The Chalice. From Your Priest s Desk. September December The Chalice. Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church

Transcript

1 The Chalice Page 1 September December 2012 The Chalice September December 2012 Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church 2200 Church Road Toms River, NJ Phone (732) Fax (732) saintbarbara@stbarbaranj.org Website: Rev. Fr. Economos Paul Pappas stbpriest@stbarbaranj.org Sunday Services Orthros 8:15 a.m. Divine Liturgy 9:45 a.m. Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Evelyn D Antoni, Office Administrator Heather Melone, Finance Administrator The Chalice Editor: Evelyn D Antoni Internet Broadcasting is available every week to view Liturgy by logging onto the church website and clicking on Live Broadcast Upcoming Events Sept Oct. 6 Oct Nov. 2 Nov. 3 Nov Nov. 18 Dec. 7 Dec. 9 Dec. 16 Dec. 31 Saint Barbara Festival Bistro/Fish Fry Mission Trip to Guatemala Bistro/Fish Fry Saint Barbara Dinner Dance Metropolis Choir Convention General Assembly Bistro/Fish Fry Parish Council Elections PTO Christmas Pageant AHEPA New Year s Eve Party From Your Priest s Desk Come and See My beloved in Christ, During my ministry I ve had the pleasure of doing a number of adult baptisms, and they have usually been very special occasions; there s something really moving about an adult coming to the point in his or her life where they want to make a public commitment to Jesus Christ, and doing it in the ancient Christian way, by being baptized. Many of us are familiar with the stories of Peter, the fisherman who became a great apostle and leader of the early church. But we often forget that Peter would never have become a follower of Jesus if it had not been for his brother Andrew. Andrew met Jesus before Peter did; he had been a disciple of John the Baptist, and John was the one who told him to go and become a follower of Jesus. So Andrew spent a day with Jesus and was obviously very impressed with what he saw and heard. John s Gospel tells us that after he left Jesus, the first thing he did was to go and find his brother Simon Peter; he took him to meet Jesus, and the rest, as they say, is history. The same chapter of John s Gospel tells the story of Philip, who became a follower of Jesus and then went and told his friend Nathanael about him. He said, We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. (John 1:45-46). So Nathanael went along with Philip, and ended up staying and becoming a disciple of Jesus too. This story has been repeated over and over again in the history of Christianity. There have been many famous evangelists who have travelled thousands of miles and preached impressive sermons to enormous crowds, but the most successful method by far of bringing new people to (Continued on page 2)

2 Page 2 The Chalice September December 2012 From Your Priest s Desk Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey faith in Christ is person to person: the invitation of a friend who says, Come and see. Some of our parishioners of Saint Barbara are churchgoers because someone invited them. Some of you have become Orthodox Christians as a result of a process that began when someone said to you, Would you like to come to church with me? The Book of Acts often tells us how many people responded to the Christian message, starting on the Day of Pentecost. We are told about the three thousand people who heard Peter s sermon and decided to become followers of Jesus. A friend of mine used to say, We count people because people count! And just imagine this concept: if every one of us invited a friend to come to church with us Sunday, and every friend accepted the invitation and came, we d double the size of our congregation on that day! You think it s impossible? Well, if you think it s impossible, it probably is, because if you think it s impossible you probably won t try it. But if you step out in faith and try it, God might just surprise you. Many of us have dear friends who we love very much but who do not share our Christian faith. Perhaps we ve seen them going through crises in their lives, and wondered how on earth they manage to get through them without having God as their rock. Perhaps from time to time we ve had conversations with them about Christian faith. Well, here s an opportunity for those conversations to move to the next step: invitation. As Philip said to Nathanael, Come and see! But we might get a little nervous about inviting people to come and see ; maybe we re not altogether sure they ll like what they see! How should we go about this? What s the process by which we decide who we should invite, and then go on to actually make the invitation? Let me suggest this simple process: If your friend says yes, offer to pick them up and drive them to church. That way there s none of that anxious waiting at the door, wondering if they ve forgotten or if they ve backed out at the last minute. Also, that way you can introduce them to the greeters on the way in, and they ll already have made one or two new acquaintances before the service has even started. And you can sit with them during the service, help them find their way around the bulletin, and help them with any other books they might need for the service. After the service, introduce them to your friends over coffee and include them in the conversation. I don t know how many times I ve seen new people come to coffee hour after church and watched about three quarters of the regular churchgoers totally ignoring them! It s true that there are a few people in our church who are very good at welcoming newcomers, but many of us could stand to learn a little more hospitality toward the guests of Jesus! But once again, it will be so much easier for your friend if you bring them to coffee hour yourself and introduce them to a few people. Lastly, assume they ll be coming back. Ask them afterwards, Shall I pick you up again next week? Would you like to go to lunch together afterwards? Don t assume that they hated the whole experience! My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9). Let us all share His light with our friends and neighbors. Invite them to Come and see. In His service,

3 Page 3 The Chalice September December 2012 Parish Council President s Message Fellow Parishioners: As we start our new Ecclesiastical year, we should all feel a sense of rejuvenation from our summer break with fun memories of time with family and friends. We should also feel a sense of excitement as our parish children return to their Sunday School, Greek Dance, PTO, GOYA and of course the new Greek Culture and Language School programs adding life back into our community especially with our annual festival just around the corner. Despite the summer months typically being a quiet time for our church, many committees and organizations continued their work as the maintenance committee along with parish volunteers started the first phase of our Parish Community Center renovation. Not only will the newly renovated hall provide us with a more relaxed atmosphere for our own events but will hopefully also attract external renters for special events. This year we will be holding our annual Saint Barbara Dinner Dance in the newly renovated hall and look forward to seeing the final product. The main focus going into the next few weeks will be the festival and as last year, we will be utilizing the Parish Athletic Center for vendors and the Greek Pastries and Coffee. The success of the festival this year will be critical to the financial contribution to our church operating funds so I urge you all to help participate during the festival to keep our costs down and to also bring your friends and family to enjoy the 3 day festivities. As we move further into the year we will start to see additional revenues from both sport and educations organizations as they start to rent the Parish Athletic Center which has drawn a tremendous amount of attention from many local and regional bodies and we are truly blessed to have the complex we have from all the hard work of all of us in the Parish. I thank all of the organizations and individuals that continue to support the church by contributing their time, their talent and their treasures to our wonderful Saint Barbara Church. I would like to make a plea to all to assist in the immediate financial need of the church by participating in our Stewardship Program and to those Stewards who have not yet fulfilled their pledge to find it their heart to meet these obligations sooner rather than later. Without the Stewardship program many of our activities would not be possible and we must strive as a community to move away from the dependence of festival revenues for our day to day expenses. I thank you all for your support and I wish you all a great start to the new Ecclesiastical year. May God Bless You. Sotiris Sergiou Parish Council President

4 Page 4 The Chalice September December 2012 PHILOPTOCHOS Love in Action Let All That You Do Be Done With Love Greetings to all our Saint Barbara family; I hope that you all had a wonderful summer. Although our Welcome Aboard Meeting, our first meeting of the fiscal year, will be held on October 11 th, Philoptochos has been busy at work with various fundraisers and events over the summer. We prepared and served the lunches to all the children who participated in Camp Saint Barbara from June 25 th to the 28 th and also held a very successful gift auction on July 13 th. My sincere thanks to all of you who worked so hard to make this event successful. The Clergy/Laity Conference took place in Arizona from July 1 st to July 4 th and was very inspiring and informative as we saw what all the other Philoptochos Chapters in the nation are doing to promote and serve in the cause of philanthropy. It is truly amazing to see the hundreds of good works that all these women do, including ourselves, to help the needy, the ill, the Church, and to promote our Orthodox faith. On August 15 th we hosted our Annual Communion Breakfast for Panaghias as well as a bake sale, and on August 22 nd we held a blood drive for the Red Cross in our community center. My thanks and gratitude to all of you who helped to make all of these events successful and please continue to support us in our endeavors. We need all of you. Of course, our mission of helping the poor and destitute and the ill and the lonely never ends. We visit the shut-ins on a regular basis and we have helped many who have asked for our help. We will do this on a continuing basis. As of this writing, we are getting ready for our annual Saint Barbara Greek Festival by chairing the pastry department. We have set up a baking schedule as there is always a lot to be done both before and during the festival. May Saint Barbara continue to bless all of us and I look forward to seeing all of you at various functions. PARISH NEWS Yours in Christ, Dee Linardakis Philoptochos President GREEK LANGUAGE & CULTURE SCHOOL NEWS Classrooms have been renovated and redecorated in order to provide an atmosphere of excitement for our students. Registration forms, the schedule and calendar are available in the Church office. We are anticipating positive feedback and are hoping to provide a challenging and inspiring ! Denise Katsoupas & Meropi Kyriacou Greek Language & Culture School Teachers SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it? And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16 ESV) As we begin our Ecclesiastical Sunday School year, I d like to welcome back all our Saint Barbara children; I truly hope your summer was full of adventure and fun. I hope you re all excited to begin another year and continue learning about our Orthodox Faith. Get ready children for something new: introducing the first Sunday School attendance chain for Saint Barbara. Are you ready? Parents mark your calendars for the following dates. September 30 th will be the first day of Sunday School. As before the children will sit in the designated area, and as always, the Liturgy starts promptly at 9:45am. Father Paul will do the Agiasmos Service, Blessing of the Waters; this is one of my favorite blessings and is the traditional way to start the new school year. Sunday School Open House will be October 21 st ; please watch for further information. Also in October, we will have the second planting of bulbs in the Sunday School Garden; date to be announced. December 16 th will be the annual Christmas Pageant and Brunch; there will be more information about the pageant as the year progresses. I d also like to take this opportunity to welcome back all the teachers and to say that I am very privileged to have such a dedicated team. I look forward to an exciting and blessed year. God s Love, Barbra Chryssanthakopoulos Sunday School Supervisor

5 Page 5 The Chalice September December 2012 hungry. In November the Goyans will be attending the Bowling Tournament which is a favorite event and gives the Goyans the opportunity to meet new Goyans from other churches. Looking forward to a great year Teddy Xyloportas GOYA President P.T.O. WELCOME BACK!!! Hope everyone had a relaxing summer! NOW is the time to join our PTO! Dues are only $5.00 for the year. Get involved and make a difference in our community. Bring your ideas forth to our next meeting on September 10, 7:00pm. Looking forward to meeting with you! Sign ups are available for our Annual Greek Festival. Our lively and energetic Chairladies for our PTO Booth are: Amy Crist and Marina Papanikolas! Please acrist@co.ocean.nj.us with your availability in order to make it another successful year for our Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church. Don't forget to sign up your little ones for Greek Language & Culture School and Greek Dancing! BOTH programs are enlightening and rewarding for all ages! Sign ups are available online and at the Main Office. ALL My Love, Angela Martin PTO President GOYA I am honored to say that I am the new president of Saint Barbara s GOYA. This year is going to be an exciting year. September is going to be a busy month, the Goyans will be running the Lemonade Stand for the festival as we have done very successfully for the past few years. We will be attending the Diving of The Cross, in Asbury Park and we will be kickstarting the new year with the Kick-Off Dance, which will be held at Saint George Church in Asbury Park. We have a lot of different fundraisers planned such as hot dog sales, bake sales, and a lot more. We will be contributing the monies toward our new gym, that we are so proud of. Basketball and volleyball practices will also be starting. In October two of our Goyans will be competing in the Mr. & Miss Goya Pageant, an event we all look forward to attending. The Goyans will also be participating in the Crop Walk which raises money for the JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth: Ages 8-11) Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. ~Matthew 19:14 We re gearing up for another exciting year of JOY! JOY Nights are held the 1 st Friday of each month from 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm. Our 1 st JOY night for the year will be Friday, October 5 th. There is no cost to attend JOY, but registration is required. Children are welcomed to bring a friend (even if the friend is not Greek Orthodox). Last year, our children participated in fun fellowship, while growing closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and learning about the Orthodox faith. We built our own churches, had our 1 st ever Beyblade Tournament, visited a farm, collected food for the food bank, and so much more! As our ongoing service project, the children chose to sponsor a child from Africa. You can learn more about our sponsored child, Jenipher, and read her letters on our bulletin board outside the church office. We d like to take this opportunity to thank our GOYA Mentors and the parents who donated juice, snacks and their time without your help, we could not have had a successful JOY program last year! We d also like to reach out to JOY parents who have younger children and who may be interested in helping develop the HOPE program, which is the younger version of JOY (for ages 5-7). The curriculum is already in place and planning will be minimal. It will require a commitment of about 3-5 hours per month. If interested, please contact Chrysanthe at We re planning some awesome activities for the year and hope that we continue to get a great turnout! In His Love, Chrysanthe Patestos, JOY Advisor & Pam Cousoulis, Asst. JOY Advisor (Continued on page 6)

6 Page 6 The Chalice September December 2012 (Continued from page 5) KALI PAREA Greetings to all our Saint Barbara seniors and retirees. We still meet every Wednesday from 11 am to 3 pm in our fellowship hall. Below is part of a note of thanks sent by one our members who recently lost their mate: Thank you my friends from Kali Parea for all your sympathy and support during my time in need. God Bless You All. I pass this along to all who are looking to make new friends. We are here to help one another in time of need, and also to enjoy an afternoon of Good Company. Join us one afternoon. MEMORIAL GARDEN Zelma Ziggy Manos Kali Parea President The Memorial Garden committee is currently in the process of placing inscriptions of all those who donated so generously to this project. In addition, Savvas Kyriacou is working on a design for a dome and doors for all the entry ways, as well as further landscaping embellishments. Anyone wishing to memorialize a loved one may print the engraving form from the church web site or contact the church office. There is no wait period involved in the engraving process, as in the past. The cost of the name engraving is $ per name. If you wish to donate toward any of the new projects, please contact me or any committee member. Paraskevas (Perry) Kelly Memorial Garden Chairman A.H.E.P.A. Ocean County Chapter #467 During the first half of the year our chapter had many obstacles and again, with the help of its members and the community at large, succeeded to overcome all of them. At this year s elections, the same board was elected to serve one more year and for that I would like to thank all of the members for trusting us to serve the chapter as best as we can. Our chapter is a very strong entity and it can get even better through parishioners that are not members becoming members, so I urge all the young adults over 18 years old to come and join our chapter and become members and help build our chapter to be very successful and provide more help and support to our beloved Saint Barbara as well as to our local and aboard brothers and sisters in need. This year s AHEPA Scholarships were given to two very bright individuals and we are all very proud of them! Our two recipients were: Andrea Kyriakou and Samson Pettemerides. Both of them received scholarships from our chapter as well as from our District. Our chapter, as we do every year, also congratulated this year s Greek school graduates and gave each one of them a small gift. Our Greek school graduates were: Florentina Sergiou, Leah Raissis, Marielle Marlys, Michael Kyriakou and Sofia Scalzo. We wish them good luck. Our chapter will host the New Year s Eve celebration that will take place in our newly redecorated and refinished community center. We promise that we will do everything possible to give you a night to remember and together we will welcome Anybody that wants to help is more than welcome to do so by contacting Ernie Tsaptsinos. Peter Pettemerides Chapter President DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE Aphrodite Chapter #374 We recently held elections. The newly elected officers are: Penelope Capetan, President Arlene Mitchell, Vice President Matina Larres, Corresponding Secretary Rita Engel, Recording Secretary Antoinette Zachariades, Treasurer We are a small chapter and we are always looking for new members to join us. If anyone is interested in joining our chapter, we would love to hear from you. We hope you had an enjoyable summer! Penelope Capetan Chapter President

7 Page 7 The Chalice September December 2012 International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) 20th Anniversary Race To Respond Seattle, WA Seaside Park, NJ On July 31 st the IOCC s Race To Respond Team of Jim Angelus, Konstantin Kanelis and Brett McKey marked the end of their 3,000 mile bike ride across the United States in honor of IOCC s 20 years of global humanitarian service and to raise funds for the organization s relief fund. A reception was held here at Saint Barbara, after which the riders embarked on the last leg of their journey, ending at Island Beach State Park. Thank you to all of you who came out to cheer on the cyclists and help with this worthwhile event.

8 Page 8 The Chalice September December 2012 The life of a Christian is toil and prayer. "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17) the apostle exhorts, and with him the saints of our Church, by experience recognizing the power and benefit of continual prayer. The most well-known of these became what is known as the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". If all the works concerning the Jesus prayer that have been written by the holy fathers were gathered together, a vast library would result. The brevity and simplicity of it permits any Christian to include it in his daily prayer rule (of course, with the blessing of the spiritual guide), repeating it a specific number of times 50, 100, 200 during the day. But how to pray and keep count at the same time? Prayer ropes assist in this. Modern prayer ropes are an enclosed string, consisting of small knots, divided into groups of ten or twenty five by somewhat larger beads. The usual number of knots is 50 or 100. Small prayer ropes have 33 knots and have no beads. Prayer ropes help keep count (the Russian word, chotki, is derived from the root chot, or count) of the number of prayers or prostrations. The person praying runs the fingers of the left hand over the knots concurrently with the beginning of the new prayer being read. When coming to a larger bead they usually stop and read "Our Father" or "Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos Mary", and then continue the Jesus prayer. When the prescribed number is achieved, "It is meet " is usually read. Any other prayer can also be read using the beads. In ancient Rus the ropes had a different form, that of an enclosed ladder, consisting of wooden bars, sewn into leather or material. They were called "lestvitsa" or "lestovka" (ladder) and spiritually symbolized the ladder of salvation, rising to heaven. The enclosing of the beads and ladder symbolizes the unceasing, eternal prayer. Prayer ropes are part of the monk s apparel, laymen can pray with them, receiving the blessing of his spiritual guide. Prayer ropes help to pray at work, in public places one need only to put their hand in their pocket and start counting the knots. The difficult-to-understand fashion of wearing the prayer ropes around the neck, tying them around the wrist, twisting them on the finger are clearly not of pious roots. As with any holy item (and prayer ropes are necessarily blessed), one must handle them piously and not be demonstrative about them.

9 Page 9 The Chalice September December 2012 Εξομολόγηση Νηστεία Θεία Κοινωνία Πανοσιολογιώτατο Αρχιμ. Σωφρόνιο Μιχαηλίδη Προϊστάμενο του Ι.Ν.Παναγίας Χρυσοπολίτισσας Όταν πλησιάζουν οι μεγάλες γιορτές πολύς κόσμος συνηθίζει να πηγαίνει στους ιερείς για εξομολόγηση. Πείτε μας, πάτερ, γιατί είναι αναγκαίο το Μυστήριο αυτό στη ζωή των χριστιανών. Για να κατανοήσουμε το αναγκαίο της Εξομολογήσεως στη ζωή μας, πρέπει να κατανοήσουμε πρώτα το μεγαλείο του αιώνιου προορισμού μας. Ο Θεός μας έπλασε «κατ' εἰκόνα και καθ' ὁμοίωσιν» Του, με προορισμό τη θέωση, δηλαδή τη συμμετοχή μας στην ίδια τη ζωή του Θεού. Γι αυτό οι επανειλημμένες προτροπές στην Αγία Γραφή: «Ἅγιοι γίνεσθε, ὅτι ἐγώ ἅγιος εἰμί» και «Ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι...» (Α Πετρ.α 16 και Ματθ.ε 48). Όταν λοιπόν συνειδητοποιήσουμε το μεγαλείο της κλήσεως και του προορισμού μας, και το συγκρίνουμε με τη φτωχική πνευματική μας κατάσταση, θα αντιληφθούμε το πόσο υστερούμε και το πόσο απέχουμε από αυτό που ο Θεός θα ήθελε να είμαστε. Με την εξομολόγηση ο Θεός συγχωρεί τις αμαρτίες μας, που αποτελούν το εμπόδιο για την επίτευξη του αιώνιου προορισμού μας. Πολλοί δεν εξομολογούνται με τη δικαιολογία ότι «δεν σκότωσαν» ή «δεν έκλεψαν» κι άρα δεν έχουν τίποτε να εξομολογηθούν. Εσείς τι θα τους απαντούσατε; Ο Χριστιανισμός δεν είναι μόνο αρνητικές εντολές (μη τούτο, μη εκείνο), αλλά πολύ περισσότερο είναι μια θετική πορεία, η πορεία προς την αγιότητα. Εφ' όσον, λοιπόν, δεν έχουμε φθάσει την αγιότητα, δεν μπορούμε να επαναπαυόμαστε με την ψευδαίσθηση ότι δεν έχουμε τίποτε σοβαρό να πούμε κι αυτό γιατί αν κάτι πετύχαμε στις αρνητικές εντολές, σίγουρα όμως υστερούμε στις θετικές. Δηλαδή, είμαστε αμαρτωλοί, έστω κι αν δεν διεπράξαμεν εγκλήματα; Η αποχή από εγκληματικές πράξεις είναι υποχρέωση μας και ο Θεός δεν μας χρωστεί χάρη γι' αυτό. Όμως ο πιο μεγάλος αμαρτωλός δεν είναι μόνο ο εγκληματίας, αλλά και όποιος παραβαίνει την «πρώτη και μεγάλη» εντολή του Θεού, που είναι το: «Αγαπήσεις Κύριον τον Θεόν σου εξ' όλης της καρδίας σου και εξ' όλης της ψυχής σου...» και «Αγαπήσεις τον πλησίον σου ως σεαυτόν» (Μαρκ.ιβ 30-31). Ποιος μπορεί να ισχυριστεί ότι εκπληρώνει την εντολή αυτή! Εάν λοιπόν έχουμε ταπείνωση και ειλικρίνεια, θα αναγνωρίσουμε καθένας μας ότι είμαστε παραβάτες της πιο μεγάλης εντολής του Θεού. Γι' αυτό πρέπει πάντοτε να νοιώθουμε χρεώστες απέναντι στο Θεό, και να ζητούμε τη συγχώρηση και το έλεος Του. Πως θα μπορέσουμε να κάνουμε σωστή και όχι τυπική (χωρίς αληθινή μετάνοια) Εξομολόγηση; Θα πρέπει να ζητούμε από το Θεό να μας δίνει αληθινή μετάνοια και επίγνωση της αμαρτωλότητάς μας, ώστε να εξομολογούμεθα όπως πρέπει, για να υπάρχει ουσιαστική ψυχική ωφέλεια και πρόοδος στο δύσκολο δρόμο προς την αγιότητα. Και κάτι τελευταίο όσον αφορά την Εξομολόγηση: Η Εξομολόγηση είναι εντολή του Θεού ή των ανθρώπων; Την Εξομολόγηση την καθιέρωσε ο ίδιος ο Χριστός, δίνοντας στους Αποστόλους και στους διαδόχους τους (επισκόπους και ιερείς) την αναγκαία χάρι και εξουσία. (Βλέπε τα σχετικά εις Ματθ.ιστ'18-19, ιη'18 και προ παντός εις Ιωαν. κ'22-23). Όσον αφορά τη νηστεία, ποια η σημασία της, πάτερ; Στην Παλαιά Διαθήκη η νηστεία ως αποχή από τροφή και ποτό ήταν έκφραση μετάνοιας και πένθους πνευματικού για τις αμαρτίες μας και εκζήτηση του θείου ελέους (ας θυμηθούμε τους κατοίκους της Νινευί). Στη χριστιανική εποχή η νηστεία, διατηρώντας τις πιο πάνω ιδιότητες, αποκτά ακόμα ένα νόημα: γίνεται και άσκηση, εγκράτεια, αυτοέλεγχος, αποφυγή γήινων απολαύσεων για να επικεντρωθούμε στον πνευματικό αγώνα. Γι' αυτό η νηστεία δεν περιορίζεται μόνο στην αποχή φαγητών αλλά προϋποθέτει και αποχή από κάθε κακία και από κάθε αμαρτία. Πως πρέπει να νηστεύουμε, όσον αφορά τα φαγητά; Η Εκκλησία έχει καθορίσει τον τρόπο νηστείας των φαγητών. Σημασία έχει να χρησιμοποιούμε τα νηστίσιμα φαγητά με μέτρο, και να μην προσπαθούμε να αναπληρώνουμε όλες τις αρτίσιμες απολαύσεις με αντίστοιχες νηστίσιμες. Όσον αφορά, τέλος, τη Θεία Κοινωνία, τι πρέπει να έχουμε υπ' όψιν μας; Η θεία Κοινωνία είναι το σημαντικότερο από τα Μυστήρια της Εκκλησίας μας είναι ό,τι αγιότερο έχει να μας προσφέρει η Εκκλησία είναι, ακόμα, το αποκορύφωμα της συμμετοχής μας στη ζωή της Εκκλησίας. Γι' αυτό πρέπει να προσερχόμαστε κατάλληλα προετοιμασμένοι, και ύστερα από τη σύμφωνο γνώμη του πνευματικού μας. Το πόσο συχνά πρέπει να συμμετέχουμε, τι νηστεία πρέπει να κάνουμε και τι άλλη προετοιμασία χρειάζεται, είναι θέματα για τα οποία ο κάθε πιστός θα πρέπει να συμβουλευθεί τον πνευματικό του. Χρειάζεται λοιπόν πολλή προσοχή στο Μυστήριο, γιατί αν μεν κοινωνήσουμε κατάλληλα προετοιμασμένοι, κοινωνούμε «εις άφεσιν αμαρτιών και εις ζωήν αιώνιον» αν όμως κοινωνήσουμε με ανάξιο τρόπο, τότε κοινωνούμε «κρίμα και κατάκριμα».

10 The Chalice Page 10 g Hi n i t a u d Gra iors n e S l o gh Scho Cam Graduat in September December 2012 g Greek Sc hool S t udents p Sa int B arba ra GOYA Christmas Party

11 Page 11 The Chalice h ow S n io h s a F l a u n An September December 2012 Comedy Nite at the PAC featuring Basil the Greek Comedian Metropolis Clergy Laity Honorees Outdoor Olympics Greek Independence Day Program honoring retiring teachers Kyria Stavroula & Kyria Melanie

12 Page 12 The Chalice September December 2012 Welcome to SAINT BARBARA S BISTRO Featuring our Fabulous Fish Frys and other delectable dishes! First Friday of each month 5:00 pm 8:00 pm $11.00-$13.00 (Includes Coffee and Dessert), Children under 12 - $7.00 Complete dinners, available to all members of the public. Large groups (even bus loads) are welcome. Serving amazing and delicious dinners, prepared by professional chefs, for a terrific price. Please call the church office at for more information. AHEPA New Year s Eve Party Mark your calendars for December 31st and ring in the new year at Saint Barbara. Details to follow as they become available. Saint Barbara Dinner Dance Saturday, November 3rd In our newly renovated community center featuring live music from the Aegean Duo Join us for a wonderful evening of music, dancing, wining & dining Watch the church bulletin for more information

13 Page 13 The Chalice September December 2012 July 26, 2012 By Fr. John A. Peck Preaching In The Cyber Age Dr. Dwight Moody Tradition tells us face-to-face presentations are the most effective way to sell, motivate, and instruct. But the rise of the cyber world has challenged much of our folk wisdom about communication and influence. Preaching through a camera is powerful and gaining influence. Yes, people still want a minister to take their hand and lift an appeal in prayer during a critical hospital situation; and yes, people still want leaders, like Bush on the rubble in New York City and Obama on the ground last week in Colorado, to look them in the face and deliver their message of comfort and challenge. But learning to use the microphone and the camera are crucial to the ministry in the modern world. I recently sat through (or talked through!) my first recorded Skype interview. I recognized immediately the power of such media. Our AoP sermon videos have now topped 117,000 downloads: not viral, but eye-catching nonetheless. My niece is the manager of on-line publication and distribution for the preaching of a well-known megachurch. My nephew webcasts his Sunday morning sermons live and I have come to appreciate listening to these through my iphone. I have dabbled in the Twittersphere and am preparing to lead a seminar on how to Tweet the gospel. In all these ways, this old man is learning the new stuff: the power and preference for new media for reaching an audience through electronic means and for seeing the enormous potential of speaking into a camera. The Academy of Preachers will increasingly look for ways to blend this modern gospel strategy with the face-to-face, hand-to-hand contact that remains the fundamental point of witness for those of us called to stir up things for Jesus. 2012, Fr. John A. Peck. All rights reserved.

14 Page 14 The Chalice September December 2012

15 Page 15 The Chalice September December 2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS ~ September 2012 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Notes: 1 Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year 2 Philoptochos Coffee Hour 3 LABOR DAY **OFFICE CLOSED** Nativity of the Theotokos Festival Baking after service til 5pm 9 Ancestors of God Ioakim and Anna PTO Coffee Hour PTO Oath of Office 10 Youth Dance Festival Practice PTO Meeting: 7 pm 11 Greek School begins: 5 pm Philoptochos Welcome Aboard Meeting: 7pm 12 Youth Dance Festival Practice Elevation of the Cross GOYA Meeting: 7 pm Holy Cross Celebration Asbury Park 17 Festival Set-Up 18 Festival Set-Up 19 Festival Set-Up 20 Festival Set-Up 21 Saint Barbara Festival 22 Saint Barbara Festival Kali Parea/Parish Council Coffee Hour Youth Dance Festival Practice Parish Council Executive Board Meeting: 7 pm NO Kali Parea Parish Council Meeting: 7 pm 23 Conception of Saint John the Baptist Saint Barbara Festival AHEPA Meeting: 7 pm DOP Meeting: 7 pm 26 Falling Asleep of Saint John the Baptist NO Greek School GOYA Kick-off Dance: Asbury Park 30 GOYA Coffee Hour Agiasmos Service Blessing of the Waters for the new school year GOYA Oath of Office Sunday School begins Carnation Sale to benefit Birthright Organization GOYA Hot Dog Sale Notes:

16 Page 16 The Chalice September December 2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS ~ October 2012 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Notes: 1 Youth Dance Begins Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm Saint Barbara s Bistro: 5-8 pm First JOY Meeting: 6 pm 6 Saint Thomas the Apostle PTO Meeting: 7 pm Mr. & Miss GOYA Interviews (Holmdel) 7 Philoptochos Coffee Hour Mr. & Miss Goya Pageant (Edison) 8 Columbus Day NO Youth Dance Saint Luke the Evangelist PTO Coffee Hour JOY Family Outing: pumpkin picking 15 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm Parish Council Executive Board Meeting: 7 pm 16 Philoptochos Meeting: 7 pm 17 Parish Council Meeting: 7 pm 18 Mission Trip to Guatemala 19 GOYA Meeting: 7 pm AHEPA Coffee Hour Sunday School Open House Mission Trip to Guatemala 22 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm 23 Saint Iakovos (No Religious Ed. Class) Saint Demetrios Vespers: TBD Gift Auction set-up 26 Saint Demetrios the Myrrhbearer Philoptochos Gift Auction: 6 pm Holy Protection of the Theotokos Parish Council Coffee Hour OXI Day Program GOYA Hot Dog Sale 29 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm 30 AHEPA Meeting: 7 pm DOP Meeting: 7 pm 31 Notes:

17 Page 17 The Chalice September December 2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS ~ November 2012 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Notes: 1 Saints Cosmas & Damianos 2 Saint Barbara s Bistro: 5-8 pm JOY Meeting: 6 pm 3 Saint Barbara Dinner Dance GOYA Bowling Tournament: Fairview 4 Philoptochos Coffee Hour Philoptochos Sunday for Cosmas & Damianos Memorial Service for deceased members & Artoclasia for the living Tray for the Patriarchate 5 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm PTO Meeting: 7 pm Synaxis of the Archangels 9 Saint Nektarios Metropolis Choir Convention 10 Metropolis Choir Convention 11 PTO Coffee Hour? Metropolis Choir Convention Veterans Day 12 NO Youth Dance 13 Saint John Chrysostom Philoptochos Bd Mtg: 7 pm 14 Saint Philip the Apostle Saint Matthew GOYA Meeting: 7 pm Kali Parea/Parish Council Coffee Hour General Assembly PTO Dessert Auction 19 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm Parish Council Executive Board Meeting: 7 pm Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple NO Kali Parea NO Greek School Parish Council Meeting: 7 pm 22 THANKSGIVING **OFFICE CLOSED** 23 THANKSGIVING BREAK **OFFICE CLOSED** Parish Council Coffee Hour NO Sunday School 26 Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm 27 AHEPA Meeting: 7 pm DOP Meeting: 7 pm Philoptochos Meeting: 7 pm Saint Andrew Vespers Randolph: 7 pm 30 Saint Andrew Saint Andrew Vespers: Randolph Notes:

18 4 30 NO Sunday School GOYA Coffee Hour Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm PTO Meeting: 7 pm Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm (Confessions) Philoptochos Luncheon 31 NO Youth Dance AHEPA New Year s Eve Party NO Youth Dance Eve of the Nativity of Christ Notes: **OFFICE CLOSED** MERRY CHRISTMAS! NO Greek School Savior Jesus Christ (Confessions) Saint Spyridon **OFFICE CLOSED** NO Greek School Parish Council Meeting: 7 pm Saint Nicholas Vespers 24 Eugenia the Righteous, 25 Nativity of our Lord and 26 Parish Council Executive Board Meeting: 7 pm Philoptochos Vespers Reception Youth Dance Beginner: 6:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 pm Saint Savas the Sanctified 6 Saint Nicholas 7 Fri GOYA Caroling & Christmas Party Saint Barbara s Bistro: 5-8 pm JOY Meeting: 6 pm Saint Eleutherios PTO Saint Basil s Trip? Sat The Chalice GOYA Bake Sale Parish Council Coffee Hour 23 PTO Christmas Pageant & Brunch AHEPA Coffee Hour Parish Council Elections 16 9 JOY Family Outing: Christmas caroling Saint Barbara Thu 8 Saint Barbara Vespers: 7 pm Wed 2 Philoptochos Coffee Hour 3 Tue 1 Mon Notes: Sun ~ December 2012 ~ CALENDAR OF EVENTS Page 18 September December 2012

19 Page 19 The Chalice September December 2012 ADVERTISING SPACE

20 Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church Page 20 The Chalice September December Church Road Toms River, NJ It s here! Saint Barbara Greek Festival September 21-23, 2012 Don t Miss It! Youth Greek Dance Begins Monday, October 1 st Beginner: 6:30 7:30 pm Intermediate: 7:30 8:30 pm Information packets are available in the Church office