St Nectarios Weekly Bulletin

(Updated 12/19/2024)

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco

St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Mission Church

Serving Tricity Orthodox Christians

627 West Bonneville St., Pasco, WA 99301

All are welcome at St. Nectarios!

Annoucements

Weekly Service Reminder

The St Nectarios Bulletin lists the schedule for this weeks online Services. Please check the St Nectarios Bulletin for any last-minute schedule changes.

Upcoming in church Services:

Saturday December 21th - Divine Liturgy with Father Dean.

For information, questions, and appointments - call Jim/Tammy Droppo 5O9 366-8745 or send email to [email protected].

Service Calendar

Saint Nectarios

December 14, 2024 to January 11, 2025

DECEMBER

Saturday, December 14

5:00PM Vespers online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Sunday, December 15

10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

1:00PM Fellowship Time with Father John (Pacific Standard Time, USA)

Saturday, December 21

10:00AM in church Divine Liturgy with Father Dean

5:00PM Vespers online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Sunday, December 22

10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

1:00PM Fellowship Time with Father John (Pacific Standard Time, USA)

Tuesday, December 24

6:00PM Vesperal Divine Liturgy -Christmas Eve

Saturday, December 28

5:00PM Vespers online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Sunday, December 29

10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

10:00AM Typica (in church) Reader Service + Fellowship

JANUARY

Friday, January 3

7:00PM Online Akathist to St. Nectarios (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Saturday, January 4

10:00AM in church Divine Liturgy and Fellowship Time

5:00PM Vespers online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Sunday, January 5

10:00AM Divine Liturgy - Zoom / Facebook Online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

1:00PM Fellowship Time with Father John (Pacific Standard Time, USA)

Saturday, January 11

5:00PM Vespers online (Pacific Standard Time-USA)

Message from Father John

EMMANUEL, GOD IS WITH US!

The Orthodox Priests, during the Divine Liturgy, before the recitation of the Creed, embrace one another and say to each other, “God is with us, He Is and He shall always be.” Emanuel!

In the 1st chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel we read, "Emmanuel! God is with us!" And at the end of his gospel we find Jesus’ assurance, “I will always be with you until the end of the age." Christ is present forever among us! This is the great gift of Christmas! God did not give us a code of ethics or a philosophy. He gave us His Son.

St. John Chrysostom breaks out in exaltation and calls upon us: “Come to celebrate, Come to have a feast! The devil and his demons were put to shame. Death was destroyed. Paradise was opened. The curse disappeared and sin was chased away. The error was put away and the truth was restored. The word of truth was sowed everywhere, and the angelic life was planted on earth. The angels communicate with men, God has come upon earth, and man has climbed up to heaven.” Emmanuel, God is with us.

The lights and the decorations around us and the gifts we give to each other attempt to express this inner joy we experience in our hearts during the Christmas Holy Days. But Christ came not to appear for a moment and then to disappear from our life, as do the Christmas lights and decorations. He wants to live with us in our hearts forever.

How beautifully we sing in our baptism: “All of you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ forevermore, Alleluia”. All of us who are called Christians are wearing Christ, we have Christ in our heart, Who is our strength, our joy, our consolation, our hope, everything that we need as human beings.

Let us listen how Fr. Coniaris, of Blessed memory, describes the fruits of Emmanuel’s presence: "Emmanuel is a presence: With us in trouble—to see us through. With us in sorrow—to brush away the tears. With us when we fall—to raise us up. With us in weakness—to make us strong. With us in death—to make us confident. Yes, and with us forever beyond death—in a place where “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor it has it ever entered into the heart of man what things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Emanuel, God is with us! Let us also be with Him.

Merry Christmas to all!

With love,

Fr. John P. Angelis

Sunday Online Fellowship Time

On many Sundays we schedule a Online Fellowship Time with Father John at 1PM

Please check "Services and Activities" to see which Sundays have a Fellowship time scheduled.

When scheduled, Saint Nectarios Church - Pasco WA USA invites you to the 1PM Sunday Online Fellowship Time – where we get together in a zoom meeting. This event is a good way to ask questions of Father John. Discussions usually address needs and concerns, as well as good news. Just get a cup of coffee (or another beverage) and join us.

St Nectarios Service Fellowship Time Link

(As a security precaution, we do filter participants using a waiting room option. If you are a new participant, it is a good idea to let us know in advance that you will be joining us. )

Join Zoom Meeting
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

Meeting ID: 994 8641 9623
Passcode: 977226

Saints and Feasts

December 14

Saturday of the 13th Week

December 14

Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius, and Callinicus of Asia Minor, and Philemon, Apollonius, and Arian of Alexandria

Of these, the Martyrs who were from Asia Minor contested for piety's sake during the reign of Decius, in 250. Saint Leucius, seeing the slaughter of the Christians, reproached the Governor Cumbricius, for which he was hung up, harrowed mercilessly on his sides, then beheaded. For boldly professing himself a Christian and rebuking the Governor for worshipping stocks and stones as gods, Saint Thyrsus, after many horrible tortures, was sentenced to be sawn asunder, but the saw would not cut, and became so heavy in the executioners' hands that they could not move it; Saint Thyrsus then gave up his spirit, at Apollonia in the Hellespont. Saint Callinicus a priest of the idols, was converted through the martyrdom and miracles of Saint Thyrsus, and was beheaded.

During the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the Governor of Antinoe in the Thebaid of Upper Egypt was Arian, a fierce persecutor who had sent many Christians to a violent death, among them Saints Timothy and Maura (see May 3) and Saint Sabine (Mar. 16). When he had imprisoned Christians for their confession of faith, one of them, named Apollonius, a reader of the Church, lost his courage at the sight of the instruments of torture, and thought how he might escape torments without denying Christ. He gave money to Philemon a flute-player and a pagan, that he might put on Apollonius' clothes and offer sacrifice before Arian, so that all would think Apollonius to have done the Governor's will, and he might be released. Philemon agreed to this, but when the time came to offer sacrifice, enlightened by divine grace, he declared himself a Christian instead. He and Apollonius, who also confessed Christ when the fraud was exposed, were both beheaded. Before beheading them, Arian had commanded that they be shot with arrows, but while they remained unharmed, Arian himself was wounded by one of the arrows; Saint Philemon foretold that after his martyrdom, Arian would be healed at his tomb. When this came to pass, Arian, the persecutor who had slain so many servants of Christ, himself believed in Christ and was baptized with four of his bodyguards. Diocletian heard of this and had Arian and his body-guards brought to him. For their confession of Christ, they were cast into the sea, and received the crown of life everlasting.

December 15

11th Sunday of Luke

On the Sunday that occurs on or immediately after the eleventh of this month, we commemorate Christ's forefathers according to the flesh, both those that came before the Law, and those that lived after the giving of the Law.

Special commemoration is made of the Patriarch Abraham, to whom the promise was first given, when God said to him, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18). This promise was given some two thousand years before Christ, when Abraham was seventy-five years of age. God called him and commanded him to forsake his country, parents, and kinsmen, and to depart to the land of the Canaanites. When he arrived there, God told him, "I will give this land to thy seed" (Gen. 12:7); for this cause, that land was called the "Promised Land," which later became the country of the Hebrew people, and which is also called Palestine by the historians. There, after the passage of twenty-four years, Abraham received God's law concerning circumcision. In the one hundredth year of his life, when Sarah was in her ninetieth year, they became the parents of Isaac. Having lived 175 years altogether, he reposed in peace, a venerable elder full of days.

Hymns of the Day

Apolytikion for Martyrs Thyrsus & companions in the Fourth Tone

Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Third Tone

On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God.

The translations of hymns are under copyright and used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Tone. Psalm 31.11,1.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous.
Verse: Blessed are they whose transgressions have been forgiven.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 1:3-10.

Brethren, grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel - not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel of heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

Gospel Reading

Saturday of the 13th Week
The Reading is from Luke 14:1-11

At that time, one sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?" And they could not reply to this. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

About Us

ST. NECTARIOS GREEK ORTHODOX MISSION CHURCH
Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco.
This Tri-Cities Christian Orthodox Community has a church located at 627 West Bonneville St., Pasco, WA 99301. All are invited to attend. A light lunch fellowship time normally follows the In-Church Liturgy and Typica Services.
Prayers: Please send us (or call us) with names of those you would like to be included in our prayers for healing. Frist names may be entered in the St Nectarios - Pasco Group.
INFORMATION SOURCES
For information on services and activities, you may:
1) access our "Saint Nectarios - Pasco" Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/334558973222227/
2) access the church website:
(copy/paste this url) https://www.stnectariostricities.org/ for Welcome to Our Parish Website | St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Mission (stnectariostricities.org)
3) The online (copy/paste this url) ../../../../../stnectariospasco/ for Saint Nectarios Bulletin is the best source of up to date) information on church Services and activities. ( http://bulletinbuilder.org/stnectariospasco/ )
NOTIFICATIONS
To receive the weekly Services Reminder by email, please send an email request.
For those not connected to the internet, please call Jim (on 5O9 366 8745) to request either
    a) by a phone call on the 'week of the in-church Service'
       or
    b) by a weekly smart-phone Service reminder text message.
CHURCH SERVICES
Greek Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Each month, we try to have at least one Divine Liturgy (with a visiting Priest). That Service is normally on a Saturday (or a Special Service/Feast weekday) and is scheduled when a Priest is available. In addition to communion during the Service, private meetings with the Priest are available by appointment (for personal matters, planning future events, and Confession).
Special Invitation - Saint Nectarios Church welcomes all: During Divine Liturgy, which is mostly in English, the Lord's Prayer is said by parishioners in their native languages. Currently the prayer is normally said in English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Greek. If you wish to participate (and perhaps add a language), just let us know.
On most weeks, we remotely celebrate Saturday Vespers and Sunday Online Divine Liturgy with Father John in the Seattle area. During the remote Divine Liturgy, Communion is served to Father's attending family and friends - but is unavailable to those participating online.
Online Greek Orthodox Vespers and Other Special Services are normally celebrated online with Father John in Seattle. The link for joining Zoom to actively participate in on-line Services is
https://goarch.zoom.us/j/98009355049?pwd=UmttUUN2aG4raUc4WS9Zelo1REYxdz09
On the last Sunday of each month, there normally is a Typica Reader Service with a Parish Fellowship Time. This in-Church Service is held as an opportunity to bring the local community together - and hopefully eventually returning St. Nectarios to having a full time Priest.
All are welcome to join in the celebration these Christian Orthodox Services.

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Coptic Church Services

Tri-Cities Coptic Church Services
Saint Mary and Saint Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church.   This Coptic Church is currently holding services at the St. Nectarios Church. A Saturday or Sunday Holy Liturgy with a visiting Priest is normally held once per month either in the Tricities or in Spokane. All are invited to attend. A fellowship time and Christian Study Class for older students normally follows the Services. For more information, please contact Nader Samaan ([email protected]) or access the website:
(copy/paste this url) https://www.stmary-stabanoub-tricities.org/ for https://www.stmary-stabanoub-tricities.org/

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Have Bulletin input? Have Suggestions/Questions? Want Help or Information?
Call Jim/Tammy Droppo, 5O9 366-8745.

General Information

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