St. Sophia Weekly Update

St. Sophia Weekly Update

Upcoming Services

We'd like to welcome Fr. Thomas and GOYANs back from a fun and spiritually filled weekend in Dallas. Please join us for services this weekend, beginning with Great Vespers this evening at 6PM, followed by Sunday services tomorrow - 9AM Orthros, 10AM Divine Liturgy.

Print Version

Sunday Bulletin

At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Luke 18:35-43

Please visit our church calendar to see all upcoming services.

General Announcements

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A bit quiet on the announcement front this week but please know your Parish Council and volunteers are working diligently behind the scenes on various projects, including the building improvements discussed at the Fall Parish Assembly. If you have any important news happening in your ministry, please email the church office so we can make sure to get the information to the community.

Planning A Wedding, Baptism, or Memorial?

If you are planning a wedding or baptism, either for yourself or a family member, or memorial service for a family member or friend, please be sure to use the appropriate contact form on the church website Contact page. These forms help to ensure that all pertinent information is captured and followed up on. Additionally, some of the forms have important administrative guidelines that you will want to review as part of your event planning.

Ecclesiastical Corner

Message from Archbishop Elpidophoros

We affirm the gift and sanctity of life – all life, born and unborn. At the same time, we also affirm our respect for the autonomy of women.

Wisdom of the Fathers

We may learn from this that when we ask with faith, God does not give something other than what we ask for, but the very same thing. However, when we ask for one thing and receive something else, it is clear that either we did not make a good request or we did not ask with faith.
Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria
The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke, 11th Century

Readings

Saturday, Jan. 15
Timothy the Apostle of the 70
Epistle:
II Timothy 1:3-8
Gospel:
Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30

Sunday, Jan. 16
14th Sunday of Luke
Epistle:
I Timothy 1:15-17
Gospel:
Luke 18:35-43

Upcoming Events

Jan 24: Virtual Women's Brunch Bunch
Jan 25: Men's Breakfast
Jan 25: Virtual Biblical Dialogue Forum
Feb 9: Parish Council Meeting

Check out our Online Calendar for all streaming services and other virtual meetings.

2022 Ecclesiastical Calendars

Please be sure to pick up your St. Sophia 2022 Ecclesiastical Calendars, either in the church narthex or in the St. Sophia popup bookstore in Mangos Hall. If you would like one mailed to you, please contact the church office at 210-735-5051 or by email at office@stsophiagoc.org.

Prayer Requests

Please keep the following in your prayers:

Chrissy Anthony
Abigail Crandall
Megan Crandall
Dean Danos
Doris Dimas
Kim DeForrest
Mary Douglas
Maria La Rochelle
Olga Kouchoukos
Nikki Morris

Tomi Papanikolaou
Christopher Paris
Mariya-Elena Peykova
Casey Palumbo
Sandra Salas
Helen Stanley
Fr. Dan Suciu
Joseph Totin
Eleftheria Winters
Anthony Zannaras

Prayer for Healing

You, Who are the Physician of our souls and bodies, grant recovery to the sick, raising them hastily from the bed of suffering so that they may glorify You, our Merciful Saviour, and protect the healthy ones from any disease. Bless, O Lord, strengthen and protect with Your grace all those who with philanthropy and sacrifice take care of the sick at their homes or in hospitals. Remove all disease and suffering from among the people and teach us to value life and health as Your gifts. Give us, o God, Your peace and fill our hearts with steadfast faith in Your protection, with hope in Your support and with love for You and our neighbour. For it is Yours to have mercy on us and save us, our God, and to You we give glory: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

If you or someone you know would like to be listed here in future emails, please submit this form or contact the office at 210-735-5051.

Stewardship

We are excited to kick off a new Stewardship Year for 2022. If you have not yet made your pledge for the new year, you can do so quickly and easily by clicking the button below.

A couple of notes on Stewardship:

1. When completing your Stewardship Pledge for 2021, please be sure to write "2021 Stewardship" on your check memo. If paying online, please pick the General Fund 2021.

2. If a memo is not included, and there is an outstanding balance on your 2021 pledge, part or all of the donation will be applied to last year's fund in order to complete the pledge.

3. If you are currently setup in Wisdom for an automatic repeating gift using a previous year's fund, we kindly ask that you end that payment and create a new recurring payment (not to exceed past this year) by selecting the General Fund 2022. This process only takes a few minutes but saves a great deal of administrative time for our accounting volunteers.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Giving to His Church is a way to thank God for His grace and generosity. The question is not, “What are the dues?” but “How can I thank God for my many blessings?” We are stewards of the Gospel and the stewards of our parish. We see our church, not as it is, but as it could be. We offer our treasure and ourselves sacrificially, so that, as members of the Body of Christ, we may reach our full potential in Him.

Please remember St. Sophia in your will and estate planning.

Make Your Pledge Today!

Meet Your Parish Council

Please email your Parish Council at council@stsophiagoc.org if you have any questions. Your current Parish Council is as follows:

George Hathaway - President
Dale Reeves - Vice President
Lindsey Walker - Secretary
Chris Rokas - Treasurer
Greg Asvestas
Gary Ballard-Toney
Jack DeForrest

St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church
2504 N. St. Mary's Street
San Antonio, Texas 78212
Phone: (210) 735-5051
Email: office@stsophiagoc.org
Office Hours: Monday - Friday,10AM - 2PM

Clergy
Rev. Fr. Thomas Newlin, Proistamenos
Rev. Dn. Nikolas Papanikolaou

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