March 2016

TTTHEHEHE MMMESSENGERESSENGERESSENGER Newsletter of All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox ChurchNewsletter of All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

How To Become An Orthodox Christian So, you’re exploring the idea of joining the Orthodox Church? Relax! It is a joyful and well worn path, with many souls who have made this journey before you, and many more will come after

you.

Step One: Conversion to Christ

St. Paul himself tells us what this Gospel – which means ‘Good News’ – consists of: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to

the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fall-

en asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

-1 Corinthians 15:3-8

That is the Gospel. What is so ‘Good’ about it? This is the Good News preached to all nations. Is it really Good News?

Christ died for our sins. We have freedom in the Living God if we accept Him! We become inheritors of Eternal Life! What could

be easier! Acceptance of the Gospel of Christ is what we call conversion. It seems elementary, but sometimes we forget what the

Gospel is, and why we convert. Conversion means belief and acceptance in Jesus Christ, the God-man, as the Savior of the world.

Orthodox Christians believe you must be converted every day- every day – and everyone must start with this step if they desire to

make spiritual progress and be saved.

Step Two: Repentance

There is no salvation without repentance. One must repent of our sins, both voluntary and involuntary, of word, deed, and even

thought! Repentance is the gateway to forgiveness and the Kingdom of heaven. After this, one must find a local Orthodox Church.

To become a member of the Body of Christ means connection with other believers. Without this vital connection, Christianity

becomes an interesting study or personality cult. We believe that Christianity is a living faith, and therefore must be received from

living persons. Your introduction to the local clergy and community will enrich you and benefit you in many ways. It will be a

time of learning how the Church does Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, tithing, almsgiving, charity, interior life and evangelism.

You will make new friends, acquire new disciplines and skills that will make you a better and more loving Christian.

Step Three: The Catechumenate

When one desires to become a member of the Body of Christ, a period of instruction is necessary. From the earliest days of the

Church, this was called the Catechumenate, and those wishing to join were called catechumens. One must know the Gospel (see

above). One must know what the Church is, and isn’t; what membership in the Church means, responsibilities and expectations

for members, benefits of membership, and what discipleship means to believers in Christ Jesus. Sometimes a local Church has a

New Members Class, sometimes they have a series of classes for inquirers like yourself.

Your situation is not unique. You may be making this journey of faith alone. You may be coming with your family, or with

friends. You may be a clergyman, leading your flock to the Safe Haven. You may be part of a large group yearning for inclusion in

the Church. Whatever your situation is, you can be assured that many of come that way before you.

Many of the stories published on Journey To Orthodoxy will show you that there are a multitude of ways leading to the Orthodox

Christian faith. Your story may be published next!

The time you spend as a catechumen is time well spent. You’ll not only have the chance to learn more about the Orthodox faith,

but you’ll also have the chance to immerse yourself into the Orthodox way of life. You may get impatient (many of us did!) for

your entrance into the Church, but make no mistake, in no time, your catechumenate will have come to an end, and you’ll be a

member of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church once and for all!

Congratulations on your retirement:

Paul Bitsos: 38 years & 2 months with Tennant Sales & Service

Deb McDonnell: 35 years with OPPD

Jeff Johannesmeyer: 5 1/2 years with Western Iowa Energy

God Grant Them Many Years! Congratulations to Chris & Vika Hoegemeyer on the

birth of their baby girl Dariya Christianova,

born Tuesday, January 27

Congratulations to Zach & Kelli Berger on the birth of

their baby girl Zoey Margaret,

born Tuesday, February 9

Congratulations to Spiro & Mary Moustakes on their

70 years of marriage!

PARISH INFOMATION Address:

9012 “Q” Street ,

Omaha, NE 68127

Office Hours:

Monday—Friday:

10am—5pm

Phone:

402-934-3688

Website:

www.allholyspirit.com

Email:

Church:

AHSoffice@allholyspirit.com

Fr. Alexander Lukashonok:

FrAlexander@allholyspirit.com

Services:

Each Sunday

Morning Prayers 8:45 am

Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

2 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

Thank you Thank you to everyone who provided prosphora, altar

flowers, coffee and food for fellowship hour, and

artoklasia for the month of February. We are grateful for

the participation of: Joanne Sgourakis, Stephanie

Wilger, Hellen Elfering, Debbie Birge, Joan Rakes,

Mike & Sandi Kriha, Jim & Deb McDonnell, Joe &

Kiki Papke, Mike & Nikki Moravec, Karen Chader,

and Cindy Lambert

AHEPA We held our February AHEPA meeting and had one of our largest attendances with 21 members present to discuss our upcoming Fish Fry. We held our 1st Fish Fry on Friday, 2/12 and again we broke our first week attendance. We thank those who came down to help us with set-up, serving

& clean-up. We are expecting another Break-Out Year in both attendance & dollars. Since this is a community event which is supported by the AHEPA, we welcome one & all to help us make this a Premium Fund Raiser for All Holy Spirit. For those of you who have the time, we need help at 2:30 for set-up, at 4:00 for serving/clean tables and at 7:00 for end of night clean-up. Thank you in advance for your support.

Trey & Tammy Honke

Steve & Mariana Hurst

Jeff Johannesmeyer

Knox & Anastasia Jones

Adam & Sandy Karavas

Andy & Debbie Karavas

Bob & Maria Knowles

Vivian Kokkalas

Paul & Annie Kosel

Christopher & Emily Krampe

Mike & Sandi Kriha

Harry & Dee Lahs

Bill & Cindy Lambert

Robert & Maria Laws

Ted & Helen Lazanas

Jim & Deb McDonnell

Michael McDonnell

Jon & Liz Mehuron

Cindy Miller

Mary Mitchell

Mike & Nikki Moravec

Spiro & Mary Moustakes

Ashley Olson

Linda Olson

Mike & Gail Osberg

Joe & Kiki Papke

John & Laura Pavalis

Nick & Aphrodite Petrihos

Helen Petrow

Nick & Shelly Petrow

Nicole Petrow

Sophia Petrow

Theodora Petrow

George & Jody Poullos

George Poulos

George Pserros

David & Lisa Rakes

March 2016 3

2016 Stewardship List

Evan Argyrakis

Alexandra Bakke

Chris & Carole Bakke

Nicholas Bakke

William Bakke

John & Elaine Berger

Zach & Kelli Berger

John & Debbie Birge

Justin & Nicole Birge

Effie Bitsos

Paul & Dora Bitsos

Nick Bitzes

Phil & Tammy Bitzes

Matt & Alexis Boulos

Julie Bouzis

Mike Bouzis

Angie Brown

Maria Brown

Josh & Leah Busch

Joe & Litsa Carter

Karen Chader

Tom & Brenda Denich

John & Hillary Detisch

Steve & Nikki Diamantis

Mary Dounias

David & Hellen Elfering

Katie Elfering

Sarah Elfering

Elias & Demetra Eliopoulos

Despina Foster

Jordan Fox

Jason Gill

Tammy Gill

Clark & Annie Gorder

Zach Hennings

Chris & Vika Hoegemeyer

George & Angie Rakes

Gust & Joan Rakes

Shelly Reiling

Chris & Nadine Saklar

Bill & Joanne Sgourakis

John & Michelle Sgourakis

Aaron & Litsa Shoemaker

Anna Smith

Julie Smith

Sam Tsichlis

Andy Vassios

Ted Warren

Alyssa Wilger

Andrea Wilger

Peter & Stephanie Wilger

Brian & Sheila Zachariae

Saint Gregory Palmas (March 27th, 2016)

4 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

Orthodoxy and the Civil Rights Movement

On the last Sunday in January, our youth helped us celebrate the beginning of Black History month with a presentation on

Orthodoxy and the Civil Rights Movement. Our younger youth started by singing “This Little Light of Mine” and were followed by are older youth who recited prayers of encouragement, as well as a brief recap of the legacy Martin Luther King Jr. created.

Their presentation portrayed wonderfully how the Orthodox church has always stood for the equality and justice for all.

The Presentation of Our Lord Celebration Tuesday, February 2nd was the Presentation of our Lord. Due to weather, our parish celebrated this day on Tuesday, February 9th. Several stewards came to witness the blessing

of the golden, votive candles. The participation and the outcome of this event was well

received and made for a beautiful, evening prayers. Thank you to all who made their vows to the Lord.

Remember to continue to: “Pay your vows to the Lord.”

December 2015 7 6 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church March 2016 5

[To read the complete story go to: http://www.pravoslavie.ru

and search for Ryan’s article titled "Why Orthodoxy? Conclusion”]

“Why Orthodoxy? Conclusion.”

In the Liturgy one discovers the Inner Life of the Church, for it is in the

Liturgy, beloved, treasured, and defended by Orthodox for centuries, that

the faithful so clearly manifest their abiding devotion. The Liturgy, as

something which has remained almost entirely unchanged for centuries,

whose essential form dates to over sixteen hundred years ago, is, to me,

one of the greatest gifts of Orthodoxy that I will receive when I am chris-

mated. In the Liturgy are found the best embodiments of the “living Tra-

dition” to which the faithful cleave. Metropolitan Kallistos correctly, and

with some sense of humor, observes that Orthodox are constantly talking

about Tradition. Yet what does this word really mean? Is it a kind of reac-

tionary, mechanical, static devotion to all things old? Such tradition, if

that were Orthodoxy, could only be called empty.

Of course, the word has different significance for different people. Certain

Orthodox parishes that are more ethnically-oriented (specific communi-

ties of Russians, Serbians, or Syrians, etc) may sometimes strike people

unfamiliar with them as being more mechanical in nature, cleaving to specific ritual observance rather than a

broad, more informed Tradition. If you are inclined after reading this to visit an Orthodox church, there is a

small chance that you might step into one like this, where, if you don’t immediately venerate an icon, people

might look at you as if asking, silently, “Why are you here?” Do not be afraid if this is the case; rest assured,

most parishes are not like this, and such behavior is not in the spirit of Orthodoxy.

As Metropolitan Kallistos observes, the true Orthodox Tradition is one which is far from static: the life and

light of the Church are vividly expressed in the Liturgy, a word which means “the work of the people.”

The challenge for each Orthodox person is to enter into the fullest possible awareness of how studying, hon-

oring, and above all living this Tradition will bring them to a closer communion with God, a greater sense of

self and a deeper understanding of human nature.

Bearing all this in mind as I prepare for chrismation, I am reminded of the opening words of the Magnificat:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior!

Mindful of the many preparations that lay ahead, I close with the familiar words of praise rendered by King

David in the psalm which he taught to Solomon:

Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy statutes …

-Ryan Hunter

December 2015 5 6 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

The Great Fast is coming, the Great Fast is coming! Monday, March 14th

The Great Fast Begins The season of Great Lent will soon be upon us! As Orthodox Christians, the ushering in of this

beautiful season of the Church year is a cause for much spiritual joy! While it is true that we are called

to “give up” certain things during this season, such as meat and dairy products, and unnecessary

activity, it is in reality a time where we receive much more than we give up, if we willingly embrace it.

When we fast, we lighten our bodies, so that we can pray

more attentively. When we participate in the “bright

sadness” of the Lenten services and sing the beautiful

Lenten melodies and hymns, our hearts are softened and

we experience the peace of God which passes all

understanding. When we secretly perform acts of charity

and love to “the least of the brethren...” expecting

nothing in return, we receive back in greater measure,

the rich blessings of God.

So you see, this season is designed to help restore our

spiritual balance, and improve our spiritual insight. By slowing down and embracing the change in our

lifestyle we once again discover the “things most needful” in life, that happiness is not found in the

endless pursuit of worldly possessions, fame and fortune, but in our ability to love others and to

experience the love of God.

-Very Rev. Protopresbyter Peter Paproski [To read the full article go to http://www.acrod.org/organizations/senioracry/acryn-e/onetwork-spiritual-reflections/acry-reflection-pre-lent13]

Reminder Don’t forget to pick up your

Lenten Schedules! [Visit the Parish Hot Spot]

8 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church March 2016 7

Engaging Orthodoxy Live Stream

Event! Saturday, March 5th

9:00 Saturday of Souls Divine Liturgy

followed by

10:00-12:00 Live Stream Lecture

Lecture presented by:

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware

on

Engaging Orthodoxy: The Unchanging Gospel in

an Ever-Changing Culture

Coffee & doughnuts provided in the morning!

Lunch provided in the afternoon!

Join us for this Live Stream Event!

Forgiveness Sunday:

Pre-Lenten Meal Sunday, March 13th

9:30 Divine Liturgy with the Rite of Forgiveness

and The Pascha Canon

followed by

Corned beef and Cabbage Meal

in honor of

St. Patrick of Ireland

Celebration of the Annunciation Thursday, March 24th-Friday, March 25th

Come and bring a dish!

Potluck dinner Thursday, March 24th

5:30 Evening Prayers

6:00 Lenten Potluck Dinner

7:00 Vespers

Friday, March 25th 7:00 AM Divine Liturgy

Greek Independence Celebration Sunday, March 27th 9:30 Divine Liturgy

followed by

Sunday School Performance

&

Shrimp Luncheon

Free will offering appreciated!

6 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church December 2015 7 8 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

Orthodox Patriarchs Prepare for The Great and Holy Council The Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church will meet in June this

year on the island of Crete in Greece and not at the Phanar in

Constantinople as previously scheduled back in March of 2014. The

decision made at the Synaxis in Geneva last month, was dictated by the

recent Russian-Turkish crisis which basically would prevent the Moscow

Patriarch and his delegation from visiting the City.

That is also why this Synaxis of Primates was meeting in Geneva and not in

the Phanar, as originally planned.

Eleven of the fourteen Primates, with their delegations continued the work

of the Synaxis through Jan. 28th determining the themes to be discussed in June which will include the following ten topics:

1. The Orthodox Diaspora.

2. The manner in which Autocephaly is assigned.

3. The manner of the administration of Autonomy in semi-independent

Churches within the limits of Autocephalous Churches.

4. The Diptychs: the order of the Autocephalous Churches.

5. The issue of a common Calendar.

6. Canonical marriage impediments, especially in the case of Inter-

Christian marriages.

7. Fasting.

8. The relationship of the Orthodox Churches with the rest of the

Christian world.

9. Orthodoxy and the Ecumenical Movement.

10. The contribution of local Orthodox Churches in the prevalence of Christian ideals of peace, freedom,

brotherhood and love among people and removing racial and other discrimination.

Eight of the ten topics have been approved by Pre-Synodal Pan-Orthodox Conferences, while the two concerning

Autocephaly and the Diptychs have not as of yet.

In his introductory speech at the opening session of the Synaxis in Geneva, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, stressed that

“the great responsibility belongs to us now, without further delay, to convert this vision [of the Holy and Great Synod of the

Orthodox Church] into a reality.

http://myocn.net/this-week-in-orthodoxy-february-5-2016-2/

March 2016 9

Ethiopia Drought Threatens Survival Of 10 Million People Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — International Orthodox

Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding to the ur-

gent needs of families in Ethiopia suffering through

the most severe drought in 30 years. More than 10

million people face severe hunger and loss of

livestock across the dry and barren plains of

western Ethiopia.

Tilahun, a 53-year-old cow herder, is at risk of

losing his two newborn calves and only source of

income. The cows in his small herd have stopped

giving milk due to lack of water and feed. The

father of nine children says each day becomes

more uncertain. “We’ve had drought before but we

would move our animals to graze in the

neighboring Afar region, or they came to us when they had drought. This year both regions are affected and the drought is

affecting both people and animals, which makes it difficult,” said Tilahun.

IOCC, an ACT Alliance member, is working with church partner, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter

Church Aid Commission, to install five large capacity water tanks in the country’s hard hit North Shewa Zone of the Amhara

region. IOCC is also providing water needed for livestock in remote, drought-hit communities where little emergency relief

assistance is currently available.

The arrival of water is desperately needed to spare the small herd of cattle owned by Shiferaw, 75. The nearest water source

in the region is a six-hour round trip walk from his home. “I don’t remember this kind of drought in my living memory,” he

recalled. “Due to the long distance to the river, our animals are able to reach water only once every three days.” The poor

harvest of teff, a nutritious staple grain in the Ethiopian diet, has also severely cut Shiferaw’s income and a valuable source of

food for his wife and three children. He had to sell one of his seven cows to buy food for his family.

The lack of rain during the country’s short but critical rainy season has led to a severe shortage of water, and caused wide-

spread crop failure and the death of over 400,000 livestock – a stark reminder of how fragile the food supply can become

when growing conditions are severely impacted.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can help the victims of poverty and conflicts around the

world, like those suffering from drought in Ethiopia, by making a

financial gift to the International Emergency Response

Fund which will provide immediate relief, as well as long-term

support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery

assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a

gift, please visit iocc.org or call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC

(4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O.

Box 17398, Baltimore, MD 21297.

http://myocn.net/ethiopia-drought-threatens-survival-of-10-million-

people/

10 All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church

JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL

FRIDAY FISH FRY FEBRUARY 12 THRU MARCH 25

4:30-8:00 PM

This is a good time to invite your friends and neighbors to join you and learn about

our Orthodox Faith.

Have them join you for the Fish Fry and 7:00 PM Vesper Services

ICON FLOWERS NEEDED!

Flowers needed for

The Annunciation

Contact Nikki Moravec

(614) 563-7777

Get Involved Are you interested in baking prosphora? Do you want to provide food and coffee

for our Fellowship Hour? Would you like to beautify the altar with flowers?

Get involved today! Sign up sheets are located in the Fellowship Hall.

Sunday of Orthodoxy (March 20th, 2016)

Get more Orthodox News with SparkOCN [Available on the Apple App Store]

USHER SCHEDULE If you are unable to usher on your assigned Sunday please find a replacement within your group.

March 3/6 Mike & Nikki Moravec,

John & Cathy Treantos

3/13 Brian & Sheila Zachariae, Mike Kriha, & Jeff Johannesmeyer

3/20 Jason Gill, Mike Bouzis, John Birge, & Bob Knowles

3/27 George Poullos, Paul Bitsos,

John Sgourakis, & Paul Kosel

March 2016 11

April 4/3 Bill & Cindy Lambert,

Dora Bitsos, & Sandi Kriha

4/10 John & Elaine Berger,

Chris Hoegemeyer, & Bill Lewis

4/17 Mike & Niki Moravec, Andy Karavas, & Joe Papke

4/24 Brian & Sheila Zachariae,

John & Laura Pavalis

◄ February March 2016 April ►

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

2

3

4 4:30 PM Fish Fry 7:00 PM Vespers

5 9:00 Divine Liturgy 10:00-12:00 All Souls—Live Stream Event

6 8:45 Matins 9:30 Divine Liturgy

7 7:00 PM Choir

8

9

10

11 4:30 Fish Fry 7:00 PM Vespers

12 9:30 AM All Souls

13 FORGIVENESS

SUNDAY 8:45 Matins 9:30 Divine Liturgy

14 ~GREAT FAST

BEGINS~ 6:00 PM Parish Council 7:00 PM Great Canon

15 7:00 PM Great Canon

16 6:00 PM Presanctified Liturgy

17 7:00 PM Great Canon

18 4:30 Fish Fry 7:00 PM Salutations

19

20 SUNDAY OF

ORTHODOXY 8:45 Matins 9:30 Divine Liturgy 6:30 PM Vespers @ St. Mary’s

21 7:00 PM Great Compline 8:00 PM Chior

22

23 6:00 PM Presanctified Liturgy

24 ANNUNCIATION 5:30 9th Hour 6:00 Pot Luck 7:00 Vespers

25 ANNUNCIATION 7:00 AM Divine Liturgy 4:30 Fish Fry

26

27 ST.

GREGORY PALAMAS 8:45 Matins 9:30 Divine Liturgy

28 7:00 PM Great Compline

29

30 6:30 PM Presanctified Liturgy @ St. Johns

31

Notes:

All Holy Spirit Greek

Orthodox Church 9012 “Q” Street

Omaha, NE 68127-3549 (402) 934-3688 office www.allholyspirit.com

NON-PROFIT

organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 1830

Omaha, NE

“How to Become an Orthodox

Christian”……...……………….….1

Parish News.………….……..2-4

My Life in Christ………………...5

Upcoming News.. ………...……….6-7

Our Archdiocese. ….….…………….8

Pan-Orthodox News…….... ………….......9

Parish Involvement…………………..10

March Calendar…… ……...….......11