St. John the BaptiStGreek orthodox ChurCh

Witnessing the Truth of Apostolic Christianity

14485 SW Walker Road * Beaverton, OR 97006Office: 503.644.7444 Fax: 503.296.2507

E-mail: churchoffice@stjohngoc.org * Parish Website: stjohngoc.orgNEW Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday

9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.January 2016VOL. X1X NO. 1

NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE PAIDBEAVERTON, ORPERMIT NO. 24

St. John the BaptiSt Greek orthodox ChurCh

14485 SW Walker road

Beaverton or 97006

change service requested

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Synaxis of St. John - Parish Feast Day

Wednesday, January 6th

Orthros & Divine Liturgy 5:30 PM

At a conference addressing the rise of secularism in America, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America recently said that secularism seeks to annihilate individuality. He continued to explain that for us Orthodox Christians this means our society is increasingly seeking to ignore, if not destroy, the personhood of individual people. This is a disturbing development, for we know that to seek to devalue the personhood of individuals necessarily also means to annihilate the image of God in each person. One cannot even speak in these terms unless the place of God in society is already being relegated to a place of unimportance, if not ignored all together. For a secular society, this means that the individual person has no value other than what they can produce in economic utility for the collective, whether it be for a corporation, for the government or for a given organization.

In addition, Archbishop Demetrios explained that secularism, after devaluing individuality and personhood, then seeks to standardize society, but uses the lowest common standards as its basis of standardization. This is only possible when a person is made to believe that his or her only value is in what they can produce. A secular society seeks to stop its citizens from believing they are unique and unrepeatable, or that they are made in the image of a loving God Who wants them to be like Him. Secularism does not want people to understand that they are free and creative and can express the truth, nobility, beauty and character of their Creator in everything they do and all that they are.

As Orthodox Christians, we understand and recognize that each person is of extreme value to God. We know that God loves every one of us enough to empty Himself, take on the form of a servant, and die on the Cross with every single, unique individual in mind. Holding fast to this truth in

our hearts should serve as motivation to be our best and to continue to strive for growth and excellence in everything we do. The market does not define the standard for this growth nor is it defined by what is popular or trendy in the media, rather it is defined by the unchanged and almighty God.

Orthodox Christianity sees each person as a little “christ,” uniquely expressing Christ’s light through the prism of his or her own distinct personality. This is why the Church is understood to be one Body made up of many different members, each with varying gifts and diverse roles and functions.

While innovation, especially in the realm of technology, is still happening, personal craftsmanship is at a low. There is so much pressure to produce quickly and in high volume. Profit is the primary criteria by which success is judged, not the quality of the product. Whether in the area of

art, architecture, food production, furniture, housing, music, speech, writing, homemaking or even personal appearance, people are forgetting that they represent God in Whose image they are created. They forget that who they are and what they do is supposed to be an expression of God in them and God through them. People are being brainwashed into thinking excellence doesn’t matter, because they are the standard, right now and right here. If we are not accountable to the past and we are not accountable to God in the future, then it’s easy to see how relative the standards can be and how low they can become without people even noticing.

This shift in our American society towards secularism is a shift away from God and Godliness. Godliness is defined as whatever expresses the character of God and the truth of God. The Apostle Paul provides us with a picture of Godliness when he says: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever

Personhood In Christ Is A Call to Excellence

Father’s Message continued on Page 3

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church 14485 SW Walker Rd, Beaverton OR 97006 —- 503.644.7444 churchoffice@stjohngoc.org

Join Us for Basics of Orthodoxy Classes January 13th through March 9th

Class begins at 7:00 PM on WednesdaysMarch 28th through April 18thDuring Lent, please join us on Mondays

for Great Compline at 6:00 PMClasses will start immediately after services at 7:00 PM

March 28thApril 4th

April 11thApril 18th

January 13thJanuary 20thJanuary 27thFebruary 3rdFebruary 10th

February 17thFebruary 24th

March 2ndMarch 9th

A detailed list of weekly topics will be handed out during the first class

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Jan 1 – St. Basil the Great Athena (Vasiliki) Lowe Basil Contes Basil Van Sickle Bill (Basil) Walters Diakonissa Sandy (Vasiliki) Duchow-Pressley Eva (Vasiliki) Walters Presvytera Vicki (Vasiliki) Pavlatos Richard (Vasilios) Whitton Rob (Vasilios) Walters Vasilia Tussing Jan. 2 – St. Seraphim of Sarov, Juliana Lazarevskaya Juliana Sumerfield Lia (Seraphima) Chiprout Lola Seraphima Weick Robert Seraphim Downs Seraphim Daniels Steve (Seraphim) Sclimenti Jan. 2 - St. Juliana of Lazarevo Arielle (Juliana) Jungwirth Jan. 6 – Theophany Dimitri (Theophanes) Van Sickle Giordana Pavlatos Theophanes Ketrenos Jan. 7 – Synaxis of St. John the Baptist Parish Feast Day Jo Anne Finicle John Davis John Paul Hafez John Poulos Scott Johannes Soot Jan. 10 – St. Theophan the Recluse Theophan McKenzie

Jan. 12 – Tatiana of Rome Tatiana Pavlatos Jan. 14 – St. Nina of Georgia Nina Sumerfield Jan. 17 – St. Anthony the Great Anthony Dorrance Anthony Kuchulis Anthony Williams Blake (Anthony) Lowe Jan. 18 - St. Athanasios Athanasia Poulos Athanasios VanSickle John Athanasios Wehlitz Jan. 21 - St. Makarios the Great Kyle (Makarios) Roth Makarios Daniels Jan. 22 – Ap Timothy of the 70 Paul (Timothy) Jungwirth Fr. Timothy Pavlatos Jan. 24 – St. Xenia of Petersburg Katie (Xenia) Tussing Ksenia Crosby Jan. 28 – Isaac the Syrian, Ephraim the Syrian Brandon (Ephraim) Wilson Isaac Morgan Jan. 30 – St. Chrysii, St. Ephraim the Syrian Chrysiis Rigas Jan. 31 - St. Evdoxia Yocheved-Theodoxia Marine

St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox

Church

Rev. Fr. Theodore L. Dorrance, Priest Rev. Fr. Timothy Pavlatos, Priest

Fr. Innocent Duchow-Pressley, DeaconArgero Hall, Parish Administrator

Parish CouncilRobert Crosby

President, John DavisArthur “Ted” Deming

Treasurer, Paul Jungwirth Mark LindgrenDemetri Mirras

John PoulosNiko PoulosKent Taylor

Vice President, Colleen Van SickleSecretary, Gregory WalshKristine Wiseman-Patzke

Sunday SchoolJessie Crosby

Logos BookstoreAgape Ketrenos - Director

Paraskevi Whitton - Co-Director

Hospitality Stephanie Makarounis

Patricia Poulos

Myrrh Bearers Diane Cherry

Colleen Van Sickle

Moms & Tots Athena Gonzales Kendall Muzik

Church MusicPresvytera Stacey Dorrance

Altar BoysTobias Armstrong

Demetrius Van Sickle Barry Ketrenos

Dn. Innocent Duchow-Pressley

BookkeepingKathleen Ketrenos

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

Articles & Announcements Sunday, January 10thFor the February Newsletter

...to those celebrating Wedding Anniversaries:Demetri & Elaine Kontaxis - 61 yearsDimitri & Othonia Mirras - 47 yearsMichael & Kathryn Becker - 34 years

Nicholas & Maria Hafez - 30 yearsJon & Lisa Corazza - 25 years

Kalin & Ilyana Stoev - 23 yearsJoshua & Naomi Knight - 15 years

Memory Eternal:Linda (Eleni) Contes - 24 yearsChristos Makarounis - 9 years

Edie (Anna) Dorrance - 7 yearsMarilyn Altemus - 7 years

Angeliki DeLaurenti - 1 year

*Please notify the church office if your feast or anniversary was not listed.

Many Years! XPONIA POLLA! MANY YEARS!.....to those celebraing their Feastday in January:

Great Blessing of the Waters at the Portland Waterfront

Sunday, January 17th ~ after Divine LiturgyThe pebbly beachfront of Tom McCall Park, near the Riverplace Hotel

House blessings are not something most of us have grown up experiencing, but oh my, what an amaz-ing gift we receive when we open our doors and find Christ, through our Priest, standing in our entryway, bright and joyful, coming to bless our home and those who dwell therein! The Church has come to us! The Incarnation brings the Lord Jesus into our humanity. The Divine Lord God having taken on our flesh sanctifies and elevates us to His Personhood. Holy Theophany proclaims and reveals Jesus Christ as the Lord God and we His people have the opportunity again to be re-newed and sanctified, should we open our hearts and let Him dwell therein.

When Father comes, he brings Theophany into our homes! Jesus Christ comes, the Holy Spirit comes, all of the Church comes, and the Lord God has entered! What a privilege, what an honor, what an unimaginable treasure to have the Light of The-ophany come, enter and dwell in our home. Let us prepare ourselves and our homes for the blessed privilege of having Christ and His Holy Church come into our home and into our hearts again this year! The Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Church coming into our home is such a blessing that we can joyfully await the gentle call, asking if we can be ready for Him and His Church when He calls, so that He may enter therein!

2016 Theophany Service ScheduleTuesday, January 5th - Forefeast of Theophany

8:00 a.m. Royal Hours5:00 p.m. Orthros & Divine Liturgy for Holy Theophany

followed by the Great Blessing of the Waters

Wednesday, January 6th - Synaxis of St. John the Baptist5:30 p.m. Orthros & Divine Liturgy with Artoklasia

followed by Parish Feast Day Celebration

House Blessings The Church Has Come to Us!

By Paraskevi Whitton

After January 6, the Feast of Theophany, Fr. Theodore and Fr. Timothy will begin blessing the homes of our parishioners as well as businesses.

What should you expect in terms of the House Blessing? Father will offer a short prayer service in front of your home altar and then proceed through the home sprinkling it with holy water, while chanting the Dismissal Hymn of Theophany (provided below).

What should you have ready? Have your home altar/icon corner ready and accessible. You should have a bowl of water, a bunch of fresh basil tied at the stem for Father to use in sprinkling holy water, a candle, charcoal and incense (if you have an incense burner). If you have already picked up a new

holy water bottle at church, please have that handy too. Father will pick up holy water bottles from years past.

• Blessings will begin on Friday, January 8th, and will continue until they are completed - ideally before the beginning of Great Lent.

• Please do not offer the priests any money. They will not accept it. House blessings are part of our membership in the Church.

• We will make an effort to schedule several house blessings in one area or neighborhood on the same day - so we will contact you when we know what day we will be in each neighborhood. You may also contact the church office at 503-644-7444 if you have questions about scheduling your house blessing.

House Blessings 2016

Dismissal Hymn of Theophany (1st Mode)When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of

the Father bare witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

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is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things.” (Philip.4:8-9) This list by St. Paul is part of the spiritual fruit of abiding in Christ and allowing Him to abide in us. We do not bring God down or seek to change Him to make us feel comfortable or to justify ourselves in any way. Instead, God comes to dwell in us and necessarily changes us into His likeness. This is why St. Paul again and again addresses his spiritual children with words similar to these: “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” (Col.1:21-22)

We cannot be united to Christ through baptism, and then further united to Him through our obedience to His commandments, and not be changed. In other words, our obedience to Christ will, by His grace, progressively make us more like Him. We will take on His characteristics.

This will not only manifest itself in our inner life through the adornment of our souls with virtue, but it will also be expressed outwardly. The newly canonized St. Porphyrios once received a young woman scantily dressed. When he received her warmly, showing no signs of scandal, his disciples were surprised. He later shared with them how important it is to meet people where they are at, and as they begin to allow Christ to dwell within them, the Holy Spirit will bring about the necessary changes in their inner and outer worlds. Things like modesty and external appropriateness are as much the fruit of the Spirit as are gentleness and self-control.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I share these things with you because I see how increasingly secular our society has become. We are under spiritual attack. At risk is our personhood in the image of Christ. We must remember that God immeasurably values and loves us, enough that He gave up His life for every person. Abiding in Christ, we are all called to a transfigured life of excellence and dynamic perfection, not mediocrity. As we begin a new year of life, let us all strive to exercise our personal freedom to draw ever nearer to our Lord Jesus Christ. In so doing, may His transformative presence change us, helping us to express His likeness in our hearts, our thoughts and in our actions.

Father’s Message continued from Front Page

Father Theodore led our Philoptochos meeting on Monday, December 7th. Thirty women were present, despite the storm. He went over the Philoptochos Mission Statement and added one more purpose to it: that we provide

our women support, fellowship, and friendship towards the fulfillment of this Mission Statement to:

• Aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped…to offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the church through fundraising efforts;

• Promote the charitable, benevolent, and philanthropic purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America through instructional programs…and other educational resources;

• Preserve and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts and the Orthodox Christian Family…the Greek Orthodox Faith and traditions, in accordance with its doctrines, canons, discipline, divine worship, usages and customs.

• Promote participation in the parish activities with the cooperation of the Priest and Parish Council…all with discretion, courtesy and kindness.

Father wants our women to join Philoptochos as faithful stewards of the above mission. At the meeting, he expressed his desire for our chapter to support such beautiful and worthy ministries as Camp Agape (kids with cancer), the Bishop Anthony Student Aid Endowment Fund (for Hellenic College & Holy Cross Students), as well as the Adopt-A-Seminarian program. Of course, there are other very worthy ministries supported by the Philoptochos, but these are the ones that Father brought to our attention.

Father had the women present at the meeting submit names to be voted upon for the Philoptochos Board, (who will lead and

guide the group) of which the following seven were elected:

Nika (Mandy) BuckleyJennifer DavisPres. Aspasia DorranceSandy Duchow-Pressley Eleni GoldmanPatricia PoulosColleen Van Sickle

Finally, Father wants the following ministries to come under the umbrella of Philoptochos simply because they fit so nicely under this ministry: Almsgiving, Comforters, Hospitality, Sunday Snack, Flowers, and Prosfora. The Women’s Retreat will remain a ministry of the Philoptochos. Father would like us all to share our hopes and dreams for the group in future meetings and to come up with a signature, face-to-face, almsgiving event that will have an impact on the community around us. Fellowship, mentoring, building relationships, helping each other, and getting to know each other must be built in to all our activities.

Fr. Theodore inspired us to be filled with grace and to have ‘input’ and ‘output’ in our lives, lest we stop growing. Nominations for the Patron Saint of our local Philoptochos Chapter will take place in the New Year. Emphasis was made upon the fact that how our group will move forward and take shape is up to the women of St. John the Baptist. To quote St. James in his Epistle: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” (Js.1:27) These words seem to echo the above stated Philoptochos Mission Statement. May we make St. James’ words true in our lives as a new Philoptochos Chapter and as women of St. John.

Philoptochos

Council of Ministries Meeting

Monday, January 11th at 7:00 PM

We are establishing a “Council of Ministries” which consists of a Chairperson from each of our ministries and major events. This Council will meet quarterly.

Each Chairperson will report on the status of their ministry/event. This is a great opportunity for every chairperson to hear and support each other, facilitate our Parish Master Calendar, and ensure that no events are without a chairperson and that no ministry is unsupported.

These efforts will also provide greater accountability and coordination amongst our ministries, maximizing our overall parish efficiency and effectiveness. It will be a time to reflect on our parish mission statement and see how each specific ministry fits into our overall mission. It will also give each ministry a chance to evaluate their weaknesses and strengths and to judge its effectiveness based on their own goals.

We are excited for this opportunity to gather our ministry heads together!

Special Concert of Orthodox Chant: EPIPHANY: Ancient Byzantine and Old Roman Chant. A program of mystical chants in Latin and Greek

from Rome (before 1054) and Constantinople. Saturday, Jan. 2nd at 7:30pm at Trinity Cathedral. Sunday, Jan. 3rd at 2:30pm at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Tickets & info at cappellaromana.org, or call 503.236.2802

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Mark Your Calendar!

The Spring General Assembly will be on

SATURDAY, May 14th to allow more people the

opportunity to attend.

Details to follow!

Pan-Orthodox Young AdultsMark Your Calendars for

~ Orthodoxy on Tap ~Tuesday, January 12th

Speaker: John Michael Boyer

Tuesday, February 9thSpeaker: Fr. Paul Paris

Tuesday, March 8thSpeaker: Abbot Tryphon

6:30-7:00 PM - Socialize7:00 PM - Discussion w/ Guest Speaker

at the Lucky Lab Brewpub915 SE Hawthorne Blvd

“Turning to Christ Together: Marriage as a Spiritual Path”

A Talk and Conversation with Dn. Stephen Muse, PhD

March 11 - 12, 2016Fri: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.Sat: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox ChurchBeaverton, Oregon

More Information to come!

www.ASApdx.org | 503.641.4600Located in Beaverton across from Nike at

14485 SW Walker Road

Agia Sophia Academy K-5 Elementary & Montessori Preschool

January 28th from 5-7pm

Join us for our Open House!

A BIG HEARTFELT THANK YOU!The Almsgiving Committee would like to thank the parish for giving so generously in 2015.

Last Spring, parishioners donated $4,000 to support missions through the Mocha for Missions campaign.

This summer, you donated over 3,700 diapers and 3,600 wipes for the Beaverton Pregnancy Resource Center. This past fall, families donated and assembled over 75 Grab and Give bags to share with fellow parishioners. You also filled two canisters with donated nonperishable food items to for the Oregon Food Bank. In November, Tasso the Turkey program brought in over $4,400 from your generosity to help parish families in need.

Glory to God! May we continue to give out of our abundance in thanksgiving for all God has done for us.

Wishing you all a blessed 2016!Your Almsgiving Committee

SENIOR LUNCHEONMonday, January 25th

at 11:00 AMRichard Whitton will be joining us to

discuss financial matters pertaining to seniors,

which will include estate planning and how to prevent identity theft.

Our luncheons are potluck. Please bring your favorite dish to share!

Please join us for anAkAthist to st. XeniA of st. Petersburg

Saturday, January 23rd after Great VespersThe Akathist is a 20-30 minute service of hymns celebrating the life of a saint. St. Xenia (pronounced KSE-nya) is a 18th century Russian saint who was widowed at a young age and called to live out the rest of her days as a fool for Christ. This beloved saint is known today, as she was during her life, as a tireless intercessor, especially for those seeking resolution to employment and

family concerns.

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Please mark your calendars & invite your friends

St. John Chili Cook-Off A family-friendly event celebrating

great food & fellowship!

Sunday, February 21, 2016 5-8 p.m.

at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

Enter to serve your chili in the cook-off ! Contest guidelines will be posted

in early January.

Deadline for entry is February 1st

The St. John Chili Cook-Off is a fundraiser for the St. John Building Fund.

We need your help to make this a success! Please reach out to event organizers Chris Perlmutter, Sam Marine or

Thomaida Hudanish to volunteer.

st. nektArios

“We have within us deeply rooted weaknesses, passions, and defects. This cannot all be cut out with one sharp motion, but patience, persistence, care and attention. The path leading to perfection is long. Pray to God so that He will strengthen you. Patiently accept your falls and, having stood up, immediately run to God, not remaining in that place where you have fallen. Do not despair if you keep falling into your old sins. Many of them are strong because they have received the force of habit. Only with the passage of time and with fervor will they be conquered. Do not let anything deprive you of hope.”

We’re off and running!

You heard about the Strategic Planning effort our parish is embarking on at the Fall General Assembly. The Strategic Plan Committee is getting organized - we’ve decided on a regular monthly meeting date and have developed two subteams.

One team will focus on ways to assess where we are today in the context of our church community, our local community and within the Metropolis. Expect to see information about a survey and other opportunities for input early next year. This information will form the basis for our plan for the future of our parish.

The other team will be planning how to communicate with you! We expect there to be many opportunities for input from the parish and several methods to communicate. One will be a regular report in the monthly newsletter. We expect to develop some standard formats for our communication materials - but we’re not quite there yet. So consider this space…

Under Construction!

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Loaves (delivered day before)

PARISH

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Sunday, January 3

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Team 1

Team D

Tuesday, January 5th - H

oly Theophany Barnes (4)

Flower Com

mittee

Wednesday, January 6th - St. John

Sandy Duchow

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Sunday, January 10th

B. Wood

Wehlitz (4)/ H

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Blankenstein Flow

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2 Team

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Sunday, January 17, 2015 St. A

nthony M

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Poulos (4)/Blankenstein (2) W

alsh/Taylor Low

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3 Team

A

Sunday, January 24, 2015 J. K

etrenos M

irras (6) N

.Poulos/TBDD

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Pressley/Whitton

Team 4

Team B

Monday January 25, 2015

St. Gregory

Davis (2)

Saturday, January 30th Three H

eierarchs D

uchow-Pressley (4)

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2015 J. M

akarounis G

oldman (4)/(2) from

Saturday TBD

Ketrenos/V

ansickle Team

5 Team

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Monday, February 1, 2015 M

eeting of the Lord M

akarounis (2)

Sunday, February 7, 2015

Becker (4)/ Dow

ns (2) TBD

Hudanish/M

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6 Team

D

Monday, February 8, 2015

St. Theodore the General

Hailey (2)

Sunday, February 14, 2015 Barnes (4)/ W

ehlitz (2) TBD

Mirras/Stinm

an Team

7 Team

E

Team D: Demetrius Constantine, Athanasios, Basil, Wade, Owen, Simon Team E: Alexander, Gabriel, Yoas, Pavlos, Noah, Peter

Clean-up Team 1: Becker, Armstrong, Benson, Lowe, Whitton, Marine, Leslie, Mirras, Maletis Clean up Team 2: Wood, Barnes, Morgan, Powell, Stinman, Gillespie, Muzik, Poulos N & A Clean up Team 3: Cherry, Makarounis, Chiprout, Knight, Chosvig, Poulos J & P, Contes, Dorrance Clean up Team 4: Corazza, Trumpower, Buckley, Williams/Teeney, Soot, Ketrenos B & A, Dunfield, Gonzales, Ramzi Clean up Team 5: Walsh, Daniels, Hudanish T, Keese, Chan, Olson, Ntatsos, Kolpakov, Clary

Clean up Team 6: Ketrenos J & K, Lubliner E, Lubliner D & J, Lubliner N, Goldman, Thienes, Tesfamicael, Taylor, Hatch Clean up Team 7: Gebrehiwot, Hailey, Jungwirth, Deming, Russo, Walters, Hall I, Stebner, Dale Clean up Team 8: Patske, Rich, McKenzie, Reiter, Downs, Ionescu, Walker, Hafez Clean up Team 9: Feyler, Jones/Kuchillis, Lindgren, Rush, Wehlitz, Solomon, Mansager, Crosby, Gebreeyseus Clean up Team 10: Wilson, Blankenstein, Hudanish P & J, Hills, Braden, Perlmutter N & D, Stovea, Breen

Team A: Samuel, Zacharias, Nathan, Elias, Gavin, Tasso Team B: Anthony, Christos, Stathi, Nicholas, Makarios, Nicolas Team C: Tobias, K yle, Levi, Aiden, Thomas, Petros, Gabriel Altar Boys

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Stewardship

When I was growing up, my father and mother were very involved in our church. My father was on Parish Council, my mother was in Philoptochos. My sisters and I were in choir and GOYA. Back then, we were simply and beautifully members of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Currently, the Orthodox Church has a wonderful word for serving God and embracing a Christian way of life – stewardship.

Many people think stewardship is all about money. Well, partially it is. We pay our bills at our own home; we provide food and clothing for our families. It is much the same way with our church. Through our donations, we support our spiritual home. We expect that when we arrive on Sunday or other religious holidays, the lights will turn on, the bathrooms will be functional, and there will be a priest present. There will also be candles to light, and the church will be clean and beautiful.

Just like at home, this takes a financial commitment to remain consistent. We should feel a responsibility to the collective whole of the church and not just think, “Oh well, others are supporting it.” Or worse yet, have no thought as to who is supporting it, but just expect it to be there. Our contributions help make our spiritual home a reality. When we arrive on the doorstep of our church, we should feel a connection to our parish, partially because we are engaged in financially supporting it.

But friend, really, stewardship is so much more. It is a commitment to God and to a Christian way of life. By participating in services and the sacraments, we nurture our Oneness with Christ. When we show up to make lunches or a hot meal for a local ministry, we are demonstrating a reverence and a responsibility to God. If the choir loft needs a good cleaning, taking a sweeper and making it beautiful is

a show of dedication. Volunteering for a ministry is serving God in so many ways.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)

As believers, we are branches of the vine. To abide in this vine is to abide in Christ and His Church. The figure of the vine and the branches shows our union with Christ as real. The energy given through the vine to the branches is representative of Christ’s vitality, and the beautiful fruit that is born of the vine is the good work that we do.

To think of stewardship only in financial terms is so limited. Think bigger. To embrace stewardship is about becoming good caretakers of what God has given us – our health, family, opportunities, intelligence, and talents- and putting them to His use. God has

given each of us unique gifts, and through Holy Scripture, He teaches us that all that we have is on loan from Him. He lends everything to us and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give an accounting of what we have done with our gifts.

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

How are you using your gifts? Despite our busy lives, our church needs us now more than ever. Extend your hand to those in need through a ministry of your church. Whether you have lots of time or very little time, you can make a difference. Approach an active member at coffee hour, or ask your priest how you can help. By embracing a Christian way of life in all that we do, we can bear exquisite fruit on our branches.

We are the Branches: StewardshipBy Joanne Jamis Cain in The Sounding ~ Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network

Supper for 6

Supper for SixSign-ups will be available after most Sunday services during the month of December

Open and targeted to any couple, Supper for Six is a great way to break bread with other couples in the church. Supper for Six consists of randomly selected, rotating groups of three couples that meet once a month for three months for potluck and fellowship.

SIGN-UP DEADLINE IS SUNDAY, January 3rdContact Brandon Ephraim Wilson at cravetruth@yahoo.com with questions or to sign-up anytime before the deadline

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