Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Our 2024 Annual Community Meeting will be this coming Sunday, February 11. We will begin the meeting right after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy; all the information for that meeting—the agenda, the reports, the candidates for parish council—can all be found in the email edition of this newsletter.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, February 7, and Friday, February 9
Daily Services
Monday, February 5—Friday, February 9: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (please remember that if you plan on attending the in-person services, it’s always a good idea to check the day before and make sure the regular schedule will be observed). Seth Hart and friends will be at the online chanter’s stand, offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours this week: 1st hour & 3rd hour: 8:30 a.m.; 6th hour & 9th hour: 3:30 p.m.
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading “Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of St Porphyrios”. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
Also, our online team will now be reading the Daily Synaxarion on Discord. Just look for this channel: #synaxarion
Tuesday, February 6
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, February 8
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm You can access this group on Discord
Saturday, February 10
Youth Group 4pm
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, February 4
15th Sunday of St Matthew
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Annual Community Meeting Immediately following the Divine Liturgy
St Thomas School
On Saturday, February 10, DeAnne M. will be leading discussion the seventh chapter of Volume V entitled, “Divine Services from the Beginning of the Church Year”. Online access is available on Discord; like to participate online, you still need to sign-up ahead of time. Just send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by Thursday, February 8, to reserve your spot.
Nursery/Playroom Update
The nursery/playroom in The Parish House has needed some attention for quite a while, but, now, three women in our community and a lot of generous people have given it a make-over! Starting this coming weekend, there will be new furniture and new toys in that space, but we’re also going to be making sure that the room is used in a way that is appropriate. That means there will now be a lock on the door, and, while the room will be open and available for parents and pre-school children to use on Sunday morning during the Divine Services, we’re going to start closing it during Fellowship Hour. That’s because, historically, lots of unsupervised older children have ended up in that room during Fellowship Hour, and that kind of activity has made it difficult to keep the furniture and the toys in good shape. If you have questions about this new approach or if you would like more information, please check with Father Aidan.
Coming Up
Our next Safety and Security Rehearsal will be on Sunday, February 18. This rehearsal will be for a fire, so all we have to do is exit The Long Hall and The Parish House and walk to one of the Rally Signs out on the parking lots. It’s important that we don’t get in our cars and drive away, as that would obstruct any emergency vehicles and first responders trying to access our property. Also, the ushers will be counting to make sure that we all make it over to the Rally Signs, so please be patient and give them a few minutes to complete that important part of the program.
It’s time to plan for summer camp! Every year, The Order of St Ignatius generously provides each parish in the archdiocese with scholarship money. This year, the Order will give St John’s $1,000 to be divided up among no more than 10 campers, but we need to sign up for this scholarship money by March 1. So, if your child is registered for Camp St Raphael, and you would like to access some of the scholarship money, send an email to Father Aidan as soon as possible and get on the list.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
If you are the parent or grandparent of a young child, please remember that, whether you are outside or inside one of the buildings, you must be able to see that child at all times. If you need assistance with your children, please do not hesitate to ask, but it is not enough to simply assume that others in the parish will keep track of your child. Parenting styles differ, but, please remember that, when you are at church, the expectation of our community is that your child will be in your direct line of sight at all times.
an unworthy priest
aidan