PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS WELCOME to all who are visiting with us today! We hope you

will feel at home here and, if you do not already have a church

home, will consider becoming a part of the Saint Herman

Church community.

DID YOU GET A COPY OF THE BOOK: Family Based Youth

Ministry? If not, please ask Fr. Matthew for a copy. He is asking

that all adults in the parish read the book in order to better

understand how we can educate our children and cultivate a love

of God in their hear throughout the rest of their lives.

SITE AND BUILDING SURVEY DUE OCT 2 - Our site

committee has developed a simple survey that the parish council

approved. Please complete and return it by the end of

September. This is a great chance to give your opinion about the

future of the parish’s capital projects.

HURRICANE RELIEF - $401 collected the last three weeks.

For the next two weeks, we will take donations for Earthquake

Relief. If you want to write a check, please write “Earthquake

Relief” on the memo. Thank you for your generosity.

A NOTE REGARDING HOLY COMMUNION Welcome! In the Orthodox Church, reception of the Holy Eucharist is

reserved for baptized, chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared

by prayer, fasting and a recent confession. If you are visiting from a non-

Orthodox church or otherwise are not prepared to commune today, you are

welcome to receive some of the unconsecrated, blessed bread which the

acolytes are holding. We pray for all to be united in the Body and Blood of

Christ! If you would like to learn how you can enter into communion with

the Orthodox Church, please speak with our clergy.

SAINT HERMAN ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

PRIMATE and DIOCESAN HIERARCH

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOSEPH

PASTOR

Rev. Fr. Matthew Howell

DEACON

Rev. Dn. Thomas Ross

Contact Information 6988 N. En Dove Road

Wasilla, Alaska 99654 Pastor’s Phone: (907)373-5254

priest@sainthermanwasilla.org

www.SaintHermanWasilla.org

Proto-Martyr

Thekla;Venerable

Silouan of Athos

September 24, 2017

From Pascha Sunday to theSAINTS AND FEASTS OF THE DAY

Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross;

After-feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos

Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora of Bithynia;

Empress Pulcheria; Peter, bishop of Nicaea

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

“FOUNDATIONS OF THE ORTHODOX FAITH” Fr. Matthew’s catechism classes run Sundays from 12:15 – 12:45 in

the parish hall basement. All who can sit and listen are invited, even

the young folks who are interested in learning or the veteran

believers who want to refresh themselves on the Foundations of the

Orthodox Faith.

Class 3 today – finish terms and definitions

Class 4 Oct. 1 – First five chapters of On the Incarnation by St.

Athanasius the Great.

THIS WEEK’S SERVICES September 24 – October 1

Mon. Sept. 25 – 9:30am: Akathist to Mother of God, Nurturer of Children

followed by Ladies Coffee, Craft and Book group at 10am

Sat. Sept. 30 – 6:00pm: Great Vespers

Sun. Oct.1 – 9:00am: Orthros

Sun. Oct. 1 – 10:00am: Divine Liturgy

V

THE GOSPEL (CONTINUED)

THE EPISTLE

(For St. Thekla) God is wondrous among His saints. Bless ye God in the congregations.

The Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy.

(3:10-15)

Timothy, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my

aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my

persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium,

and at Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet from them all, the

Lord rescued me. Indeed, all, who desire to live a godly life in Christ

Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on

from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue

in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from

whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been

acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to instruct you

for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

THE GOSPEL

(For the First Sunday of Luke)

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (5:1-11)

At that time, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

And He saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of

them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats,

which was Simon’s, Jesus asked him to put out a little from the land.

And He sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when

Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep

and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master,

we toiled all night and took nothing! But at Thy word I will let down

the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal

of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their

partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and

filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon

Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me,

for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that

were with him, at the catch of fish, which they had taken; and so also

were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with

Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you

will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to

land, they left everything and followed Him.

A GOOD WORD

VITAMINS FOR THE SOUL “So, read the Fathers, even one or two lines a day. They are very

strengthening vitamins for the soul.” -- Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos

"Give your children a solid spiritual foundation, and they will be

content with whatever they have. Deprive them of a life in Christ,

and they will be miserable even in the midst of great wealth."

-- His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH

"Beloved Christians, you and your children shall appear at that

Judgment of Christ, and you shall give account for them to the

just Judge. He will not ask you whether you have taught you

children the arts or whether you have taught them to speak

French, or German, or Italian, but whether you have taught them

to live as Christians." -- St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

"The more I bow before the icon of Christ, or the Theotokos or of

any patron saint, it means that I am ready to humble myself and

liberate myself and free myself from all evil actions, thoughts and

behaviors." -- His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH

"In the Church, when we say we are a community, we do not

understand this in merely political or human terms, but rather that

we are a spiritual family of our Lord Jesus Christ." -- His

Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH

"The icons of the holy men and women reestablish and recover

souls that are weighed down by affliction and anguish. The saints

are like a cloud protecting those who are burned by the hot rays

of earthly afflictions." -- His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH

"The goal of reading is the application, in our lives, of what we

read. Not to learn it by heart, but to take it to heart. Not to

practice using our tongues, but to be able to receive the tongues

of fire and to live the mysteries of God." -- Elder Paisios the

Athonite

SAINTS AND FEASTS OF THE DAY

Proto-martyr Thekla, equal-to-the-Apostles & First Sunday of Luke;

Venerable Silouan of Athos; Commemoration of the wonder-working

icon of the Theotokos of the Myrtle Tree; New-martyr Ahmed;

Venerable Nicander of Pskov; the Synaxis of all saints of Alaska

SAINT HERMAN OF ALASKA ORTHODOX CHURCH 6988 N En Dove Rd - Wasilla, AK 99654

Reverend Matthew Howell, Pastor (907)373-5254

OCTOBER 2017Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Protection of the

Theotokos

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine

Liturgy

2 3 4

Fast

5 6

Fast

7

6:00pm GreatVespers

8

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine

Liturgy

9

Fr. Matthew to CAOctober 9 - 14

10 11

Fast

12 13

Fast

14

6:00pm ReaderVespers

No confessionsheard after Vespers

15

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine

Liturgy

16 17 18 St. Luke theEvangelist

Fast

19 20

Fast

21

6:00pm GreatVespers

22

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine

Liturgy

23 24 25

Fast

26 27

Fast

28

6:00pm GreatVespers

29

9:00am Orthros 10:00am Divine

Liturgy

30 31 Nov 1

Fast

Nov 2 Nov 3

6:00pm - Akathistto St. Raphael

Fast

Nov 4 St. Raphael of

Brooklyn

9:00am - DivineLiturgy for St.Raphael6:00pm GreatVespers

Please consult the Sunday bulletin for changes to the monthly calendar. Confessions heard after Vespers and by appointment.

“The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11: 26)

358 Mountain Road, P.O. Box 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 (201) 871-1355 T Archdiocese@antiochian.org (201) 871-7954 F

September 21, 2017 Leave-taking of the Elevation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross Beloved in Christ,

With Archpastoral love, I embrace all of you – my brother hierarchs, reverend clergy, and Christ-loving faithful. Once again, I write to you in the midst of tragedy, witnessing the results of the devastating earthquake that struck our brothers and sisters in Mexico. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, when “one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.”

When I reflect on the heartrending disasters of the last several weeks, I take heart that we have been commemorating the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. As we raise on high the Cross, we remember the sacrificial love of our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember how He transfigured that instrument of cruel torture and death into a “weapon of peace and trophy invincible.” We remember that the tears of mourning shed by the Ointment Bearing Women were transformed into inexpressible joy on the morning of Pascha.

As the Body of Christ, we do not lose hope in the face of suffering. Armed with the power of the Life-giving Cross, we follow the example of our Lord in our offering of sacrificial love to those in need, and in our co-working with Him, transfiguring life’s crosses into moments of grace-filled reconciliation between God and humanity, humanity and creation.

With all of the images of human suffering we have seen, let us not become desensitized to yet one more tragedy. Let us, taking our strength from this feast, renew our commitment to sacrificial and co-suffering love. Once again, I ask for your generosity towards our suffering brothers and sisters in Mexico. Once again, I ask you to offer fervent prayers on behalf of the suffering. We will have a special collection this Sunday – please mark the memo of your check with “Earthquake Appeal.”

As your Father in Christ, I have every confidence we will share the love and peace, hope and joy of our Savior during these trying times. Please assured of my own fervent, heartfelt prayers on behalf of all of you.

Your Father in Christ,

+JOSEPH Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA

His Eminence The Most Reverend

Metropolitan JOSEPH

Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of

All North America

Please complete and return this survey by Sunday October 1, 2017.

The purpose of this survey is to get a true understanding of everyone’s perspective on expanding

the church building. It is clear that our needs are changing, and that we might need more space,

whether that be a completely new building, expanding the current one, or even finding a new

piece of property that would better suit our needs. Whatever choice we make, we need to

continually pray that God’s Will be done in all of this. The sense of community we have in our

current location is a very special thing, but will that truly be lost if we do end up moving to a

different location? Where does community come from, is it just physical property location, or is

it something deeper? First and foremost, we do not want to lose what we have worked so hard

and struggled through so much to build. We are called to “make Disciples out of all Nations”,

but we also need to keep the sheep that are already here. We want to proceed with love and

understanding and above all the Will of God.

1) Do you see a need to have a new/larger church structure?

If yes, what type?

If yes, where should it be?

If yes, when?

2) What is your vision for the current parish location as our membership grows in numbers

and as our children grow to have children?

3) What is your opinion or concern of any or all of the potential changes?

YOU CAN HELP THE YOUTH GROUP OF SAINT HERMAN

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH EARN DONATIONS JUST BY

SHOPPING WITH YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD!

Every quarter Fred Meyer sends a check to our church, which gets deposited into

our Youth Group account to be used for camp and retreat scholarships and other

activities. Here is how you can support our youth group:

1. Go to www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards.

2. At the top right of the screen, click “Sign in” or “Register”

3. After signing in, click “Re-enroll or link your Rewards Card now” under the section

Are you a Fred Meyer Customer?

4. In the search box, enter 91379 or “Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church”

5. Click the button next to our church’s name, then click “Enroll.”

Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping the Youth

Group of Saint Herman Church earn a donation! You still earn your Rewards Points,

Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today. If you do not have a Rewards Card, it is

available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store. For more

information, please visit www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards.

Dates: July 4–8, 2018Venue: Red Lion Hotel on the RiverHosted by: St. George Antiochian Orthodox ChurchRoom rate: $129 (early bird)Hotel perks: Free high-speed Internet, free parking free shuttle to light rail station (easy access to downtown and other shopping areas—tax-free shopping!)

Here’s what people are saying about Portland:

2018 Parish Life ConferencePortland

Don’t Miss It!

“Best U.S. tourism destination” (U.S. Tourism Quality Performance Report)

“Food and drink capital of America” (London Telegraph)

“One of 10 best food cities in America” (Washington Post)

#1 on American Greenest Cities list (Travel + Leisure)

“Best food town” (Sunset)

Early Bird Ticket Book: $170 (adults)

$165 (teens)

$125 (children)

Room Rate: $129 (early bird—great rate for Portland)

Thursday Hospitality Night: Independence Day Party with Talent Show

Friday Night: Bible Bowl followed by Swing Dance and Dessert Reception

Saturday Morning: Brunch with Sayedna and Awards

Saturday Afternoon: Oratorical Contest and Choir Festival

Saturday Night: Hafli

Sunday: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy

2018 PLC in PortlandThe Highlights