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Volume 18, Issue 7 July 2018


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Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. (Ps 141) Psalm 141 is sung during every vesperal service that we celebrate. It is a hymn of petition from us to God that our prayers may be received favorably. It is also a prayer in which we are reminded that we pray not only in word and thought but with our bodies. The lifting up of our hands refers to a position of prayer, where we stand with our arms outstretched opening ourselves and reaching to embrace and be embraced by God. This position is often referred to as Orans, from Medieval Latin to mean one who is praying or pleading. It is a posture or bodily attitude of prayer. We sing let our prayer arise as incense, again referring to a bodily function, the sense of smell. We pray in thought,

deed, and word, integrated and expressed in both spiritual and physical form. To pray as with any activity takes time, and training. We learn how to read, to walk, run, and speak. For the majority of us, we are given the ability to see, taste, hear and feel. This ability enables us to express who we are, to learn, to work, and to play. We can enter into relationships with others, and to enjoy the sweet smell of a rose, or the sweet taste of honey. It is through our physical encounters as young children we learn about ourselves and interact with the world. It is in and through our physical being that we discover our spiritual reality. We feel and express love, hurt, loneliness, joy and sadness. These spiritual realities affect our physical being. They affect our sleep, appetite, energy level, and health. We cannot escape our physical reality, and the church tells us that we should not try. We are to bring our physical and spiritual reality into harmony, to become united in the glorification of the One who has created us to be body and soul. We as Orthodox Christians confess and believe in the resurrection of the body. Why do we fall into the temptation of dualism? Why is it that we see not the spiritual ill, but the physical ill? We focus on the symptoms of illness that manifest themselves in a physical manner and do not look at the rooted spiritual cause of the illness. We are and should be concerned with what we eat, how we exercise and how we take care of our bodies. However, we should be just as concerned with how we speak, treat others, and our spiritual training of prayer, attendance in worship, and a fully integrated sacramental life. We often do not look at our anger towards someone as our spiritual issue, but that the other did something to us. An act defined in a physical manifestation that we justify our physical reaction to. We often do not reflect and ask, did I begin my day asking God to grant me patience, and love to all who He brings into my life this day, or was I focused on that first cup of coffee, or tea? No matter how much we try we cannot separate that we are both physical and spiritual. There are times that our physical condition can cause us to become spiritually ill. When we are ill, we may fall into self-pity and for some into despair. When we over indulge, we do not feel like standing in prayer, offering God our evening sacrifice. The common dualistic notion that material reality is bad and only the spiritual reality is good is a notion that has developed in western cultures where Orthodox theology did not develop. In the east there has always been an understanding of the harmony between the material and the spiritual. Sin then is understood when we abuse either the material or the spiritual. When we cause an unnatural tension between material and spiritual we cause an imbalance in our lives. However, we see the Orthodox theological understanding of the balance between the scriptural and the material in our worship. We use the material to create Icons, that expresses and allows us to focus on the spiritual dimension of our lives. We use incense, chant, prostrate and have processions. We use bread, wine, water, oil and other material objects that become sacramental means of uniting us to the Trinity and help us on our path to theosis. May we take the time to bring back into balance the material and spiritual in our lives. May we understand and treat all that we have as a gift from God and become stewards of these gifts. When we pray, may we turn to God with all our soul, mind and body so that we can participate in the divine life that was given to us in the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ.

A Message from Father Peter


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2017-2018 Church School Certificate Ceremony

Thank you to the teachers and the students for a job well done and for sharing the knowledge.

Please save the dates for the following: Services, Feasts & Special Events:

Sunday, July 1st Divine Liturgy 10:00am Saturday, July 7th Vespers @ 5:00pm Potluck @ 6:00pm Sunday, July 8th Divine Liturgy 10:00am Saturday, July 14th Vespers CANCELLED Sunday, July 15th Divine Liturgy 10:00am

Saturday, July 21 Vespers @ 5:00pm Potluck @ 6:00pm

*Sunday, July 22nd Divine Liturgy 10:00am

Saturday, July 28th Vespers @ 5:00pm Potluck @6:00pm

Sunday, July 29th Divine Liturgy 10:00am Town Hall Meeting

Saturday, August 4th Vespers @5:00pm Potluck @6:00pm Sunday, August 5th Divine Liturgy 10:00am Monday, August 6th Transfiguration of Our Lord Divine Liturgy 9:30am

View the master MOG calendar at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxdc3POE6-QCZ0VlRXZnaFdzWEU/view

*We will have a special collection for the church sign after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 22. We have all but $2,500 for the sign.


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Upcoming Events

Introduction to Church Reading Class – Sunday, July 8

Are you new to reading in the Orthodox Church? How about a seasoned reader?

Join Greg Mariani after coffee hour on July 8th to sharpen your technique or acquire some basic skills. Admission is free of charge and the class will last about 45 minutes to an hour. What we’ll cover: ● Finding a comfortable reading pitch ● Tips on reading ● Instill good reading habits ● Feedback after practicing psalms

*Greg isn’t a professional reader and is only offering what he’s learned from his time at St. Tikhon’s Seminary.

Missionary Nathan Hoppe to Speak – Sunday, July 15

Nathan and Gabriela are working to inspire, train, equip and lead Albanians to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in Albania. They feel a tremendous urgency to follow Christ's command to make disciples of all nations in this land where less than a generation ago, complete atheism was enforced by the totalitarian communist government The Orthodox Church of Albania has experienced a resurrection under the inspired leadership of Archbishop Anastasios. This resurrection is one of the miracles of the Orthodox world today, but it is a fragile miracle and there is still much work to do.

The ministry of the Hoppe's is focused on seminary students, university students and children. Nathan teaches the early church fathers at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy and leads the ministry to students at the University of Tirana. He also directs the Central Children's Office of the Orthodox Church of Albania, a ministry in which he works closely with Gabriela. Nathan represents the Orthodox Church of Albania at a number of international gatherings including the official dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and the dialogue with the Lutheran World Federation. He also serves on the steering committee of the Lausanne-Orthodox initiative, is a member of the Advisory Council for World Vision Albania and is on the board of the Inter-Confessional Bible Society. Together Nathan and Gabriela lead a team of 25 Albanian Orthodox youth to Kosovo each year where they hold friendship camps for about 1500 Muslim Albanian children. These camps are part of the social and philanthropic work of the Orthodox Church of Albania.

Nathan was born and raised in Colombia, South America, where his parents continue to serve as missionaries. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Nathan has now served in Albania for more than 16 years. The Hoppes have three children, Tristan (16), Katherine (14), and Daniel (4). Please partner with the Hoppe's through financial and prayer support.

Adapted from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center website: https://www.ocmc.org/about/view_missionary.aspx?MissionaryId=1

The Hoppe Family


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Upcoming Events Continued

Icon Painting Workshop – July 30 through August 4

Register Now for Diocesan Orthodox Youth Day on Broadway – Wednesday, August 22

This year the Diocesan Orthodox Youth Day will be held in New York to see the Broadway show Aladdin. Limited seats are available on first come, first serve basis. Youth must be accompanied by adult. Youth price is $50 and adult $75. Drop off/Pick up is 10:30 AM/7 PM at Christ the Saviour Church, 365 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ 07652. The Aug. 22 1 PM show includes a meet and greet with the cast. A meal will be provided in the City following the show. More information and registration forms are available on the diocesan website: nynjoca.org


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The Sisterhood of Saints Mary and Martha by Julie Stell June 2018 Meeting

The Sisterhood met this month at Matushka Jeanne’s house for our last official meeting before the church year begins again in September. We spent the evening reviewing our first year as a missionary group over ice tea and goodies, while sitting on the Baktis’s beautiful deck. We began the evening with some inspirational words from Abbott Tryphon on the

necessity of Christian friendships. He says “The life of a Christian has never been easy, but in an age that is proving to be hostile towards the things of God, Christian friendship is all the more important. We need the encouragement that Christian friendship can give us as we face a world that has rejected Christ. The unity we have when we receive the Body and Blood of our Savior during each and every celebration of the Divine Liturgy, gives us strength to withstand whatever may be coming. When all else has failed and our culture, economy and material world has fallen into ruin, only faith will have the power to sustain us.” We then went on to discuss briefly the results of a women’s survey given at the International Consultation on Women in the Church, given by St. Catherine’s Vision in Mangano, Italy on October 3 – 7, 2017. Saint Catherine’s Vision is a women’s group that is directed by Presbytera Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald. This survey was a qualitative, open ended tool designed to gather input from Orthodox Christian women regarding challenges and opportunities affecting women’s participation in the life of the Church. Their website is www.saintcatherinesvision.org. This discussion segued nicely into our review of what we had accomplished so far and what we would like to focus on next year. We all agreed that we have upheld our Sisterhood’s mission which is: To seek a deeper relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Holy Mother

and His Saints. To support and encourage one another in our spiritual growth in the Body of Christ. To serve those in our church and community in whatever ways are needed.

We also agreed that next year we need to focus our energies in more specific ways to further our mission as an extension of the Mother of God Church. The Sisterhood plans on supporting Saint Basil’s house, which is a hospitality house that MOG plans on opening in Trenton, to help those in the community who are in need. Also, we will continue visiting the sick and the infirm, as well as sending cards and flowers to those who are struggling. We would like to focus more on specific outreach, which will be decided at future meetings. And we are planning a women’s retreat, with the date and place to be announced. How are we going to finance these decisions? This led to a very lively discussion on fundraising. Our biggest fundraiser so far is the annual flea market, which we have renamed Rummage Sale, to avoid confusion as to what type of things we will have. We plan on making this event even bigger this year by adding more baked goods and handmade craft items. Other ideas shared include: selling craft items at other venues, having SoSMM “dues," selling Dana’s quilts on eBay and having an offering basket for SoSMM in church. We have enjoyed this year so much and look forward to the next one!


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A Missionary Experience by Anastasia Gleeson

June 25, 2018 My missionary experience will begin on Friday, June 29 when I arrive in Tirana, Albania, and am greeted by Nathan and Gabriela Hoppe. There is so much to share about experiences in my life from a mission type trip to a remote location of West Virginia when I was in high school, to my father’s passing, to a prayerful calling to experience this type of ministry that has shaped my journey to act. I will leave these stories

and reflections for another time to share. What will I be doing in Albania? I will be participating in the 10-day residential summer camps for middle school aged and high school girls held at St. John Vladimir Monastery, Elbasan, Albania. I was told that this program is a powerful, life transforming event for the Albanian youth. I have a feeling it will also be quite transformational for me. 😉 The theme of the camp is, “All that you do, do as unto the Lord” inspired by Colossians 3:23. Please pray that I may be an example of this during the camps and be able to express how I try to live this spirit in my daily life. I am excited that the camps will be technology free. Nathan said, “this technology ‘fast’ is important to help campers think more deeply about their lives, engage more fully with the teaching program and other activities of the camp, and form deep relationships with counselors and other campers”. This will also be a wonderful experience for me as part of my deeper reflection and prayerful discernment of God’s will. I am sending along the prayer requests for the camps from the Hoppe’s recent newsletter, please pray for us: That God would work powerfully to

transform the lives of campers and staff For safety and good health of all those who

participate in the camps For a spirit of love and teamwork among the

staff at camps For the children that will be baptized during

the camps, that this will be a true time of conversion and life transformation

I look forward to sharing with you my missionary experience when I return, along with pictures and stories about the journey. Thank you for your prayers and loving support. With Faith & Love Anastasia


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Announcements

New Sign for the Church

The Parish Council has authorized a contract for a new

sign for the church. We are in the process of getting

estimates and designs. We are asking for donations to

cover the cost - about $6,500 and have raised all but

about $2,500. A special collection will be taken for

the sign at the July 22 service. Please see a PC

member or Father Peter if you have questions or

concerns.

House Keeping

For MOG flower sign up through Dec 2018

please use this link:

https://bit.ly/2MQ3anw

In Christ,

Ana Benavides

Shop at Amazon; Help MOG

Mother of God has signed up with Amazon.com’s

Associates program, allowing us to receive a minimum

of 4% commission off every Amazon order placed

through this link. Funds will go toward our capital

campaign.

For more info, visit http://mogoca.org/amazon.html.

Arm in Arm

Mother of God continues to support Arm

in Arm with food donations, placed in the

collection bin at the side entrance of the

Church. Please, as you are shopping, think

of those in our community who are in need

and bring your offering to the Church.

Crisis Ministry of Mercer County changed

its name to Arm in Arm yet, the mission

remains the same. Thank you for your

support.

Books for Sale

We have books for sale on the table near the side

entrance of the church.


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News for the Mind and Soul – Wisdom of Our Church Fathers Us and Our Neighbors: Relationships with Other People

1. A Christian must be courteous to all. His words and deeds should breathe with the

grace of the Holy Spirit, which abides in his soul, so that in this way he might glorify the name of God. He who regulates all of his speech also regulates all of his actions. He who keeps watch over the words he is about say also keeps watch over the deeds he intends to do, and he never goes out of the bounds of good and benevolent conduct. The graceful speech of a Christian is characterized by delicateness and politeness. This fact, born of love, produces peace and joy. On the other hand, boorishness gives birth to hatred, enmity, affliction, competitiveness, disorder and wars. (St. Nektarius of Aegina, The Path to Happiness, 7)

2. It is joyful to feel that we do not and cannot have any enemies among men, but only unhappy brethren, who are deserving of pity and help, even when, through misunderstanding, they become our enemies and fight against us. Woe! They do not understand that the enemy is found within ourselves, and that first of all one must cast him out of oneself, and then also help others to do the same. We have only one enemy: the devil and his evil spirits. But man, no matter how far he has fallen, never loses certain sparks of light and goodness which may be blown into a bright flame. But for us there is no reason to fight against people, even when they consistently send against all kind of blows and rebukes ... To fight against people is to take a false position of our enemies. Even if we succeed, we gain nothing from this fight, but rather become estranged from our own success. (Martyr Roman Medved, Letter to His Daughter from the Gulag, 1932).

3. With all your power, ask the Lord for humility and brotherly love, because God freely gives His grace for love

towards one's brother. Do an experiment on yourself: one day ask God for love towards your brother, and another day - live without love. You will see the difference.

(St. Silouan the Athonite, Writings, XVI.8) 4. Adorn yourself with truth, try to speak truth in all things; and do not support a lie, no matter who asks you. If you speak the truth and someone gets mad at you, don't be upset, but take comfort in the words of the Lord: Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of truth, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:10). (St. Gennadius of Constantinople, The Golden Chain, 26,29). 5. The holy Isaiah said: If one should speak to his brother with guile, he will not escape spiritual harm. (Ancient Patericon, 10.28)

6. If someone puts his trust in God in a matter, let him not argue with his brother about

it. (St. Mark the Ascetic, Sermon 2.103)

7. Draw nigh to the righteous, and through them you will draw nigh to God.

Communicate with those who possess humility, and you will learn morals from them. A man who follows one who loves God becomes rich in the mysteries of God; but he who follows an unrighteous and proud man gets far away from God and will be


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Wisdom of Our Church Fathers Continued hated by his friends. (St. Isaac the Syrian, Sermon 57,8) 8. Draw nigh to the righteous, and through them you will draw nigh to God. Communicate with those who possess humility, and you will learn morals from them. A man who follows one who loves God becomes rich in the mysteries of God; but he who follows an unrighteous and proud man gets far away from God and will be hated by his friends. (St. Isaac the Syrian, Sermon 57,8)

9. St. Pimen the Great said: Depart from every man who loves to quarrel. (Ancient Paterikon, 11.59)

10. If you cannot close the mouth of one who reviles his brother, at least avoid conversation with him. (St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 89)

Mother of God Orthodox Church Matching Gift Challenge

Return to God His own Gifts: “No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of you with as much as he can give, in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, God has bestowed on you.” (Deut. 16:10, 16-17) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We moved from 45% to 52% over the last month with dollars received. Thank you! We still have more to raise to receive the matching gift amount from the special donors. We need to raise $50,000 by August 2, 2018. Please prayerfully consider a contribution. And please spread the word to others to encourage them to prayerfully consider a contribution. We look forward to the time when Mother of God is debt-free; this is a generous offer and a blessed step in that journey.

With Faith & Love, Financial Strategic Committee Deacon John, John Dragan, Terry Filippini and Stacey Gleeson (Contact: Stacey at [email protected]) As of June 17, 2018 Total Pledged: $32,549 Total Received: $25,759


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SPECIAL MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE

Mother of God Orthodox Church is working towards reducing our mortgage debt. We wanted you to be the first to hear about this extraordinary matching gift challenge to support this effort.

We are blessed to have special donors who will donate $50,000 when donations reach $50,000 in the next 6 months. When you give to Mother of God Orthodox Church by August 2, 2018, your donation will go TWICE as far to support us in reducing our mortgage debt. Our goal for this campaign is to reach even higher. We are seeking to raise $100,000. With the match it will be a total of $150,000.

CAN BECOME

Your gift of $1,000 Twice as much $2,000

Your Name

Your email

Your Total Commitment Amount

Installments Over 6 Months Yes No (1 payment)

Please give before August 2, 2018, so we can receive the matching gift. Checks to be made out to Mother of God Orthodox Church and note in memo “Matching Gift Challenge”.

For questions, please contact Stacey L. Gleeson at [email protected]


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Stewardship July 2018

Heirs to a King nce upon a time in a town where everyone talked about being average, but no one re-

ally thought they were, there lived a man who amazed his neighbors by what he said about his children. He was like other people, yet different. When he first moved in, his neighbors thought him ordinary enough. He went to work. He mowed the lawn. He took his children to the circus. But the more they saw and the more they heard, the more they realized that there was something different about this man…and his children. There was a loyalty and unity and purpose that set them apart. They lived as though they were accountable to someone. They were part of the community and yet belonged beyond it, like folks on a visit or travelers passing through. About time, for instance; the neighbors gradually noticed that this man and his family had a concept of time different from theirs. In the first place, he planned his leisure time to include his family. They seemed to have so much fun together, going on picnics, taking trips to places of interest, attending concerts or good movies. The neighbors envied his family life. They couldn’t seem to find time for their families to do things together. Secondly, the man took time for God. Each day he and his family had devotions together and the way they talked about God and the Bible was natural and familiar - the way one talks about a friend dearly loved and a book

one knows and enjoys. This man’s children loved their school. Also, they were always working on some mission project they had studied or writing to someone overseas. You see this man took time to work in the church and his interest rubbed off on his children. He attended services and taught a class in religion. For him and his family, the church was a center of activity. In civic affairs too, he always gave time and support to worthwhile enterprises. The neighbors learned that to this man time was a trust for which he held himself accountable. He had time for what was good. He had no time to waste. He really was just an ordinary fellow, but there was a “glow” about him. Someone said, “Whosoever would kindle another, must himself first glow.”

He wasn’t a talented speaker, but when he taught his religion class, or when he just talked to a fellow, he made the person feel that he wanted to live a better life. He must have made his children feel that way too. They were normal enough and full of pep, but they were conscientious about preparing their les- sons in school and they worked hard to develop their talents. Yet they weren’t a bit conceited. They acted as if they were accountable for their abilities and that doing less than their best would be letting someone down.

Continued on page 14

If you see life

and people as being on loan to you, you can see all as gifts. It is not good to cling tightly to relationships or to hoard earthly treasures. Revere all that you have with gratitude and hold everything in open hands. During prayer, open your hands and surrender all the important treasures and relationships of your life to God. Spend time expressing your gratitude to God for each gift and relationship.

Inspiring a deeper understanding of true giving


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What Kind of Minister?

What kind of minister are you? Each and every one of you is a minister! The true, New Testament ministry of Christ is now being performed by every baptized member of church. Think about that for a few moments. My question then is not “Are you a minister?” Rather, I ask, “What kind of minister are you?” The word “minister” means, frankly, a servant; one who serves others because of Christ Jesus, in God’s name, and for God’s sake. The ordained clergy of your parish know basically what their “servant-hood” means to them. They are called to be shepherds, to be pastors who care for each and every one of their people, who visit the sick, who preach the word of God, who celebrate God’s sacraments, and who pronounce God’s blessing. That, in a broad-brush stroke, is the nature of their ministry. What is yours as a minister? You, each of you, is called to serve the world that God loves, in the ways that only you, because of your gifts, can serve. I’ m convinced that only through small groups, giving serious attention to prayer, Bible study, seeking God’s spirit, will true renewal come. Only you, under God’s guidance, can determine how your ministry is to be performed. I believe the laity has been given a precious ministry too often ignored. I call you to seek your unique, necessary task of making God in Christ known to those who need you. We have all kinds of ministers - some effective, some indifferent and lethargic.

We exist as a congregation not only to give glory to God in true and life- changing worship, but we exist to draw others and to serve them, as they need to be served. We can and must do a far better job of training and equipping ourselves to become the effective ministers God intends us to be! Are you willing to consciously grow as the minister you are?

Scraps that are Left A small boy had a dog that he named Fido. The boy loved his pooch and one day his father noticed that his son took the best portion of the piece of roast beef on his plate and placed it in his dog’s dish. “My son,” said father, “it would be better if you ate that meat yourself and give Fido some of the scraps that are left.” The boy argued, but his father was firm. At the conclusion of the meal, the boy took out to Fido a plate heaped with the scraps of the roast. “Here Fido,” said the boy, “I wanted to make you an offering, but all I have is a collection.”

I often wonder each Sunday when the plates are passed and all of us put in our bills and coins, how much of what we give is a collection for our church and how much is an offering to God. The difference is not in the amount ... the difference is in the attitude of our heart.

Why am I here? What am I going to do with my life? The way you answer these questions determines the way you look upon your responsibility for stewardship of your time, your talent, and your material possessions. Stewardship means: Management for others.

Time is an

important part of stewardship. It is a gift from God and the steward realizes that he or she will be held accountable for the way in which time is used while on earth. Once one recognizes the importance of the role of time, one begins to explore the many ways it can be used for God’s work. While most people complain about losing time, the Christian steward constantly finds time for God’s work. And how about

you? Do you find time for the work of God? Be a good steward and make the exciting discovery of time for yourself. No matter how busy you think you are, you can find time if you try.


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Not even your pastors talk of giving more than ten percent! We suppose you mean share. Your approach is often radical and we have to adapt it to the high cost of living, you see. After all, you wore no shoes in Palestine, and there’s no record you paid for higher education.

We do listen to you, Lord; for instance, we are great for selling what we have (what we have extra, that is). We call it a garage sale. It just never occurred to us to try out the rest of it “and give alms,” as you say. Your words might even inspire us to match our dinners out with a donation for world hunger. When we buy new clothes to stuff in the closet and wear twice a year we might even give alms to clothe the naked or use one of our automobiles to drive the elderly. It won’t be a drastic change in our lifestyle, Lord, because we aren’t radicals like you. On the other hand we want at least a little treasure in the bank you brag about where thieves do not come near or moths destroy. Lord, disturb our comfortable ways a little. Help us to comfort the world.

Copyright © Parish Publishing, LLC May not be reproduced without permission. 888-320-5576 www.parishpublishing.org

A Reflection The idea of stewardship is to make the contribution of the community members, their time and talent, focused in the community where they are most needed. There are many roles for the members to play, roles of managership, roles of leadership, roles of service and each one must accept their responsibility according to the gifts that God has given them. The church community tries to take the personal involvement that we all have as a duty and use it effectively for the good of every member of the congregation. One of the great strengths of the American churches is the separation of Church and State. In this way, the church is not supported by the government, as is the case in many European countries, and so it puts stewardship squarely where it belongs - in the hands of church members. We should not only accept our own stewardship responsibility, but should also try to educate others in the community to their responsibilities.

Heirs to a King continued from page 12 You see, this man talked about the use of time and talents as a “stewardship” and there was that “glow” about him when he did so. No one in town had ever thought of stewardship that way. They considered it a means the church used to get money. But the way this man put it was different. He really believed that stewardship related to every area of life. He said, “Stewardship is not people’s plan for making money, but God’s plan for making people.” He carried through this idea of stewardship in his giving too. His salary wasn’t any larger than his neighbors’, but his gifts were. He gave a certain percentage of his income to the church. He called it proportionate giving. His children were trained to give that way too. He didn’t give them each a nickel on Sunday morning the way the neighbors did. He taught them to tithe their allowance and earnings. They divided this tithe so that they gave part in church and the rest to their special mission projects. They seemed to have fun planning how to split it. They handled money as though they were accountable to God for the way they used it. One day a townsperson asked this man how he could be so patient, so firm and clear with standards in the training of his children. It was his answer to this question that amazed the townsperson most of all; for this is what he said: “I carry a secret that perhaps you did not know. These are not really my children. They are the children of a King - my King! It is my privilege to bring them up for him. Why shouldn’t I be patient? Why shouldn’t I have standards for them beyond this town? They are heirs of the Kingdom. In all they do, they must be an honor to the King.” He looked like an ordinary person. In many ways he was an ordinary man. But he was different.

esus, you tell us to “sell what we have and give alms.”


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2018 Stewardship Update

2018 pledged total: $ 110,905 (13% increase over 2017 pledged)

Actual received as of June 10: $ 53,980 (49% of pledged total)

Stewardship by pledged members $ 51,345

Stewardship by friends of MOG $ 2,635

2018 budgeted expenses:

2018 Stewardship Pledges

Thank you for supporting our church! We are accepting pledges for 2018! For questions, please contact: Terry Filippini at [email protected] or (908) 231-1960.

++ Consider making your stewardship payments through your online banking.


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Prayer Requests

Commemoration of the Living Servants of God: O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who for the sake of Your eternal mercy and loving kindness became man, and suffered crucifixion and death for the salvation of all; Who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father, where You hear the prayers of all who call upon You humbly and with their whole heart: incline Your ear to us, and hearken to the prayer which your unworthy servants offer as a spiritual sacrifice for all Your people.

Have mercy, O Lord, upon: Terry Filippini

Larry Samano (Connie & Bob Abodeely's son-in-law)

Sarah Thomas Perkins, Margery's stepdaughter

Olga Mezina, friend of Lana

Maria Rolleri (Joe Elchak's daughter) and her daughters, Carson & Addison

May we join you in pray for all of those on your mind; all of those in your prayers, and all of those in your heart. Lord Have Mercy.

Please send the names of those you would like included in the prayer requests list in the coming year to [email protected]. Also let her know when those on the list have recovered (Praise be to God).

COMMEMORATION OF THE DEPARTED

MEMORY ETERNAL

Daily Bible Readings

For a listing and links to the daily scripture readings go to http://oca.org/readings.

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“…and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

James 5:16, NKJV:


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The Prophet Elijah, July 20th James 5:10-20 Luke 4:22-30

“The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effect. Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently…” James 5:17

If you go back and read the accounts about Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19 it is striking how intense, fervent, bold and fearless he is in his fight (well, God’s fight) with the idolatrous prophets of Baal. He has a certainty about his mission that borders on arrogance as he competes with these “prophets of shame,” telling them to pray a little louder to their “god” because he seems to be deaf! And yet it is also comforting to know that this powerful man of faith was also “a man of like nature with ourselves.” His victory stirs up the fury of Ahab and Jezebel and he flees into the desert. He has times of fear and times of despair, when he just wants to hide and die. “And he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers’ (1 Kings 19:4). But the Lord sends an angel to feed him and to remind him that he is a normal human being. “Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you” (1 Kings 19:7). There are times when you and I will be called to live especially intensively, in our family life, at work, in our communities, at school. But the Lord will also remind us along the way that we are human beings, just like everybody else, who need food, drink and rest.

The Lord also makes it clear that all of life is not one long intense adrenalin high. We need to just sit still and wait and be patient sometimes. That is frustrating for activists who are used to making change happen now. “Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors” (James 5:7-9).

Saint Panteleimon, July 27th The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon (meaning “a lion in everything”). His mother Saint Euboula was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling. The hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303, were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. Saint Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited Saint Hermolaus every day. One day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly resolved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and receive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes. After this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, Saint Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then believed in Christ and was baptized by Saint Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored.


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Saint Panteleimon Continued After the death of his father, Saint Panteleimon dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to Saint Panteleimon. The envious doctors told the emperor that Saint Panteleimon was healing Christian prisoners. Maximian urged the saint to refute the charge by offering sacrifice to idols.

Saint Panteleimon confessed himself a Christian, and suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man and gave Saint Panteleimon over to fierce torture. The Lord appeared to the saint and strengthened him before his sufferings. They suspended the Great Martyr Panteleimon from a tree and scraped him with iron hooks, burned him with fire and then stretched him on the rack, threw him into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast him into the sea with a stone around his neck. Throughout these tortures the martyr remained unhurt and denounced the emperor. At this time the priests Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were brought before the court of the pagans. All three confessed their faith in the Savior and were beheaded. By order of the emperor they brought the Great Martyr Panteleimon to the circus to be devoured by wild beasts. The animals, however, came up to him and licked his feet. The spectators began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The enraged Maximian ordered the soldiers to stab with the sword anyone who glorified Christ, and to cut off the head of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. They led the saint to the place of execution and tied him to an olive tree. While the martyr prayed, one of the soldiers struck him with a sword, but the sword became soft like wax and inflicted no wound. The saint completed his prayer, and a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom. Hearing the Voice, the soldiers fell down on their knees before the holy martyr and begged forgiveness. They refused to continue with the execution, but Saint Panteleimon told them to fulfill the emperor’s command, because otherwise they would have no share with him in the future life. The soldiers tearfully took their leave of the saint with a kiss. When the saint was beheaded, the olive tree to which the saint was tied became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution believed in Christ. The saint’s body was thrown into a fire, but remained unharmed, and was buried by Christians. Saint Panteleimon’s servants Laurence, Bassos and Probus witnessed his execution and heard the Voice from Heaven. They recorded the life, the sufferings and death of the saint. Portions of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon were distributed throughout all the Christian world. His venerable head is now located at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt. Athos.

Adapted from the Orthodox Church of America website: oca.org


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Please Pray for the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow

Orthodox Church as we move forward.

May God’s Will Be Done In All Things!


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Gabrielle's July 2018 Bulletin - mogoca.org › assets › webmogbulletinjuly2018.pdf9roxph ,vvxh...

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Transcript of Gabrielle's July 2018 Bulletin - mogoca.org › assets › webmogbulletinjuly2018.pdf9roxph ,vvxh...