| |  | January 22
32nd Sunday after Pentecost
Tone 7
Synaxis of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia | | CONTENTS
Services / Events / Annual Meeting Reports / Prayer Request Updates / Hospitality Meeting this Sunday / Sisterhood Gathering / Fellowship of St. Nektarios Meeting / Bible Study Updates / Quarterly Work Day This Saturday / 2023 Pledge Form / Building Pledge Link / Prayer List / Birthdays & Anniversaries / Lives of the Saints / Bulletin Deadline Reminder / Clergy & Contacts | | SERVICES
Saturday, January 21, 4:45pm, Panakhida (for Kristen, friend of the Brown’s and Mecera’s)
Saturday, January 21, 5pm, Vespers
Sunday, January 22, 9:30am, Divine Liturgy
UPCOMING SERVICES
Wednesday, February 1, 7pm, Great Vespers, Meeting of the Lord in the Temple
Thursday, February 2, 9:30am, Divine Liturgy, Meeting of the Lord in the Temple
see the full January calendar here | | EVENTS
Saturdays, Bible Study, 4:30pm (see below)
Thursday, January 12, 6:30pm, Parish Council
Saturday, January 21, 9am, Workday (see below)
Tuesday, January 24, 10am, Fellowship of St. Nektarios (see below)
Sunday, January 29, following Divine Liturgy, Annual Meeting
Tuesday, January 31, 6pm, Sisterhood Gathering (see below) | | ANNUAL MEETING REPORTS
The Annual Meeting will be held following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 29 in the Education Building. Please familiarize yourself with the reports prior to the meeting. They include: Every parish of the OCA is expected to hold an Annual Meeting. The Statute of the OCA, Article XII, Section 7, states: The Parish Assembly, sometimes known as the Parish Meeting, meets annually to consider matters pertaining to the life of the Parish and to conduct necessary elections relating to the Parish as a whole. The Parish Assembly is comprised of the Voting Members of the Parish… The Parish Priest together with the Parish Council may invite additional persons with or without the right to speak but without the right to vote. The Annual Parish Meeting is presided over by the parish priest with the assistance of the parish council, and will include the following agenda items: reports from the various committees and minutes it has appointed approval [or reject] the annual operating budget submitted by the Parish Council elect members of the Parish Council, auditing committee, and lay delegates to the Diocesan Assembly. The parish will vote on Matthew Masterjohn and Karen Brown for another two-year term on parish council. A vote will also be taken for Chase Montague and Tim Mitchell to join the parish council for a two-year term. If anyone else is interested in joining the parish council, they should contact Parish Warden Gust Mecera (gust.mecera@gmail.com or 614-370-4162) or Fr. Daniel (frdaniel@ststephenoca.com). (Gust Mecera and Justin Nescott will be completing their terms on parish council.) an update on the temple project
| | PRAYER REQUEST UPDATES
—Noel and Bertina Busch's daughter, Lavinia, was taken to the ER earlier this week. She is back home and stable. —Memory Eternal to Connie Harper’s mother, Barbara, who fell asleep on January 14. The funeral will be held this Friday, January 20. See details here:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/cocoa-fl/barbara-lee-11108432 —Tom Lucas is still in the hospital after catching pneumonia. He caught a secondary infection in the lungs, which caused a fever, but his temperature is currently back to normal. —Mark Lopez, son of Lisa Popsuy, completed his contract with the military. Lisa thanks everyone for their prayers on his behalf. | | HOSPITALITY MEETING THIS SUNDAY |  | The Hospitality Team will meet on this Sunday, January 22 at 11:30AM in the Education Building. All current members of the team should plan to attend and be prepared to recommit for 2023 and discuss continuous improvement ideas. The Hospitality Team serves to efficiently execute coffee hour but also to provide hospitality as a spiritual virtue. For inspiration and guidance, the team adopted the icon Hospitality of Abraham as our patron. Abraham welcomed the visitors, made them comfortable at the table in the shade, and hurried to provide them food and drink. This simple act of hospitality as portrayed in the icon is elevated to the most profound act of depicting the Trinity and the unique mutually shared love of God, the Son and Holy Spirit, making them indistinguishable from each other. The Team hopes it can emulate Abraham’s hospitality in such a way that visitors and parishioners will feel a genuine care and love towards them. We provide hospitality by providing some different food offerings in addition to the typical bread and pastry offerings, making sure coffee and other beverages are ready and that seating is available. We guide visitors through our procedures and try to make them feel comfortable and welcome. The team has adopted the practice to keep the kitchen neat and orderly, and makes sure that trash is emptied. Those wanting to join this important ministry are encouraged and welcomed to attend this meeting to learn more. | | |  | The Sisterhood will gather on Tuesday, January 31 at 6 pm in the Education Building to watch Man of God, the 2021 movie about St. Nektarios, and to enjoy a Mexican fiesta while watching the movie.
Sign up here to bring a dish: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904094EABAA28A1FE3-mexican The Sisterhood is planning another “Galentine” again this year, to be held (tentatively) on Monday, February 27. Pencil this in and watch for more information. All women of the parish are invited to be a part of this ministry that encourages fellowship and fosters meaning relationships among the women of the parish. | | FELLOWSHIP OF ST. NEKTARIOS MEETING JANUARY 24
The Fellowship of St. Nektarios will meet Tuesday, January 24 at 10am in the Church Education Building. Although a product of the original senior spirituality group, participants are not limited by age, only by our mission: The Fellowship of St. Nektarios is comprised of faithful Orthodox Christians who seek God daily, practice compassion to those in need, and keep the memory of St. Nektarios alive in church and home through growth in the practice and communicating of our faith. | | BIBLE STUDY UPDATE
This week the Bible Study group will be reading Acts 3 and 4. Commentary will be uploaded here: https://ststephensoca.org/ Bible Studies are held on Saturdays at 4:30pm and led by Connie Harper. The group meets at the picnic tables (or the Education Building if it is raining.) | | QUARTERLY WORK DAY JANUARY 21 |  | A work day is scheduled for Saturday, January 21 at 9am. Please come and pitch in for however long you can to beautify our parish inside and out! Please bring any cleaning supplies you can. Thank you! | | PLEDGE TO THE BUILDING FUND |  | | | PRAYER LIST
THOSE IN NEED: Tom (Lucas), Sandra, Eli (Russell), Rowena (Montague), Elena (Dimas), Fr. Stephanos, Richard (Kindell), Helene (Kindell), Joshua, Sheryl, Will (Brown), Raul (McDonald), Lavinia (Busch), Dave (Brown), Diane (Atkinson), Kristin (Brown), Cameron (Brown), Evdokia (Gloria) Malanowski, Gregory (Nescott), Joel (Nethery), Lenore (Prawlocki) MILITARY SERVERS: Christopher (Poupart)
NURSING HOME: Matushka Mary Milanovich, Xenia Vranesevich
HOME BOUND: Janet Altenhoff
EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Julie (Noe), Milena (Muresanu)
NEWLY DEPARTED: Barbara Lee (Harper), Charles CATECHUMENS
Stewart, Jamie, Todd, Nick, Estephany Please let Father know if there is anyone you would like to have prayed for and added to this list. Use this list in your daily prayers to remember those in need, and the faithful departed. Cards and well wishes can be sent to anyone on the list. | | BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays
22nd Anne van den Berg
23rd Brenda Thomas
24th Rosie Montague
25 Jessica Johnson
26 Tom Nikitas
Anniversaries
28th Yanick & Sharon Arakelov
God Grant Them Many Years! | | LIVES OF THE SAINTS
Read about the lives of the saints commemorated this Sunday on the Orthodox Church in America website here. | | BULLETIN DEADLINE REMINDER
Deadline for announcements for the weekly bulletin is by the end of day on Wednesdays. Bulletins are typically sent on Thursdays. Anything received after the deadline will appear in the following week’s bulletin. Email announcements to annmarie.mecera@gmail.com. Thank you! | | CLERGY & CONTACT INFORMATION
Orthodox Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr
Orthodox Church in America I Diocese of the South
1895 Lake Emma Road, Longwood, FL 32750
386-227-7056 https://ststephenoca.com/ Mailing Address: Orthodox Church of St Stephen,
P.O. Box 950209, Lake Mary, FL 32795 Fr. Daniel Hickman, Rector, 407-388-4241, frdaniel@ststephenoca.com
Fr. Deacon Mark Reudelhuber, 407-718-2549
dnmark@ststephenoca.com | Please contact Fr. Daniel Hickman for all pastoral issues, hospital visits, emergencies, etc. Please keep him abreast of any issues that come up. | | |
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