Epistle Reading:Romans 10:1-10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 8:28-9:1

Monday, June 28

Great Vespers with Litiya -

Feast of Ss Peter & Paul 6pm

Tuesday, June 29

Divine Liturgy 9 am - Ss. P&P

Wednesday, June 30 - NO VESPERS

Thursday, July 1

Akathist - St. Alexis of WB followed by

Pastor’s Breakfast 10 am

Saturday, July 3

Great Vespers 4 pm

Sunday, July 4

Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

Front & Welles Streets Nanticoke, PA 18634 Front & Welles Streets Nanticoke, PA 18634 www.stjohnsnanticoke.org www.stjohnsnanticoke.org ✢ stjohnsnanticoke@gmail.com

Rev. Fr. Adam R. SextonRev. Fr. Adam R. Sexton, Acting Rector570.735.2263 offi ce 570.735.2263 offi ce ✢ 570.702.9036 cell

Reader Joseph P. PaprotaReader Joseph P. Paprota, Council President & Choir Director , Council President & Choir Director 570.829.4112 570.829.4112

June 27, 2010

Schedule of Services Monday

Schedule of Services Monday, June 28

Schedule of Services , June 28

St.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvaniaOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvania

St.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvania

St.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvania

St.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchSt.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvania

St.John the Baptist Orthodox ChurchOrthodoxChurchinAmericaAParishoftheDioceseofEasternPennsylvania

✢St. David of Thessaloniki ✢

On June 27 we remember a saint who was given the precious and rare privilege of traveling, hearing and speaking with Jesus Christ as He lived on earth. She is Joanna, one of the Myrrh-Bearing Women who witnessed the empty tomb on Pascha morning. Joanna, as a contemporary and follower of the Mes-siah, truly had “conversations with God.”

For Joanna, following Jesus was a risk. She was the wife of Chuza, steward to King Herod who was one of the Jesus’ powerful enemies. She displayed courage in staying with the Lord, and her doing so shows us that those “conversations” with Him were fi lled with a truth she could not abandon or ignore, no matter how great the risk. A fairly recent (1996) book called “Conversations with God” is said by its author, Neale Donald Walsch, to be the record of his own dialogue with God, in which his pen began to move on its own, and he found himself not so much writing as taking dictation.Yet early in the book, Walsch “quotes” God as saying that words are the least effective communicator, open to misin-

terpretation, unreliable as a purveyor of Truth. If that’s the case, why should we take this book, which is a long collection of words, as a reliable source of God’s message to us? Why would God choose to communi-cate with Walsch in this least effective of media? But “Conversations with God” has even deeper fl aws than this. When Walsch asks God to reveal Him-self (though Walsch ascribes no gender to God) the answer he gets is that God has “no form or shape you understand.” This fl atly contradicts the bedrock Christian teaching that God became Man in the Incarna-tion of Jesus Christ. In fact, Walsch makes his disdain for the Incarnate Lord very clear: “So who said Jesus was perfect?” God also assures Walsch that the two of them share the same essence, and possess the same qualities, including the ability to “create physical reality out of thin air.” So much for the unique divinity of the Son who co-created us and came to save us. Truth with a capital “T” comes up often in Walsch’s writing, so we might expect God to offer a clear defi nition of it. But here’s what we get: “My Truth is in the whisper of the wind, the babble of the brook, the crack of the thunder, the tap of the rain. My Truth—and your surest help in time of need—is as awe-some as the night sky, and as simply, incontrovertibly, trustful as a baby’s gurgle.” Does this mean that Truth is “trustful” or, in other words, trusting? The statement makes no sense, especially when Truth is compared to a baby’s gurgle. A world in which this sort of book can become widely popular needs the Truth that Saint Joanna found and followed. We can ask her to guide seekers to the One who provides, and actually is, that Truth—the only One who merits a capital “T.”

Conversations with God

Saint David of Thessalonica pursued asceticism at the monas-tery of the holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercurius. Inspired by the example of the holy stylites, he lived in an almond tree in constant prayer, keeping strict fast, and enduring heat and cold. He remained

there for three years until an angel told him to come down. St David received from God the gift of wonderworking, and he healed many from sickness. The holy ascetic gave spiritual counsel to all who came to him. Having attained to passionlessness, he was like an angel in the fl esh, and he was able to take hot coals into his hands without harm. He died the year 540. - he is commemorated on June 26th.

✢ ApostlesFast,ApostlesFEAST! DON”T FORGET!!! We will celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday mornig for the feast of Ss. Peter & Paul. The long fast is fi nally drawing to a close. Remember, we break the fast by partaking of the Eucharist on the feast. COME! (Great Vespers with litiya will be celebrated on Monday evening at 6pm.)✢AllSaintsAnnualPicnic-Olyphant,July9-10:All Saints Orthodox Church, corne rof Willow & Grant in Olyphant, welcomes us to their Annual Picnic food 7 fun festival, Fri-Sat, July 9-10, 4-10 pm. Potato Pancakes, sausage & peppers, halupki and other ethnic favorites. Polka dancing with Joe Stanky and the Cadets both nights. Orthodox & Russian books, icons, & gifts. Tours of the newly restored Church. games & prizes for kids & adults. Call 489-0942 or click www.allsaintsolyphant.org for details.

✢ WewelcomeFatherPaulLazortoday: Please be sure to make welcome Father Paul Lazor , Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Father Paul has retired to Tobbyhana, not far from here and is attached to Holy Trinity parish in Stroudsburg. We are grateful to have him with us and look forward to his return.

✢ FromtheBishop!:His Grace has begun a 4-part lecture series on the Prophet Jonah. This fi rst lecture was physically given at the St Tikhon’s Bookstore and was streamed as a live webcast on our diocesan website (doepa.org) beginning at 7 p.m. There was an opportunity for online interaction after the lecture. The second lecture was broadcast on Saturday, June 19 from Holy Apostles Mission in Mechanicsburg, and the last two will be on Wednesday June 23rd and 30th (at locations to be determined but all streaming online). The lectures will also be posted on the diocesan website so they can be viewed as “reruns.”

✢LaborDayBasketDrawing:Sept. 5-2010 - Three lovely baskets of great stuff will be chanced off so don’t miss your opportunity to either buy your tickets or sell to your friends and family. This is another way support both ourselves and our community * (*A portion of all St. John’s Fundraisers goes to our diocesan missionary, Christina Semon and to the Catherine McAuley Houe in Plymouth.) See Mary Ann Oram or Kitty Panzitta for details.

✢ CongratulationsGraduates!: Many years to Eva Marie Kremenic and Keith J. Kapral. Eva has graduated from Hanover Area HS and will attend Penn State in the fall. Keith, grandson of Kitty and Attillio Panzitta, (and the late Joseph Kapral) has graduated from NC State in the Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

✢FellowshipCoffeeHour:is sponsored today by Barbara Pascoe. Thanks Barabara

✢Intercessory Prayer ✢Announcements TheLiving

✢ All of our shut-ins and those in nursing homes:MaryAnn Kremenic John Kremenic

Mary Ruduski Mary ZaletaMargaret Mesh Helen KasianMary Zupko Paul Ecrote

✢ Those who lie in sickness:Margaret MeshAnnie Guravich Pearle ZupkoJohn Lipinski Daria YackimowiczJohn Zelinski Matushka OlgaArchpriest Alexander Michael CalabroMelanie Hoats Smith Karen SchinskiCheryl Connaghan Helen Vera Campbell Jeffrey Lasoski

Andrea Godomski Amy IssaJoseph Calabro Lt.Col. William

Grey ✢ Those who have asked for our prayers: All staff, volunteers and residents at the Birchwood and the Catherine McAuley House, Missionary Christina, Rev. Deacon Daniel & Rachael, Fr. Isaac & Mat. Anastasia, Gregory & Amy, Nora & David, Seanna & David, This God-protected City of Nanticoke and the Hanover Section, our Mayor, City Council, Police and Fire Companies

NewlyDeparted✢ Kenneth Guendel ✢Mary Staniorski✢Eleanore ✢Paul RaganPreparingforIllumination&Inquirers✢ Allen Uhas, Jr. ✢Karen Kochaba✢Martin Amrowski ✢Alicia & Timothy ✢Joseph Mishkula ✢Julie & Geraldo ✢Lori ✢Thomas Readler

✢Candle Off erings ✢Vigils✢For the Health of Peter Wasenda, Faith Hughes, Hope Hughes. In memory of Anna Fedock, John & Theresa Klos, Alan Shiposki, Steve Lesko, Michael Kostka, James A. Oram, Wasil Motika, Theodore Karastas

ForOurCollegeStudents✢ Justin Cunard Jessica Yackimowicz

Charlotte Ebert Devon WolfkielEva Marie Kremenic

✢ All who attend LCCC at the end of our Street

Birthdays&Anniversaries✢ July 2 Christina Cherkis (1997) Departed✢ June 30 Helen Franchak (1960) Edward Zupko (1982) daniel Mahalick (1989)

July 1 Martha Uhas (1970)