WISDOM OF THE SAINTS Do you ask why God was born among men? Here is the reason for God’s presence among men. Our nature was sick and needed a doctor. Man had fallen and needed someone to raise him up. He who had ceased to participate in the good needed someone to bring him back to it. He who was shut in darkness needed the presence of life. The prisoner was looking for someone to ransom him, the captive for someone to take his part. He who was under the yoke of slavery was looking for someone to set him free. Were these trifling and unworthy reasons to impel God to come down to visit human nature…? - St. Gregory of Nyssa Apolytikion: Against all hope, the bonds of barrenness are loosed today. For, God has hearkened unto Joachim and Anna clearly promising that they would bear a godly maiden. He who commanded the angel to cry out to her, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," will be born of her, the infinite One Himself, becoming man. Kontakion: Today the world rejoices in the conception of Anna, wrought by God. For she bore the One who beyond comprehension conceived the Logos. According to the ancient tradition of the Church, since Saint Anna, the Ancestor of God, was barren she and her husband Joachim remained without children until old age. Therefore, sorrowing over their childlessness, they besought God with a promise that, if He were to grant them the fruit of the womb, they would offer their offspring to Him as a gift. And God, hearkening to their supplication, informed them through an Angel concerning the birth of the Virgin. And thus, through God's promise, Anna conceived according to the laws of nature, and was deemed worthy to become the mother Conception by St. Anna of the Theotokos Dec. 9 of the Mother of our Lord. Reading courtesy of Narthex Press Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press Volume 9, Issue 11 December 2009 Presidents Message Parish Council Care Committee Women’s Book Group History Book Savings 2 Christmas Needs Christmas Caroling Waterville Liturgy Book Store Christmas Coffee Hour Needs Spare Tire Summer Request 3 Ta Nea We Give Thanks OCMC 4 Stewardship Report Financials 5 Bible Readings Our Prayers Memorial Recent Christmation Recent Baptism Coffee Hours 6 December Calendar 7 Dedication Altar Angels Patrons 8 Inside this issue: The Messenger ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Editor: Cathy Speronis
Transcript
WISDOM OF THE SAINTS
Do you ask why God was born among men? Here is the reason for God’s presence among men. Our nature was sick and needed a doctor. Man had fallen and needed someone to raise him up. He who had ceased to participate in the good needed someone to bring him back to it. He who was shut in darkness needed the presence of life. The prisoner was looking for someone to ransom him, the captive for someone to take his part. He who was under the yoke of slavery was looking for someone to set him free. Were these trifling and unworthy reasons to impel God to come down to visit human nature…?
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
Apolytikion: Against all hope, the bonds of
barrenness are loosed today. For, God has
hearkened unto Joachim and Anna clearly
promising that they would bear a godly maiden.
He who commanded the angel to cry out to her,
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," will
be born of her, the infinite One Himself,
becoming man.
Kontakion: Today the world rejoices in the
conception of Anna, wrought by God. For she
bore the One who beyond comprehension
conceived the Logos.
According to the ancient tradition of the
Church, since Saint Anna, the Ancestor of God,
was barren she and her husband Joachim
remained without children until old age.
Therefore, sorrowing over their childlessness,
they besought God with a promise that, if He
were to grant them the fruit of the womb, they
would offer their offspring to Him as a gift. And
God, hearkening to their supplication, informed
them through an Angel concerning the birth of
the Virgin. And thus, through God's promise,
Anna conceived according to the laws of nature,
and was deemed worthy to become the mother
Conception by St. Anna of the Theotokos Dec. 9
of the Mother of our
Lord.
Reading courtesy of
Narthex Press
Apolytikion courtesy of
Narthex Press
Kontakion courtesy of
Narthex Press
Volume 9, Issue 11 December 2009
Presidents Message
Parish Council
Care Committee
Women’s Book Group
History Book Savings
2
Christmas Needs
Christmas Caroling
Waterville Liturgy
Book Store Christmas
Coffee Hour Needs
Spare Tire
Summer Request
3
Ta Nea
We Give Thanks
OCMC
4
Stewardship Report
Financials
5
Bible Readings
Our Prayers
Memorial
Recent Christmation
Recent Baptism
Coffee Hours
6
December Calendar 7
Dedication
Altar Angels
Patrons
8
Inside this issue:
The Messenger
ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
Editor: Cathy Speronis
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
UNDERWRITING
THE MESSENGER
We invite parishioners to help subsidize
our newsletter. You can support
publication of The Messenger in the
following ways:
Sponsor the Monthly Dedication
Page @ $75.00 per month.
Become a Messenger Patron
@ $50.00 for the year.
Your support is greatly appreciated!
MEMBERS OF THE PARISH COUNCIL 2009
Lee Speronis, President………………………...942-7822
Susan Jonason, Vice-President………………...945-2964
Kathy Fitzpatrick , Secretary…..……………...942-7532
Ambrose Smitherman, Treasurer……….…….866-7717
George Leakos……………………………...…..989-2166
George Brountas………………………………..989-4987
Kevin Cox……………………………………….667-6257
Christopher Limberis…………………………..942-9243
Jack Montgomery………………………………945-6022
Women’s Orthodox
Book Group
The Women’s Book Group is taking a
break during the month of December.
The next meeting will be towards the end
of January. We continue to read
The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos
Markides. We will be discussing
chapters 10 - 13 at the January meeting.
Please contact Marina Smitherman
(866-7717) or Presvytera Lisa
(947-4709) if you are interested
in taking part in the group.
All ladies are welcome!
Dear Fellow Members of The Saint George Family,
In this time of holiday spirit I wish to take a moment to thank all of
you in the Saint George family for the incredible year of warmth
that you have given to myself and my family.
Last weekend our children with the guidance of our remarkable and
dedicated Sunday school staff performed two acts of charity by
delivering food to the needy at Manna Ministries and by spreading
cheer to some of our elderly friends at Ross Manor nursing home.
To witness our children performing outreach activities for Saint
George is truly inspiring. It is a joy to see them carrying on the
traditions of Saint George in the light of Christ.
Thank you to all who attended the General Assembly on November
29th. We had a large turnout and were able to get a lot of input
from our community members. This input is important as it helps
us to unify our community and guides us in our decisions.
May you all enjoy the blessings and spirit of a wonderful
Christmas as you celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior.
In the Love of Christ,
Lee Speronis
President, Parish Council
PAGE 2 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11 PAGE 2 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11
ST. GEORGE “CARE COMMITTEE” ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MEMBERS
What a wonderful way to be involved in our St. George community while helping others!
The next Care Committee meeting is to be announced. For more information or if you know of a need the Committee
could meet, please contact Presvytera Lisa (947-4709)
A Christmas Offering Envelope is attached to this month's Messenger in hopes that you will bring it to
church, or drop it in the mail, if you find you are unable to attend services. It is our fervent hope that you will
take this opportunity to honor our Lord at His Nativity, along with helping His church.
Also, please consider sending your Christmas card to adorn the Christmas Card Tree in the narthex. It is
always lovely to see all the beautiful cards with church-family greetings displayed. Any accompanying
donations will go into the Christmas Card Tree Fund.
In addition, we invite parishioners to donate one or more Poinsettias to decorate the church. If you wish your
flowers to be in memory of a loved one, please leave a message in the church office.
Christmas Caroling - December 17th
Church Christmas caroling is planned once again to our parishioners in local nursing homes. Everyone is welcome to join in! On Thursday evening, December 17th, meet at 6 pm in the lobby of the Maine Veterans Home off Hogan Road. After caroling there, we plan to go to Ross Manor on Broadway, and then finish off the evening with desserts at Captain Nick's Restaurant. Please RSVP interest to Presvytera Lisa (947-4709).
Waterville Liturgy Fr. Adam will celebrate Divine Liturgy for parishioners in the Waterville-area on Saturday, December 19th, at
the Church of the Sacred Heart on Pleasant Street in Waterville. This Liturgy will be at 10 am in the chapel
next to the main sanctuary. Enter by the parking-lot doors and go up one flight of stairs. Everyone is welcome!
Coffee Hour Needs
Thanks to everyone for the great response of food donations for the Church-sponsored coffee hours!
Current needs for the Nativity Lenten period include canned tuna, chips, bread, cookies, and juice.
Church Bookstore Offers Christmas Items
Please take a moment at church to check out the new offerings in the church bookstore in the narthex. There are Orthodox Christmas cards, plus beautiful icons and books.
Offer of New Spare Tire to Benefit Church
Medea Gurtskaia, before leaving for Nebraska, donated a brand new spare tire to the church for the church's
benefit. The tire is a Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring steel-belted radial (P205/55R16). Medea is hoping for a do-
nation of $50 to the church. If you are interested in the tire, please contact Presvytera Lisa (947-4709).
Seeking Vacation Rental A past parishioner who now lives in Massachusetts would love to rent a cottage in Maine, some place on the
water, for the summer. Please let Presvytera Lisa know of any possibilities (947-4709).
PAGE 4 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11 PAGE 4 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11
All news is welcome! If you have anything you would like to share you can call me at my number above. If I’m not in, please leave me a message. You can also email me at [email protected]. Continued prayers to those in need. May you all have a Blessed Nativity. In love and faith, Cathy
TA NEA (The News)
By Cathy Speronis 118 Poplar Street Bangor, ME 04401 (942-7822)
The Sunday School children had a charitable outing delivering food to Manna Ministries and Thanksgiving cards to
Ross Manor on Sunday, November 22nd. While at Manna, they were filmed by the WABI news crew and had an
appearance on the Channel 5 news.
Congratulations to Susan Jonason for being one of the City of Bangor's 34 recipients of the Paul Bunyan
Citizenship Award! The awards are part of the city's 175th anniversary-year celebration.
Maxim Bergfeld Davis recently appeared in the delightful Orono High School production of Rodgers and
Hammerstein's Cinderella. Max was the Prince and did a great job! Congratulations to him and to his mom, Cate!
Susan Jonason, Christopher & Eugenia Luck and Cathy & Elena Speronis attended the Bangor
Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Fall Concert on November 22nd at the University of Maine. Among the talented
musicians were Isabelle Jonason on viola, Madison Luck on cello, and Samantha Luck on piccolo and vocals -
Congratulations to them on an outstanding performance! It was a wonderful concert and reminds us of how
exceptionally talented our children are.
Congratulation to Sharon Cyr on her recent Christmation. Na Sas Zisi!
Congratulations to Lee Speronis for receiving his certification as a Hospitality Educator from the American Hotel and
Lodging Association and also for the 300% increased enrollment in the Hospitality Management Program at Husson
University.
For gift ideas watch Cookin’ with Cathy on December 10th - WABI morning news 6 am.
Christmas Wreaths from Maine - made by the Millay Family in Surry. Please see flyers in Narthex.
Rachmaninoff Vespers - Martin Lescault, tenor soloist Friday, December 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm - Second Congregational Church, 252 Main Street, Warren
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 2:30 pm - First Congregational Church, 55 Elm Street, Camden
Admission $15; under 18 admitted free Purchase tickets at the door or online at www.downeastsingers.org
PAGE 4 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11 PAGE 4 THE MESSENGER VOLUME 9, I SSUE 11
OCMC Missions
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center has announced its 2010 Mission Teams. Opportunities are offered for both
summer and fall mission trips to Alaska, Albania, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Romania, South Africa, South
Korea, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. A new program is now also being offered for family participation on the
teams. For all the information, please see Fr. Adam, or contact OCMC at 877-GO FORTH, or visit their website
at http://teams.ocmc.org.
We Give Thanks
To the Flanzala Family for offering their delicious "Farm Fresh" eggs from their happy chickens for sale to benefit the
church.
To recent prosforo bakers Vasiliki Panakis and Kyvele St. Peter.
To Augie DeSiervo for always doing a fantastic job of cleaning the church.
To Medea Gurtskaia for her gift of the lovely plant that now adorns the icon of St. George. It was a favorite of hers,
and she left it as a remembrance and as a thank you to everyone at St. George for making her feel so welcome and at
home here. She has recently moved to Nebraska to be with her son. We will miss her and wish her all the best!
To Maria Brountas for offering the kollyva for her mother’s memorial.
