Church Bulletin: June 3, 2012
Fr. Ignatius Valentine
June 3, 2012- Sunday of Pentecost
This Week's Services and Events
June 6, Wednesday
June 9, Saturday
June 10, Sunday of All Saints
+ Matins, 8:30AM at Youth Group Camp shelter at Kent Park
Upcoming Events and Announcements
2nd Annual Parish Camping Trip-
Come enjoy camping and outdoor worship Sat. June 9 - Sun. June 10 at F. W. Kent Park (northwest of Iowa City on Hwy. 6, between Tiffin and Oxford). All activities will be at the Youth Camp Ground. Campers can arrive anytime after 2PM on Saturday; families will bring their own picnic dinner, and we'll have outdoor vespers at 7:30PM followed by a campfire and smores. Sunday morning we'll have Matins at 8:30AM, Liturgy at 9:30AM (Note the earlier time!), and a cookout together, and there is hiking and fishing at the lake. Sign-up sheets for camping and food are at the church. Come share the fun and fellowship! For maps of the park location and the campground location within the park, go to: http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_conservation.aspx?id=4055
Sunday School Has Ended for the Summer-
Sunday School will resume at the beginning of fall. Because a few of our helpers have moved away, we will need more volunteers willing to help out to continue to provide excellent religious education for our young ones. Please be praying about how you can be involved in helping out next school year.
Thank You-
A big thank you to all who helped to advance our Sunday School program by leaps and bounds this year, our teachers and helpers: Lori Branch, Robert Peterson, Alli Rockwell, Stefanie Bewell, Tyler Fyotek, Hope Callahan, Aaron Mitchell, Justin John, Kh. Maria Valentine, Natalie Tskhakaia, Rachelle Naridze, Tania Van Dinter,Hannah Valentine and Tony Carter; Irakliy Surguladze who helped prepare our space last fall and Karen Kuntz who sewed liturgical coverings for our Sunday School icon stands. Thank you to the parents who faithfully brought their children to Sunday School. This much improved version of Sunday School will continue to need the support of all parishioners, and especially parents, in the coming years. It's also not too early to be praying and thinking about how to alleviate our space limitations. This is a good problem to have! We need more Sunday School rooms and the only place to put them seems to be in the empty space now hidden above the ceiling of the narthex, a place originally reserved by the first owners of the building for a choir loft. Let's be thinking about how we might be able to make this happen.
Congratulations and Good-bye-
Today is Aaron Mitchell's last day with us. Aaron recently graduated from Cornell College and after spending some time in Texas with family this summer, he will be moving to Arizona to begin a new job- in his field of study, no less! Double congratulations upon completing college and getting a job! We will miss him and his wonderful chanting. Aaron, may God grant you many years!
In the Event of a Natural Disaster or Civil Unrest-
In some of the services of our Church, we pray that God would deliver us from "wrath, famine, pestilence, earthquake, flood, fire, the sword, foreign invasion, civil war, and sudden death...." While we must always depend upon God for His mercy and protection, we can also takes some reasonable steps to minimize the pain that any of these events might cause us. The International Orthodox Christians Charities (IOCC) responds to natural disasters by bringing relief to those who suffer from them by providing them both material goods and spiritual comfort. They also recommend that people be proactive by making an action plan for you and your family, by assembling certain supplies and by protecting one's finances through sound record keeping and other steps. For IOCC's advice on this, go to: http://www.iocc.org/emergency/emergency_prepare.aspx#step1
Olet, the Beloved Bird of Elder Paisios-
Sometimes, the saints of God have a marvelous relationship with animals, that hearkens back to the paradise-like condition found in Eden before the Fall. To read about the relationship Elder Paisios had with a bird he named Olets, go to: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2012/05/olet-beloved-bird-of-elder-paisios.html
Opportunity to Serve-
A vacancy has opened up on our parish council as one of our current members recently decided to resign. The vacant position is an elected position, which means at least two candidates need to agree to stand for election. Voting members of the parish will make the selection at a special voters' meeting to be scheduled in the near future. The term will end in December 2013. Our parish constitution stipulates that in order to be a member of the parish council, one must be at least 18 years of age, a member in good standing in the Church for at least the last six months, and not a spouse, son, daughter or parent of any current council member. If you are interested in learning more about the parish council and the responsibilities that a council member has, please speak with Fr. Ignatius and/or Todd Wiblin, our council chair. Please contact Fr. Ignatius soon if you are interested in standing for election.
Holy Bread Sign-up-
To those of you who provide holy bread for Liturgy, please look at the sign-up sheet in the narthex and sign-up for future weeks. The next several months are wide open.
Wednesday Evening Class, "The Icon" video series-
On June 6 and 13, we will continue to gather to watch a video series called "The Icon" and discuss what we have seen. This excellent series is produced by Serbian Bishop Jovan Puric. It is visually stunning and very informative. You won't want to miss it! We will begin at 7:45PM each week, immediately after the Akathist and end at about 9PM. Episodes are: Holy Images, Canons and Freedom, Image of God?, Struggle for the Icons, Forms of Icon, Power of the Name, Teaching and Exaltation. If you are not able to come to the viewings and discussion, but are still interested in viewing this series, the episodes can be found online at: http://ikona.eparhijaniska.rs/index_eng.html
Orthodoxy and Same-Sex Attraction-
Gay rights are at the forefront of our nation's cultural dialogue these days. Same-sex marriage is a hot-button issue that is sure to be debated in many upcoming elections. Although many today want to believe that normalizing and accepting homosexual behavior is simply a matter of upholding basic human rights, and that traditional moral prohibitions against such behavior are outdated and even mean, the Orthodox Church remains steadfast in her belief that any sexual behavior outside of a heterosexual marriage, is sinful. For an in depth and compassionate exploration of these issues from an Orthodox perspective, listen to the following podcast on Ancient Faith Radio: http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/aftoday/christianity_and_same_sex_attraction
2012 Midwest Parish Life Conference-
St. Mary Orthodox Church in Palos Heights, IL is hosting the 65th annual Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest Parish Life Conference June 27-July 1. All are welcome! This is not just a conference for clergy. For information on tickets and schedule, go to: www.2012midwestplc.org.
Daily Scripture Readings for the Week-
Following are the readings for this week:
Do You Have a Prayer Request?
Please give it to Fr. Ignatius and he will distribute it by email to all those on the Prayer Chain. If you wish to join the Prayer Chain, please let Fr. Ignatius know.
Holy Bread-
On Sunday June 10, the Holy Bread will be provided by the Van Dinter family. Thank you in advance.
Choir Leadership-
On the weekend of June 9-10, Lori Branch will lead the choir.
On Sunday June 10, the food for coffee hour will be provided by all who bring food to our cook-out after Liturgy in the park.
Church Cleaning-
During the week following Sunday June 3, the cleaning of the nave, narthex, bookstore/library, stairs, nursery and bathrooms will be provided by the St. Nina team.
Food for Thought-