7th Ecumenical Council

Sunday Bulletin -October 12, 2014 7th Ecumenical Council Symeon the New Theologian & Provos,Andronicus, &Tarachos Transfiguration of our Lord Greek Orthodox Church 414 St. Stephen s School Road Austin, Texas 78746 (512) 329-6363 email - office@transfiguration.org website - www.transfiguration.org Sunday Service Schedule Orthros 8:45am; Divine Liturgy 10:00am Reverend Fr. Vasileios Flegas, Proistamenos 512-574-1972

Hymns for today Apolytikion The stone that had been sealed before your tomb by the Jews, and the soldiers guarding did watch over Your pure and sacred Body, O Savior, the third day You arose, and unto all the world did You give life. Whereby all the heavenly powers did proclaim that You are the giver of life. Glory unto our resurrected Christ, glory unto your Kingdom, glory to your Dispensation, O You alone who loves all.. Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ στρατιωτῶν φυλασσόντων τὸ ἂχραντον σου Σῶμα, ἀνέστης τριήμερος Σωτήρ, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν ζωήν. Διὰ τοῦτο αἱ Δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐβόων σοι, Ζωοδότα Δόξα τῇ Ἀναστάσει σου, Χριστέ δόξα τῇ Βασιλείᾳ σου δόξα τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ σου, μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε. Hymn for the fathers Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to Thee Υπερδεδοξασμένος ει, Χριστέ ο Θεός ημών, ο φωστήρας επί γης τους Πατέρας ημών θεμελιώσας, και δἱ αυτών προς την αληθινήν πίστιν, πάντας ημάς οδηγήσας πολυεύσπλαγχνε, δόξα σοι. Hymn for the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Μετεμορθώθης εν τώ όρει Χριστέ ο Θεός, δείξας τοίς Μαθηταίς σου τήν δόξαν σου, καθώς ήδυναντο, Λάμψον καί ημίν τοίς αμαρτωλοίς, τό φώς σου τό αϊδιον, πρεσβείαις τής Θεοτόκου, φωτοδότα δόξα σοι. When O Christ our God Thou wast Transfigured on the mountain Thou didst reveal Thy glory to Thy disciples in proportion as they could bear it. Let Thine everlasting light also enlighten us sinners. Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Thou Bestower of light, glory to Thee. Kontakion A Protection of Christians unshamable, intercessor to our Holy Maker unwavering. Please reject not, the prayerful cries of those who are in sin. Instead come to us for you are good, your loving help bring unto us, who are crying in faith to you. Hasten now to intercede and speed now to supplicate, as a protection for all time, Theotokos for those who honor you. Προστασία των Χριστιανών ακαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία προς τον Ποιητήν αμετάθετε, μη παρίδης αμαρτωλών δεήσεων φωνάς, αλλά πρόφθασον, ως αγαθή, εις την βοήθειαν ημών, των πιστώς κραυγαζόντων σοι. Τάχυνον εις πρεσβείαν, και σπεύσον εις ικεσίαν, η προστατεύουσα αεί, Θεοτόκε, των τιμώντων σε.

Epistle St. Paul s Letter to Titus 3:8 15 TITUS, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. Gospel Luke 8:5 15 The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔριν καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αιῥετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ ἐμοῦ πάντες. Ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσε παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ κατεπατήθη, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατέφαγεν αὐτό καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀκανθῶν, καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό. καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, καὶ φυὲν ἐποίησε καρπὸν κατονταπλασίονα. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. Επηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες τίς εἴη ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσι καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ συνιῶσιν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ παραβολή ὁ σπόρος ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, εἶτα ἔρχεται ὁ διάβολος καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ πιστεύσαντες σωθῶσιν. οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι, μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται. τὸ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας πεσόν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, καὶ ὑπὸ μεριμνῶν καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου πορευόμενοι συμπνίγονται καὶ οὐ τελεσφοροῦσι. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.

Welcome Visitors! We welcome all new visitors who worshipped with us this morning. We are pleased to have you with us! Please join us next door after service for coffee and fellowship. There is material in the entrance of the church regarding ministries and events of Transfiguration. We hope that you will return often to worship with us and grow in Christ! Receiving Holy Communion The sacrament of Holy Communion is reserved for only baptized and/or Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared by fasting, prayer and confession. The Orthodox Church is not in sacramental communion with any other church outside the Orthodox Christian Faith. If you are not Orthodox, you are invited with everyone to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of service. If you would like information about the Orthodox Church, please see Fr. Vasileios after services. Paraklesis is back! September 17 through November 5 Join us every Wed. at 5:30pm Pot luck dinner to follow WORSHIP and STUDY NEW LIST FOR PRAYERS FOR HEALTH! The Prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) Prayers for Health Orthodoxy 101 After Paraklesis we will have our Orthodoxy 101 Class at 7pm in Mt. Tabor Hall! Everyone is welcome! New Year, new prayers! With the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year we started a new list for prayers for health. Please call or email the office to give the names of your loved ones that you would like to put on the list. JoGeo, Konstantinos, Shelly, Ruthie, Barbara, Samantha, Maria, Efstathia, Tony, Rouba, Sarah, Emily, Kynlee, Wesley, Afrodite, Nick, Nicholas Wyatt, Cameren, Helen, Chrissy, Nancy, MaryAnn, Marian, Tina, Salin, George-Panagiotis, Salin, Raphael, Marta, Guadalupe, Caroline, John, Lili, Archie, Kelsey, Eva, Heather and her unborn child, Papouli Stamati, Virginia, Makena, Dolly, Afrodite, Alexandros, Lou, Thomas, Greg, Bill, Kathryn, John, Kathy, Nakis, Maggie, Rosemary, Mindy, Pat, Louella, Steve, Marie, Clifford, Tina, Timothy, Cynthia, Chad, Douglas, Mat, Sissy, Yerger, Fr. Paul, Kyle, Katerina, Vasili, Harry, Angie, Damon, Alex, Afrodite, Nick, Nick he is always wrestling in prayer for you (Colossians 4:12) Prayers for those in our Armed Forces SGT Jennifer D. Atkinson, SSG John Atkinson, COL Dave Romine, CPT James Alfaro, SSG Deane Anderson, CPT William Willett, MAJ Timothy Ullman, MAJ Chris Chase, SPC Mindy Keys, SPC Andrew Bentzel, MAJ Scot Thornhill, CPT Christopher Gilbert, CPT. Alexander Stathos, 1st LT Angela Bahlatzis, MIDN 1/C Joseph Barone, SGT Walter Hurbert (Nikolaos) Willoughby IV, LCDR Thomas Uhl Arthur Christopher Anthony Pavlovsky

Philoptochos News Only 11 weeks till Christmas!!! Do you have all your gifts yet? Stocking stuffers? There is a great selection in our bookstore for planning your gifts ahead of time or for last minute affairs. We have books, beautiful icons of many sizes, jewelry, and more. There is, also, a great selection of books for children of all ages. Please come by and check them out. And don t forget gift cards! Your purchases help us raise funds to give to MANY worthy charities! Great Lakes Scrip carries cards from MANY grocery stores, department stores, restaurants, movies, etc. You name it, they carry it! These cards make great gifts for your college students, too! Philoptochos Transfiguration Community Christmas Card Project This year again, just stop by the Philoptochos table, and for a suggested donation of $25, you can add your name in the beautiful Christmas greeting that we send out to our members and to many more. November 1, 2014 Taste of Greece/ Holiday Bazaar / Junk & Jems Garage Sale. Yes, it s true! You can clean your closet ( new or gently used items only please) and then come relax and have some fun in our bazaar. The proceeds from the garage sale go directly to Fr. Vasileios Benevolent Fund. Please start thinking about what you can donate to help make this a success. Top Sellers in the past have been: Bicycles (especially ones ready to ride) Children s books Clothes (especially children s clothes) Gardening Equipment Household items (dishes, quilts, bedding) Handbags Jewelry (watches, rings) Power Tools (saws, drills, sanders) Sporting Equipment (golf clubs, workout equip) Toys (not broken) Are you baking yet? It is time to get baking and freezing! In an effort to have more uniformity in size and type of pastries, we are trying something different this year. We will sell four types of pastries using the recipes that were voted on at our bake-off. We will have Koulourakia, Melomakarona, Kourabiethes, and Baklava. We will purchase the Baklava from Shatila bakery. So we just need to concentrate on baking the other three types. We are busy planning and excited that our big event is approaching soon! We need you to help sell pastries, Greek coffee, soft drinks, and tickets on November 1st, so don t forget to volunteer by signing up through "Sign Up Genius" for the time slot (or two) that will work with your schedule! Philoptochos wants pictures!!! Philoptochos is asking anyone and everyone that has pictures of persons serving or that have served in the military to bring them in on Sundays and let Chris Falkowski make a copy of them. The pictures will be used on a presentation during the November 9 luncheon honoring veterans.

Gift Baskets from St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox monastery The best gift for the coming holiday season! The nuns are now taking orders for gift baskets, boxes, and/or trays of homemade Greek pastries, wines, soaps and lotions. Everything comes beautifully packaged for gifting to family, friends, teachers, neighbors or businesses. Due to the fragility of the pastries there can be no shipping. However, items will be delivered to Transfiguration in December for pick up. Orders will be filled on a first come first served basis and supplies are limited. Brochures and order forms can be found in Mt. Tabor. Orders and payment can be sent directly to : St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Monastery, 6855 Little York Lane, Washington, TX 77880 or faxed to: (936)878-2630. If you prefer, you may submit your order through Yanna at the office. Compassionate Friends Ministry The Compassionate Friends Ministry is part of the greater Philoptochos Ministry, but not limited to the Philoptochos membership. It is an arm of our Church. Those in this ministry first and foremost offer a connection of loving companionship to people who are bound to their homes either out of illness or age, so that they remain connected to the grace and love of Jesus Christ through our Church. The ministry, also, extends itself to those who may have recently undergone surgery, are in the hospital, are isolated, are in grief, or have given birth to a child. If you are interested in this caring ministry please email the church office at office@transfiguration.org or call the church office at 512-329-6363. Transfiguration Greek Orthodox 29th Anniversary Gala Saturday, Nov. 8th, Church Dinner, Dancing, Entertainment, Silent Auction, Raffle Ticket Prices: Adults- $100 Children under 18- invites you to Purchase Tickets at transfiguration.org

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sunday, October 12, 2014 Make A Difference with Loukoumi Make a Difference with Loukoumi - The TV special with the fluffy little lamb from the Loukoumi book series that just wants to make the world a better place. Join host Cat Cora on Saturday October 18-19 and watch how kids like YOU can follow their dreams and make a difference in the lives of others. This will be shown in Austin on Saturday, October18 on KBVO (channel 54) at 12pm. It will also be shown nationally. The Loukoumi Fund benefits National Philoptochos, St Jude and many other charities Our next study will be on Tues., October 14 at 10am We are currently studying the book Everyday Saints and Other Stories Please contact Krystal Cawood to be added to our email listtownsendcrafts@gmail.com OCF News Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 14 @ 7 Men s Study and Fellowship Join us for our next study on Thursday, October 16, at 7:15am Jim s Restaurant 9091 Research Blvd, Austin, TX Fr. Vasileios will be leading a study of the book: The Prison Epistles: Philippians-Ephesians- Colossians-Philemon by Lawrence R. Farley. Exploring Modern Orthodoxy Fr. Deacon George has begun a class for the young adults which is proving to be very informative and captivating. The class meets every other week on Thursdays. Everyone is welcome to join them! Their next meeting will be on Thur., October 30, at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106 Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237 Date: October 6, 2014 ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS TO MAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO CYPRUS NEW YORK On the invitation of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nikos Anastasiades and with the unanimous agreement of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America will embark on an official visit to Cyprus, October 20-27, 2014. During his visit, Archbishop Demetrios will meet with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nikos Anastasiades, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, and governmental, academic and institutional officials. His Eminence will also visit holy historic sites and philanthropic institutions.

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS continued: Sunday, October 12, 2014 Services for this Week: Wednesday, October 15 Paraklesis 5:30pm Saturday, October 18 St. Luke the Evangelist Orthos 9am, Liturgy 10am Saturday, October 18 Great Vespers 5pm GALA Tickets are now available There will be a table set up in the hall each Sunday until the gala for those that wish to RSVP and get their tickets in person. 2014 Southern Region GOYA Fall Retreat. Registration is now open! It will be held on November 14-16, 2014, at Pine Cove Outback Retreat Center in Columbus, Tx. GOYAns, ages 11-18, are welcome to retreat away from every day challenges and focus on their relationship with Christ. The registration fee for this retreat is $125, and online registration will close at midnight Mountain time on November 1, 2014. The link for information and online registration can be found here: http://youth.denver.goarch.org/events/2014-events/2014-southern-region-fall-retreat-ii http://www.pinecove.com Join us on October 24-26, 2014 for an incredible weekend, packed full of spiritual and social activities. Get to know and spend time with fellow Orthodox Christians as we learn what it means to live authentically. Explore the concepts of: "Real Life, True Faith" with Dr. George Stavros. We'll reflect, learn, and worship together, discover Austin's hotspots, and form lifelong connections. Please be sure to connect with us via our website, or email. -Email address: youngadultsaustin2014@gmail.com -Event website (including registration): http://peliniko.wix.com/yal-2014-austin October 24-26, 2014 at the Holiday Inn at Town Lake Thank you to last week s Coffee hour Sponsors: Thank you to this week s Coffee hour Sponsors: Lambros, Landon, Leara, Leatherwood, Lerman, Levendakis Mitchell, Mulholland, Norman, O Brien, Orthmann, Ousaklidis Thank you to today s ushers: Thank you to last week s ushers: Next week s ushers are: Stephen Dow (PCM), Harry Stamatis, MaryBeth Gradziel, Brian Holland Tricia Korioth (PCM) Kevin Korioth, Paul Petrogeorge, Stella Rossnagel Jim Norman (PCM), Maria Miller, Anita Jones, Vaios Athanasiou Next week s Coffee hour Sponsors: Mitchell, Mulholland, Norman, O Brien, Orthmann, Ousaklidis