Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming Wednesday, September 24, we will offer our first weekday Divine Liturgy. This past summer, we talked about providing this kind of service during our Next Step Building Program Presentations. The idea is to provide an alternative to the crowded atmosphere that often prevails on Sunday morning. So, Orthros will begin at 4am; Divine Liturgy will begin between 5:30am and 6am, depending on how long Orthros runs that particular morning. There will not be any sort of Fellowship Hour or coffee, since most of us will be heading out to work, but everyone is welcome to join in these Divine Services.
Fasting Days
Wednesday, September 24, and Friday, September 26
Daily Services
Monday, September 22-Friday, September 26; Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (be sure and check the schedule for the festal services; it’s always a good idea to check the day before and make sure nothing has come up to change the regular schedule). However, Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading From Object to Icon by Andrew Williams. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
In addition to the daily Synaxarion readings posted in the #synaxarion channel on Discord, the online team is now posting daily Bible Readings that will allow you to read through the Bible in a year. These readings are posted in the #bible-365 channel.
Tuesday, September 23
Parish Council 7pm
The Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, September 24
The Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Saturday, September 27
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, September 28 First Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Bible Study, New Testament Edition 1pm
Financial Update
As we predicted we would in last month’s update, we ended August with a significant deficit: over $28,000. Our annual insurance premium accounted for over $21,000 of that loss; the rest was a combination of some major plumbing work and the fees required for our clergymen to attend the annual diocesan retreat. However, thanks to your tenacity and the mercy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we still have a surplus on the year of $74,000, so we’re in good shape as we head into the final quarter of 2025--but we still need everyone to check to make sure their commitment to the parish is up to date. You can do that on Realm, or, if you need assistance with that, just ask Ray W. for some help. Also, this coming week, by watching for our Annual Stewardship Letter. You’ll get it via email, and it will let you know how you can go about making your commitment for 2026.
Coming Up
The Fall Theological Seminar continues each Wednesday night at 7pm through November 12. Dr H. is leading the discussion of David Ford’s book Women and Men in Early Christianity; the group is covering one chapter each week, and there are watch parties (they call them watch groups, but they’re actually watch parties) in Killeen and Bastrop. Of course, the coolest way to participate is to show up at the parish house, so pick up a copy of the book at Christ the Lightgiver, and get in on the fun.
Sandi A. is very close to becoming the only active, fully accredited Orthodox Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Trainer in this country. One of the things that she needs our help with is finishing up the materials for the different classrooms. So please mark your calendars and put a note in your phones and reserve, Sunday, October 26, and Sunday, December 14. On those days, Sandi will have all sorts of projects for all sorts of skill levels all laid out. We will just need to show up and go to work, so let’s help Sandi—and our parish—achieve this important goal.
Our Substack, Come See Something Beautiful, is now live, so please share it with everyone you know in as many ways as you can. Here's a link: https://comeseesomethingbeautiful.substack.com
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
After Fellowship Hour, please remember to return all your plates and coffee cups to the kitchen in the Long Hall. The folks who serve on our Fellowship Hour Teams will have a much easier day if they do not also have to try and round up each of the plates and cups that we leave out on the picnic tables or in all the different rooms of the parish house.
This Week’s Recommended Baby Name
Since we have so many babies, all of us at One Take Productions thought it would be helpful if we highlighted a saints’ name each week to help with the process of name selection. So, straight out of the Synaxarion, this week’s Certified Orthodox Baby Name is Ia.
an unworthy priest
aidan