Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming Sunday, September 8, we will be celebrating The Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. We will follow the regular weekend schedule, but, since this feast typically falls on a weekday, this is a rare opportunity to be present for all the festal services. Let’s be sure and take full advantage of this blessing!
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, September 4, and Friday, September 6
Daily Services
Monday, September 2--Friday, September 6, Orthros 5am and Vespers, 5pm (if you wish to attend the daily services, it’s always a good idea to check the day before to make sure the services will be offered).
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now back to reading “The Ethics of Beauty” by Dr Timothy Patitsas. 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, September 3
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, September 4
The Fall Theological Seminar; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, September 5
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Saturday, September 7
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, September 8
The Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Tuesday, September 10
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, September 11
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, September 12
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
St Thomas School
On Saturday, September 7, we will we have one of our popular Practical Saturday Classes. Father Aidan will lead a discussion of what the Church teaches about godparents or sponsors—what to look for in a sponsor, how to be a sponsor, what to avoid in that relationship. The group will be talking about pretty much every facet of this topic, so if you’d like to learn more about this important subject, join us this Saturday in the common room of the parish house at 4pm.
Memorial Service
The memorial service this week was for Carol L., who departed this life 15 years ago. Many of you may recognize her name from the many books of hers that she generously donated to our church library. Please take a few minutes to read about her bumpy journey to Orthodoxy, as well as her steadfast battle with cancer in the attachment in the email version of this newsletter. May her memory be eternal.
Our Fall Theological Seminar
We kicked off our Fall Theological Seminar this past week, and we’re already having lot of fun. We’re reading a book by a Protestant pastor; the book is called Stability, and it’s available in the bookstore. But we’re not only going to be talking about the spiritual advantages—and challenges—of sticking it out in a particular community, we’re also going to be talking with folks in our parish who have done just that. Below is the schedule for the readings and the interviews, but plan now to join us in the parish house at 7pm each Wednesday evening through the start of Nativity Lent--and, while we will have an online option available for those folks who live at a distance, let’s not forget that the conversation is always richer and more meaningful if you are actually present.
Sept 4 Reading Assignment: A True Story. Guest: Pat K.
Sept 11 Reading Assignment: Introduction. Guest: Vera P.
Sept 18 Reading Assignment: Chapter 1. Stability and God. Guests: Rob and Becky T.
Sept 25 Reading Assignment: Chapter 2. Stability and Self. Guests: Matt and Valerie G.
Oct 2 Reading Assignment: Chapter 3. Stability and Relationships Guest: Rick K.
Oct 9 Reading Assignment: Chapter 4. Stability and Place. Guests: Jerry and Maggie B.
Oct 16 Reading Assignment: Chapter 5. Stability and Change. Guests: Chris and Sarah S.
Oct 23 Reading Assignment: Chapter 6. Practices of Stability. Guest: Baker G.
Oct 30 Reading Assignment: Chapter 7. Where Do We Stay From Here? p 125-134. Guest: Mary K.
Nov 6 Reading Assignment: Chapter 7. Where Do We Stay From Here? p 134-148. Guests: John and Lindsey B.
Nov 13 Conclusion: The Final Stability
Coming Up
On Saturday, September 14, we will celebrate the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. The new Episcopal Vicar for our Diocese, Father Calinic Berger will also join us for that entire weekend; he will be with us at all the Divine Services. We will keep our regular weekend schedule of Saturday evening and Sunday morning, but, for the Feast of the Elevation, we will offer Great Vespers on Friday, September 13, at 7pm , and then, on Saturday, the day of the feast, we will offer Orthros at 6am and Divine Liturgy at 8am. Father Calinic will also be meeting with the parish council on Saturday, September 14, and he will be visiting with everyone at Fellowship Hour on Sunday, September 15.
Sunday, September 29, will be the fifth Sunday in the month, and, whenever there is a fifth Sunday, we do two things: We have a potluck during Fellowship Hour, and we enjoy live music. Of course, potlucks always work better when we all actually bring food, so please plan on bringing enough for your family and some to share, and that way, we should be sure and have plenty. And, speaking of planning ahead, that Maven of All Things Musical, Rigel T., has put together a great lineup for our enjoyment. Here are the folks who will be playing on that Sunday (and, if you’d like to get into the mix, just get in touch with Rigel):
St. Kassiani String Quartet (Sara H. and friends)
Cameron C.
Anna D.
Unofficial St. John's Jam Band
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
As we enter into a particularly intense election cycle, please remember that, while we encourage and enjoy friendly and respectful discussions of political and cultural issues, our parish also has a long-standing policy against the distribution of political literature, cartoons, or paraphernalia. In addition, while we have no control—and desire no control—over the messages that people affix to their vehicles, we ask that, while you are on parish property, you refrain from wearing buttons, stickers, or clothing which promote specific candidates, parties, political organizations, or causes.
Capital Campaign Countdown Column
Whatever is obtained as a result of long and persistent prayer will remain.
-St John Climacus
The All Night Vigil was glorious, and our three year pledge portion of our capital campaign is now in full swing. If you would like to learn more about the project, please read through the FAQ that is attached to this newsletter, but, to help us prepare for this historic effort, this week’s Countdown Column comes to us from the Co-Chairs of our Capital Campaign, Rob and Becky T.:
Sacrificial Giving
Talk of money has traditionally been an awkward and uncomfortable part of Church teaching. To tithe, or not to tithe? What does sacrificial giving really mean? How do I give to the parish first, before I take care of paying my bills? These questions, among many others from our own personal situations, are all valid. What many of us are missing, though, is understanding that the way we give ultimately affects our salvation.
Some consider the talk of money as not truly “spiritual”, in comparison to things like prayer, fasting, forgiveness and obedience. But in the four Gospels, Jesus talks far more about finances than any topic other than the Kingdom of God. “In terms of the number of verses on possessions, this topic is mentioned in Scripture more than any other: three times more than love, seven times more than prayer, and eight times more than belief. About 15% of God’s word (2,172 verses) deals with possessions.” (Wesley K. Wilmer, ed., A Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards to be Rich Toward God, 26-27) Clearly, Jesus wanted us to understand that our relationship with the Holy Trinity, and ultimately our salvation, is enormously impacted by whether we approach giving as a necessity, or as an outpouring offering of love and gratitude.
His many teachings about money were soul-centric. He taught that how, and how greatly the people gave, illustrated not only their boundless love for God, but also how this kind of giving could free them from the passion of possessions. From the widow who placed all that she had in the offering bowl (considered meager by onlookers), to Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha, who spent an extravagant amount of money on rare oils to anoint the feet of Jesus (considered wasteful by Judas), He praised both the sacrifice and love of these and countless other offerings.
How seriously we take His message is something that each one of us will need to do as we think about our donation to the capital campaign.To be sure, it is a difficult teaching. But we have the promise that our reward will be great in the Kingdom of heaven if we hear His message with our hearts.
Consensus
For all the significant decisions that need to be made for the construction of a temple, it is important for the clergy and lay leadership to be transparent with parishioners about the processes used to design and implement the project, estimate its projected costs, and investigate all possible funding sources. Following that, it’s critical to achieve, to the extent possible, consensus among the parishioners regarding those decisions.
Openness and consensus building are key components of any successful decision making that affects groups of people, whether in our communities, in our families, in our jobs, and in our parishes. Plans, preparations and prayers for our new temple have been in the works for a couple of decades, involving countless discussions among the clergy, parish council, finance and building committees, the Archdiocese, the city of Cedar Park, and ultimately, our parishioners. We have prepared and exposed for comments to these various stakeholders site plans, construction budgets, and architectural and iconographic drawings. Two entire Fall Theological Seminars were dedicated to addressing both design/function concepts, and the theological/artistic vision of the completed iconography. Throughout all these presentations, parishioner feedback was sought and addressed. FAQs about the capital campaign have been regularly published in The Happy Priest, and throughout the month of August, Fr. Aidan and I have made ourselves available during Fellowship Hour to answer any questions parishioners have about the capital campaign. Becky and I have been involved in two other temple building projects; one in California and one in Ohio, and there was not even close to this level of transparency and parishioner involvement in those churches.
When our new temple is finally completed, it will be for the glory of God and for our salvation, and will have been accomplished by the entire St. John community. Fr. Aidan noted during the book study on the Akathist for a New Temple, that our building committee is truly made up of those saints who adorn our iconostasis and whose relics grace our church. So may we pray to all of them, especially our Patroness St. Eanswythe and our Patron St. John the Forerunner, that we approach this next phase with continued love and openness.
-Rob and Becky
an unworthy priest
aidan