Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast!
Tonight, at 7pm, we will offer the third Memorial Service for Zenaida Z. The funeral service will be tomorrow, Monday, September 21, at 2pm, and she will be buried that evening at Holy Archangels Monstery. Please continue to pray for Zenaida, as well as her daughter, Irina, her grandson, Demetry, and granddaughter-in-law, Iryna, and her great-grandson, Sergei.
Starting this Wednesday, September 23, we will be offering Orthros at 4am and the Divine Liturgy at 6am. We will continue that schedule (with a couple of exceptions) through Wednesday, November 11. Everyone is welcome at these services; the Reliquary of St Eanswythe will be on display, but the space is less crowded than on Sunday mornings.
Fasting Days
Wednesday, September 23, Friday, September 25
Daily Services
Monday, September 21-Friday, September 25: Orthros 4am; Vespers 5pm (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, September 20 The Sunday After the Elevation
Orthros 7:30am Between Orthros and The Divine Liturgy, we will be making a number of people catechumens
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 1pm
Final Trisagion for the Departed for Zenaida Z. 7pm
Monday, September 21
Funeral Service for Zenaida Z. 2pm
Tuesday, September 22
Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Parish Council 7pm
Wednesday, September 23
Divine Liturgy 6am
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Saturday, September 26
4pm St Thomas School
5:45pm Great Vespers
Sunday, September 27 First Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 1pm
Finance Update
Here’s how we are doing on our 2026 General Operating fund contributions which are used to pay for our ongoing daily operations.
12-months – our operating period is Jan to Dec, so we are 8 months or 67% through this year’s operating period.
$522,068 - 2026 pledged contributions to date.
$485,000 - 2026 operating budget which is 92.9% of total pledged contributions.
$303,000 - actual contributions received which is 63% of the needed operating budget.
$ 40,417 - monthly average desired contributions for budget = ($485,000 / 12)
$323,333 - to date total desired contributions for budget = ($40,417 X 8 months)
$ -20,333 - amount behind desired total contributions through August.
Here’s how we’re doing on our fundraising to build our new Temple.
36 months - our fundraising collection period is Sep 2024 to Aug 2027, we are 24 months or 67% through the period.
$1,500,000 - fundraiser goal.
$1,490,135 - total pledged contributions to date.
$ 9,865 – total additional pledges needed to reach our goal.
$1,046,651 - actual contributions received which is 70% of pledged contributions.
$ 443,484 - total contributions needed to reach the pledged amount.
$ 36,957 - average monthly contributions needed to reach the pledged amount = ($443,484 / 12 months).
Thanks to each of you for you for your continued generosity. Let’s keep the momentum going by staying current on our pledged contributions (and, if you have not made a pledge and would like to, just speak with Ray W.).
Thanks to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Coming Up
Dr. Mengyu H. is leading this year’s Fall Theological Seminar. The group is discussing the now-classic text Norms and Nobility by David Hicks. 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 this is where you need to be on Wednesday night. But you’ll need to be there in person, because we’re no longer going to be offering a distance option. The group will begin promptly at 7pm; the seminar will run through Wednesday, November 11, and everyone is welcome.
Beginning on Friday, Oct 2, the The Theology Working Group will meet in-person on the first Friday of each month at 7pm in the parish house. The group will be led by Jennifer D. and Natasha W. The group is intended for those people who are full members of the Church and who want to read and discuss different theologically related writings and how the content relates to them, to our parish, and to our society. The materials used by the group will vary in length and may include articles, single chapters from a book, or a book in its entirety. It is also important to note that these materials will not be limited to Orthodox authors/writings. Participants will be encouraged to share their honest first impressions, insights, and questions in light of real-life experiences. This group is best suited for those who are secure enough in the Faith to engage with the works of non-Orthodox authors in humility and curiosity, and so anyone who wishes to participate in the group, will first need to sit down and speak with Father Aidan.
Our final Safety and Security Rehearsal for the year will be on Sunday, October 4. This is a rehearsal for an active shooter. Practically speaking, what we do during this rehearsal is not all that different from what we do in the rehearsal for a severe weather event: we all get down on the floor for a quick ten-count, and then we walk to the rally signs at the south end of the property. However, after a quick explanation as to what is going to happen, this rehearsal begins with one of the ushers saying in a loud voice, “Gun, Gun, Gun.” That moment—and just the overall focus of the rehearsal may be too stressful for some folks, and we certainly understand that. So, if you’d like to wait outside, that’s just fine. Nevertheless, we will still ask that you walk with everyone else to the rally signs, so please be prepared to participate in that portion of the rehearsal. If you have any questions about any other aspect of the event, please speak with one our clergymen.
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 link 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 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 the email version of this newsletter, and like/comment on/restack/forward each of the three weekly posts.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
We should always remember to dress appropriately for the Divine Liturgy. It is our encounter with the Most Holy Trinity, and our clothes should reflect the importance of that encounter. If you have questions about what is or is not appropriate, you can consult the article from the archdiocese that is on our web-site. If you have specific questions that are not addressed in the article, please feel free to ask one of the clergy. However, if you see someone who is wearing something that is inappropriate, under no circumstances should you say anything to that person because only clergymen have the authority to do that.