GUARDIANS OF AND WITNESSES TO THE TRUTH OF THE CHURCH

As individuals, we appoint guardians for our children and estate, to carry out our wishes. We give power to our guardians to act on our behalf, to protect what is valuable and precious to us. As a Nation, we place guards over our national treasures and tightly reinforce their security. Whoever dares to violate the sacredness and security of our national treasures is apprehended and persecuted.

The Church is the Guardian of God’s Truth. Jesus revealed to His Disciples the Truth about His Father, about Himself and about the Holy Spirit. He enabled them, through the Holy Spirit, to understand His Truth and pass it on to their successors, the clergy and the lay people who believed through them. Both clergy and laity together are the guardians of God’s saving truth. As such, we have a sacred responsibility to first live God’s Truth in our lives and then to pass it on in all its purity to the coming generations.

The 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council safeguarded the Truth of our Church. When Arius began to distort the Truth of the Bible and Holy Tradition and teach heresies about the Person of Jesus Christ, the Holy Fathers confronted him and refuted his impious heresy. They gathered together in Nicaea in 325 A.D. to state unequivocally the True Belief and Teaching of the Orthodox Church. The Nicene Creed, which they composed, clearly articulates the Teaching of the Orthodox Church about Jesus, the Son of God: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man…”

Many of the Holy Fathers present at the Council of Nicaea carried on their bodies the marks of persecution. Some had been blinded, others had their ears, noses, and hands cut off, or had lost other members of their bodies, because they dared to confess Christ as their Lord and True God. Among the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council were great charismatics and miracle-workers, such as St. Spyridon and St. Nicholas, and great theologians, like St. Athanasius. All of them were great guardians of the Truth and used their gifts to proclaim the pure Faith of God’s Church.

Saint Paul had warned the Elders of the Church of Ephesus in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles about the forthcoming attacks from within and outside the bosom of the Church. In our times we have seen many persecutions of the Orthodox Church. We cannot control the temptations and persecutions that will come on our way. However, we can control our response to them by knowing and living our Faith and by being ready to bear witness to the people around us. This is the legacy and the example of the Holy Fathers which they left for us to follow. They became imitators of Christ and His Apostles and true Guardians of the Truth.

Let us imitate and follow them with our faith, witness and Godly way of life.

With love,

Fr. John Angelis

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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St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Mission Church  
Donate to St Nectarios Online     
https://bit.ly/30rPubP  
Contact us
Have Bulletin input? Have Suggestions/Questions?  Want Help or Information?
Call Jim/Tammy Droppo, 5O9 366-8745.