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St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2020-03-01
Bulletin Contents
Eden
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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

Eden
March 01

Forgiveness Sunday

The Holy Fathers have appointed the commemoration of Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight here, on the eve of the holy Forty-day Fast, demonstrating to us not by simple words, but by actual deeds, how beneficial fasting is for man, and how harmful and destructive are insatiety and the transgressing of the divine commandments. For the first commandment that God gave to man was that of fasting, which the first-fashioned received but did not keep; and not only did they not become gods, as they had imagined, but they lost even that blessed life which they had, and they fell into corruption and death, and transmitted these and innumerable other evils to all of mankind. The God-bearing Fathers set these things before us today, that by bringing to mind what we have fallen from, and what we have suffered because of the insatiety and disobedience of the first-fashioned, we might be diligent to return again to that ancient bliss and glory by means of fasting and obedience to all the divine commands. Taking occasion from today's Gospel (Matt. 6:14-21) to begin the Fast unencumbered by enmity, we also ask forgiveness this day, first from God, then from one another and all creation.


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and had rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.

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 Plagal Second Mode

O Master, Prudence, Guide of Wisdom, Instruction to the foolish and Defender of the poor, strengthen my heart and grant it discernment. Give me words, Word of the Father, for behold, I shall not keep my lips from crying out to You, "O Merciful One, have mercy on me who has fallen."
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Fourth Mode. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4.

Brethren, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.


Gospel Reading

Forgiveness Sunday
The Reading is from Matthew 6:14-21

The Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

"And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."


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Wisdom of the Fathers

Henceforward then we must be free from our listlessness; "for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."[*] You see how he puts the Resurrection now close by them. For as the time advances, he means, the season of our present life is wasting away, and that of the life to come waxes nearer. If then thou be prepared, and hast done all whatsoever He hath commanded, the day is salvation to thee...Yes, for the day is calling us to battle-array, and to the fight. Yet fear not at hearing of array and arms. For in the case of the visible suit of armor, to put it on is a heavy and abhorred task. But here it is desirable, and worth being prayed for. For it is of Light the arms are! Hence they will set thee forth brighter than the sunbeam, and giving out a great glistening, and they place thee in security: for they are arms, and glittering do they make thee: for arms of light are they!...It is the deadly kind of passions then that he is for extinguishing, lust, namely, and anger. Wherefore it is not themselves only, but even the sources of them that he removes. For there is nothing that so kindles lust, and inflames wrath, as drunkenness, and sitting long at the wine...
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 25 on Romans 13, 4th Century

Here it were well to sigh aloud, and to wail bitterly: for not only do we imitate the hypocrites, but we have even surpassed them.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 20 on Matthew 6, 4th Century

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Ministry News

Agia_anna

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Olsen family.

 

 

Church Calendar:

Monday, March 2: Kathara Deuftera (Clean Monday)- 5:30 pm Great Compline followed by Potluck Lenten Soup

Friday, March 6: Salutations Service – 7 pm

Saturday, March 7 – Saturday of Souls  - 9 am 

 

 

Koliva Orders:

St. Anna's Philoptochos is offering the service of preparing koliva for memorial services and Saturday of Souls. To place an order, please contact Maria Tattoli at mtattoli@gmail.com or (908)391-5541.  Order forms can also be found in the Fellowship hallway.  All orders for Saturday of Souls must be placed by the Thursday proceeding each service.  The next Saturday of Souls is March 7. 

 

Sunday School Teachers Meeting:  The Sunday School Teachers Meeting has been rescheduled to take place on Sunday, March 15 immediately following Sunday School.

 

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. 

 

 

 

Youth Safety Night at St. Anna’s, Friday, March 20, 8 to 10 pm (immediately after Salutations Service) – note the change in date. See flyer in e-bulletin.

Prevention Resources is returning to our Church to 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 Youth Safety Night last year. Again, we ask you to invite your friends to join us.  Just RSVP to Fr. A by March 2 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. #Knockoutopioidabuse

 

 PC Corner

Please mark your calendars for this year’s events: 

 

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 69 Pledges totaling $115,700 for an average of $1,667 and $47,952 received to date.  We also have 8 families who have contributed $2,040 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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