Sunday August 3^rd, 8^th Sunday of Matthew

SERVICES THIS WEEK:

Monday, August 4   - PARAKLESIS SERVICE, 6:30 pm

Wednesday, August 6 – TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD – 8:45 Orthros, 10:00 Divine Liturgy

Friday, August 8  -  PARAKLESIS SERVICE, 6:30 pm

Saints Constantine and Helen, Westland

VIDEO ARCHIVE:  Previously recorded Sunday Divine Liturgy services are archived and available on our website! Go to https://www.stcons.org/video-streaming and you can click on the service you would like to view. 

LIGHT A CANDLE AND SAY A PRAYER:  When you are not able to attend church, you can purchase a candle from our church website (home page or video-streaming page), which will be lit before the following service or a service that you specify.  Please give specific names, living or deceased, that you would like Father to remember in prayer. Father will light candles one hour before each service. For Sunday services, please place candle orders prior to 8:00 am Sunday morning.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:   Alexsa and child, Frank, Pamela, Michele, Fania, Diana, George, Theodore, Anastasia, Constantinos, Phyllis, Joe, Dina, Pamela, Mia, Michael, Tracy, Anna, Sue, Nicole, Amalia, Nydia, Ann, John, Janek, Frank, George, Patrick, Joanne, Betty, Deana, Gloria, Jeannette, Michael, Niko, Maria, Sevasti, Mariam, George, Gene, Pete, Lazaros, John, Christopher, George, David, Marcos, Lela, Dawn, Panagioti, Joanna, Suzanne, Nick, Fotini, Niki, George, Matthew, Stefanos, Georgia, Leonidas, Gus, Connie, Maria, Brenda, Panagiota, Nicholas, Vicki, Susan, Tom, Thomas, Jim, Gloria, Evans, Phyllis, Marti, Janet, John, Zacharias, Vanessa (Vasiliki), Jake, Maegan, Irene, Lisa, Pat, Jonathan, Tracy, Dianna, Betty, Catherine, Evelyn, Gregg, Peter, Angela, Bill, Carrie, Vito, Stephanie, Lisa, Kylie, Nicholas, and Maria.  If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, or if there is a name that should be removed from the prayer list, please contact the church office.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:

GOLF OUTING:  Our Men’s Group will be holding a 9-hole Golf Scramble on Sunday, August 17^th to raise funds for their “Feed the Needy” program and other activities. They are currently looking for hole sponsors and volunteers to assist with the event, along with golfers who wish to participate.  Reach out to [email protected] to get involved.

SAVE THE DATES!  As you enjoy the last weeks of summer, please mark your calendars for these upcoming fall events and activities:

·         September 14 - Welcome Back Luncheon/ First Day of Sunday School

·         September 16 – TLC Luncheon

·         September 27 - Philoptochos Fall Fashion Show

·         November 9 - BASILE/”Putting on the Glitz” Event

NEWS AND NOTICES:

SUMMER SURVIVAL: Our Summer Survival Board is back in the church Narthex. Even though church attendance unfortunately decreases during the summer months, regular building and property maintenance, utilities, and other expenses continue. That is why, again this year, we are asking for your help by making an additional donation to our “Summer Survival” campaign. You can make a donation online at stcons.org or by cash or check at the church office (or by mail).  Your help will make a big difference! 

THE LIGHT OF THE SANCTUARY:  The Light of the Sanctuary Campaign, a community-wide effort to install elegant chandeliers. There are still two chandeliers to be sponsored. Here’s how you can help:

• Make a donation of any amount - every gift helps illuminate the house of God.
• Sponsor a chandelier in full, in your name or in honor/memory of a loved one. Sponsors will be recognized with a commemorative plaque, becoming a permanent part of this sacred offering. 

SCHOOL SUPPLY COLLECTION:  Join our St. Helen Philoptochos in collecting new school supplies to be donated to FOCUS Detroit for students and teachers at Detroit’s Commonwealth Academy.  All items must be new and in original packaging, and to the church by September 7^th.  Collection box is located outside the church office.

MEMORIAL SERVICES:  Please call the church office to schedule all memorials and coffee hour sponsorships at least two weeks in advance.  On the day of the service, please bring a list of family names you would like Father to remember in prayer. Koliva will be distributed at the coffee hour; if you wish to bring in paximadia, koulourakia, or other dry cookie it may also be distributed. Coffee Hour sponsorship is not required, however the church is grateful to those who wish to make a sponsorship donation of $200, and the HCC will set up a table with cloth and coffee, etc. for your family.

SERVICES AND SACRAMENTS:

BAPTISM:  August 3  ADONIS CARTER LUCAS

Parents: Adrian Lucas and Aaliyah Milros-Lyons, Godparent: Sophia Costas 

Congratulations!

DID YOU KNOW?  INCENSE IN WORSHIP

Did you know that when a priest censes the people, he’s honoring the image of God in each person?

Incense has been part of worship since the Old Testament. In the Temple of Jerusalem, incense was offered as a sign that the people’s prayers were rising to God — “Let my prayer rise like incense before You” (Psalm 141:2). That same practice continues in the Orthodox Church today, but with even deeper meaning.

When the priest censes the altar and the icons and then turns to cense the people, he’s doing something powerful: honoring Christ’s presence in our midst. We don’t just incense objects — we incense what is holy. And that includes us. Every person in the church bears the image of God. That’s why the priest bows to the people before and after he censes — not out of politeness, but out of reverence.

Church Fathers see the charcoal as a symbol of Christ: fully human (earthly, like the charcoal), yet burning with divine nature (the fire), bringing light and transformation into the world. The smoke rising from the censer is a reminder that we are meant to lift up our hearts, our prayers, and even our lives to God. It fills the church with a fragrance that marks the space as sacred — a place where heaven and earth meet.

When the priest swings the censer in our direction, we bow our heads (without making the sign of the Cross) and receive the blessing. It’s a quiet gesture that says: “You are part of this holy offering. You belong here. You are loved.”

From: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America