of the ego. But what we learn in the Church is how to humble ourselves by
countering these thoughts with the simple prayer, “O Lord, there is no good
deed I have ever done that hasn’t come from You, for every good gift and every
perfect gift comes down from You, the Father of lights.”
2) Accepting positive criticism. As it says in Proverbs, “Do not reprove
a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give
instruction to a wise man, and he will be wiser still.” (Proverbs 9:8). The only
way to gain wisdom, in other words, is to humbly accept reproof. In the letter to
the Hebrews we find the same things, “For the Lord disciplines those whom he
loves, and chastises every son He receives.” But along with this we must add
one caveat, or a word of warning. Which is that the only criticism we accept is
the criticism offered from those who truly love us and care for us. Because if the
criticism is not motivated by the love of Christ, it becomes something that tears
us down. Good criticism works the very opposite. It builds us up, it enlightens
us, it strengthens us, it edifies us. In a word, what we mean is that even though
we know deep down that it is always painful to be told that we are doing
something wrong, we must test the criticism and learn from it.
3) Keeping the fasts of the Church to the best of our ability. Fasting
humbles the flesh. The more we humble the flesh the more we exalt the spirit.
The scriptures witness to this clearly: Moses fasted for 40 days on Sinai before
receiving the law, Elijah fasted in the wilderness before hearing the “still small
voice,” Daniel fasted for the forgiveness of Israel while in Babylon, the people of
Nineveh fasted upon the preaching of Jonah, Esther the Queen fasted in order
to save the people of Israel, and our Lord fasted for 40 days before He began
his 3 year ministry.
4) Accepting all the external trials and hardships that come to us
during the course of this life. Which St. Innocent of Alaska writes about this
in the following way, “To ‘take up one’s cross’ means to accept without
complaint everything unpleasant, painful, sad, difficult and oppressive that may
happen to us in life. In other words, to bear all laughter, scorn, weariness,
sorrow and annoyance from others; to bear all poverty, misfortune, illness,
without regarding yourself as offended. And if, when you are bearing your cross
according to the will of God, a proud thought suggests to you that you are not
weak like others, but that you are firm, pious and better, root out such thoughts
as far as you can, for they ruin all your virtues.”
5) Confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Holy Confession. And
once again, we do this on a regular basis in the Church, 6 to 8 times a year
because the very act of verbalizing our transgressions eradicates our pride. And
we do this because there is no other way to be healed from our passions than to
openly confess to one’s father confessor every single sinful thought, intent,
word and deed that we have ever committed. There are many who try and
evade this teaching by saying “I don’t need to confess my sins to a priest
because I can do it secretly in my own private prayer.” But this is nothing else
but a lie that proceeds from the mouth of the devil who does everything he
possibly can in order to keep us from the Sacraments of the Church – which are
the source of our salvation in Christ.
May God help us to learn humility by striking down prideful thoughts, by
accepting good criticism, by being thankful for all of life’s hardships, and by
openly confessing everything we have ever done that has separated us from the
love and grace of God.
Daily Prayer Life
♦
Remember our parishioners who are ill, recovering, or in need, especially His servants: Archpriest Joseph Abud,
Housam Abousamra, Hanna Abuaita, Ceasar Banna, Jonathan Bassett, Inam
Bathish, Vera Farah, Nadera Ghantous, Phyllis Good, Carol Haddad, Roland
Haddad, Salwa Haddad, Areen Hutchins, Nawal Iseid, Betty Khouri, Edward
Khouri, Lourice Matta, Laura Nassar, Elaine Salim, John Salomon, William
Sophiea Jr., those who are suffering in the Middle East and the Ukraine, the supporters and benefactors of St. George, the members of our Parish Council, Ladies
Auxiliary, Teen SOYO, Altar Servers, Altar Society, Chanters, Choir, Church
School, Ushers, and YAF (Young Adult Fellowship).
♦ Remember the servants of God who are with child: Julianna Abuaita (wife
of Essa) and Rania Abuaita.
For the following, please update Fr. Joe whether they should remain on our
prayer list – Thank You!
♦ Remember the family and friends of St. George parishioners: Archimandrite
Roman Braga (Dormition Monastery), Clemence Bassett and Shawna Hale
(family/friend of Dn. Mike and Pam Bassett), Kinan Turjman (nephew of Sahar
Abdallah), Michel Abuaita (father of Mary Khoury), Michel Abuaita (brother of
Janett Abuaita), Mariam Ghanem (mother of Manal Abuaita), Youssef and
Georgette Damouni (parents of Lina Burbar and May Gantos), John McGee
(son-in-law of Vera Farah), Samira Gantous (former parishioner), Maha Qassis
and Nadia Ibrahim (sister/mother of Ziyad), Shafeka Qurpan and George Ishak
(mother/nephew of Amira Hanna), James Gorr (father of Dr. Melissa Bathish),
Renee Nassif (daughter of George and Jeanette), Elias Qumsieh (father of Kholoud Hayek), Elias Ibrahim and
Taghrid (uncle/friend of Rula Alkazaha), Annie Guevara, Doug Halstead, Amir Hekmati, Bob Loth, Bella
Ward, Anna Oppenheiser, Art Reyes, and Eileen Shaheen (friends/family of Sally Joseph), Hanna AbuNimer (relative of Karam and Aida Nassar), Jenna Marsico (niece of Jim Delbridge), Michelle Kramer, Allen
LaBerge and Sue McCarthy (niece/friends of Elaine Shaheen), Nassim Salomon (brother of Janet Abueita),
Hilda Zureikat (mother of Sahar Abdallah), Megan Meade (relative of Bob Teunion), Elaine Gejoff, Marcella
Moorman, and Dennis Perez (from St. Mary Magdalene), Gloria and John Zelenko (from St. Nicholas), and
Gordon Lang and Scott Lints (family/friend of Mary Ghattas).
Congratulations and God bless:
Jennifer David (daughter of Jimmy and Maggie) and Michael Habbo who were recently engaged to
be united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
Renea Rishmawi (daughter of Jubrael and Nadia) and David Zuraigat who were recently engaged to
be united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
Andrew and Sara (daughter of William and Susan Shaheen) Keller on the birth of
son Harrison William (February 4th).
Jason (son of Jiries and Sharon) and Crystal Abu-Aitah on the birth of son Greyson
Paul (February 6th).
Announcements
FASTING DISCIPLINE FOR MARCH The GREAT FAST began on Monday, February 23rd and continues until
Pascha on April 12th. The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, cheese, eggs, dairy, fish, wine,
olive oil, or their by-products) is observed on all days with the exception of wine and olive oil being allowed
on Saturdays and Sundays and fish, wine, and olive oil being allowed on the Great Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th) and Palm Sunday (April 5th).
On the 1st Sunday of the Great Fast, March 1st, we have a special procession
celebrating the restoring of the Holy Icons into the Orthodox Church. Please be sure our children bring a
Holy Icon from home to carry in the procession!
TRIUMPH OF ORTHODOXY
Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
During the Great Fast, THE “prayer of the fast” is that of St. Ephraim the Syrian. Everyone should add
this prayer to their daily prayers and to say this special Lenten prayer as often as you can:
O Lord and Master of my Life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle
talk. (prostration)
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. (prostration)
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for
Thou are blessed, unto ages of ages. Amen. (prostration)
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THE HOLY SACRAMENT OF REPENTANCE (CONFESSION)
“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and
forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
The Great Fast is THE TIME for all parishioners to receive the Holy Sacrament of Repentance (Confession)
especially if you plan on receiving Holy Communion on Palm Sunday (April 5th) or Pascha (April 12th). Fr.
Joe hears Confessions by appointment before or after most Divine Services, Sundays between 8:30am9:30am, by appointment during the week, and on Saturday evenings after Great Vespers which is the perfect time when no one is rushed. Please do not wait until the last minute! For your convenience, Fr. Joe
will also hear confessions on Sunday, March 29th after the Falafel Lunch. Because of many extra responsibilities, Fr. Joseph will not be able to hear Confessions on Palm Sunday or after Holy Tuesday at 6pm
(April 15th). In addition, Holy Unction (on Holy Wednesday) is a Sacrament of the Church and we must be
prepared with Confession in order to be anointed. If you would like to go to one of the other Orthodox
priests during our combined Pan-Orthodox Services, Fr. Paul, Fr. Matthew, and Fr. Angelo are available
30 minutes before each service begins. Confessing of our sins opens the door to our personal celebration
of our Lord’s Glorious Resurrection -- PLAN NOW and BE PREPARED!!!
LENTEN POTLUCK DINNERS Our Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting Lenten Potluck Dinners after our celebrations
of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and our combined celebration of the Raising of Lazarus. Please
bring what is listed below according to the first letter in your last name. If you have any questions, please
see or call our coordinators Anaam Abueita 810-686-9744 or Wafaa Elias 810-630-0639.
FOR W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH
A-F
G-J
K-R
S-Z
Desserts
Relish Dish or Bread Salad or Side Dish Main Dish
FOR W EDNESDAY, MARCH 11TH
A-F
G-J
K-R
S-Z
Salad or Side Dish
Main Dish
Desserts
Relish Dish or Bread
FOR OUR COMBINED CELEBRATION ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1ST
A-F
G-J
K-R
S-Z
Main Dish
Desserts
Relish Dish or Bread
Salad or Side Dish
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS!
ST. GEORGE WANTS YOU!!! Brothers and Sisters, Your representatives on the Parish Council are interested in involving forward-looking people who want to help our church grow and
thrive. Many opportunities for you are upcoming. Besides Sunday Divine Liturgy, services of
the Great Fast frequently involve meals shared with your parish family. We have the Spring
Gala coming up on May 9 to honor the mothers of our community; get some family and friends
and come out for a spectacular evening. The Golf Classic will take place on June 6, and you
can help by either golfing or working at the event. WE NEED YOUR TALENTS! If we don’t ask
you, please let us know how you can help St. George. Our parish family only prospers when all
of our brothers and sisters work together.
Ric Shahin
Parish Council Chairman
“I always emphasize that young people should try to live as spiritually as they can before marriage, since
preserving their chastity secures their physical and spiritual health. The spiritual life is a basic prerequisite
to whatever life one chooses. The world has become like a wheat field that is ready for harvest, but swine
enter and trample it. So now everything is in disarray-weeds, mud, wheat stalks; but here and there on
some edge, there is an occasional wheat stalk standing upright. The more spiritual work one does during
his youth, the easier it will be for him in all things later in life.” Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos
The Great Fast continues …
Our preparation for the Feast of Feasts (Pascha), begins on Monday, February 23rd and lasts until our
midnight celebration of Pascha on April 11th/12th. This preparation is based on our increased participation
in the three disciplines of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving (Matthew 6:1-18):
1. Prayer: By attending the Lenten services as well as an increased daily prayer life at home, we
spend more time with God.
2. Fasting: By restricting the types and frequency of meals, we experience physical weakness and
learn to depend more on God than on ourselves.
3. Almsgiving: By giving to those less fortunate than ourselves, we cease to consider ourselves
as the most important of all people (Food for Hungry People and other programs).
Our experience of Christ's Resurrection on Pascha truly depends on how deeply we enter into these three
disciplines. The additional week day services gives all of us a wonderful opportunity to increase our Prayer
life and be strengthened in Fasting and Almsgiving as well. We should strive to come to as many Lenten
Services as possible whether we regularly attend Saturday Vespers and Sunday Services or not. Questions? Speak with Fr. Joe for guidance during this special time of seeking our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Great Compline ‫ة ا م ا ى‬
– Mondays at 6:30pm at St. George
Lenten Hours – most Wednesdays at 9am at St. Nicholas (check weekly bulletin!)
Presanctified Liturgy
‫ & اس ا‬Potluck – Wednesdays at 6pm (check calendar for location!)
Supplication to the Virgin Mary / Madayeh
‫ا‬
– Fridays at 6:30pm at St. George
Great Vespers and Confessions – Saturdays at 5pm at St. George
SUMMER CAMP The Summer Camping Program at the Antiochian Village (about 1½ hours from Pittsburgh)
serves young people ages 9-17 who come from parishes throughout the Archdiocese. The main goal of
the camp program is to “present to young people a living experience of the Holy Orthodox Faith in their
relationship with God and other campers in an uncluttered, natural environment”. For more information and
to register, please check out their web site at: http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html. We go to the
2nd Session June 28th-July 10th. If you have questions, would like more information, or have registered for
camp, speak with our Camp coordinators, Anaam Abueita (810-686-9744 or [email protected])
or Leslee Abud (810-695-2177 or [email protected])
Midwest Diocesan 2015 Parish Life Conference
Bishop Anthony and Saint Nicholas in Grand Rapids, MI invites you to the Annual Midwest Diocesan Parish
Life Conference June 24th-28th. Check out their website http://midwestplc2015.com/ to make hotel and
conference registrations, schedule, parental consent forms, and much more. Please note deadlines!
52ND ANTIOCHIAN ARCHDIOCESAN CONVENTION-BOSTON, MA Hosted by St. Mary-Cambridge, MA July 19-26,
2015 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The convention room rate is $199 per night, plus tax. Go to www.acboston2015.com to book hotel rooms, register for the convention, purchase event tickets and tickets for
Boston excursions, and obtain forms to place a message in the Souvenir Journal. Rooms are booking
quickly for this historic convention. Please call their church at 617-547-1234 with any questions.
ST. GEORGE LIBRARY Our Children & Young Adult sections are growing! We have a new program with the
CHURCH SCHOOL...kids will check out books and return them with a "book report" for a sticker on their
incentive charts! There are many new Orthodox books being written and we would love to make these
available to our parish. If you are interested in making a donation so that we can buy new books, please
see Kh. Leslee after church one Sunday soon!
NEW BOOKS NEED DONORS - Recently purchased at the Orthodox Institute and signed by the authors:
Inner River, A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christian Spirituality, Kyriacos C. Markides, $15.
Orthodox Spiritual Life, According to St. Silouan the Athonite, Harry Boosalis, $15.
Touching Heaven - Discovering Orthodox Christianity on the Island of Valaam, John Oliver, $15.
NORTH END SOUP KITCHEN Please mark your calendars and come to help out during our once-a-month
commitment at the soup kitchen on Tuesday, March 24th from 9am-12:30pm. If you have questions or want
to sign-up, please contact Jim and Evelyn Delbridge (810-630-2353).
Coming Events in April
The Great Fast continues
4
Raising of Lazarus Combined Divine Liturgy
5
Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
5-11 The Great and Holy Week
12
PASCHA, the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior
13-18 Bright Week
25
Consecration of St. Mary Magdalene in Fenton
MONTHLY OFFERINGS
Our average monthly offerings need to be $20,371 to meet
our 2015 Budget. In January, our offerings were $18,166
which means we were short $2,205.
If you would like to offer Holy Bread (Holy Oblation) in memory of a loved one,
for the health or safety of a loved one, or to commemorate a special occasion,
you may phone the church office (810-732-0720) by 12 Noon of the Wednesday
before. If you do not make the Holy Bread, Fr. Joe will purchase it from Balkan
Bakery for a cost to you of $35.
If you know of a parishioner who has given birth, fallen ill, or admitted to the
hospital, please call the church office or Fr. Joe.
If you have an item that you would like to place in the Weekly Bulletin, please
call the church office by 12 Noon on the Wednesday before.
If you would like to host Coffee Fellowship in memory of a loved one, or the
occasion of a birthday or anniversary, or in thanksgiving to God, sign up on the
poster in the Lounge or speak with Manal Abuaita.
Decorations for the
Great Fast,
Holy Week, and
Pascha
5 Icon Flowers for the Madayeh/Akathist
$30 each
February 27th
March 6th (Taken)
March 13th
March 20th
March 27th
2 pounds of Incense $50 each
One Pound
One Pound
Carnations for the Holy Cross (Taken)
$235
Palms (Taken)
$200
Fern Arrangements - Palm Sunday/Holy Week
(8 needed at $40 each)
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
One Arrangement
2 Icon Flowers for Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday
$30 each
One Icon
One Icon
4 Icon Flowers for Holy Week
$30 each
One Icon
One Icon
One Icon
One Icon
Flowers and Decorations for the Tomb (Taken)
Rose Water / Bay Leaves for Holy Saturday (Taken)
Donations toward Pascha Flowers (Azaleas)
$25 each
$25 each
$25 each
$25 each
$25 each
$25 each
2 Icon Flowers for the Resurrection $30 each
One Icon
One Icon
3 Paschal Candles $95 each
One Candle
One Candle
One Candle
Please print clearly
Your name: ____________________________________________________________
For the health of:
__________________________________________________________________________
In loving memory of:
__________________________________________________________________________
The names of the Living and Departed will be remembered at the service for which the item will be used.
Please fill out this form, put it in an envelope (with check made out to “St. George/Decorations”), and drop
it in the Sunday Offering Tray or send it to the church office.
March
March is Antiochian Woman’s Month
Sun
1
1st Sunday of the Fast
Orthodoxy Sunday
Mon
2
Wed
4
Combined
Presanctified Liturgy
and Lenten Potluck
@ *St. Nicholas -- 6pm
Great Compline
6:30pm
9
10
11
15
3rd Sunday of the Fast
Procession and
Adoration of the
Life-Giving Cross
16
22
4th Sunday of the Fast
St. John of the
Ladder
23
Sat
7
2nd Supplication to the
Virgin Mary
6:30pm
12
13
Great Vespers and
Confessions 5pm
14
3rd Supplication to the
Virgin Mary
6:30pm
Presanctified Liturgy
and Lenten Potluck
@ St. George -- 6pm
17
18
19
20
Great Vespers and
Confessions 5pm
21
Lenten Hours
@ *St. Nicholas 9am
Fr. Joe at
MSU’s OCF
Combined
Presanctified Liturgy
and Potluck @ ***St.
Mary Magdalene -- 6pm
North End Soup Kitchen
9am-12:30pm
25
Annunciation of the
Theotokos
Great Compline
6:30pm
24
Combined
Vesperal Liturgy
@**Assumption -- 6pm
Great Compline
6:30pm
Parish Falafel Lunch
Fri
6
Lenten Hours
@ *St. Nicholas 9am
Great Compline
6:30pm
29
5th Sunday of the Fast
St. Mary of Egypt
Thu
5
Lenten Hours
@ *St. Nicholas 9am
Procession of the
Holy Icons
8
2nd Sunday of the Fast
St. Gregory Palamas
Tue
3
30
4th Supplication to the
Virgin Mary
6:30pm
26
27
Great Vespers and
Confessions 5pm
28
5th Supplication to the
Virgin Mary
6:30pm
Great Vespers and
Confessions 5pm
31
Great Compline
6:30pm
* St. Nicholas Church
2143 South Center Road
(1/2 mile south of Lippincott)
Burton 810-744-0070
**Assumption
2245 Baldwin Road
(between Holly and Fenton Roads)
Grand Blanc 810-771-4611
***St. Mary Magdalene
2439 S Long Lake Rd
(north of North Road)
Fenton 810-750-1401
2015
WOMEN’S LENTEN RETREAT
HOLY DORMITION MONASTERY
Friday - Sunday, March 20 – 22, 2015
Retreat Schedule:
Friday, March 20
5:00 AM Matins, Hours
8:30 AM Presanctified Liturgy
6:00 PM Holy Unction
Saturday, March 21
6:30 AM Matins, Hours, Akathist
9 AM Divine Liturgy
Lunch
Lenten Meditational Presentation
11:30 AM
Part 1
15 Minute Break
Part 2 (Conclusion, Q & A)
Personal Time
5 PM Light Dinner
6 PM Vigil (Combined Vespers and Matins)
Sunday, March 22
10 AM Divine Liturgy (followed by Agape Meal)
Suggested Donations: Lodging (per night)
Saturday attendance w/o lodging
$50
$30
Please email the Monastery: [email protected],
ASAP if you will need lodging, as lodging capacity is limited. If attending on
Saturday only for the day, please call (517-569-2873), or email, no later than
Friday, March 13. (If a cancellation occurs, please notify the Monastery ASAP.)
Any questions: Please contact Sharon Foster ([email protected]; ph 231-267-3036)
Thank you!
St. George Ladies Auxiliary
Is sponsoring a
Falafel Luncheon
Sunday, March 29th
at
St. George Orthodox Church
5191 Lennon Road
Flint, MI
Menu
Falafel, Hummus, Tahini, Salad, Pickles, Pita Bread,
Dessert, Coffee, and Juice
Cost: $6 – Six years and older
$4 - Five years and under
All proceeds go to the Midwest Antiochian Women’s
2015 Project, “Nurturing Orthodoxy in America”
Namedays, Birthdays and Anniversaries
March 1 to March 31, 2015
Birthdays
March
1 Sean M. McCann
2 Nisreen AbuFarha
3 Andrew M. Alkazaha
Pam K. Bassett
4 Jeremy A. Meshraky
5 O'Myah Vaughn
6 Khaled Abuaita
Janet Abueita
Samir "Sam" H. Khoury
Amanda Rishmawi
Martha Shahin
7 Nancy Haddad
9 Sami B. Abuaita
10 Lina Masaad
11 Anthony W. Abu-Farha
Kali R. Goff
12 Maggie David
Zeid Helal
John E. Joseph
13 Sami Abufarha
14 Tony Fakhoury
16 Jon Bassett
Branden B. Jones
Devin B. Jones
17 Preston Haddad
20 Wadia Albaba
Roland "Rollie" Haddad
21 Amal I. Abu-Aita
Nidal Ishaq
Laney M. Thomas
22 Jack E. Green
Aziz M. Rishmawi
Raji "Roger" J. Salomon
23 Sandra "Sandy" H. Mitri
24 Issa Alqazaha
Samir Haddad
Raghda Ishaq
25 Maher Abufarha
Sami Alsahouri
26
27
28
29
30
Najwa Joubran
Monica J. Rodriguez
Amjad N. Abusaada
Julian J. Masaad
Nicholas F. Abdallah
Miar Abu-Aita
Vivian N. Isaac
James "Jim" Delbridge
Anthony R. Abueita
Caitlin A. Abu-Farha
Laura "Laurie" E. Harrison
Namedays
March
18 Edward Anton Khouri
25 Miar Abu-Aita
Wedding
Anniversaries
March
1 Mr. and Mrs. Adnan Yacoub
6 Mr. and Mrs. Anan Alkhoury
13 Mr. and Mrs. Karam Nassar
God Grant You All Many Years!
St. George Orthodox Church
G-5191 Lennon Road • Flint, Michigan 48507 • (810) 732-0720 E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: saintgeorgeflint.org
V. Rev. Fr. Joseph M. Abud, Pastor
Deacon Michael Bassett
Divine Services for the Lord's Day
•
Saturday
Great Vespers and Sacrament of Repentance {Confession*}
•
5 PM
Sunday
Sacrament of Repentance {Confession*} 8:30 AM—9:30 AM
8:50 AM
Matins {Arabic & English}
10:00 AM
Divine Liturgy
Church School follows Holy Communion from September to May
* Confessions may also take place by appointment with Father Joe during the week.
Major Feast Days (see Orthodox Churches of Greater Flint schedule of Divine Services)
2014-15 Theme for
Church School,
Creative Festivals,
and Parish Life
Conference
Parish Council, Departments, & Organizations
PARISH COUNCIL • Ric Shahin Chairman 989-631-3696 E-mail: [email protected]
Any parishioner may attend meetings and speak during “Parishioner Comments”.
ALTAR SERVERS • Subdeacon George Gantous, Head Sacristan 810-714-7332 E-mail: [email protected]
ALTAR SOCIETY • Theresa Farah, Coordinator 810-412-6041 E-mail: [email protected]
CHOIR • Janet Abueita, Director (temporary) 810-771-7152 E-mail: [email protected]
CHURCH SCHOOL • Janet Abueita, Director 810-771-7152 E-mail: [email protected]
LADIES AUXILIARY • Hiam Bathish, President 810-238-2152 E-mail: [email protected]
TEEN SOYO • Hazar Abu-Aita, President 810-694-1555 E-mail: [email protected]
YOUNG ADULT FELLOWSHIP (YAF) • Subdeacon Salim Hanna, Coordinator 810-875-3127 or [email protected]
Office Hours
CHURCH SECRETARY: Laura Nichols E-mail: [email protected]
Monday – Thursday 9am-3pm, Closed on Friday