Weekly Bulletin

The Faith

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

February 26th, 2012 Vol. 9

Cheese Fare Sunday

Tone:4 Eothinon:4

Epistle: Romans 13:11 -14:4

Gospel: Matthew 6:14-21

Sunday Servers ~~ For Sunday February 26th

Epistle Readers:

Arabic: George Shaqareq

English: Sbdn. Nadeem Tannous

Tray Collection:

1. Walid & Leona Akel

2. Jameel & Darine Akel

Ushers:

Norman Hanania & Ted Bateh

Altar Servers:

Sbdn. Eric Bateh, Sbdn. NadeemTannous, Alex Hanania,Daniel Hanna, Sam Awwad, Hanna Bateh, Fuad Batteh, Ramzi Jalouk,Matthew Mousa and Andreas Mousa.

Holy Bread Of Oblation ~~ For Sunday February 26th

1. In loving memory of Jamal Rukab (9 Day Obs.), offered by the Uncles of the late Jamal Rukab and their families. May his memory be eternal.

2. In loving memory of Isaac Salameh, offered by Basem & Nahida Salameh

and their children. May his memory be eternal.

3. In loving memory of Said Akel, offered by Suad Akel and her children.

May his memory be eternal.

4. For the health & spiritual welfare of Jamal & Naeemeh Hanania and their family, offered by Jamal & Naeemeh Hanania.

5. For the health & spiritual welfare of Issa & Shadia Odeh and their family, offered by Issa & Shadia Odeh.

6. For the health & spiritual welfare of Hiyam Odeh and her children, offered by Hiyam Odeh.

Sweets Offering for Sunday February 19th

1. Jamal & Nareman Gazaleh 2. Phillip & Amanda Gazaleh

3. Drs. Robert & Kristy Griffin 4. Madeleine Haddad

Friday Feb. 24th 6pm-10 am Saturday: Tri Parish /Teen SOYO Lock-In

¨ Wednesday Feb. 29th @ 6pm: Great Compline Service.

March Events:

Sunday March 4th @ 6PM : Great Vespers for Sunday of Orthodoxy. Followed by Social Coffee Hour (Coffee, Fruit, and Mixed Nuts.)

P.S. If you are attending this service and wish to bring something from the above List, to share with others, it will be appreciated. Thank You!

You are all encouraged to attend this beautiful service

Saturday March 10th: Ladies Bake Sale (Maamoul) for Easter

“The Great lent Begins on Monday February 27th.”

Lenten Services:

Wednesday Feb. 29th @ 6 pm: Great Compline Service

Friday March 2nd @ 7pm: Akathist Service ( Madayeh)

Wednesday March 7th @ 6PM : Presanctified Divine Liturgy

Ladies Easter Bake Sale ~ Saturday March 10th

Date Cookies: Order your cookies now!!

The Ladies Auxiliary of St. George is holding their much anticipated Date Cookies Bake sale this year. This is a popular item each time this sale is held, so place your order before time runs out.

Cookies are $15 a dozen.

Chairladies are Aileen Farhat and Shereen Bateh

To place an order, call Aileen Farhat (262-8658)

Shereen Bateh (262-1490) or Sue Rafidi (645-6515).

There will be no last minute orders; Deadline is February 26th

Church Records...

Baptism

“As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ”

We would like to congratulate; Faris & Julie Farah

on the Baptism of their daughter, “Christina Renee”,

who was baptized at our Church on February 12th, 2012.

The Proud Godparents are: Salem Farah & Samia Zam.

We pray to the Almighty God to direct the newly illuminated child so that she may keep her Baptismal garment undefiled and that the Holy Spirit which she received, will produce much of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in her life.

Many Years!

To our beloved Khourieh Ranwa Al-Rahil for having been elected by His Grace Bishop ANTOUN and the delegates, during the recent Delegates Meeting, to serve as the Diocesan Vice President of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine for the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast.

Congratulations, Khourieh, on this, your first step in serving the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast in this capacity.

May the Lord bless & make fruitful, the work of your hands!

Financial Outlook

Most of you may remember: back in 2004 General Assembly, a motion was made and passed to raise the weekly pledge amount from $10.00 to $15.00 per week.

Here are the Minimum Basic Guidelines to be considered an Active Pledge Member at St. George:

Pledge: $15 weekly / $780.00 per year

Building Fund: $10 monthly / $120 per year

Archdiocese Dues : 35 X # of each baptized soul in the household.

For Example—if there are 4 Orthodox people in the house, Archdiocese dues will be 35 X 4 = $140.

Benefits of being an Active Pledge Member @ St. George “in good standing”:

A.) Permitted to vote in the General Assembly, held once a year.

B.) DOES receive discounts for all sacramental services such as weddings, Baptism, Funeral, Our church hall rental etc….

P.S. In order to be considered an ACTIVE Pledging member, and receive the benefits listed above, you must use your envelopes regularly and meet the minimum financial requirement.

It is time again to pay your Archdiocese Dues for 2012. Please use your blue envelope dated February 12th ASAP! Non-paid Archdiocese Dues will put the church in a financial strain, as the amount will have to be withdrawn from the Church’s General Fund.

“So Be A Good Steward Of Christ & Support Your Church Financially".

Sunday Bulletin Ads

Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: It’s time again to renew the Ads which appear in the Sunday Bulletin each week. For those who already advertise: “thank you”! You will receive your reminder letter this week, if you haven't already. For those who haven’t advertised with us before: here’ your chance!

Sizes & cost for one full year of advertising:

1/4 page Ad : $300.00 1/2 page Ad: $500.00

full page Ad: $1,000.00

If you are interested in placing an Ad, please call the Church office during regular business hours and we will be happy to mail a form to you.

* Don’t forget that your Ad is fully Tax Deductible! *

Please save the date Saturday April 28th, 2012

Our Annual $100 Fundraiser Dinner

We look forward to this elegant night each year as we come together for fellowship, food, prizes and much more!

The chairladies for this event are: Cynthia Salameh & Lana Hanna

Tickets Are On Sale NOW!

To purchase a raffle ticket, please see Mr. Sam Kalil, PC Chairman

or Sue Rafidi ;Ticket Chairperson, or any member of the Parish council .

More details to come, in next week’s bulletin.

Don’t forget this date!

Sixteen ways to help your family by reducing your stress

1. Simplify your life and unclutter your surroundings. Less is more.

2. Go to bed on time and wake up on time so you can start the day fresh and unrushed.

3. Tell your spouse that you love him or her every day, at different times.

4. Say “no” to projects that do not fit into your time schedule. Seriously.

5. Slow down. Read a book, color a page or play a game with a child.

6. Delegate tasks to capable others.

7. Laugh.

8. Laugh some more! A whole lot!

9. Take one day at a time. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it does not happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.

10. Allow yourself extra time to get places.

11. Develop a forgiving attitude- most people are doing the best they can.

12. Be kind to unkind people. They probably need it the most.

13. Remind yourself that you are NOT the general manager of the universe – leave that job for the Lord.

14. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for unbudgeted purchases.

15. Take your work seriously, but not yourself.

16. Every night before bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you have never been grateful of before.

From the Desk Of Fr. Kamal

“The essence of the priesthood consists in bringing people to Our Lord through the sacraments and bringing Our Lord to them when they are unable to come themselves.”

A word about times of sickness…

I would like to reassure all of my parishioners that as your pastor, I am always concerned about your well-being. If you are ill in the hospital or at home or if you need special prayer, please do not hesitate to call me and let me know. I will always do my best to be there for you, as my flock.

However, I can’t be there to pray for you, if I don’t know about your need.

Ask for the Grace of Our Lord… It is good to remember that your outlook and frame of mind during sickness or suffering will improve as you strive to identify your suffering with the Suffering of our Lord. This change of perspective can greatly strengthen your communication with Christ.

Sickness is not a total disaster. It can be transformed into an opportunity to grow as we go to God with our complaints and fears, letting Him answer us in His own way. If we cooperate with those who can help us, then any sickness or suffering we endure can end in God’s glory and prepare us for greater happiness.

For the immediate family of the one who is ill:

When a loved one is very sick, especially in an emergency situation, please do not wait until he/she is dying to send for me. The sick person cannot go to confession and receive Holy Communion after he is unconscious.

This is very important. As their family member, you may feel apprehensive that seeing the priest will frighten the sick person. On the contrary, the sacraments are usually a source of comfort and consolation to the sick. They are usually much happier and at ease after our visit.

P.S. If I don't receive a call from the person who is ill or in need, or their immediate family,

I will have to assume that you would prefer to keep your situation private and I will respect that decision.

With love, Archpriest Fr. Kamal Al-Rahil

“Ask not what your church can do for you,

But

" What you can do for your church”

The quality of our Church activities, programs, fundraising and continuing growth & development is one of the biggest challenges facing St George Orthodox Church. Volunteers are needed to lead these efforts and help in creating a lasting success in our future. Our church is fortunate to have the experts to provide the ideal direction to seek quality and quantity programs...

Get involved …Join one of these ministries and contribute your time, knowledge and efforts to the success of our future.

Ministries:

Ladies Auxiliary / Fellowship of St. John the Divine / Teen SOYO/ Choir / Chanters / Sunday School Teachers / Ushers and Altar Boys.

Daily Vitamins For Spiritual Growth

Food for thought as we approach Great Lent….

However great the sacrifice we are making for the Lord, we are not doing it for anything so cold as duty or obligation, we are doing it for the best friend we have ever had.

We are doing it for our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Anything we do for Him, any sacrifice, any burden, any price we have to pay is not really a sacrifice at all but life’s greatest privilege.

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

كنيسة القدِّيس جَاوَرجِيُوس الأنطاكية للرُّومِ الأُرثوذكس - جاكسنفل فلوريدا