We hope that you will make this your spiritual home. Connect with us on our website, Facebook page, YouTube, or sign-up for our email list at https://tinyurl.com/yc3tp29w.
Worship Sunday Orthros 8:15 am & Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Confession (by appointment - call or email [email protected])
Weekday Services (www.stgeorgegoc.org/calendar)
Streaming
Fellowship Hour Sunday following Divine Liturgy
Office Hours Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Our Mission St. George Greek Orthodox Church is a Christ-centered community that: inspires faith and worship, cultivates spiritual growth and fellowship, and encourages benevolence and outreach.
Our Vision Ascending together to the fullness of Life.
8th Sunday of Matthew
8:15AM Orthros
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
6:30PM Parish Council Meeting
+Prophet Samuel
+Fast Day
1:30PM Online Daytime Bible Study (via Zoom only)
6:30PM Vespers
1:00PM Pioneers (55+) Byzantine Chapel Tour & Lakewood Cemetery History Tour
+Fast Day
9:30AM Divine Liturgy in Eau Claire, WI
9th Sunday of Matthew
8:15AM Orthros
9:30AM Divine Liturgy
12:45PM Pioneers (55+) Boat Cruise
12:00PM Greek School OXI Day Prep
8th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 1:10-17
Brethren, I appeal to you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispos and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
8th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 14:14-22
At that time, Jesus saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
Bill Clemons & Bob Baffa
Paul Werger
Joanna Angelis (5 Years) & William Angelis (30 Years)
Thank you to Macy Anderson, Ryan McMorrow, and Ann Woods for hosting today's fellowship!
Please join us in welcoming Dylan Eisenhuth to the ministry team at St. George! Dylan started last week as our new church administrator. You can reach Dylan in the church office by phone at (651) 222-6220 and at [email protected]. Please keep in mind that he does not work on Sundays. Please contact him during regular office hours regarding administrative work. Thank you.
Wednesday, August 21 on Zoom from 1:30 to 3 pm. We will be studying the Gospel of St John, chapter 13. Please join us, just use the link below! You will be welcome and we will be happy to meet you there!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85022523982?pwd=c1pldks5aW5IY0dZY2E3QkRWRmtnZz09
Reminder to our participants: our "Lakewood Cemetery Chapel and grounds; Byzantine Architecture and History Tour" is scheduled for this week on August 22.
Schedule
1:00pm Lunch at St. George
2:00pm Board Charter Bus for Lakewood
3:00pm Tour of Grounds and Byzantine Chapel
5:30pm Return to St. George
FOCUS Minnesota’s 14th Annual Fundraiser is on Thursday, August 22, from 6:30-9pm at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Avenue S. Once again this year, hear about what we do together as a faithful and committed group of people to build a community of service and love to those in need in the Twin Cities. Come say HELLO to our new director Dustin Hertzog and GOODBYE to outgoing director Mat. Vera Proctor! Small plates and beverages will be served and the event is free to attend; goodwill offerings gratefully accepted. RSVP [email protected].
Metropolitan Nathanael has asked us to re-institute praying the Litany of the Catechumens during Liturgy. This litany is an ancient set of prayers that were historically included in the Divine Liturgy right after the Gospel and sermon. They began to be omitted during a period when the church had few catechumens. Now, we have more frequent baptisms and chrismations of adult catechumens, so it is appropriate that we re-introduce these prayers. Our Lord commanded us to make disciples of all nations, and now we will pray for catechumens in the Church, especially those who are with us in our parish. All of the parishes in our Vicariate (Minnesota) will begin including them on September 1st, which is also the first day of the new church year.
Though one of the prayers asks the Catechumens to depart, His Eminence only asks us to reinstate the prayers for our Catechumens. Catechumens, according to current practice, are still welcome to remain in Liturgy for its entirety.
Please host an upcoming coffee hour! We have an opening on September 01. Individuals, families, or even groups can sign up to host or co-host. Use this URL to sign up. If you're able and willing, please consider signing up. Thank you.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-46964197-fellowship#/
Friday, September 6: 2:00-9:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 7: Noon-9:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 8: Noon-5:00 p.m.
Volunteer in preparation:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B44A9AB2BABFD0-50420889-festival#/
Volunteer at the festival:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B44A9AB2BABFD0-50538365-tog2024?useFullSite=true#/
The 2024-2025 Church School year is right around the corner! Visit this link to register your child(ren).
https://forms.gle/6TqdwRsVmpFEyxKVA
Please join us on Sunday, September 8th, after Divine Liturgy for the first Philoptochos Meeting of the new Ecclesiastical year! New members are always welcome!
Join us for our MEOCCA catechism course, Intro to Orthodox Christianity, beginning on Tuesday, September 10, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Catechism is open to all; people interested in learning more about Orthodox Christianity, inquirers, catechumens, and current Orthodox Christians as well. Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in person (1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN) or online via Zoom. Register online at the link below. Learn more at www.meocca.org.
https://forms.gle/bgtnThRqQP6CWGnX8
We are excited that YAL Rochester and YAL Twin Cities are partnering for another volunteer event to serve Philoxenia House! The next gathering is on September 14. The event will start after a Saturday morning Liturgy. Please fill out the RSVP form as soon as possible so they can plan for enough projects for us all to do! The form includes more details about times and addresses.
Are you interested in reading classical literature of the western world?
Have you ever wanted to read the works of literary giants like Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Plato, and Aristotle? To explore the strange worlds of the Greek and Norse myths, and the fairy tales of Brothers Grimm? To immerse yourself in centuries of legend with King Arthur and his knights of the round table? To see the origins of famous characters like Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
If you have ever wanted to read some of the great works of the western literary canon, but you were intimidated, found them to be too difficult or too boring, or if you have read them and want to return to them again, let me know!
A Group of Readers
If reading the great old books of the western world interests you, and you would like to participate in a reading group devoted to exploring and discussing these exemplar texts, email Grant Oldre ([email protected]).
Grant Oldre?
Grant is the School of Logic (6-8 grade) Humanities instructor for Great Oaks Academy, a classical charter school in Farmington MN.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfumf0-vx_R7sjkaZi7JkJX6LNn_V7sg0ooUleosuenr046vg/viewform
St. Mary's is thrilled to announce their 2024 Family Camp speaker, Fr. George Dokos! The 2024 theme is The Fathers on the Family. Registration closes August 31, at 11:59 p.m. Register early for a reduced rate. To learn more about Family Camp, our guest speaker, or to register, use the link below.
https://stmaryscamp.com/family-camp/
Pan-Orthodox Grief and Loss Support Group
If you seek support with grief and loss, please join St. Mary's OCA for their Grief and Loss Support Group.
The next 4-week Grief and education will occur on Tuesdays from 7-8 pm. Location TBD
October 22nd
October 29th
November 5th
November 12th
Each week consists of discussion and education. Learn about what grief is, how to ease the pain, and the impact of grief on the mind and body.
There is also a monthly support group that meets on the last Wednesday of each month from 7-8 pm at St. Mary's OCA in Northeast Minneapolis. Discussion and variety of topics. August 28th, September 25th, and October 23rd.
To sign up or ask questions, email Joni at [email protected].
Please let me know ([email protected] or (651) 706-9672) if you can help with any of the following:
1. Coordinate a Welcome and Outreach Fellowship Hour in the Fall/Winter
2. Coordinate our St. Gregory Palamas Parish Retreat on March 15, 2025
Remember to check out the Silent Auction in the hall. Proceeds support our Missions and Benevolence ministry. New items are added regularly. If you would like to donate items that are new with tags or something else valuable, such as theater/sports tickets, please contact Angela Mortari at [email protected] or text 651-280-7123.
Goal
$139,140 of $275,000 (through June)
At the Fall Parish Assembly, we approved the 2024 Stewardship Goal of $275,000. We have hit this mark in the last couple of years, and we truly believe that with everyone’s support, we will hit that mark again. Now is the time to submit your 2024 pledge. Pledge Cards are at the candle stand, or click the link below to complete the form online. Thank you for your support of the work of the Church.
2024 Theme
"Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant,” from the Parable of the Talents. We are all blessed with certain gifts. This parable stresses the importance of developing our gifts, multiplying them, and offering them back in service to God.
Make Your 2024 Pledge Online
https://forms.gle/TAvAZUNCBrcRHX1KA
Make a Stewardship Donation Online
https://www.stgeorgegoc.org/give
Thank you for joining us in worship. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us! Although Holy Communion is offered only to baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians, all are invited to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of the service. The Antidoron and fellowship hour are reminiscent of the Agape Feast that followed worship in the early Church.
One does not have to be of Greek descent nor speak Greek to be an Orthodox Christian and member of our parish. All people of any background are welcome to join the Orthodox Church. For those interested in learning more about the Christian Faith or becoming a member of our church, please see Fr. Perry after services or contact him at [email protected] or (651) 222-6220.
We hope you will join us in our hall upstairs this morning after services for fellowship and refreshments!
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Thank you to those who make the prosfora/offering bread for Liturgy. If you would like to sign up to bake and make an offering of bread to the church, please get in touch with Krisandrea at [email protected].
“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:27
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All content for the bulletin (flyers, blurbs, calendar events, etc.) is due Wednesday each week. Content submitted after Wednesday will be included in the bulletin for the following week.
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Sign up for our email list to see what’s happening at St. George!
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St. George GOC broadcasts its worship services live on the internet. Your presence in the church is subject to audio and video recording.
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To our ministry leaders and volunteers, please save receipts when making purchases for church activities. A reminder that reimbursement forms are located on the tower outside of the admin and treasurer’s office. Please make sure to submit the form with a copy of your receipt (you keep the original receipt). Finally, please make sure to submit for reimbursement contemporaneous with the expense(s). Although we do not have a set cutoff date for reimbursements, please do your best to have all prior year reimbursements submitted before the end of January of the following year. Please contact Lani if you have any questions at [email protected].
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Please note the new hall set up for ministries and organizations using the hall. We have posted photos in the kitchen for your reference. Small white squares are under each table for proper placement if they are moved. All the groups who use our facility are responsible for putting the tables & chairs (8 per table)in place according to the layout before they leave the church. We appreciate your diligence in keeping the hall neat and organized.
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Thank you to all who continue to support our parish ministries! For those who would like a receipt of their donations to a particular church ministry for tax purposes, please make all deductible contributions directly to the church, noting a designation of the gift in the memo line. For example, you might put in the memo line “2023 Philoptochos Stewardship/membership,” “donation to Missions and Benevolence,” "priest discretionary fund," etc. Resources will be earmarked and distributed to the ministry you note, and your donations will be included in your end-of-year statement. Thank you again for your commitment to the work of the church!
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Advance planning can give you and your family peace of mind and is also cost-effective. Annual cost increases are typically at least 2% and have risen over 26% since 2013. The St. George Roselawn Cemetery Program continues to offer lots at Roselawn in Roseville for a 15% discount off list prices. All revenue from lots supports our church and its ministries. These lots are in the St. George section, adjacent to the “Greek” section, and easily identifiable by the monument/altar table. Contact the church office for more information.
2024 Discounted Prices for Parishioners:
$7,182 = Monument Lot (2 Graves)
$5,095 = Flat Lot (2 Graves)
$2,762 = Flat Lot (1 Grave, Limited Availability)
(These prices reflect a 15% off Roselawn Retail Price)
This continues to be one of those great opportunities where you can support the church, save some money, and create a legacy for your family all at the same time.
Lots for both monument and marker (flat) stones are still available.
Please follow Roselawn regulations for the care and beautification of your loved one’s lots.
The table-like monument marking our area from Victoria street is visible on google maps and google satellite view at the links below and can be found on the church website.
http://tinyurl.com/4cte47f3
http://tinyurl.com/5n6abxwa
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The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago announced this week it received an unqualified, or “clean,” audit opinion of its 2023 consolidated financial statements. This is the fifth consecutive year the Metropolis of Chicago has received an unqualified opinion.
This most holy man, a Prophet of God from childhood, was the last judge of the Israelite people, and anointed the first two Kings of Israel. He was born in the twelfth century before Christ, in the city of Armathaim Sipha, from the tribe of Levi, the son of Elkanah and Hannah (Anna). He was the fruit of prayer, for his mother, being barren, conceived him only after she had supplicated the Lord with many tears; wherefore she called him Samuel, that is, "heard by God." As soon as Hannah had weaned him, she brought him to the city of Silom (Shiloh), where the Ark was kept, and she consecrated him, though yet a babe, to the service of God, giving thanks to Him with the hymn found in the Third Ode of the Psalter: "My heart hath been established in the Lord . . ." Samuel remained in Silom under the protection of Eli the priest. He served in the Tabernacle of God, and through his most venerable way of life became well-pleasing to God and man (I Kings 2: 26). While yet a child, sleeping in the tabernacle near the Ark of God, he heard the voice of God calling his name, and foretelling the downfall of Eli; for although Eli's two sons, Ophni and Phineas, were most lawless, and despisers of God, Eli did not correct them. Even after Samuel had told Eli of the divine warning, Eli did not properly chastise his sons, and afterwards, through various misfortunes, his whole house was blotted out in one day.
After these things came to pass, Samuel was chosen to be the protector of the people, and he judged them with holiness and righteousness. He became for them an example of all goodness, and their compassionate intercessor before God: "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; yea, I will serve the Lord, and show you the good and the right way" (ibid. 12:23). When he asked them -- having God as witness -- if he ever wronged anyone, or took anyone's possessions, or any gift, even so much as a sandal, they answered with one voice: "Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, nor afflicted us, neither hast thou taken anything from anyone's hand" (ibid. 12:4). When Samuel was old, the people asked him for a king, but he was displeased with this, knowing that God Himself was their King. But when they persisted, the Lord commanded him to anoint them a king, saying, "They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them" (ibid. 8:7); so Samuel anointed Saul. But Saul transgressed the command of God repeatedly, so Samuel anointed David. Yet, since Samuel was a man of God, full of tender mercy, when the Lord told him that He had rejected Saul, Samuel wept for him the whole night long (ibid. 15:11); and later, since he continued to grieve, the Lord said to him, "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul?" (ibid. 16:1). Having lived blamelessly some ninety-eight years, and become an example to all of a God-pleasing life, he reposed in the eleventh century before Christ. Many ascribe to him the authorship of the Books of judges, and of Ruth, and of the first twenty-four chapters of the First Book of Kings (I Samuel).
The Apostle Thaddaeus was from Edessa, a Jew by race. When he came to Jerusalem, he became a disciple of Christ, and after His Ascension he returned to Edessa. There he catechized and baptized Abgar (see Aug. 16). Having preached in Mesopotamia, he ended his life in martyrdom. Though some call him one of the Twelve, whom Matthew calls "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus" (Matt. 10:3), Eusebius says that he is one of the Seventy: "After [Christ's] Resurrection from the dead, and His ascent into Heaven, Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, inspired by God, sent Thaddaeus, one of the seventy disciples of Christ, to Edessa as a preacher and evangelist of Christ's teaching" (Eccl. Hist. 1: 13).
The Martyrs were from Edessa of Macedonia. Bassa was the wife of a certain Valerian, a priest of the idols, to whom she bore three sons and raised them in piety. She was betrayed with her sons to the proconsul by her own husband; each of her sons was tormented before her and beheaded. For refusing to worship the idols, she was imprisoned, cast into water and then fire, was stoned, and remaining unharmed, was brought to the temple to worship the idols. Laying hold upon the idol of Zeus, she overturned it and broke it to pieces. After being preserved through further torments, she was beheaded, about the year 290, in the reign of Maximian.
FOCUS Fundraiser
Church School Calendar
Youth & Family Calendar
Taste of Northeast
Fundraiser for Lyn Olson Medical Crisis Program
Pan Orthodox Grief and Loss Support Group
run til 10/20
Fall Catechism Flyer
Fall Catechism Registration Form
