December 13th, 2020
Stump the Priest: Question: “Now that the Christmas season has begun — in our secular society called the “holiday season” — there are parties held at workplaces. But we are fasting, and the celebration of the Lord’s Nativity does not comes until December 25/January 7. How would you counsel Orthodox Christians on this subject?” Click here for the Answer.
If you have a question you would like to ask, e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Saints of the Day for Sunday and the coming week, and other edifying reading:
https://www.saintjonah.org/bltn/pent27.pdf
Requires Adobe Acrobat reader (which is free to download):
http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Propers for the Sunday Liturgy:
https://www.saintjonah.org/lit/lit_november30.htm
Propers for the feast of St. Nicholas (Saturday, December 19th):
https://www.saintjonah.org/lit/lit_stnicholas.htm
You can find propers for other upcoming Liturgies by clicking here, and upcoming Rubrics for services by clicking here.
Schedule of Service for the Coming Week:
| Friday, December 18th | 6:30 p.m. Vigil for the Feast of St. Nicholas |
| Saturday, December 19th | 9:00 a.m. Hours and Liturgy for the Feast of St. Nicholas
5:00 p.m. Vigil (with confessions during and following the Vigil) |
| Sunday, December 20th | 9:00 a.m. Hours and Liturgy |
Announcements
Due to the fact that we have several families that either have someone who is sick, or are staying home because they have been exposed to someone who is sick, we will not have Sunday School this weekend, and will not have the St. Nicholas day program we had planned on.
The Wall Calendars for 2021 have arrived. We ask that, if you can, you make a $5.00 donation for each calendar, but take one in any case. We have them available in English only, and in Russian and English.
Tikhon Pino is going to teach a Greek class on Sunday afternoons (after Sunday School). If you are interested, please let Fr. John Whiteford or Tikhon Pino know.
We had at least one person infected with the coronavirus at Church at the Saturday Vigil, and Sunday Liturgy this past weekend. If anyone has any symptoms this week, you will want to err on the side of caution and stay home for a period of 10 days from Sunday. Also, we have cleaned the Church and Parish Hall, and those that we know were exposed for more than 15 minutes have been told to stay home for 10 days well.
We will take a special offering next Sunday to help the St. Nicholas parish in McKinney, Texas, with their effort to build a new parish hall.
St. Nicholas Stocking Drive: In conjunction with the Nativity fast, please consider giving alms to the Saint Nicholas stocking drive. In lieu of collecting actual stockings, we will be collecting blankets for the homeless. The blankets need new or clean-gently used and be TWIN size or larger. The blankets will be given to Hope Beyond Bridges for distribution to the homeless. There is a collection basket behind the “fireplace” in the hall. A stocking will be hung above the fireplace for every blanket donated. Our goal is to hang 24 stockings by the Sunday after Saint Nicholas day, December 20th.
Toy Drive: The Church School program is also sponsoring a toy drive to help other children in need this Nativity season. We are asking that our children bring gently used toys that they would wish to donate (board games, Legos, dolls/action figures, puzzles, art supplies, etc.). We will be collecting these items for the next two Sundays and all donations will be taken to the Northwest Assistance Ministries to support their Seasons of Blessings program.
We will have a restricted Liturgy for those who are trying to avoid large crowds or keeping quarantine due to the Coronavirus, on Saturday, January 2nd at 9:00 a.m.
We will have our next Slavonic Liturgy on Saturday, January 16th, at 9:00 a.m.
Please be aware that we currently do not have natural gas in the parish house, which means that the stove will not work until we are able to get a new gas line in place, however, we are getting closer to having that problem resolved. Hopefully within the next week.
Our next Parish Council meeting will be held on Thursday, December 17th, at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are currently being held via the internet.
Youth Choir: If anyone would like to enroll their children in the youth choir, they can sign up on the paper form in trapeza hall.
You will find texts for reader services that you can do at home through the 27th Sunday after Pentecost, here:
https://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/2020/11/reader-services-through-27th-sunday.html
Sisterhood News: The Sisterhood Council will meet on Tuesday, January 26th, at 7:00 p.m. via the Internet.
Bookstore News: We have new Crosses and Icons of St. Paisios the Athonite that are now in stock.
Parish Finances:
Calendar year to date total (01 January thru 31 October 2020):
Tithes: $119,879.00
Building Fund: $30,374.00
For October 2020:
Tithes: $8,525.00
Building Fund: $200.00
Average Monthly Expenses $11,196.00
Recommended Reading for the week:
You can read “A Servant of God in Every Atom of His Being” In memoriam: Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovic), Svetlana Luganskaya, here:
https://orthochristian.com/135907.html
Recommended Listening for the week:
You can also listen to the sermon “Overcoming Sadness in Following Christ – St. Luke 18, 2020,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham, here:
Rotations
Trapeza:
This Sunday: 12/13/20 (Fast: fish, wine, oil permitted): Sponsors needed.
Next Sunday: 12/20/20 (Fast: fish, wine, oil permitted): Sponsors needed.
Cleaning Teams:
Currently: (Ending on): 12/13/20 – Team Nation.
Next (Ending on): 12/27/20 – Team Cody.
Vigil Reader:
This Saturday: 12/12/20: Shane Martin.
Next Saturday: 12/19/20: Rdr. James Hall.
Liturgy Reader:
This Sunday: 12/13/20: Shane Martin.
Next Sunday: 12/20/20: Rdr. Joshua Gonzales.
Commemorations from the past week:
The Newly Illumined Kalliope McAvoy, and her sponsors Elizabeth and Christopher Cline.
The Newly Illumined Joshua Cauble, and his sponsor Andrew Allen.
Catherine Whiteford’s Name day – Monday, December 7th.
Agustin Rafaelano’s Birthday – Tuesday, December 8th.
Vassily Rodionov’s Birthday – Wednesday, December 9th.
Michael Murphy’s Birthday’s Name day – Thursday, December 10th.
Rosa Mahand’s Birthday – Saturday, December 12th.
Andrew Kettner’s Name Day – Sunday, December 13th.
If you have corrections or additions, e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Prayer Requests:
Orthodox:
For the Servants of God, Metropolitan Mark; Archimandrite Ioann (Magram), Archpriest Andre Papkov, Archpriest Geoffrey Korz, Archpriest Emil Hutnyan, Archpriest Anthony Nelson, Archpriest George Brooks, Archpriest Antonio Perdomo, Archpriest John Maxwell, Matushka Debra Maxwell, Priest Benigno Pardo, Deacon Vladimir Trussin, Matushka Parasceva Brooks, Matushka Olympia Sibley, Matushka Margarita Pardo, Matushka Patricia Whiteford, Thekla Podrasky, Ann (Eleanor) Wandke, Ann (Sonia) Shepherd, Elizabeth (Lori) Hritz, Zoe Wren, Denise (Leslie) Barnett, Marina Watson, Billy (Jean) Holloway, Demetra Durham, Sarah (Anna) Herzog, Cassie Hunt, Mike (Apollos) McBride, Yelena Yegorova, Galina Lay, Sophia (Cynthia) Hirsch, Demetra; Panagyiota; Georgia; Nathaniel Barrett Mahand; Elizabeth Kowasic; Joan Marie Pennings; Robert Carlisle; James Marsh; Katherine Garbett Casanova; Ivan Tschebotarjew; Renee (Ann) Nahlous; John Nicholas Ostis; Garrett (Maximus) and Merilee (Mary) Eidson; Georgy; Valentina Kramareva; Anna (Oksana Mahecha’s sister); Evgeny (Fr. Sergei Baranov’s father-in-law); Viacheslav Chebotko; Natalia Petrova; and the Child Irene Harrington, who are ill.
For Nikolai, who is struggling.
For the safety and salvation of those in Kiev: Vladimir, Yelena, Tatiana, Alexei, Maria, Ivan, and Artem.
For the newly reposed Patriarch Irinej, Metropolitan Artemije; Archbishop David; Maria Jaworski, Innokenty Kosbruk, Natalia, George Korz, and the Orthodox who have perished in the pandemic, and those slain in the violence in Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine, and the Holy Land.
Expectant Mothers:
Elizabeth de Carion
Non-Orthodox:
For the Servants of God, Aiden, Ann Kellis; Shawna Hiu; Misty; Harold Wren; Bethany; Shiela; Cecilia Beck; Rohayu; Infant Jared; Laura Odom, Leslie Swain (Ben Bryant’s mother); Melissa Munster (Moses Munster’s mother); Heather Tolliver (Melissa Holloway’s daughter); Pam Morris (Eleanor’s niece); Keaton Munster, Jeff Perkins, John Williams, William Allen (Eleanor’s adopted brother), John Ward (Rdr Demitri Likomitros’ Uncle), King Kotchavar, Debbie, Carol Schwendeman, Sergei Savitski, the Vanderhider family, Donna Beauchamp, Nicoline and Kent, John Lay, Melissa Hall, Margaret, Angelica, Luna, Chad Holloway, and William who are ill.
For Aki and family; and Johnnie.
The Captive Gregorios.
For the safety and salvation of those in Kiev: Lubov.
For the newly reposed Shirley Burns.
If you have prayer requests you would like announced, please e-mail frjohnwhiteford@gmail.com
Sunday School:
No Sunday School this week.
The Schedule for November 2020 through January 2021:
https://saintjonah.org/bltn/november20-january21.htm
You can also see our online parish calendar of events and services here:
https://saintjonah.org/calendar/
Fasting in the Coming week: Monday, December 14th; and Wednesday, December 16th, are normal fast days. On Tuesday, December 15th, wine and oil are permitted. On Thursday, December 17th; Friday, December 18th; Saturday, December 19th; and Sunday, December 20th, fish, wine and oil are permitted.
Click here for Miscellaneous Items of Interest.
St. Jonah Orthodox Church
2910 Spring Cypress Rd, Spring, TX 77388
www.saintjonah.org
281-467-0264
