LOOKING BACK – LOOKING FORWARD!

hrist the Savior Greek Orthodox Church had its beginnings with the congregation of worshipers at St. Nicholas Chapel in the old Olympic Village Youth Camp about 14 or 15 years ago. But as a mission parish, it began to organize in January of 2002. So with this January, 2005, we complete three years of growth and development.

    This past year, 2004, we have made significant progress. Our Stewardship membership increased to 78 family units. Church attendance has increased. We voted to sell our property so as to build in a more centrally located area. Financially, we are holding our own. We held numerous successful fund-raisers and community events. We paved our portion of Olympic Village Lane, and paid for it. We remodeled the Fellowship Hall into a larger house of worship for future growth.

   We had four Baptisms, 5 Chrismations of new Orthodox Christians, 2 Marriage Sacraments, and, sadly, 2 Funerals. Worship services were conducted each Sunday, without a break, as were weekday Feast day services and Holy Week liturgical observances.

   Hopefully we can also say that we have grown spiritually. Throughout this year, we have faced adversities and problems, surviving three Florida Hurricanes. Repairs have been made on many of our buildings. Our afternoon Parish Education Program continued on a regular schedule, with the addition of an evening P.E.P. program held at Holy Trinity Church. Significantly, we established the St. Katherine Ladies Society this past year.

  What do we look for in 2005? Upcoming is the visit of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of the Atlanta Metropolis. His Eminence has been extremely helpful to us in many different ways, showing great support for our Mission. On February 19, 2005 we will celebrate our 1^st Christ the Savior Feast Day Celebration and Banquet at which Metropolitan Alexios will be the honored guest. We are also expecting many priests as guests from the Tampa Bay Conference of our Metropolis, together with political representatives, and a very good turnout of our Stewards and friends.

   In 2005, we will have to make some important decisions about our future, beginning with the Special General Assembly, on January 23.

   We do not know what the future will bring, but as we sang the Doxology at the Divine Liturgy yesterday, January 1, 2005, we prayed for continued guidance from Christ the Savior, and for a Christian spirit of faith in Christ, unity, mutual support, enthusiasm and above all, a spirit of love for one another. May God bless us in 2005!

 

Service hours: Sundays and Feast days: Orthros at 9:30 am; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.

Evening Services as Announced

Sunday Before Theophany – the Baptism of Christ

Gospel Entrance Hymns

 Dismissal Hymn - 2nd  Plagal  Tone

   (Sing in Greek before the Entrance) ("Angelike dynameis"). Hymnal,  86-87.

   (Sing in English after the Entrance) ("The Angelic Powers "). (Same).

Dismissal Hymn of Pre-Epiphany

   (Read) Make ready, Zabulon, / and prepare, Nephtali; / and you Jordan River, / stop your flow / and receive with a thrill of joy / the Master coming to be baptized. / An you, Adam, / rejoice with the first mother Eve, / and do not hide / as you did of old in paradise: / for Christ as the sight of your nakedness / has come forth to clothe you with the robe of innocence. / Indeed, Christ has come forth to renew the whole creation.

Dismissal Hymn of the Presentation of Christ - (Sing) From the sheet in the pew.

   (Text): “Hail, O Mother of God, Virgin full of Grace. Through you did arise the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those in darkness. And you made glad righteous Elder Simeon, receiving and embracing the liberation of our souls; also giving to us the resurrection.”

Kontakion for Epiphany

   (Sung in Greek by the leaders) “En tes reithreis semeroni”

   (Read) Today / the Lord Christ has appeared / in the Jordan’s waters, / and He has cried out to John: / “Do not fear to baptize me, / for by my own will / have I indeed come to save Adam, / the first-created human being.

      Return to a page 26 for “Holy God” and for the Epistle and Gospel Readings

EPISTLE –2 Timothy 4:5-8 (Pre-Epiphany)

imothy, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

GOSPEL – Mark 1:1-8 (Pre-Epiphany)

he beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for

the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

   FOR THE RECORD: Christmas - Attendance 45; Offering $80; Candles $54; December 26 - Attendance 40; Offering $51; Candles $35; Adamis Philanthropic Fund $101.

   CHRISTMAS GUESTS Luke, Mary and Frank Markovich, from Delaware, offered a Bread-Blessing Service at the Christmas Divine Liturgy. Mary was a former parishioner of Fr. Harakas in Lancaster, PA, visiting in the area. For photographs of our Christmas Divine Liturgy, including the Bread-Blessing Service, go to our Christ the Savior Website: http://orthodoxhernandocountyfl.org/photos2004.htm. Thanks to Dorothy Triantafilon, our webmaster, for taking the pictures and posting them on our website. 

   SPECIAL THANKS to Fred and Karyn Underwood for their work on the Agape Canister Project. The first collection in support of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center in St. Augustine, FL, netted $40, which is being sent to support Orthodox Missions throughout the world. 

   NEW PROCEDURE UPON ENTERING THE CHURCH: Starting today, when you enter the Church there will be three trays at the Candle Stand. The first is for Stewardship Offerings (in envelopes, for privacy); the second is for Visitors Contributions; and the third is for your Candle Donation. If you haven’t made your Stewardship pledge yet, you may put the equivalent of your Offering Tray and coffee hour contribution in the Stewardship Offering tray.

   NEW SYSTEM STARTING TODAY: As of today, Stewardship contributions to our Church should include an amount for the Offering Tray and the Coffee Hour. NO TRAY WILL BE PASSED TODAY.

   RUG INSTALLATION: Parish Council President Paul Cosmadelis expects that the rug for the altar area of our Temporary Church will be installed this coming Tuesday, January 4. We could use assistance from the men in attendance today to move everything out of the Altar area in anticipation of the rug laying. Please see Paul right after Church services today.

   THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI TRAGEDY has cost almost 117,000 lives as of this writing. IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA), the Pan-Orthodox relief agency of our Church, is organized to provide aid. Donations for IOCC's "Asia Disaster Response" should be sent to IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at www.iocc.org or by calling toll-free 1-877-803-4622.

   JANUARY 16 -THE THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH will be observed as “Anointing for Health and Healing Sunday.” Plan to attend this healing service.

   ICONS which had been stored in the Chapel are now displayed on the walls of the Church. If you have stored icons and wish to donate them for display in the Church, please speak to Tyke & Helen Nicolelis (684-1219) to arrange your gift.

 HONOR ROLL - CHRIST THE SAVIOR Greek Orthodox Church

78 Stewardship Members for 2004  - New Members (*)