Sunday, November 29th, 2015 8210 Cypress Lake Drive Fort Myers, FL 33919 OFFICE: Phone: 239-481-2099 Email: officeagoc@gmail.com

FR. DEAN: Cell: 239-322-7553 Email: revfrdean@gmail.com

Rev. Deacon John Howard

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:pm Admin Assistant:: Kelsie Gregware

Website: http://www.annunciation.fl.goarch.org/

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 13th Sunday of Luke

COMING UP…

Ladies

Philoptochos

Society: TODAY

following Div.

Lit. Community

Bake Sale–

Extended

St. Andrew the

First-Called

Apostle:

Mon. Nov. 30th

Orthos 9AM,

Divine Liturgy

10:00AM

Ladies

Philoptochos

Society:

Tues. Nov. 30th

–Dec. 4th

Preparation for

Silver Tea

Hellenic-American Social

Club:

Tues. Dec. 1st

Shelby Gardens

Trip

Hosting Fort

Myers Ministerial

Association

Weds. Dec. 2nd

12PM-2PM

Inquirers Class

Thurs. Dec. 3rd

6:30PM

Ladies

Philoptochos

Society:

Sat. Dec. 5th

1PM-4PM

25th Anniversary

HOLY COMMUNION REMINDER– Please follow Ushers Instructions We welcome those visiting with us today and ask that only Baptized/Chrismated Orthodox Christians who are properly prepared through prayer, fasting and Holy Confession to come forward to receive Holy Communion. Women are kindly asked to remove their lipstick prior to receiving Holy Communion. Non-Orthodox visitors are welcome to receive the blessed bread from the Priest at the end of the Divine Liturgy and to join us for fellowship in our hall. We ask that everyone please dress appropriately for church. Visitors: we ask that you fill out a yellow welcome card & give it to an usher.

A Christmas Alphabet

N for the NIGHT, most holy and still, when heaven proclaimed peace to men of good will. O is Omega; it tell Jesus’ station with Alpha beyond and before all creation. P is for Prophets who saw Jesus’ story in visions of Bethlehem, Calvary, and glory. Q tells how Quickly the shepherds who heard hastened to act on the heavenly Word. R is for Rejoice with God’s friends old and new, Mary, the shepherds, wise men and you! S means Salvation prepared by the Lord in the Savior whom Simeon and Anna adored. T says to Tell the Good Tidings to all, like the shepherds, who told of the Child in the stall. U is for Us, for to Us God has given the Christ child born of Mary, the Son sent from heaven. V is for Virgin from earliest ages, pictured in words and in prophecy pages. W is for Wonderful—that is the Lord’s name, for with Wonderful Works and Words He came. X is for Xristos when in Greek it is read. He is your Savior and Lord the angel said. Y is for Yes to all of God’s ways, like Mary whose Yes filled her spirit with praise. Z is for Zeal that burned in God’s Son from His childhood years until His work here was done.

EPISTLE READING

St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 5:8-19 Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel according to Luke 18:18-27 At that time, a ruler came to Jesus and asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.' " And he said, "All these I have observed from my youth." And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. Jesus looking at him said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Entrance Hymn Come Let Us Worship/Δεῦτε Προσκυνήσωμεν (Page 16)

Resurrectional Apolytikion When the stone had been sealed by the Jews, Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, (Page 44)

Kontakion On this day the Virgin Maid goes to the grotto to give birth to the pre-eternal Word in an ineffable manner. Dance for joy, all the inhabited earth, on hearing. Glorify along with Angels and with the shepherds Him who willed that He appear as a newborn Child, the pre-eternal God.

Ἡ Παρθένος σήµερον, τὸν προαιώνιον Λόγον, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ ἔρχεται, ἀποτεκεῖν ἀπορρήτως. Χόρευε ἡ οἰκουµένη ἀκουτισθεῖσα, δόξασον µετὰ Ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν Ποιµένων, βουληθέντα ἐποφθῆναι, Παιδίον νέον, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων Θεόν.

Hymn to the Theotokos Truly it is Right/Ἄξιόν εστιν ως αληθῶς (Page 31)

Communion Hymn Praise the Lord/Αινεῖτε τόν Κύριον (Page 36)

2ND TRAY CONTRIBUTIONS

Our Church passes 2 offering trays. The 1st goes towards our Operating Budget, the 2nd tray will

continue for the NEW Education Building Fund until paid in Full. In order to receive credit for your

donation, for income tax purposes, make sure to put your cash donation in an envelope with your name on it

or pay by check.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: HYMNS AND WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND Hymns of Divine Liturgy insert can be found in the pews to allow you to follow along. The hymns in the bulletin will be the

variable ones specific to that week or change from the common hymns that you will find in the insert located in the pews.

SAINTS COMMEMORATED TODAY, SUN. NOVEMBER 29th

�Paramonus,�Philumenus,�and�their�370�Companion�Martyrs�in�Bithynia�

Our�Righteous�Father�Nicholas,�Archbishop�of���������������� �����Thessolonica

Dionysios,�Bishop�of�Corinth

The Sanctity of Life The Issues, the Science, and Hu-man Dignity (This is the third in an eight part series. Reading the prior essay before this one will make the most sense. All essays can be found on www.annunciation.fl.goarch.org. This series may be interrupted for Advent and Nativity reflections.) Embryology (The Science dealing with the

formation and development of human life)

What is it within the womb? In other words,

when does a new member of humanity come

into existence as a self integrating organism (a

human being or person) whose unity,

distinctiveness, and identity remain intact as it

develops without substantial change through

the various stages of its development into

adulthood. These scientific facts are

embedded in the embryogenesis of human

beings and human development. The only real

questions remaining are moral, ethical and

then political, not scientific. In this regard,

religious convictions dealing with the sanctity

of life have every right to influence the moral,

ethical and political discussions in this country.

New human life has an entirely new genetic

footprint, which is neither the fathers nor the

mothers. Given the facts of embryology, at

conception, a ‘whole’ new life with its own

genome comes into existence. It is an embryo

with its own unique genetic human signature. It

is from this point until death that no new

genetic information is needed to make the

unborn entity an individual human being. Like

the infant and the child, the fetus is a being

that is in the process of unfolding its potential,

the potential to grow and develop but not to

change what it is. This person, because of its

nature, is disposed to develop into a mature

version, never ceasing to be herself. It is the

same human being that begins as a zygote

(the cell that forms from the union of the sperm

and egg) and continues to exist through to its

death unless disease or violence stops it from

doing so. There is no decisive break in this

physical organisms continuous development

from conception until death from which one

can infer that the being undergoes a

substantial change and literally ceases to exist

and a new being or person comes into

existence, for example, at birth. Each human

being begins her physical existence as a

zygote and does not acquire its humanness at

some later stage in its development. The

human organism remains a human being

throughout her life, from zygote until the time

of death.

This new life is a separate and unique person

ontologically (in nature) no different than a

human toddler, adolescent, or adult. At no

point does he undergo any fundamental

change after conception but rather simply

grows and develops just like a child grows and

develops. There is no good reason to believe

a human being is created at birth, because

nothing is created at birth. At birth, the unborn

simply changes location and changes its mode

of acquiring food and dispensing waste, but at

no point does it become something entirely

new or different.

By Deacon John

To be continued...

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE We are 11 months into 2015. Please pray and offer your time and talent sheet. Submit your pledge card or ask an usher for

a new one. We are currently at $136,711 and our goal is $200,000 for 2015! Everyone please pledge!

Praying for You: We offer prayers for health and the needs for the servants of God for Elefterios Neskes, Al Hunter, Penelope Perdios, Kostantia Tsolakis, Louis Eftim, Calypso Banford,

Vasilios Dabilis, Terry Kalogridis, Michael Peceri & Nick Kontinos. Please notify the office if there is someone that needs to be added to the prayer list. 239-481-2099

LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY TODAY our freshly baked goods will be on sale for the second weekend. Be sure to get yours for Thanksgiving! Ladies Philoptochos Society is collecting toys and gifts for children ages birth to 18 to help them have a nice Christmas. The gifts will be taken to the local Voices for Kids/Guardian ad Litem program, where they will be distributed to foster children. Please bring your donation to the church, by December 6, at-tention Pat Kemp. Clothing is important, but toys are most welcome. The children thank you in advance for putting a smile on their faces. " Maria and Marianthi will be your coffee hour hostesses. Please lend them a hand by cleaning off your tables and disposing of your trash. This is very much appreciated.

24th ANNUAL SILVER TEA

IT'S TIME FOR TEA Sat., Dec. 5 at 1pm. Tickets, $35 and can be purchased by calling Lenore or Charlie Mattoff at 239-566-3034.

Your payment is your RESERVATION!

Come relax and support Philoptochos Ladies' Ministries and Golisano Children's Hospital. Ticket price includes a chance to win many awesome DOOR PRIZES. Tickets on sale in Fellowship Hall each Sunday.

HELLENIC-AMERICAN CLUB

Don’t miss out. Open to all: SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS. Tuesday, December 1st, Sarasota. Then a stop for lunch at a well-known Amish restaurant – individual menu orders and tabs – and time to browse. Admission to Gardens: $15 each; Transportation: Estimated $30 each, for a total of $45 per person. Please contact Phyllis (631-838-1492) for reservations. Bus will DEPART AT 8:45 a.m. SHARP from church parking lot. Please plan on arriving earlier to facilitate check-in procedure and seating.

Annual Christmas Dinner Party. Members only. Tuesday, December 8th, 5:00 p.m. This will be our last general meeting for the year. Marker 92 (Tarpon Point – Cape Coral). $18 per member; $28 per guest.

SAVE THE DATE: January 8, 2016

HELLENIC CLUB’S 25th Anniversary Dinner Dance – Crown Plaza

THE CHRISTMAS (NATIVITY) FAST Begins every year on November 15th. Our preparation for celebrating the Birth (Nativity) of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ is practiced around the world. This is a very special time for us, as well as a time of great struggle. It becomes a struggle because we see our non Orthodox friends celebrating in the totally opposite way in which we do. We can overcome this struggle, if we try. We Orthodox are called upon to PREPARE ourselves by practicing the spiritual exercises prescribed by the faith. They are prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures and other Spiritual books, participating in Holy Confession and Holy Communion, increasing our giving of our Time, Talents and Treasures, fasting from certain foods. We encourage you and your family to KEEP THE FAITH and THE FAST, stand firm, and look to your reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. If you wish to participate in the Sacrament of Holy Confession, please contact Fr. Dean and make an appointment. Enjoy the blessed Holy Season by following the teachings of our Orthodox Faith!

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT “Just a Little Christmas” December 13th

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CARD LAST CALL for getting your name in the Annual LPS Christmas Community Card for a $25 or more donation. This is 100% tax deductible and the funds go towards the Ladies Philoptochos Society Community Donations. THIS IS THE LAST SUNDAY!!! See Helen S. following Div. Lit. in the Fr, Arthur K. Kontinos Community Center.

TODAY’S MEMORIALS •We offer a 6 year Memorial for the servant of God,

Fr. Arthur K. Kontinos, husband of Presvytera Aspasia Kontinos, father of Tom, Athana & Dean. May his memory be eternal. The Kontinos family is co-sponsoring coffee hour in his honor.

•We offer a 3 year Memorial for the servant of God, Vajo

Necak, husband of Bertha, father of Nick, Olga, Vajo, Sophia, Mary & Marilyn, Grandfather of Samanatha, Nikki, Jacyln, Francessca, Aiden & Mirabel. May his memory be eternal. The family is co-sponsoring coffee hour in his honor.

•We offer a 40 day Memorial for the servant of God,

Victoria Vastardis, sister-in-law of Artemis Welsh, Aunt of Irene Hemmert & Thomas, William & John Welsh. May her memory be eternal. Today we offer a 3 year Memorial for the servant of God, Epamin Vastardis, brother of Artemis Welsh, Uncle of Irene Hemmert & Thomas, William & John Welsh. May his memory be eternal.