Third Sunday of the Evangelist Luke

Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church 8306 NC HWY 751 Durham NC 27713 919-484-1600 fatherstavroforos2012@gmail.com www.stbarbarachurchnc.org News & Announcements October 8, 2017 Third Sunday of the Evangelist Luke Pelagia the Righteous 10/8/2017 Pelagia the Virgin-martyr of Antioch 10/8/2017 Taisia the Harlot of Egypt 10/8/2017 Phillip, Bishop of Gortyna 10/8/2017 NEWCOMERS AND VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME Sunday Worship Schedule: Matins 9:00 am & Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am To Our Visitors and Guests We welcome you to worship with us today, whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us. Although Holy Communion and other Sacraments are offered only to baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Orthodox Christians in good standing with the Church, all are invited to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) from the priest at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The Antidoron is not a sacrament, but it is reminiscent of the agape feast that followed worship in the ancient Christian Church. After the Divine Liturgy this morning please join us in the Church Hall for fellowship and refreshments. Please complete a Visitor s Card before you leave today and drop it in the offering tray, or give it to one of the parishioners after the service, or mail it to the Church Office. 1

Their voice has gone out into all the earth. Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God. Today s Readings: The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 9:6-11 Brethren, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν. Στίχ. Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ. Πρὸς Κορινθίους τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα είναι απο β' 9:6-11 Ἀδελφοί, ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως, φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπʼ εὐλογίαις, ἐπʼ εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. Ἕκαστος καθὼς προαιρεῖται τῇ καρδίᾳ μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός. Δυνατὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἔχοντες περισσεύητε εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκεν τοῖς πένησιν ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶν σπέρμα τῷ σπείροντι, καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσαι, καὶ πληθύναι τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐξήσαι τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοι εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότητα, ἥτις κατεργάζεται διʼ ἡμῶν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ θεῷ. 8307 The Gospel According to Luke 7:11-16 At that time, Jesus went to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" 8308 Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα 7:11-16 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐπορεύετο εἰς πόλιν καλουμένην Ναΐν καὶ συνεπορεύοντο αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἱκανοὶ καὶ ὄχλος πολύς. ὡς δὲ ἤγγισε τῇ πύλῃ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐξεκομίζετο τεθνηκὼς υἱὸς μονογενὴς τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὕτη ἦν χήρα, καὶ ὄχλος τῆς πόλεως ἱκανὸς ἦν σὺν αὐτῇ. καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν ὁ Κύριος ἐσπλαγχνίσθη ἐπ αὐτῇ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ μὴ κλαῖε καὶ προσελθὼν ἥψατο τῆς σοροῦ, οἱ δὲ βαστάζοντες ἔστησαν, καὶ εἶπε νεανίσκε, σοὶ λέγω, ἐγέρθητι. καὶ ἀνεκάθισεν ὁ νεκρὸς καὶ ἤρξατο λαλεῖν, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ. ἔλαβε δὲ φόβος πάντας καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν 2

Θεόν, λέγοντες ὅτι προφήτης μέγας ἐγήγερται ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ὅτι ἐπεσκέψατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λόγος οὗτος ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Ιουδαίᾳ περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ. Today s Events: Trisagion: 12 years Constantinos Zoumbos husband of Sophia Zoumbos ; and father of Cleopatra (Zoumbos) Papanikas and Sotiri and grandfather to their children Constantinos, Angeliki and Maria; and father of Andromache (Zoumbos ) Christodoulias and Konstantinos, and grandfather to their children Angelina, Sophia, Eliana, Nina, Yianni and Vasili; And father to Vasili Zoumbos Coffee Hour: Hosted by the Sophia Zoumbos and her daughter Cleopatra (Zoumbos) Papanikas in memory of Constantinos. Esteemed AHEPA brothers and friends of AHEPA, You are cordially invited to attend a regular AHEPA meeting, to be held today after Liturgy and Sunday School - about 12:30 PM at St. Barbara's conference room 3

Upcoming Events Youth Day at Hill Ridge Farms (date TBA) 703 Tarboro Road Youngsville, NC 27596 funonthefarm@hillridgefarms.com (919) 556-1771 First Saint Barbara Community Night Friday November 3, 2017 October 2017 Religious Calendar 1-2nd Sunday of Luke - 9:00 am 8-3rd Sunday of Luke - 9:00 am 15 - Sunday of the Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council - 9:00 am 22-6th Sunday of Luke - 9:00 am 26 - Thursday - St. Demetrios - 9:00 am 28 - Saturday - Holy Protection of the Theotokos - 9:00 am 29-5th Sunday of Luke - 9:00 am 4

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Saint Barbara Philoptochos News Holy Cross/Hellenic College Collection- thanks to your generosity $295 was collected Sunday September 10. Our Philoptochos chapter voted to send a total of $400 dollars to HC/HC. Fanouropita Event- Sunday September 17 marked the third year the Philoptochos has held a Fanouropita Event to benefit Youth Ministry- Metropolis of Atlanta. $159 was collected and our Philoptochos chapter voted to send 200 to the metropolis for youth ministries. Coffee Fellowship - Please join us for a morning of fellowship -Tuesday October 10 @10 am- Panera's (South Point) 1680 in North Carolina 27713 For directions call them at 919-544-8360. Saturday October 28@11am-Bean Trader's (Durham) 105 W Nc 54 Hwy #249, Durham, NC 27713 For directions you can call them at 919-484-2499. Our chapter also contributed to the WRAL sponsored food drive through Central Carolina Food Bank (September 20) to assist victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. We purchased and delivered $100 worth of paper towels and case of Peanut butter. THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO DONATED BOOKS TO THE YARD SALE JIM AND HELEN PALIOURAS LOADED UP THE TRUCK TWICE TO BRING THE MANY BOXES OF BOOKS TO THE BOOK HARVEST. FR. STAVROFOROS MADE ANOTHER TWO TRIPS WITH HIS CAR AS EVELYN PANOS HELPED HIM LOAD UP HIS CAR WITH THE BOXED BOOKS THAT REMAINED ON THE PALLET IN THE STOCK ROOM. THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY FOR FULFILLING OUR OCTOBER BOOK DRIVE PROJECT Please consider joining St Barbara's Philoptochos. Our next General Membership Meeting is October 22 after Church Services. You re are welcomed to attend to Come and see what we are all about! From the Desk of President Catherine MariakakIS 6

No Coffee Hour Host Today Please Consider Hosting a Coffee Hour ATTENTION SAINT BARBARA PARISH! Celebrate with your Church Family your next special occasion! Consider sponsoring a coffee hour in the social hall after Liturgy on Sundays to commemorate a birthday, graduation, nameday, anniversary, or even for the pleasure of just hosting for your Parish. Signing up is easy... just place your name on the 'signup coffee hour' sheet located on the table in the hallway nearest the social hall. For details or questions, contact Helen Paliouras at: 919-942-4229 or elenipali@att.net St. Pelagia Memory celebrated October 8 A woman, whose comeliness today might have won her the crown at a beauty pageant and whose reckless escapades would have commanded the headlines in scandal, chose in the third century to serve Him who had worn a crown of thorns, and after exchanging a life of debauchery for the life of ascetism, commanded a respect that earned her sainthood. The story of St. Pelagia was not unlike that of countless others who have gone from evil to piety, but hers was a unique contribution to the cause of Christianity, and she stands in sainthood as the symbol of any femme fatale who has resisted temptation and assumed a decent posture in the Christian faith. Born into immense wealth in the city of Antioch, Syria, Pelagia grew up in a hedonistic class whose sensual sins were an affront, not only to the rest of society but to God as well. She took such delight in every form of wickedness that the respectable people of Antioch strongly suspected that her great beauty and wealth were derived from Satan himself. In any case, it appeared she was in league with the devil because her wild dissipation took no toll on her beauty, and she seemed to thrive on the unwholesome living that would have wrecked anyone not allied with the forces of evil. Pelagia customarily spent her Sabbath on a pleasure seeking tour, borne in a carriage drawn by a quartet of the finest Arabian horses, and would have passed the cathedral without incident had the faithful been within its walls, but on that fateful day an unusually large crowd had spilled out into the courtyard because of the presence of a prominent prelate, Bishop Nonnos. The preacher's sonorous voice carried out to the street and out of curiosity Pelagia stopped to hear what was being said. The bishop's theme must have been salvation, and whatever the aim of his words, they found a target in the curious beauty sitting smugly in the coach. Her curiosity turned to interest and that into a deep sense of regret, which eventuated in her seeking out the Bishop, thereafter to be baptised by him and with a sincere repentance to become a Christian in the purest sense of the word. 7

Renouncing her lurid past, Pelagia began her new life by giving away every scrap of her worldly possessions, which she had in abundance, and turning her back on the leisure class that might prove her ruin, she undertook to cleanse her soul and to serve God with all her heart, a transformation that surely put the devil to rout. In the disguise of a monk, with much of her radiant face concealed, she commenced her avowed asceticism and service to God by secluding herself in the desert and devoting herself to the study of religion, philosophy, and theology to a degree that would assure her acceptance in God's favour. Realising that to expose her beautiful face in the company of females would be to invite embarrassment, no matter how well- intentioned the women may be, Pelagia reasoned that her only assurance of achieving a reasonable proximity to God was to go it alone. It is that doubtful her beautiful face would have been the handicap she construed it to be, but in light of what it had brought her in the past, she could scarcely be blamed for seeking isolation. She realised a cherished dream when she was allowed to enter the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, there to abide for three years in an unceasing supplication for forgiveness and deliverance. When she finally emerged from this holy ground, she was a spectacle of piety, with such beauty of soul that it exceeded her fair countenance, and to speak with her about the Lord would be like being given a first-hand account of Heaven and the Holy Spirit. There was an aura of purity about her that belied her reckless youth. For the fifty-eight years that remained of her long life, she remained a symbol of the power of God to transform a sinner to a Saint. She died a peaceful death in the year 284 A.D. From "Orthodox Saints" Vol 4 by Fr George Poulos, Holy Cross Orthodox Pres Interested in Learning to Speak Greek? Adult and children s classes for beginners and intemediates Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Durham on Hwy. 751 For more information call Helen at 919-942-4229 8

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