Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church 8306 NC HWY 751, Durham NC 27713 919-484-1600 fatherstavroforos2012@gmail.com, www.stbarbarachurchnc.org News & Announcements June 19, 2016 Sunday of Pentecost Thaddeus (Jude) the Apostle & Brother of Our Lord Holy Martyr Zosima Our Righteous Father Zenonus Païsius the Great of Egypt NEWCOMERS AND VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! Sunday Worship Schedule: Matins 9:00 am & Divine Liturgy 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. Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 Today's Readings: 1 WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking
Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 2:1-11 Ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς, ἦσαν ἅπαντεςn ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦχος ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας, καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν ὅλον τὸν οἶκον οὗ ἦσαν καθήμενοι. Καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός, ἐκάθισέν τε ἐφʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις, καθὼς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς ἀποφθέγγεσθαι. Ἦσαν δὲ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατοικοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς, ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. Γενομένης δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης, συνῆλθεν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ συνεχύθη, ὅτι ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν. Ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐθαύμαζον, λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Οὐκ ἰδοὺ πάντες οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ λαλοῦντες Γαλιλαῖοι; Καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθημεν; Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης τῆς κατὰ Κυρήνην, καὶ οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι, Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ προσήλυτοι, Κρῆτες καὶ Ἄραβες, ἀκούομεν λαλούντων αὐτῶν ταῖς ἡμετέραις γλώσσαις τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ. The Gospel according to John 7:37-52; 8:12 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then went back to the chief priest and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." Nikodemos, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 7:37-52, 8:12 Εν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς εἱστήκει ὁ Ιησοῦς καὶ ἔκραξε λέγων ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτόν οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα Αγιον, ὅτι Ιησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη. Πολλοὶ οὖν ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον ἔλεγον οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ἄλλοι ἔλεγον οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός ἄλλοι ἔλεγον μὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ Χριστὸς ἔρχεται; οὐχὶ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Δαυῒδ καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης, ὅπου ἦν Δαυΐδ, ὁ Χριστὸς ἔρχεται; σχίσμα οὖν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ἐγένετο δι αὐτόν. τινὲς δὲ ἤθελον ἐξ αὐτῶν πιάσαι αὐτόν, ἀλλ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας. Ηλθον οὖν οἱ ὑπηρέται πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαίους, καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνοι διατί οὐκ ἠγάγετε αὐτόν; ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ὑπηρέται οὐδέποτε οὕτως ἐλάλησεν ἄνθρωπος, ὡς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων; ἀλλ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν νόμον ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσι! λέγει Νικόδημος πρὸς αὐτούς, ὁ ἐλθὼν νυκτὸς πρὸς αὐτόν, εἷς ὢν ἐξ αὐτῶν μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ παρ αὐτοῦ πρότερον καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ; ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ἐρεύνησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι προφήτης ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας οὐκ ἐγήγερται. Πάλιν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ιησοῦς ἐλάλησε λέγων ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου ὁ ἀκολουθῶν ἐμοὶ οὐ μὴ περιπατήσῃ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, ἀλλ ἕξει τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς. 2
Welcome Father Vasile Mihail of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Church of Savannah, GA An Autobiographical Sketch I was born and grew up in Romania, a country where Orthodoxy is not only the predominant religion, but also the unbroken thread tightly knit in our culture and history. In the countryside, where I was born, the new atheistic and materialistic ideas aggressively pushed by the Communist government could not easily penetrate because the Romanian peasants kept Orthodoxy and the Church in deep respect. My parents owned some land and consequently were labeled as kulaks (landowners) and submitted to all kind of persecutions, from giving up the crop, to stints of six months in labor camps, and to digging trenches for two years in the nearest town. I pursued a technical career, knowing that the technical field was less polluted by the ideological factor. In May 1976, I graduated from college with a B.Sc. in computer sciences. In February of 1984, I graduated from Law School; I did not pursue a career in that field being aware of the meddling of politics into justice. I married in May of 1976 and soon we had two children. My wife Danielle and I both worked as analyst programmers. In June of 1981, I was accepted as researcher associate at the University of Bucharest, with a specialization in mathematical modeling in social sciences. In my scientific works (at the time co-author of one book, 6 articles published abroad, and 22 in Romania) I was expected to paint in rosy colors a crude reality and to include in my writings quotations from the "works" of the Dictator (Ceausescu) and his wife; the refusal to do so, was punished in different ways, one being the denial to travel abroad. The humiliation inflicted on me and my family, as well as the reluctance of my generation to act against the regime, was major factors in my decision to find a way out of the country. On June 6, 1987, I defected and after two weeks I arrived in a camp for refugees, in Latina, Italy. I lived for one year in the camp and I had to withstand the psychological pressures of an inherent insecurity and the burden of a long period of waiting for departure into a country of immigration. In early June of 1988, I was settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where I was waiting for my family to come and join me. We were reunited after three long years of separation, and we made efforts to integrate into a new country; the life in the U.S. healed our hardened souls, restored our peace of mind, joy of life, and desire to study. My interest for theology revived and grew again. Every member of our family became enthusiastically involved in church activities. I took adult Bible classes, I taught Sunday School classes, I have been a member of the Parish Council and Treasurer, I became involved in mission work and I participated in a mission to Haiti in the summer of 1996. Later on I led a mission in Alaska {2001}. In Jacksonville, Florida, I worked for 9 years in the same company, first as analyst programmer and then as senior analyst programmer. In this period of time, we were naturalized as U.S. citizens, our daughter went to college and we bought a house. Then I realized that as busy as we had been trying to survive in the last ten years, we did not give enough praises to God. So, the idea to study for the priesthood came back in my mind. Consulting with my family, with my spiritual Father, and with my parish priest, I made the decision to enroll at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA, in the fall of 1996. I graduated on May 15, 1999, being able to finish the four-year Master of Divinity program in three years. 3
I was ordained to the deaconate by His Grace Bishop Philotheos of Meloa on November 30, 1998, in Randolph, New Jersey. I served as a deacon in the School s chapel on working days and at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Randolph, New Jersey, on weekends. I was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on June 6, 1999 at St. George s Cathedral in Greenville, SC, by His Grace Bishop Alexios of Atlanta, and I started my work as parish priest at the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church in Greensboro, NC. During my tenure at the Dormition, the membership grew from 114 families to about 200 families. During the years 2003 to 2006 I completed a doctoral program at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and I submitted my dissertation on May 2006 with the title: Living under expectations: Canonical aspects of the seven sacraments in the Orthodox Church. On July 1st, 2005, I was assigned as parish priest at St. Paul s Greek Orthodox Church in Savannah. From the first days of my assignment I got involved in the ministries and activities of the parish as well as in the liturgical life of the St. George s Chapel in Brunswick, a mission of our parish. Also I tried to make our faith and our parish known to other Christian and non-christian people of faith, through, Church Tours, Tri-Church Festival, Interfaith Services, Houses of Worship Tours, speeches and presentations to the people or in the local media. There are many expectations from an Orthodox priest; as I am trying to fulfill them, I cannot forget that my main task is to help people grow in faith and commitment, to make known to them God s grace and love. My greatest satisfaction comes from the fact that many people of this parish and town made me part of their lives and so all together we can enjoy the wonderful riches promised to us by Almighty God. Summary: Born: 03/16/52 Place of birth: Romania Studies and titles: Computer Sciences (1976), Bucharest, Romania, B.Sc. Law School (1984), Bucharest, Romania, J.D. Holy Cross School of Theology (1999), Boston, MA, M.Div. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (2006), Pittsburgh, PA, D.Min Ordination: 11/30/98 Ordination to Deaconate 06/06/99 Ordination to Priesthood Family: Wife, Danielle, and two children, Irene Whitt and Eugene Mihai Languages: Romanian (native), English, French, Italian, Greek Today's coffee hour is being hosted by Robert & Robbie Wippich ATTENTION SAINT BARBARA PARISH! Celebrate with your Church Family yournext 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. 4229 or elenipali@att.net 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- 4
FUNDRAISING PROJECTS TO DATE: 2015 February 7 June 6-7 July 18 September 12 September 26 October 3 November 6 November 20-21 December 6 December 12 Gyro Day Greek Festival Gyro Feast Yard Sale Fashion Show Chicken Dinners To-go Evening of Music Joint Philoptochos/PC Fundraiser Saint Barbara Celebration Banquet Holiday Greek Pastries 2016 January 16 January 30 February 20 June 4-5 July 23 September 24 October 1 Evening of Music Spaghetti Event Gyro Event Greek Festival Gyro Event Evening of Jazz Chicken Event WE NEED YOU as a STEWARD! Our Saint Barbara Church needs each and every family to join our Stewardship Program. Our goal is to have 150 Pledged Families in the Stewardship Program. As of May 30th we have 91 Pledged Families in our Stewardship Program. Please help us Reach our Goal. 5
For those interested in learning more about the chanting that we do in our Greek Orthodox Churches, we are meeting to go over very basic ways of singing in this tradition. We will begin with humming the isons which anyone can do; and we will go over some of the beautiful chants of our church like the 'Christos Anesti' which is sung at Pascha. We will also discuss how to follow the lead chanter; and a similar concept of 'question and answer' style hymnography. This discussion and sing along will be lead by Tony Thompson, assistant chanter at St. Barbara. If you are interested in participating in this program offering you can Email Anthony Thompson at tony_man@mac.com For a brief bio see below: Tony Thompson is a professional musician and chanter at St. Barbara GOC. He attended UNCG where he studied both music and business. Recently, Tony earned a playing certificate from the American Guild of Organists(2014). In 2013 he was the official salaried organist for Holy Trinity GOC. He has participated in the Raleigh Convocation Choir performing Sacred Choral Music(classical master works). He has also sung in the Triangle Orthodox Choir. Currently, he sometimes works as a professional interim organist /vocalist for Anglican churches. Other places of service as choir master, chanter and chorister: parishes include The Dormition of the Theotokos, St. George(High Point), All Saints Antiochian, St. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church, St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Church in America. Tony has chanted with the much celebrated Byzantine Choir from New York, Romeiko(2003 season) and chanted regulatory at St Sophia Cathedral in Washington, DC.(2003). Worship Services for June of 2016-26 - Sunday of All Saints - 9:00 am - 29 - Saints Peter and Paul on Wednesday - 9:00 am - 6