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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2020-02-16
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Prodson
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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






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

Prodson
February 16

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Through the parable of today's Gospel, our Saviour has set forth three things for us: the condition of the sinner, the rule of repentance, and the greatness of God's compassion. The divine Fathers have put this reading the week after the parable of the Publican and Pharisee so that, seeing in the person of the Prodigal Son our own wretched condition -- inasmuch as we are sunken in sin, far from God and His Mysteries -- we might at last come to our senses and make haste to return to Him by repentance during these holy days of the Fast.

Furthermore, those who have wrought many great iniquities, and have persisted in them for a long time, oftentimes fall into despair, thinking that there can no longer be any forgiveness for them; and so being without hope, they fall every day into the same and even worse iniquities. Therefore, the divine Fathers, that they might root out the passion of despair from the hearts of such people, and rouse them to the deeds of virtue, have set the present parable at the forecourts of the Fast, to show them the surpassing goodness of God's compassion, and to teach them that there is no sin -- no matter how great it may be -- that can overcome at any time His love for man.


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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.

Apolytikion for St. Anna (Dec. 9) in the Fourth Mode

Today the bonds of childlessness are loosed; for God hearkened to Joachim and Anna. And though it was beyond hope, He clearly promised them that they should bear a divine child, from whom was born the Uncircumscribable One Himself Who became a mortal, and through an Angel commanded them to cry unto her: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

Seasonal Kontakion in the Third Mode

O Father, foolishly I ran away from Your glory, and in sin, squandered the riches You gave me. Wherefore, I cry out to You with the voice of the Prodigal, "I have sinned before You Compassionate Father. Receive me in repentance and take me as one of Your hired servants."
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Second Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 6:12-20.

Brethren, "all things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" -- and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belong to God.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Prodigal Son
The Reading is from Luke 15:11-32

The Lord said this parable: "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"


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Wisdom of the Fathers

But if he had despaired of his life, and, ... had remained in the foreign land, he would not have obtained what he did obtain, but would have been consumed with hunger, and so have undergone the most pitiable death: ...
St. John Chrysostom
AN EXHORTATION TO THEODORE AFTER HIS FALL, 4th Century

... but since he repented, and did not despair, he was restored, even after such great corruption, to the same splendour as before, and was arrayed in the most beautiful robe, and enjoyed greater honours than his brother who had not fallen.
St. John Chrysostom
AN EXHORTATION TO THEODORE AFTER HIS FALL, 4th Century

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Ministry News

Agia_anna

TODAY Fr. A will hold a Teaching Liturgy. He will stop at various times during the Liturgy to explain the symbolism and meaning.  These explanations will take the place of the children’s sermon. Sunday School is in session today as usual.   

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Coutsouridis family.

 

Church Calendar:

Saturdays, February 22, February 29, March 7 – Saturday of Souls  - 9 am  

Monday, March 2: Kathara Deuftera (Clean Monday)- 5:30 pm

Last call for House Blessings!  Please contact Fr. A to make an appointment.

 

 The Apokriatiko Glendi is on!!

Join us for our “Mardi Gras” celebration on February 22 from 7-11 pm at the Mountain View Chalet. Tickets are still available!  $75 pp, $40 for children 12 & under. 

If you are not able to join us on February 22, you can still contribute towards the success of the event by making a monetary donation to defray costs or by sponsoring a tricky tray basket. We are accepting baskets with a retail value of $30-50 which will be awarded at the Glendi. Examples of basket themes include: Movie Night, Coffee Time, Chocolate, Pets, Toys, Beach Time, Skin Care, Wine, etc. Sign up during Fellowship Hour. Contact Arge Mardakis with any questions:  mardakis@co.somerset.nj.us

 

Education:  Sunday School: Today is the Teaching Liturgy.  

During the month of February, Sunday school students are invited to make cards for patients of Hunterdon medical center. Just a few words of encouragement is all that is needed. These cards can be made at home or in class. Parents are invited to join in as well and brighten a patient’s day.  They will be collected by the end of February.

Sunday School Teachers Meeting:  There will be a Sunday School Teachers Meeting on February 23  @ 11:45 am in one of the classrooms

St. Anna Oratorical Festival Save the Date:  Sunday, March 29.  Topics are available online at https://www.goarch.org/oratorical   

St. Anna Scholarships:  Application forms for the 2020 St. Anna Scholarships can be found on the Church web page.  

2019 Statements:  Most 2019 statements were handed out in church or  mailed out during the week, but there were a handful that had to be re-worked and should be available on Sunday in Church or, if not picked up, will be mailed out next week.  For any questions with the statements, contact the treasurers at treasurer@stannagoc.org.

Teen Safety Night, Friday, March 29: 8 to 9:30 pm (immediately after Salutations Service)

Prevention Resources is returning to our Church as we host our 2nd Teen Safety Night! All youth from Grades 6 to 12 are invited (and college-aged young adults too) as we once again learn by way of a Kahoot game (with lots of tech prizes to be won).  Drug misuse and suicide prevention will be included in the discussion with Lesley Gabel, who led a most interactive and educational Teen Safety Night last year. Again, we ask you to invite your friends to join us.  Just RSVP to Fr. A with a list of friends and their grades so we can plan.

www.njprevent.com.  Dedicated to Promoting Health and Wellness and Preventing Substance Abuse and Violence in our Community.

Hunterdon Happening

Voting for the Hunterdon Happening List Best Foodie Event is now open. We need to reclaim our title ans we are currently a distant second place.  Please vote and share! The time is now

http://hunterdon.happeningmag.com/happeninglist/2020-everything-hunterdon-foodie-event/  PC Corner

Please mark your calendars for this year’s events:  

February 22 - Glendi.  See note above

March 22     - Spring General Assembly

April 12       - Palm Sunday Fish Lunch

April 24       - Trivia night 

September 11-13 OPA

Nov 1         - Fall General Assembly

October 23  - Trivia night

November 14-15 - Eat & Shop

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Bulletin Inserts

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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. 

2020 Stewardship Status: We have 55 Pledges totaling $95,600 for an average of $1,738 and $39,830 received to date.  We also have 4 families who have contributed $  990 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card.  It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward.  Current Stewardship List and other stewardship information is posted in bulletin board by water cooler.

We need everyone’s participation to exceed this year’s stewardship pledge target of $175,000.  If the remaining 117, 2019 stewards give at the same level as last year we could exceed our budget and reach a record high number of stewards.

If you have not already done so, pick up your 2020 Stewardship Cards today! 

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

 

 

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