"A slightly different look at Lent" Not too many years ago when I was bit younger and my hair had some brown color left in it, I com-peted as a master distance runner. I joined a local track club and com-peted in races around the State and even out of State in my age group and also in the open divisions. For years I competed in any race 1500 meters (the metric mile) and longer, up to 10,000 meters (6.2 miles). I was not a "marathoner," but a "middle-distant" runner. Some peo-ple at 40 would label youthful inter-est in running a mid-life crisis, I just thought it would be fun to see if there was anything left in the "old tank" from the High School and Col-lege days of the teenage years and early twenties. As you might imagine the first few weeks and even months of getting in shape, after not having

run competitively for 20 years, had a steep learning curve. Sore muscles, strains and sprains were the norm, along with the occasional trip to the massage therapist or physical thera-pist for more serious injuries. One finds that with any new in-terest or passion that at first there is a "certain zeal" for really getting into it. With running, one has to have the right shoes that are light in weight, comfortable, and cushiony so that the knees and spine are spared the repetitive pounding that can lead to injury. Technique is very important as well, for if the runners gait or stride, lean of the body, or arm swing isn't quite perfect, efficiency and per-formance suffer as a result. Mental preparation, focus and peace of mind while training and competing is also an important part of the equation

(Continued on page 4)

E V E N T S O F

I N T E R E S T

Ladies Mtg Apr 13— Psanky!

St. John Pilgrimage Apr 20

S T T I M O T H Y

N E W S L E T T E R

April 1, 2013 Holy Lent Volume 1, Issue2

I have always believed in plan-ning for the future, it’s important to know the history of where you started and the journey you have traveled. This April will be twenty years since our parish started in a garage in Vacaville. There were five families that worshiped in the garage for sev-eral months before joining a group from Contra Costa County who were

already Orthodox attending a West-ern Rite service. We then joined together on our journey to become Eastern Orthodox just down the street from where we are now in the California Teachers building on Central. We moved in the fall of 1993 to a rental space that is currently our Nave and fellowship spaces. As our needs grew the next

(Continued on page 5)

W H A T ’ S I N S I D E

Lenten Book Review

April Calendar

Plan for Interior Remodeling

Plan for the “Back Forty”

Women’s Fellowship News

The Fathers Speak—NEW

Lenten Recipes

Accounts: Main ………………..$14,600.96 Rental ……………..$13,529.30 Bldg/Misc ………..$12,379.15 Benevolence ……..$2,449.04 Income: Tithes ……………..$22,646.00 Expenses: Budgeted ………..$22,709.80 Total Net: Inc - Exp …………….. -$63.80

T R E A S U R E R ’ S

U P D A T E

( F E B Y T D )

P A S T O R ’ S N O T E S / R E F L E C T I O N S

Y O U R C O U N C I L I N A C T I O N

Great Lent: Journey to Pascha By Father Alexander Schmemann This revised edition of Father Alex-ander Schmemann's Lenten classic examines the meaning of the Lit-urgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Prayer of St Ephraim the Syrian, the Canon of St Andrew of Crete and other neglected or misunder-

stood treasures of Lenten worship. Father Alexander draws on the Church's sacramental and liturgical tra-dition to suggest the meaning of Lent in our life. The Lenten season is meant to kindle a 'bright sadness' within our hearts. Its aim is precisely the remem-brance of Christ, a longing for a relationship with God that has been lost. Lent offers the time and

place for recovery of this relationship. The darkness of Lent allows the flame of the Holy Spirit to burn within our hearts until we are led to the brilliance of the Resurrection! The Bookstore has this Lenten classic, The Lenten Spring by Fr Thomas Hopko, and many other books to encourage you -- or challenge you -- during Lent. We also have several CDs of beautiful Lenten and Pascal chanting, including the Akathist Hymn, Pre-sanctified Liturgy, Services of Holy Week and Pascha. And, if you don’t want to be lost during Holy Week, we also have just a few copies of Services for Great and Holy Week and Pascha ($28+tax). Buy now, or order your copy by April 7, to be sure to have it by Palm Sunday!

Lindsay Gower

Page 2 N E W S L E T T E R

The Women’s Fellowship is now official! We have elected our officers and are in the process of deter-mining our mission statement, which will include spiritual growth through fellowship as well as im-proving our knowledge and understanding of the Orthodox faith. While we are still in the beginning stages of development, we will eventually become a part of the national AOCWNA organization. Our fellowship offers something for everyone, whether it be having fun together, working for the good of the

church, or just getting to know one another better. For example, at our March meeting we enjoyed fa-ther’s talk and a mini-retreat watching “The Island”. Come to our next meeting on April 13 and learn the fine art of making Psanky Eggs. We look forward to seeing you there!

Linda Bennett, President, Women’s Fellowship

(Continued on page 12)

S T T I M O T H Y W O M E N ’ S F E L L O W S H I P

F R O M T H E B O O K S T O R E F O R Y O U R L E N T E N R E A D I N G

B I R T H D A Y S / P A T R O N A L F E A S T S / A N N I V E R S A R I E S

1 Mary Kenney (P) 10 Samer Awwad (B) 21 Pat Hartman (B)

1 Yaser, George & Juliana (A) 11 Michael Kassa (B) 23 Georgette Abughazaleh (P)

4 Eugenia Bezzerides (B) 14 John Boubonis (B) 23 George Bezzerides (P)

4 George Bezzerides (B) 14 Timothy Flood (B) 23 George Jr. Bezzerides (P)

4 Ted Neima (B) 14 Hala Khoury (B) 23 George Khadr Fashho (P)

4 Ted Neima (P) 15 Stacy Bennett (P) 23 George Fritch (P)

5 Olivia Voyce (B) 15 Carolann Brezinski (P) 23 George Khoury (P)

5 Sayegh, Chafic & Georgette (A) 15 Vivian Pouteau (P) 23 George Yaser (P)

8 Michael Bezzerides (B) 16 Mike Haskins (B) 26 Emile Khoury (B)

8 Samuel Woladi (B) 18 Barbara Whitehead (B) 29 Bill Hartman (B)

9 Cinda Koeber (B) 20 Haskins, Mike & Victoria (A) 29 Aidan Whitehead (B)

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P A S T O R ’ S N O T E S / R E F L E C T I O N S … (Continued from page 1)

that plays into a successful final result for the runner, some folks call this mental part "being in the zone." Finally for the competitive runner, "the eye" must be focused on the finish line. The one who has the com-petitive "Eye of the Tiger" focused on the goal of the finish line has the best chance to win the race. Brothers and sisters we run the race of our "Christian Faith." This is a distance race for most of us to be sure; and with the number of years that God has ordained for us, we perfect our "Christian stride" and maximize our efficiency and performance of the virtues. We use the years that He has blessed us with, wisely, "not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5: 15, 16)." At this time of the Fast, leading us to the finish line of Great and Holy Pascha, we learn the laws of this exer-cise, in order that we may not "run like someone aim-lessly" nor "fight like a boxer beating the air." The Great Luminary, St. John Chrysostom speaks very eloquently to this end. He says, "Fasting is a medicine; but a medicine, though it be ever so profit-able, becomes frequently useless owing to the unskill-fulness of him who employs it. For it is necessary to know, moreover, the time when it should be applied, and the requisite quantity of it; and the temperament of the body that admits it...and the corresponding diet; as well as various other particulars; any of which, if one overlooks, he will mar all the rest that have been named. Now if, when the body needs healing, such exactness is required on our part, much more ought we, when our care is about the soul, and we seek to heal the distempers of the mind, to look, and to search into every particular with the utmost accu-racy. For the honor of fasting consists not in absti-nence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful prac-tices." This then is the "Lenten Middle Distance Race" that we run, and the season of purifying ourselves in preparation for the Great Feast. As a training mecha-nism the Church lays out a fasting regiment of disci-plines and prohibitions, just like any coach would lay

out a program of workouts, restrictions and disci-plines, leading to success, for his elite athlete. For us, the "proof of the fast is in the pudding." Let us listen one last time to the Golden-Tongued, St. John; "Dost though fast? Give me proof of it by thy works! If thou seest a poor man, take pity on him! If thou seest an enemy, be reconciled to him! If thou seest a friend gaining honor, envy him not! If thou seest a handsome woman, pass her by! For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances, or to busy themselves with strange beauties. For look-ing is the food of the eyes, but if this be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast; and upsets the whole safety of the soul...for it would be absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden. Let also the mouth fast from foul words. For what does it profit if we abstain from birds and fish, and yet bite and de-vour our brethren." In closing I'm reminded of a good friend of mine from Seminary, a tall blond haired young man from Wisconsin, and serviceman from the Air Force branch of the military. He worked very hard on his studies, almost as hard as he worked in keeping his 87 Chevy Long-bed Pick-up with a 350 V-8, immaculate, from the inside out. For this Seminarian cleanliness was next to godliness. There was no 20 minute wash job on his truck, no way! His definition of a complete wash job included a full detailing of every nook and cranny inside and out including engine compartment, wheel wells, rims, tire black re-new, upholstery, in-side glass, and undercarriage. It was at least a 2-3 hour ordeal, and I mean ordeal, because the way most of us looked at vehicle washing, we would rather pay $5 at the local "drive thru" and be done with it, rather than wasting our time polishing metal. This young Seminarian, however, had another issue with cleanliness. He could keep his truck clean,

(Continued on page 5)

N E W S L E T T E R Page 5

few years we were able to rent more space in the building adding Sunday school rooms and a book store. We had very little material goods starting out, but were on a mission to establish an Eastern Orthodox Church in Fairfield. In the humble beginnings we com-mitted ourselves to St. Timothy’s and we prospered. It is only because of Gods being with us, much prayer, and men that would be at the church several times a week. Herb Floyd and Jack Lodge, and Grover Kinney were at church often. They were not afraid to take on a project, fix a light bulb, or help others in the parish. There have been many people through the years that have had the same zeal for the Faith and taking care of

our parish. It is your faithfulness and support that gives strength to us all. With our repurposing the reception area and the land-scaping soon to begin, we will be continuing the dreams that many who are no longer with us had hoped for creating a beacon in the community for the Orthodox faith. I am honored to be your parish council president. Thank you all for all you do for our parish. Mike Haskins

Y O U R C O U N C I L I N A C T I O N … (Continued from page 1)

P A S T O R ’ S N O T E S / R E F L E C T I O N S … (Continued from page 4)

but not his mouth. Before his ordination he struggled with foul language. For him it was crippling, and he hated it. He always regretted the foul stuff when it came out of his mouth, but he was a prisoner to it and couldn't seem to kick the habit of calling every-thing a "bleep" or using "bleep" as a descriptive word in a sentence. So he asked his priest in confession how to win over this troublesome behavior that had control of his tongue. Guess what the priest old him? Every time you swear or use inappropriate language drop down and pump out 20 push-ups'. Guess what, it worked! Not only did he begin to win over the bat-tle of his tongue, but he also became "real solid" in

his upper body and abs', these things, after all, take time. Beloved in Christ, let's "take the time" this season to sharpen and hone the virtues in our lives, and by so doing crush the power over our passions and sins which so easily ensnare us. Let us finish the course of the Fast and run the race to completion, gaining health and vigor during the contest and at the end, the prize from our Master; as we cry out, "Christ is Risen...He is Risen indeed!" Always in Christ, Father John

Our last opportunity before Lent—hanging out with the fellowship in Pyramid Brewery! Tasty food, good friends and the drink that made civilization possible (at least according to brewers!). What a great way to spend a Saturday!

N E W S L E T T E R Page 6

CH

UR

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S I T E P L A N F O R O U T S I D E R E C R E A T I O N A L / P L A Y A R E A

N E W S L E T T E R

N E W S L E T T E R Page 8

T H E F A T H E R S S P E A K

“Prayer ...a test for everything.”

“...prayer is the test of everything; prayer is also the source of everything; prayer is the driving force of everything; prayer is also the director of everything. If prayer is right, everything is right. For prayer will not allow anything to go wrong”

St. Theophan the Recluse, 1966:51 All my life, I have considered exams and tests (even quizzes) as a personal threat and that “who I am” is being judged by “how I perform”. In the case of my “prayer life” I must admit great failure making “excuses with ex-cuses”. When it comes to prayer, I have been Absent With Out Leave (AWOL). In addition to being absent, there is the issue of praying with just words and not with my heart. Again, St. Theo-phan reminds us:

Without inner spiritual prayer there is no prayer at all, for this alone is real prayer, pleasing to God. It is the soul within the words of prayer that matters, whether the prayer is at home or in the Church, and if inner prayer is absent, then the words have only the appearance and not the reality of prayer.

St. Theophan the Recluse, 1966:53 Knowing that I must pursue faithfulness in prayer, I was awakened by St. James exhortation (The Epistle of St. James 5:16) to ...pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV). I must recognize that the well-being of our Parish of St. Timothy is affected by my faithfulness or unfaithfulness in prayer. Our healing (as a Parish) includes our praying for one another. Again, St. Theophan speaks of the importance of intercessory prayer for one another and that it should be nurtured and encouraged:

A prayer, which is an appeal of our heart to God, should be invoked and strengthened; a spirit of in-tercession should be brought up within us.

St. Theophan the Recluse, How one can enter the praying state of mind.

People who know this spirit of prayer that intercedes for others are often not seen or heard but can make a great difference. I am reminded of a man named Jorn (who lived at the turn of the 19th - 20th century) who was a tenant farmer in Aremark, Norway. As Ole Hallesby recalls:

Our Lord had imposed severe limitations upon him from his birth. His eyes were weak, and as a re-sult it was always difficult for him to earn a living. But he humbled himself beneath the mighty hand of God, and little by little, in the school of difficult experiences, he learned the holy art of prayer. He would pray for his home community day and night...

In the later years of his life, his health was poor. Two elderly Christian women, who were with him and cared for him, told me (Ole Hallesby) that he would be awake a great deal at night, and that, while thus awake, they could hear him pray for all the people of the parish. He did not pray like most of us... “Lord bless them all”... but Jorn mentioned each one of them by name, as in his thoughts he went from house to house.

N E W S L E T T E R Page 9

How much such people do mean to us! How empty their places become when they are gone! They are like a great electric power plant. They are often hidden away in some secluded valley. They are so important to us and if they do not function...? If they stop praying, our homes are darkened and our ministries stand still.

Jorn passed from this earth to his heavenly reward quietly but... people came from all around and wept... as though they had lost a father... knowing that they had been kept by Jorn’s prayers for them.

Let us pray that our prayer life will pass the test and in praying for our Parish, our Priest and each other that we will be healed and kept by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ... for prayer will not allow anything to go wrong.

Dale Liid Hallesby, Ole Kristian, Prayer. Trans. by Clarence Carlsen from Norwegian. Augsburg: Minneapolis. 1931:88-89. St. Theophan the Recluse, “Chapter Two: What is Prayer?”. The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology. compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo and trans. by E. Kadloubovsky and E. M. Palmer. New York: Faber and Faber. 1966:51, 53).

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in learning more about developing the art of prayer, the following books will help you:

T H E F A T H E R S S P E A K

Orthodox books recommended and available in St Timothy book-store.

Non-Orthodox book written in the pious Lutheran period of over 100 years ago and rec-ommended to the Orthodox reader.

N E W S L E T T E R Page 10

Altar/Sanctuary ↓

R E M O D E L I N G O F C H O I R / C L A S S R O O M S P A C E

N E W S L E T T E R Page 11

L E N T E N R E C I P E S

West African Peanut Soup 1 tbls olive oil 1 med onion, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 lb cooked sweet potatoes (roasted or 1-15oz can drained), peeled/chopped 1 med tart apple, cored/peeled/chopped 4 c vegetable broth 1/8 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 c creamy peanut butter (old fashioned/no sugar) 1. Cook onion and cumin in oil over medium heat until

translucent, about 5 min. 2. Add sweet potatoes, apple, vegetable broth, cinna-

mon and black pepper. Continue cooking over me-dium heat until mixture boils, about 4 min.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 min, or until in-gredients are soft.

4. Stir in peanut butter. Puree in batches in food proc-essor until smooth.

5. Serve hot with cornbread. Cuban Black Beans 1/4 c olive oil 1 lg onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 2 stalks celery, including green leaves, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 c black beans (2-20oz cans), drained/rinsed 2 tsp salt 1 bay leaf 2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano 2 tbls lemon juice 1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Cook the bell

pepper, celery and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent (about 10 min).

2. Add the beans, salt, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine.

3. Cover and simmer for another 35-45 min, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

4. Remove the bay leaf and serve over rice.

Vegetarian Chili 2 tbls olive oil 1 lg onion, chopped 4 lg cloves garlic, minced 3 tbls chili powder 1 med green & 1 med red bell peppers, seeded/diced 1 med zucchini, diced 1 med yellow squash, diced 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 can (14.5oz) stewed tomatoes 1 can (11oz) corn kernels, drained 1 can (15.5oz) black beans, drained/rinsed 1/4 tsp salt 1. Heat oil in a 4-qt pot over medium heat. 2. Add onion, garlic and chili powder; sauté 5 min. 3. Add peppers, sauté 5 min. Add zucchini, squash,

oregano and ground red pepper; sauté 5 min. 4. Add tomatoes, cook 10 min. 5. Stir in corn, black beans and salt, cook 5 min. Serve with rice or fritos, avocados, guacamole, etc. Wacky Wacky Cake 1 1/2 c all purpose flour 1 c white sugar 4 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbls apple cider vinegar 6 tbls vegetable oil 1 c water 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Sift dry ingredients into an 8’ square ungreased cake

pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vine-gar into another, and vanilla into the third well. Pour water over all and stir well with a fork. Be careful not to overmix.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min, or until a tooth-pick stuck in center comes out clean.

4. Let cool in pan, top with canned frosting.

Officers Elected: President: Linda Bennett Vice Pres: Elizabeth Clark Treasurer: Samya Abu-Dawood/Hala Abughazaleh Secretary: Ruth Andrews Major projects of the Women’s Group include: Alpha Pregnancy: We will form a committee to be a liaison between St. Timothy and Alpha Pregnancy Center. This center is in desperate need of the following:

Layette Chest Supplies (for Moms and babies) Blankets

Mom support: Provide incentives for the Moms to come to their appointments. Baby Showers for the Moms

Orthodoxy in the Philippines: Lilia Boubonis and Theodora Bezzerides will head this

outreach to the Philippines. Orthodoxy is thriving there, but they need Orthodox supplies to continue to grow.

Renovation of Women’s Restroom: This project is headed by Johanna Cates and we ex-pect it to be completed before Pascha. A list will be circulated for the supplies needed, and a registry at Bed, Bath and Beyond will be initiated so that people can donate whatever they can. Some items have al-ready been provided, including:

Bead board for wainscoting the walls. Mirror Corner cabinet

If you have items to offer - please see Johanna with your ideas, or email a photo to her at catesjo@aol.com. Extra materials will be used in renovating the other rest room, or perhaps for the Archbishop’s residence.

N E W S L E T T E R Page 12

Postage

St. Timothy Orthodox Church 4593 Central Way Fairfield, CA 94534

S T T I M O T H Y W O M E N ’ S F E L L O W S H I P … (Continued from page 2)