TWELFTH  SUNDAY OF MATTHEW

We’re happy you’ve joined us today. Please sign our guestbook and introduce yourself to one of our greeters or anyone wearing a nametag. We’re here to answer your questions and make your visit to our church meaningful and enjoyable.

Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Aug 31st:

• dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/p/s/2025/08/31/ma/gr-en/se.m08.d31.ma.pdf

Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Aug 31st:

• dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/h/s/2025/08/31/ma/gr-en/index.html

Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church & may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the end of the service, but only practicing Orthodox Christians may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Heights Schools need your help! Philoptochos is partnering with Fairfax and Oxford Elementary Schools to provide necessities for the 2025-2026 school year. Please donate generously to help students with the basics they need every day. Items needed:

• New boys and girls cotton underwear or briefs  in small, medium and large sizes
• New leggings or joggers in kids or young adult sizes
• #2 pencils, Pencil pouches, colored pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, two-pocket folders, scissors, erasers.

Please drop your donations in the brown box from now until September 14. If you would like to order through Amazon, donate vs. buy, or have any other questions, please reach out to Kathy Sarris at [email protected], or text 440-832-0892.

* Note, we cannot donate used or opened items. Thank you for your understanding.

OPA news: Opa starts up again on September 2. We invite all to join us for dancing and parea. We meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Please join Saint Makrina Bible study as we begin a new book “The Art of Myrrhbearing” by Elissa Bjeletich Davis on September 3rd.  We meet every Wednesday at 9:30am over Zoom. You can join at any time and can participate in the discussions as much or as little as you like. You do not have to attend every session. Please contact Toni Madden at [email protected] for more information and the zoom link.

“The Art of Myrrhbearing by Elissa Bjeletich Davis is a deeply moving, grace-filled invitation to live as a healing presence in the world. Drawing on the lives of the Myrrhbearing Women of the Gospels and other saints throughout Orthodox Christian tradition, Davis gently calls readers into a life of love, forgiveness, and courageous presence in the face of suffering.”

Interested in hosting coffee hour? We need hosts all through September! Help us keep our fellowship going. Visit our online sign-up and put your name down today: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD23A4F58-48824692-sunday#/

The Sts Constantine and Helen Library will be hosting a mini retreat series this fall. 'Experiencing God's Presence and Transformational Love' will be held on Saturdays: September 6, 13, 20, and 27. Event starts with breakfast refreshments at 9:30 followed by reflections and discussions from 10:00 - noon. $10 covers all four sessions; attend as many as you like. To register, contact program facilitator Cynthia Terezis at [email protected]. A handout of reflection questions will be provided.

Join us for a 5K walk/run to support the humanitarian work of IOCC! Make your steps count and impact the life of a person in need. Saturday, September 6 2025 beginning at Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Ave, Lakewood. Individuals $25 • Families $50

Check In 8:15 a.m., Opening Prayer/Photo 8:45 a.m.;  Walk/Run begins 9:00 a.m. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sophia Kayafas at 440-525-6914

During this year's festival, our community ran a campaign to raise money for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors, who donated $5,019.09 to the Food Bank during our festival, and the generosity of our church, who committed to match those donations, we are able to make a final donation to the GCFB this year of $10,038.18. After service on September 7, we will present the donation to the GCFB on behalf of our community.

For every dollar donated, the GCFB can provide three meals to people struggling with food insecurity, many of them are families and children. Because of your efforts this year, our campaign will provide over 30,000 meals to our neighbors in need.

"Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon." -Isaiah 58:10

Orthodox Education News:
* OE registration is currently underway! Our first Sunday of OE is scheduled for September 7th. Please register your child, ages 4-18, at: https://form.jotform.com/242295881536163
* For our youngest parishioners, ages 40 days-3 years, we are pleased to welcome back our Little Saints program, held on the second Sunday of the month! No registration is required for Little Saints; simply join us downstairs after receiving communion, for a story and snack.

1) Online registration for 2025-2026 youth ministry programs (HOPE/JOY, GOYA, OCF, & Young Adults) is now live! Families interested in participating are encouraged to sign up to receive communications for the next ministry/school year. Contact Ted for the links or with any questions.

2) New altar boys are being accepted this fall. Boys must (1) be 10 years old or older, (2) willing to commit to regular attendance and (3) attend an orientation on Saturday, September 13th from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Names should be given to Ted Cherpas [email protected] by Sunday, September 7th.

3) St. Kyranna Cooking Class will have its next meeting on Saturday, September 13th. Our hosts will be Bob & Deena Short, and our theme still is TBD (suggestions welcome). The evening begins with Great Vespers @ 5:00 p.m. Kindly RSVP to Ted by Monday, September 8th.

4) Registration for our Metropolis Family Camp (Sept 19th- 21st) at Camp Nazareth is now live! Two of our parishioners, Priscilla Callos & Marina Giannirakis, will be the keynote speakers. Space in this program is very limited, so please reserve your spots quickly at https://y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/family-camp. Contact Fr. Joe DiStefano at [email protected] with any questions.

5) The Metropolis Youth Office presents "Wonderfully Made," a 1-day youth retreat for students with moderate to intensive special needs. This will be hosted by St. Nicholas, Youngstown on Saturday, October 4th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. Registration is now open at https://y2am.pittsburgh.goarch.org/wonderfully-made. For more information, contact Alyssa Kyritsis at [email protected].

Thank you all for your incredible dedication and hard work leading up to and during our recent 2025 Festival.  Your commitment truly made a difference, and we could not have succeeded without each one of you. 

To build on our achievements and ensure we learn from this experience, we invite you to an opportunity to reflect on what went well, discuss any challenges, and gather your valuable feedback. Your insights will help us improve future events and celebrate the contributions of our amazing team.

Our follow-up meeting will be held Tuesday, September 16th at 7pm in the Fellowship Room. Please let us know if you are able to attend, and feel free to suggest topics you would like to discuss. We look forward to coming together once more to share stories, recognize our collective effort, and plan for even greater success in the future.

The 2025 Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio More Than Pink Walk is fast approaching, and volunteers are needed to help celebrate the strength and resilience of all people affected by breast cancer💖 From cheering participants along the course to cleaning up after the festivities, there are many ways for individuals AND groups to get involved and make an impact!

Click the link below to preview all the volunteer opportunities available on Saturday, Sept. 20: https://komen.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/168   Questions? Email [email protected] call/text 972-701-2012, or contact Ted Cherpas or Sherie Steinberger for more information.

Please join us for "Virtue and Adornment in Byzantium:  Beautiful Bodies in the Christian East", a lecture by Alicia Walker,  professor at Bryn Mawr College; on Sunday, September 28 at 2 PM.  Please refer to hpsneo.org for promo code for lecture tickets (free, but reservation required) and purchasing of HPS reception tickets online.  Any questions please contact Dean Peters (216) 570-4537.

Please join the Philoptochos for the 3rd annual  Men Who Cook on Saturday Oct 4th 5:30-8pm. Our talented parishioners and friends will create samples of their signature dishes for you to enjoy and judge to see which of our chefs win the Golden Spoon award. There will be a cash bar. If you cannot attend, please consider underwriting /sponsoring the event. All proceeds will benefit the charities of the Philoptochos.  Admission tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Sponsorships and tickets can be purchased on Sundays after church or online at https://www.jotform.com/build/252113594246152. Please contact Helen Demore 216 324-9293 or Anne Mitchell 440 465-6014 for more information.

We’ve noticed that sometimes there aren’t coffee hosts signed up for Sunday coffee hour, and we want to make sure we still have a time for fellowship and connection.

On these Sundays, we’re introducing a new concept: Community Potluck Coffee Hour! We will provide the coffee, cream, sugar, and paper products, but we ask that each person or family bring a small offering to share. It could be as simple as cookies, donuts, or
pastries—whatever you'd like to contribute!

This is a great way to share in the spirit of community, and it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Let’s come together and make these Sundays extra special.

Thank you for helping make Coffee Hour a warm and welcoming place for everyone!

We are on break for the summer. Look for us to restart in October.