Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast!
The St. John's Fall Festival is this coming Saturday, November 14, from 2:30 to 9:00 pm, with an arts and crafts market, a chili cook-off for the Building Fund, the Show 'n' Tell Variety Show at 4:00, Vespers at 6:00, and live music, storytelling, food and drinks after. To enter the chili cook-off, text Misty W. To share something at the Variety Show, sign up here: Show 'n' Tell Variety Show sign-up. For questions and to volunteer, contact Rigel.
Fasting Days
Wednesday, November 11, Friday, November 13
Daily Services
Monday, November 9-Friday, November 13: Orthros 4am; Vespers 5pm (in general, if you plan on attending the daily services, it’s a good idea to email Father Aidan ahead of time to make sure the schedule has not changed).
Today, Sunday, November 8 The Seventh Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 1pm
Tuesday, November 10
Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, November 11
Orthros 4am
Divine Liturgy 6am
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Saturday, November 14
4pm St Thomas School
5:45pm Great Vespers
Sunday, November 15 The Eighth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 7:30am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Coming Up
We are wrapping up our Annual Stewardship Campaign. If it slipped past you, please remember that the Finance Committee needs your 2027 Budget Pledge information to be entered into REALM as soon as possible. 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.
The Nativity Fast begins on Sunday, November 15, and runs through Thursday, December 24. During this first part of the Fast, November 15- December 20, we observe the normal fasting discipline (no meat, dairy products, fish with backbones, oil, wine, or hard liquor) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is a blessing for oil and wine on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a blessing for fish, oil, and wine on Saturdays and Sunday. Many American Orthodox Christians will also request a blessing to break the fast on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. During the second period of the Fast, December 20-24, we observe the normal fasting discipline, no matter the day of the week. If you need to modify the fast in any way, please visit with one of our priests as soon as possible, so you will be prepared to make the most of the fasting season.
The Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple falls on Saturday, November 21. We will offer Great Vespers at 7pm on Friday, November 20, and, on the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 6am and Divine Liturgy at 8am. Please plan on joining us for this lovely feast during this lovely season.
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 Eanswythe.
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
Let’s be sure and leave the chairs and the benches for folks who are older and for folks who have physical limitations. Children and young people should always sit on the floor or stand. We never know who is going to come through the door of the nave, so even if it appears that there are vacant chairs or benches, children and young people should remain sitting on the floor or standing.