Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Our Annual Stewardship Campaign has begun. The Finance Committee needs your 2027 Budge Pledge information to be entered into REALM by Saturday, October 31. You can find all the necessary information on Discord. Ray W. is available if you have any questions or if you need any assistance with REALM.
This week, our clergy and staff will be on retreat from Tuesday, October 13-Friday, October 16. However, we won’t be far away, so if an emergency arises, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Fasting Days
Wednesday, October 14, Friday, October 16
Daily Services
Monday, October 12 Orthros 4am; Vespers 5pm (there will not be any daily services the rest of the week; in general, if you plan on attending one of the daily services, it’s a good idea to check with Father Aidan the day before to make sure the schedule has not changed).
Today, October 11 The Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
The Bible Study, The Old Testament Edition 1pm
Tuesday, October 13
Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, October 14
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Saturday, October 17
4pm St Thomas School
5:45pm Great Vespers
Sunday, October 18 Third Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 1pm
Coming Up
Dr. Mengyu H. continues to lead this year’s Fall Theological Seminar. The group is discussing the now-classic text Norms and Nobility by David Hicks, and an outline of the book and Mengyu’s notes have now been posted on Discord. But if you are involved in Classical Education, then you have probably heard of the book, but this is a chance to actually talk about it—and if you have pre-school age children, if you are interested in Orthodox education, or Orthodox schools, or the future of our culture and society, then you need to be in the parish house on Wednesday night (we’re no longer going to be offering a distance option for these sorts of activities). The group will begin promptly at 7pm; the seminar will run through Wednesday, November 11, and everyone is welcome.
A message from Jennifer R., our Parish Council President: In accordance with our bylaws, I am calling a special meeting of the Parish Council for Tuesday, October 20, 7p.m., in place of our regular fourth-Tuesday meeting on October 27. Father and I both have scheduling conflicts on October 27. The purpose of this special meeting is to conduct the regular October business of the Parish Council. Time and place will follow our usual Council meeting arrangements. The agenda will be sent one week beforehand. I also want to give early notice that, to avoid Thanksgiving week, I am calling a special meeting for Tuesday, November 17, 7p.m., in place of our regular fourth-Tuesday meeting on November 24. The purpose of this special meeting is to conduct the regular November business of the Parish Council. Time and place will follow our usual Council meeting arrangements. The agenda will be sent one week beforehand. Also in accordance with our bylaws, these changes will be announced to the Parish via the weekly newsletter and the online calendar.
The Youth Advisors are excited to announce St. John’s first annual Trunk-or-Treat! Join us on October 31st at 6:00 PM, beginning with Vespers and continuing outside with an evening of games, treats, and fun for the whole parish. We’re looking for families to decorate their trunks and provide treats, as well as volunteers to help with games, snacks, drinks, and cleanup. There are lots of ways to participate, and we’d love for everyone to help make this an exciting event for our parish! Please see the signup in the email version of the newsletter for all the details and to choose how you’d like to help. If you have any questions, please reach out to any of the Youth Advisers in the Discord channel, #three-holy-youths.
If you haven’t seen the video of the new temple, it is streaming on Substack. Please check it out and share it with lots of folks. If you have questions about anything you say, just about all of those will be addressed on the Substack in the weeks ahead, so tune in often.
Working on the Building
If you want us to get into that new temple as soon as possible, there are four things you can do this week:
Join us in offering The Akathist for a New Temple each week. Copies are available in the bookstore and online; a recording is available on Discord, and there is a group that meets on Discord each Friday at noon to offer the service.
Join us for the 6am Wednesday Morning Divine Liturgy and reverence the reliquary of St Eanswthe.
Check to make sure that you’re current on your Three Year Commitment to our Building Program. If you have not make a commitment to our Temple Fund, please check with our Finance Guy, Ray W.; he’ll get you set up.
Take out a (totally free) subscription to our Substack, Come See Something Beautiful, read through Father Deacon’s Seraphim’s instructional slides that are attached to this newsletter, and like/comment on/restack/forward each of the three weekly posts.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
As we enter, once again, 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.