Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian
Church E-Tidings
January 2009
- Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Holy Apostles had a full service schedule during December that included services dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. Nativity services included the Vigil of the Forefeast, a Vesperal Liturgy, the Vigil of the Nativity and the Divine Liturgy for the Nativity of our Lord. Also during December the parish commemorated Saint Herman of Alaska with a Divine Liturgy on Saturday, December 13th.
- Holy Theophany – January 6. Theophany is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by St. John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. From ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in the region of the shadow of death” (Mt 4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace.
In the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind.
The origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times, and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13). From the second century we have the testimony of St. Clement of Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and the night vigil before this Feast.
There is a third century dialogue about the services for Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and St. Gregory the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany.
The monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at Orthodox services even today. St. John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but “to bury human sin by water,” to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify “the nature of water” and to offer us the form and example of Baptism.
On the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Indivisible. It exposes and overthrows the errors of ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms.
The Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean this priceless garb, for “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27).
Troparion of Theophany in Tone 1
“When Thou O Lord were baptized in the Jordan the worship of the Trinity was made manifest, for the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit, in the likeness of a dove, confirmed the truth of His word. O Christ, our God, Thou hast revealed Thyself and enlightened the world, Glory to Thee.”
Saint John the Forerunner – January 7. Troparion of St. John the Forerunner in Tone 2
“The memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise, but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner. Thou wert shown indeed to be the most Honorable of the Prophets, for in the waters ye baptize the one of whom thou preached. After suffering with joy on behalf of the Truth, Thou proclaimed even to those in hell the God who appeared in the flesh Who takes away the sin of the world, and grants us great mercy!”
Final Icon for Iconostasis Installed. The last icon for the iconostasis has been delivered and installed. The Proto-deisis (Angelic powers worshiping the Young Christ) will reside above the Holy Doors of the iconostasis. Our iconographer Vladimir Grigorenko of Dallas has again written a masterful work that has added to the beauty of our chapel. May Christ continue to bless his hands and works.
Youth Group Activities. During December the Senior Youth Group delivered food and clothing to needy area residents. The gifts were extremely appreciated and well-received. Many thanks to all who donated to this cause and to those who took a special interest in ensuring the success of this philanthropic effort. Both the Senior and Junior Youth Groups are finalizing plans for the coming year. Please see Kelly Williams and/or Tami Yates for more information.
All Parish Meeting Held. The annual parish meeting was held following Diving Liturgy on Sunday, December 14th in the Community Building. An overview of parish goals and the 2009 budget was discussed and approved. Topics of discussion included continued growth of the parish and its management, the establishment of missions in northeast Oklahoma and the formation of philanthropic and planning committees.
New Parish Council Installed. Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 20th Father Ambrose gave the oath of office to the 2009 parish council. The new council consists of Travis (Nicholas) Byrd, Phil (Maximos) Dunbar (Treasurer), Andrew Johnson, Cliff (Basil) Shannon, Wanda-Sue (Anna) Treece (Secretary), Kelly (Demetrios) Williams, and Tim (Timothy) Yates. Let us keep the new council in our prayers (they’ll need it!).
Local Orphanage Support. On Wednesday, December 17th over 30 Holy Apostles parishioners visited the Realations Children’s Home to deliver Christmas gifts. It was a blessing to everyone who participated. The children were very appreciative of the gifts and activities and members of Holy Apostles had a great time sharing laughs with the kids. Many thanks to Elaine Sames for organizing the event and for everyone who donated and participated.
Important Dates in January. With the New Year upon us many parish activities are scheduled to resume while our schedule of events and services is full. The January list includes:
- Church School – Begins Sunday, January 4th (Following Divine Liturgy)
- Inquires Class – Begins Wednesday, January 7th (Following Vespers)
- Reader’s Class – Begins Wednesday, January 7th (Following Vespers)
- Home School COOP – Begins Tuesday, January 13th at 9:30am
- Also during January we will celebrate the Blessing of the Waters with our sister parishes on Saturday, January 10th at 2:00pm. The blessing takes place at the low water dam on the Arkansas River near 29th and Riverside Drive.
- On Saturday, January 24th our parish will attend vespers at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. We have been invited by Father Bill Christ to attend the service as Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will be in Tulsa that weekend.
- Special Services: Holy Theophany: Vigil Monday, January 5th at 6:30pm; Divine Liturgy Tuesday, January 6th at 9:30am with blessing of water following. Relics of St. John Chrysostom: Divine Liturgy Tuesday, January 27th at 9:00am.
Word of the Month: “MOLIEBEN”. A Molieben (also called a moleben, service of intercession, or service of supplication) is a supplication prayer service in honor of either our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, or a particular saint or martyr. It is a Slavic service, but closely related to the traditional Greek Paraklesis service. A molieben is usually served by an ordained priest, but laymen can also do a molieben, although in a modified form.
January Feast Days and Commemorations. January 1: Circumcision of the Lord and St. Basil the Great; January 6: Holy Theophany; January 7: St. John the Forerunner; January 17: St. Anthony the Great; January 21: Maximos the Confessor; January 22: Apostle Timothy; January 25: St. Gregory the Theologian; January 27: Relics of St. John Chrysostom.
Altar Server Schedule. The schedule for the Altar Servers has been published for January. Please find the schedule here.
New Divine Liturgy Booklet still in the Works (We Promise!). Work continues to update our parish Divine Liturgy booklet to match the translations used in the service. The booklet will also include the resurrection troparia and kontakia as well as the troparia hymns for major feast days. Be looking for the booklet within a few weeks (NO REALLY!).
Alms Box. As Father Ambrose has mentioned following recent services, the parish keeps an “Alms Box” in the narthex of the church to financially assist those in need. As one can imagine, we do have people within our own community that can use assistance from time-to-time. Please consider cash or check donations to the alms box as your heart moves you.
Food and Clothing Closet. The youth of Holy Apostles continues to collect donations for St. Martin’s Closet. The youth will accept food and clothing donations for distribution to area residents in need.
Parish Financial Report. Treasurer Phil Dunbar reports that December 2008 was a record month for Holy Apostles with over $17,000 received in operating income from donations. We also received over $2,000 in donations for other parish activities including the Realtions Children’s Home, St. Martin’s Closet and for Father Ambrose’s Christmas gift. Many thanks to everyone who has so generously supported Holy Apostles during the year; we are so blessed by each of you. (The monthly parish financial reports are being posted on the bulletin board in the Community Building. Anyone with questions about parish finances can contact parish Treasurer Phil Dunbar or Father Ambrose.)
If you would like to contribute information or photos to the Holy Apostles E-News monthly newsletter please send information to etidings@holyapostlesorthodox.org. Submissions should be received by the 20th of each month.
