Update for the week Friday, December 16, through Thursday, December 22, 2011

Update for the week Friday, December 16, through Thursday, December 22, 2011

THIS WEEKEND

 BIBLE STUDY– Fr. Antony will lead a Bible study group beginning tonight, December 15, at 7:00 pm, at the home of Arthur & Beverly Mabbett, 37 Powder House Rd. Ext, Medford (phone 781-391-6530).  If you would like to attend, please RSVP to the Church Office, 617-547-1234.

YES – YOUTH EQUIPPED TO SERVE, a program of FOCUS North America, is coming to Boston Friday through Sunday, December 16-18.  Twenty-five young people from around the country will be converging on St. Mary's for a YES mission in Boston.  They will be joining us for Lessons and Carols and the potluck.

LESSONS AND CAROLS with POTLUCK - The Fellowship of St. John the Divine cordially invites you to Western Rite Evensong with Lessons and Carols - a service of prayers, scripture readings and Christmas Carols - on Saturday,  December 17, 2011, at 5:00 pm.  The service will be followed by a festive Lenten Pot Luck Supper, with guests – see YES, above – so please bring generous quantities.  People whose last name begins with A – P please bring a Main Dish or Salad; people whose last name begin with Q – Z  please bring Dessert. Drinks will be provided. For more information, contact Natasha Smith at 617-738-6481 or nasmith05@rcn.com.

CHURCH SCHOOL PAGEANT - Dress rehearsal will be held Saturday, December 17, at 2:30 pm for speaking parts and 3:00 pm for all others. It will end by 4:30, in time for  the Lessons and Carols and Potluck Supper.

The Pageant will be presented on Sunday, December 18, after Liturgy.

IOCC PRESENTATION – On Sunday, December 18, Louis A. Zagami, Development Officer of the International Orthodox Christian Charities, will speak to us about the IOCC’s history and programs and support.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW BISHOPS CONSECRATED -  Three new auxiliary bishops were consecrated last week, including His Grace, Bishop John, now Bishop of our Diocese. See http://www.antiochian.org for an article describing the consecration; see http://www.noursat.tv/en/vod.php to watch a video of the service.

PLEDGE YOUR  SUPPORT FOR ST. MARY- Pledge Cards have been mailed out this week.  You may make your pledge for 2012 either by returning the Pledge Card to the church or by filling out the ePledge card on our web site (www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org ) as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2012.

PLEDGE ENVELOPES - Pledge envelopes are available for pickup on the table downstairs outside the hall.  Look for your name in alphabetical order.  If you have chosen to pay periodically or through eGive, you have not been assigned a weekly envelope.

PARISH MEETING – The Annual Meeting of the Parish will be held Sunday, January 22, after Liturgy.  All members are urged to attend.

CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAKFAST– Join the FSJD for the 2012 Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast, to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China (OFASC), on Sunday, January 29, 2012.  Suggested minimum donation is $5.00 per adult.  RSVP to Nelson Mitrophan Chin at mitrophan@orthodox.cnor sign up on the sheet at the Bengarri by Wednesday, January 25.

REMINDERS

COFFEE HOUR SIGNUP – A new signup sheet for coffee hours has been posted on the bulletin board outside the coat room.  There are plenty of dates to choose from – sign up now for the date you will sponsor the coffee hour!

FOOD DRIVE  – The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE Canned Food Drive runs from October through December, 2011. Bring in your canned goods to the Church and place them in the large, blue plastic containers outside the Church Office – they will be distributed to local food pantries in our area. 42 pounds of food will feed a family of four for 3 days - since 1984 we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food!

BYZANTINE CHRISTMAS CONCERT-   A Byzantine Christmas Celebration, a concert of Byzantine chants and Greek carols, will be held at 8:00 pm next Thursday, December 22, at First Church Cambridge. See http://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/pages/about/directionsfor directions. To purchase tickets contact the Greek Institute, 617-547-4770 or e-mail greekinst@verizon.net. Cost: $20 at the door, $7 student rush and $15 in advance.

HIERARCHICAL DIVINE LITURGY WITH OUR NEW BISHOP – Everyone is invited to St. George Cathedral, Worcester on Thursday, January 5 at 6:00 pm to celebrate the Feast of Holy Theophany with the Blessing of the Waters  (Orthros: 4:45 pm) with His Grace, Bishop John.  A Welcoming Reception will follow, with food and refreshments.  All are welcome.  For more information, contact the Cathedral Office 508-752-9150 or e-mail StGeoWorc@aol.com. 

FELLOWSHIP OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE – Please consider joining the Fellowship!  It’s a great way to meet new people and feel like an integral part of our Parish life. We do not hold regular meetings, but we work together on a variety of projects and events. For example, after coffee hour every Sunday we all pitch in to put away tables and chairs. You can join our members’ email news list by contacting Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com.  Also, check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/FSJD1

PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – Next year’s Parish Life Conference will be held at The Cliff House, Ogunquit, Maine, June 21-24, 2012. Amazing Room Rate:  $149 (Regularly $310)  Call 207-361-1000 or visit their website www.CliffHouseMaine.com/attendees  User Name:  PARISH  Password: pa986B

REGULAR REMINDERS

STREAMING VIDEO – St. Mary’s Church services are broadcast live each week through an internet video stream.  If you can't attend a service in person or want to share this ministry with a friend or loved one, the live stream can be viewed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live  during regularly scheduled service times (see the schedule of services below or online).  If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.

DONATE VIA eGIVE– Did you know that you can make your donations to St. Mary through eGive, and have no more envelopes or checks to worry about?   If you have not yet set up an account, you can do it at www.egive-usa.com, or contact Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu) for help. The Recipient Organization is “St. Mary’s Orthodox Church.”

PROTECT YOUR VALUABLES – Please do not leave valuables unattended in the Church Hall or Coat Room.

FIRST IN, LAST OUT – Please do not park in the small lot behind the church unless you intend to stay through the end of coffee hour. The only way out is the single lane driveway.  Please pull all the way in to the parking space, and please do notblock the driveway – if the lot is full, you can park on the street or in the lot at the corner of Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE

There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers and those in need.  Consider serving in one of these ways:

BE A GREETER - The Parish Council is continuing the Greeter Program, similar to other churches, to greet and aid parishioners, guests and visitors into the Church each Sunday.  As a Greeter, you will welcome people into the Church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, as well as keeping an eye on the Vestibule, hallways and entrance ways during church, arriving at Church at 9:45 am.  Greeting time ends when Communion starts.  We need volunteers.  If you would like to be a Greeter, a Sign-Up Sheet is posted on the Church Bulletin Board.  If you have any questions, please contact Buddy by e-mail buddy@cjmabardy.comor call him at 781-729-6303. “I was a stranger, and you invited me in………”   (Matthew 25:35)

LITURGICAL SERVICE - Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths and Holy Bread Baskets.  All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle  and six people to hold cloths and baskets.  If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org. 

COFFEE HOUR – People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Marilyn Robbat in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.orgor 617-547-1234.

PRISON MINISTRY – If you would like to find out more about Prison Ministry at St. Mary’s Church, please subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord

"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.

THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS

GREETERS:  Doug Shoop

LITURGICAL SERVICE:  Bob Kowalik, Demetrios Antos, and others to be determined.

COFFEE HOUR:  Church School Parents

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, December 17:  Western Rite Evensong with Lessons and Carols 5:00 pm, followed by Potluck Supper

Sunday, December 18, the “Sunday of Genealogy”:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School Pageant

SCRIPTURE READINGS for December 18:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-1, 17-23, 32-40
Brethren, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell …    And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Gospel: Matthew 1:1-25
The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. … Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Wednesday, December 21: Paraklesis service 6:30 pm

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday, December 23:  Royal Hours for the Nativity 9:00 am

Saturday, December 24:  Orthros 5:30 pm;  Liturgy of St. Basil for the Nativity  7:00 pm

Sunday, December 25,  Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, Christmas Day: No Services

Sunday, January 1, 2012:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; No Church School

Sunday, January 22:  Annual Parish Meeting

INSIGHT

Thou hast visited [humanity] in many ways, in the loving-kindness of thy heart: thou hast sent the prophets, thou hast worked mighty wonders through the saints who, from generation to generation, were close to thee. … Thou hast given us the help of the Law. Thou has charged angels to watch over us.  And when the fullness of time was come, thou didst speak to us by thy own Son.
   -  St. Basil Liturgy

Today the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to the Pre-Eternal Word, in a manner indescribable.  Rejoice, therefore, O Universe and Glorify with the angels and shepherds Him who chose to appear as a young child, the Pre-Eternal God.
   - Kontakion Preparatory for the Nativity

 He who sits at the right hand of the Father goes without shelter at the inn, that he may for us prepare many mansions in the house of his heavenly Father ... He was born, not in the house of his parents, but at the inn, by the wayside, because through the mystery of the Incarnation he is become the Way, by which he guides us to our home.
   - Venerable Bede

This is the reason why the Word of God was made flesh, and the Son of God became Son of Man: so that we might enter into communion with the Word of God, and by receiving adoption might become Sons of God.
   - Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies

We can see the Nativity as a secret re-creation, by which human nature was assumed and restored to its original state. … Christ reveals to us, and we see in Christ, that perfect "image of God" after which we are fashioned, and which attracts us like a magnet. It is now up to us to transform "image" into "likeness."
    - Olivier Clément