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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-02-19
Bulletin Contents
Saints and Feasts
Hymns of the Day
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Ministry News
Bulletin Inserts
Stewardship
Lastjudgement1
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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (908) 968-4004
  • Fax:
  • (908) 968-4002
  • Street Address:

  • 85 Voorhees Corner Road,

  • Flemington, NJ 08822

Contact Information

St. Anna Office staff

stannagoc@gmail.com | (908) 968-4004

Proistamenos Rev. Fr. Anastasios Kousoulas

frakousoulas@gmail.com | mobile (908) 528-1077

Services Schedule

Weekly Services

(Please note schedule subject to change.  Please call church office to confirm times.)

Sunday Services:  Orthros 8:15 am; Divine Liturgy 9:15  am.  Followed by Sunday School and Fellowship Hour in our Community Center.

Weekly Feastday / Major Saint Day Liturgies:  9 am Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy.

Past Bulletins


Saints and Feasts

Lastjudgement1
February 19

Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)

The foregoing two parables -- especially that of the Prodigal Son -- have presented to us God's extreme goodness and love for man. But lest certain persons, putting their confidence in this alone, live carelessly, squandering upon sin the time given them to work out their salvation, and death suddenly snatch them away, the most divine Fathers have appointed this day's feast commemorating Christ's impartial Second Coming, through which we bring to mind that God is not only the Friend of man, but also the most righteous Judge, Who recompenses to each according to his deeds.

It is the aim of the holy Fathers, through bringing to mind that fearful day, to rouse us from the slumber of carelessness unto the work of virtue, and to move us to love and compassion for our brethren. Besides this, even as on the coming Sunday of Cheese-fare we commemorate Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight -- which exile is the beginning of life as we know it now -- it is clear that today's is reckoned the last of all feasts, because on the last day of judgment, truly, everything of this world will come to an end.

All foods, except meat and meat products, are allowed during the week that follows this Sunday.

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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Mode

When You descended unto death, O Lord who yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the Powers of the heavens were crying out: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.

Seasonal Kontakion in the First Mode

O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened, and everything in secret will become public. At that time, deliver me from the fire which never dies, and enable me to stand by Your right hand, O Judge most just.
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 146.5;134.3.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2.

Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Gospel Reading

Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)
The Reading is from Matthew 25:31-46

The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

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Wisdom of the Fathers

He indicates the dispositions of each, calling the one kids, the other sheep, that He might indicate the unfruitfulness of the one, for no fruit will come from kids; and the great profit from the other, for indeed from sheep great is the profit, as well from the milk, as from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the kid is destitute.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily on Matt. XXV, 4th Century

For when one has pity on the poor, he lends to God; and he who gives to the least gives to God--sacrifices spiritually to God an odour of a sweet smell.
St. Cyprian of Carthage
The Lord's Prayer, 33. B#41, p.102, 3rd century

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Ministry News

Agia_anna

 TODAY there will be a 5-year Memorial Service for Eleni Sideris, beloved mother of Angela Ferreira and Fay Vespa.  May her memory be eternal.

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Ferreira and Vespa families in loving memory of Eleni Sideris.

TODAY there will be a Philoptochos General meeting following Services in one of the classrooms.  Please make every effort to attend.

 

CHURCH CALENDAR

Please don’t forget to contact Father Anastasios on his mobile phone (908) 528 – 1077 to schedule House Blessings this month.  With the start of Great Lent coming, the Church will be busy with many services as we prepare for the coming of Holy Week and Easter.  Here are the remaining days available to schedule a blessing:

Sunday, February 19                        Tuesday, February 21                        Thursday, February 22

Saturday of Souls services:  Saturdays,  February 18, February 25, March 4 at 9 am

 

Great Lent begins on Monday, February 27.  Great and Holy Pascha is on April 16.

Clean Monday services (Kathara Deutera) – Great Compline Services:  5:30 pm

            Afterwards join us for potluck Fasoulada (bean soup)

Mondays during Lent – Great Compline: 6 pm

Wednesdays during Lent -  9th Hour & Presanctified Liturgy:  6 pm

Thursdays during Lent  - Great Compline:  6 pm

Fridays during Lent - 9th Hour & Presanctified Liturgy:  9 am

                            - Salutations (Hairetismoi): 7 pm

Ministry News:

Education:  Sunday School:  Grades 7 through 12 are requested to begin preparing for the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival which has bee rescheduled for Sunday, March 26 after Church.   Teachers have provided the list of questions to the students (http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/sjcof). 

Greek School:  Reminder there will be no Greek School classes on Monday, February 19.

Philoptochos News: 

Membership renewal time - Please take the time to renew your yearly Philoptochos membership.  Membership forms were mailed out recently and you can see a Philoptochos member during Fellowship Hour for assistance.  We are seeking members to assist in the many activities we participate in throughout the year such as planning the Mardi Glendi, beautification of our Church, aid to the poor, fundraising for local and national charities and much more.

American Heart Association GO RED for Women - our Philoptochos supports this worthy effort.  Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year?  The American Heart Association is encouraging all women to schedule a visit with their doctor to learn their personal health numbers including Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Body Mass index (BMI) and assess their risk for heart disease and stroke.  Having this information can help you make health decisions which could save your life.

PC Corner: 

  • The Donor (Phase I) Recognition display effort is underway, and the committee is working towards completing the list of the names that will be included. They may contact you to confirm a few things. Please respond as soon as possible to allow the committee to finish and install the display in time for the event.
  • If you are interested in helping with the  May 7 Hall Dedication Event and Donor Recognition effort, please see Dr. John Douvris or Diana Grina.
  • We have received most of the pricing for the Iconography initiative and expect to discuss with His Eminence by mid-March for approval. We are planning to announce the details on May 7.
  • Our Stewardship is to reach 145-150 pledged Stewards this year. In 2008 we set a goal to have 150 Steward families by 2015, and last year we had 132 pledged Stewards.    If you have not submitted your 2017 pledge card please do so as soon as you can. As you know, it is important to submit and sign the pledge card every year.  If you have any questions, please see any PC member or Father Anastasios.
  • Peter Zannikos and Larry Tattoli are leading the 2017 Stewardship Drive.  They may be contacting you for assistance; please volunteer your time and skills to develop ways to reach out to new Stewards!  We are sure many of you have great ideas on how to do it!  We are also in the process of finalizing our St Anna welcoming brochure.
  • Costa Tsatsos will schedule a few clean-up and fix-up days to maintain and clean our premises. Please come for an hour or two and help with this effort. 
  • The Wine & Dine event is now confirmed for Saturday, June 3. Richard and Penelope Wolfe have graciously offered their residence in the neighboring town of Hillsborough.

Key Dates for 2017

• April 2 - Spring General Assembly

• May 7 - Hall Dedication, Donor Recognition

• June 3 - Wine –n- Dine (Date confirmed)

• September 8,9,10 - OPA Festival

• October 28 - Taverna Night

• November 5 - Fall General Assembly

GOYA:  Sights and Sounds Preview: Save the date, next Sunday February 26, following Sunday School. Come one, come all to our Sights and Sounds Preview! See what our GOYAns who participate in Greek dance, Religious and American singing groups, instrument band, have been working on! Make your reservations early with Cathy Sakellos, csakellos@comcast.net. $25 per family, $10 per adult, $5 per youth. There is no charge for all who have registered for Sights and Sounds. Tickets will also be sold at the door. We will need your help preparing for this event. Please contact Maria Tsatsos, mtsatsos@comcast.net for details as to when the cook/prepare work will begin. Thank you in advance for your help.

Fellowship Hour sponsors needed!  Please sign up outside the Church office, or contact Dr. Nikolaos Kritharis at nikolaos.kritharis.dmd@gmail.com or 201-572-3420. 

 

 

 

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Bulletin Inserts

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Stewardship

STEWARDSHIP:  Stewardship is the sharing of the talents and treasures that God has provided for us.  An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.

2017 Stewardship Status:  We have 82 Pledges totaling $139,410 for an average of $1,700 and $42,832 received to date.  We also have 6 families who have contributed $  715 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card.  It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward.

We need everyone’s participation to exceed this year’s stewardship pledge budget of $175,000. 

If you have not done so already, we ask that you prayerfully consider your stewardship commitment and submit a 2017 pledge card as soon as you can.

…Remember a rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much…

 

 

 

 

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