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St. John the BaptiStGreek orthodox ChurCh
Witnessing the Truth of Apostolic Christianity
14485 SW Walker Road * Beaverton, OR 97006Office: 503.644.7444 Fax: 503.296.2507
E-mail: [email protected] * Parish Website: stjohngoc.orgNEW Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.February 2016VOL. X1X NO. 2
NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE PAIDBEAVERTON, ORPERMIT NO. 24
St. John the BaptiSt Greek orthodox ChurCh
14485 SW Walker road
Beaverton or 97006
change service requested
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The Church Office will be closed on
Monday, February 15th
for Presidents’ Day
On February 2nd, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of her twelve major feast days, The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple.
“Forty days after His birth the God-Infant was taken to the Jerusalem Temple, the center of the nation’s religious life. According to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple of God for forty days. At the end of this time the mother came to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb or pigeon to the Lord as a purification sacrifice. The Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, had no need of purification, since she had given birth to the Source of purity and sanctity without defilement. However, she humbly fulfilled the requirements of the Law.
At this time the righteous Elder Simeon (February 3) was living in Jerusalem. It had been revealed to him that he would not die until he should behold the promised Messiah. By inspiration from above, St Simeon went to the Temple at the very moment when the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Joseph had brought the Infant Jesus to fulfill the Law.
The God-Receiver Simeon took the divine Child in his arms, and giving thanks to God, he spoke the words repeated by the Church each evening at Vespers: “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
This practice of “churching” continues to this day in the Orthodox faith. The prayers contained in this
service are for both the mother, who has not attended since giving birth in order to allow for her body to heal and to bond with her child, and for the baby, who becomes a “periphery” member awaiting the great gift of holy Baptism. During the 40- day blessing, the
mother presents herself as ready to re-engage in the community, and she presents her child to the community for the first time. In both instances we have this “presentation” to Christ and to His Church, the faithful.
The presentation of our Lord in the Temple, and the presentation of children to the Church on their 40th day of life, affords us the opportunity to remember that each time we enter the church we are in fact “presenting” ourselves to the Lord. We are to come to His home bearing our hearts in hand, offering them to Christ as
the expression of our love and commitment to Him.
We also come offering Him our time and our attention to the words of the service. For what does it profit us if we go to the services and not give our attention to what is being said? When we are both physically present and mentally attentive, then we depart with St. Simenon’s words on our lips, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”
We also present ourselves in the offering of the Liturgy, when we present our gifts, the bread and the wine, which symbolize and contain our whole life, and we say to God, “Your own of Your own, we offer to You in all and for all.” Our Lord accepts these gifts and is well pleased with them. This moment in the Divine Liturgy has great depth as we give to God elements of the earth,
Presenting Ourselves to Christ
Father’s Message continued on Page 3
SENIOR LUNCHEONMonday, February 22nd
at 11:00 AM
Fr. Theodore will discuss Repentance and Confession
Our luncheons are potluck. Please bring your favorite dish to share!
Join Us for Basics of Orthodoxy Classes January 13th through March 9th 2016
Class begins at 7:00pm on Wednesdays January 13th Holy Trinity January 20th Anthropology January 27th Church History I February 3rd Church History II February 10th Church Architecture & Iconography February 17th The Divine Liturgy February 24th Holy Tradition March 2nd The Theotokos & Saints March 9th Orthodox Spirituality I
The Orthodox Faith traces back to the Apostolic times, after Christ's Resurrection. There are approximately 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and 1.3 percent of the population in the United States. Eastern
Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in Belarus, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine.
Come and learn more about the Orthodox Faith!
March 28th through April 18th 2016 During Lent, please join us for Great Compline at 6:00 pm
Classes will start immediately after service at 7:00pm on Mondays March 28th Orthodox Spirituality II April 4th Orthodox Spirituality III April 11th Holy Mysteries I April 18th Holy Mysteries II
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
14485 SW Walker Rd, Beaverton OR 97006
503.644.7444 www.stjohngoc.org
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Feb. 1 – St. Brigid of KildareKathleen Brigid Powell
Feb. 2 - Anna the ProphetessJillian Walsh
Feb. 3 - St. Simeon the God-receiver, St. Eia, St. Nicholas of JapanEia Hailey
Simeon MuzikWayne (Nicholas) Olson
Feb. 6 – St. Julian of HomsJulian Theodore Smith
Feb. 8 – St. Theodore the General, St. ZachariasFr. Theodore Dorrance
Wade (Theodore) ChosvigZacharias Ketrenos
Zeb (Theodore) Hyde
Feb. 9 – St. ApolloniaCarri (Apollonia) Benson
Feb. 17 – St. Theodore of TyreTheodore Deming
Feb. 18 – St. LeoMonya (Leo) Martushev
Feb. 26 – St. PhotiniFotini Dorrance
Feb. 29 - St. John CassianCassian Contes
St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox
Church
Rev. Fr. Theodore L. Dorrance, Priest Rev. Fr. Timothy Pavlatos, Priest
Fr. Innocent Duchow-Pressley, DeaconArgero Hall, Parish Administrator
2016 Parish CouncilErik Chosvig
Robert CrosbyJohn Davis, PresidentArthur “Ted” Deming
Karen Keese, Treasurer Mark LindgrenDemetri Mirras
Niko Poulos, Stewardship ChairSteve Roth
Kent Taylor, Vice PresidentGregory Walsh, Secretary
Joe Weick
Sunday SchoolJessie Crosby
Logos BookstoreAgape Ketrenos - Director
Paraskevi Whitton - Co-Director
Philoptochos Pres. Stacey Dorrance - Membership
Sandy Duchow-Pressley - Vice PresidentEleni Goldman - President
Colleen Van Sickle - Treasurer
Hospitality Stephanie Makarounis
Patricia Poulos
Moms & Tots Athena Gonzales Kendall Muzik
Church MusicPresvytera Stacey Dorrance
Altar BoysTobias Armstrong
Demetrius Van Sickle Barry Ketrenos
Dn. Innocent Duchow-Pressley
BookkeepingKathleen Ketrenos
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Articles & Announcements Wednesday, February 10th
For the March Newsletter
...to those celebrating Wedding Anniversaries:Michael & Donna Chan - 39 years
Meles Hagos & Genet Gebreeyesus - 20 yearsJohn & Jennifer Davis - 16 years
Norm & Eleni Goldman - 12 yearsDino & Maria Ramzi - 10 years
Memory Eternal:
Constantine Davis - 27 yearsParissis Roussos - 23 years
Christos Maletis Jr. - 7 years
*Please notify the church office if your feast or anniversary was not listed.
Many Years! XPONIA POLLA! MANY YEARS!.....to those celebrating their Feastday in February:
Immediate Opening! Agia Sophia Academy is seeking a K/1 teacher to teach the remainder of this school year. Full and Part-time options available. Due to the immediacy of this job opening, please email a letter of interest, and resume: [email protected]. To find out more visit http://www.asapdx.org/about-us/employment.
Stewardship Snapshot2015 Final Numbers
Total Stewards: 108Total amount pledged $395,503Total amount received $427,647
2016 Beginning Numbers(as of 1/13/2015)
Total Stewards: 97Total amount Pledged: $405,834
2016 amount Pledged breakdown-
$0-$100: 3 families$201-$500: 13 families$501-$1000: 9 families
$1001-$3000: 23 families$3001-$6000: 23 families$6001-$9000: 11 families
$9001+: 12 families
If you haven’t already- turn in your 2016 pledge card to the Parish Administrator or a member of
the Stewardship Committee
The Strategic Plan Committee is Getting Organized
We’ve decided on a regular monthly meeting date and have developed two sub-teams.
One team will focus on ways to assess where we are today in the context of our church community, our local community and within the Metropolis. Expect to see information about a survey and other opportunities for input early next year [that is now planned for April]. This information will form the basis for our plan for the future of our parish.
The other team will be planning how to communicate with you! We expect there to be many opportunities for input from the parish and several methods to communicate. One will be a regular report in the monthly newsletter. We expect to develop some standard formats for our communication materials -- but we’re not quite there yet.
Father Daughter Dance
Join us for our annual
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Father Daughter Dance Saturday, March 5, 2016
7:00 PM
Cost is $20.00/family
For more information, contact
Nick Mallos
(971) 563-0246
Pan-Orthodox Young Adults~ Orthodoxy on Tap ~
Tuesday, February 9thSpeaker: Fr. Paul Paris
Tuesday, March 8thSpeaker: Abbot Tryphon
6:30-7:00 PM - Socialize7:00 PM - Discussion w/ Guest Speaker
at the Lucky Lab Brewpub915 SE Hawthorne Blvd
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from which we too have our origin, and He in His loving kindness, receives them in His heavenly altar, changes them into His Body and Blood and then returns them to us as the Food of Immortality. We offer him wheat and grapes, and in exchange, He gives us provisions for eternal life!
What can we give to the Lord that is of any significance? What can we offer to Him that is of any substance? There is nothing that we can present to Him in exchange for what He offers us. Yet, despite this reality, He does ask something from us, though He is in need of nothing. He wants our hearts! (Cf. Prov. 23:26). He desires our salvation and yet He knows that this is in part up to us. The free will that has been given to us, we must exercise by opening our hearts inviting Christ to come in and dwell within us. This is a conscious choice and an ongoing exercise. Each day as we rise from sleep we must present our self to Christ: “I am yours; save me” (Ps. 118: 94). Throughout each day we must present our self to Christ: “Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.” (Ps. :2). And when we go to sleep at night, we must present our self to Christ: “I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches” (Ps. 62:6).
Finally, we present our self to the Lord with each encounter we have with all other people. How we speak, how we conduct our self, how we respond to others all reflects how we are presenting our self before the Lord. This is why every thought, every word, every gesture, every action is our presentation to the Lord.
What an opportunity we have to offer our self to Christ our Lord every day, from morning to night. We have many hours each day to present our self and to show our gratitude to God. However, this will require a shift in our thinking, because we are not trained to think in these terms. Our mind typically surrenders itself to the thousands of thoughts that flood our mind every minute, so we must be intentional in this endeavor. We must practice putting the Lord before our eyes upon waking and keeping Him there throughout the day, mediating on His teachings, as the King David says. Only then will we offer our Lord our hearts undivided, and experience the Peace from above that bathes us with joy, the same joy the Righteous Simeon felt when he took the infant Jesus into his arms.
With love in Christ,Fr. Timothy
Father’s Message continued from Front Page
We look forward to spending a fun and classy evening full of fellowship and fondue together!
Look for the membership table during coffee hour!
Women of St. John the Baptist, You are invited to the Kick-off Philoptochos Gathering on Thursday, March 3rd at 7pm
Why attend this Kick-off event?
Become a member to submit and vote on our Chapter’s Patron Saint
Help select the ministries we will support
Offer your unique talents to our Chapter
Bond as sisters in Christ
Philoptochos
Oratorical Festival Rehearsal Breakfast
Saturday, February 20th at 9 a.m.Please come practice giving your speeches!
Breakfast will be provided, including homemade cinnamon rolls!
2016 Oratorical FestivalSaturday, March 5th
3 p.m. Jr. Division Speeches 4 p.m. Potluck Dinner
5 p.m. Vespers6 p.m. Sr. Division Speeches
Awards Ceremony Sunday, March 6th
immediately following LiturgyPlease come support our middle and senior high school
students as they share their speeches with us!
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Meet Our 2016 Parish Council
Robert Crosby
Karen Keese, Treasurer
Niko Poulos, Stewardship Chair
Gregory Walsh, Secretary
John Davis, President
Mark Lindgren
Steve Roth
Joe Weick
Erik Chosvig
Arthur “Ted” Deming
Demetri Mirras
Kent Taylor, Vice President
March 11 - 12, 2016 Fri: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sat: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
(including lunch)
REGISTRATION REQUIRED Cost: $20 per person for 2-day session or Saturday ONLY $10 per person for Friday evening ONLY
The registration form and payment options can be found on the Parish website: http://stjohngoc.org/major-upcoming-events/ Please register no later than Friday, February 26, 2016.
For questions, text or leave a voice message for Sylvia at (503)399-0428 The Logos Bookstore will be open Friday evening and Saturday before and
after each of the retreat talks and during all breaks.
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church - 14485 SW Walker Rd, Beaverton, OR.
You do not need to be married to attend, nor do you need to be Orthodox to attend.
All are Welcome!
Rev. Dn. Stephen Muse, PhD is a pastoral counselor and marriage and family therapist who serves as Director of Education and Training at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, Georgia where he also directs the Clergy-in-Kairos program, a personalized week-long crisis intervention and intensive retreat for clergy (and spouse) renewal. Dr. Muse has taught and led professional workshops internationally and throughout the U.S. in areas of his specialties which include: Orthodox Christian spirituality, marriage as a spiritual path, healing from trauma, combat and moral injury, and care for the caregiver (clergy and helping professionals’ burnout). He is the author of Being Bread, Beside Still Waters, Raising Lazarus, and When Hearts Become Flame. Dn. Muse and his wife Claudia have four adult children, and three grandchildren.
A Talk and Conversation on Marriage with Dn. Stephen Muse, PhD
“Turning to Christ Together: Marriage as a Spiritual Path”
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Tickets available at www.stjohngoc.org and at the door. Bring your friends—all are welcome!
$15/person$50/familyFor chili, cornbread, slaw, dessert and a good time! Beer, wine and soda for sale.
Contestant Guidelines and
Registration available online.
Registration closes Sunday, Feb. 7th.
Join us for a family-friendly celebration of great food with a dash of competition. Beer, wine and soda for sale. Vote for your favorite chili and
play Heads or Tails to win cash prizes. Stop by for a bite or come for the whole evening!
Sunday, February 21, 20165-8 p.m.
The great St. John Chili Cook-Off
All proceeds go to the Building Fund to help fulfill our parish vision to build a Byzantine-style Orthodox Christian church and supporting facilities on Portland’s westside. Learn more at www.stjohngoc.org or scan here
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church is at 14485 SW Walker Road in Beaverton, Oregon.
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DATESNACK
PROSFORA Loaves (delivered day before)
PARISH COUNCIL Greeters
CHURCHFLOW
ERS CLEAN-
UP ALTARBOYS
Monday,February1,2016MeetingoftheLord
Makarounis(2)
Sunday,February7,2016Patzke
Becker(4)/Downs(2)
Walsh/W
eickReiter
Hudanish/Muzik
Team6
TeamD
Monday,February8,2016St.TheodoretheGeneral
Hailey(2)
Sunday,February14,2016Rich
Wehlitz(4)/Blankenstein
(2)Poulos/Lindgren
BensonMirras/Stinm
anTeam
7Team
E
Sunday,February21,2016
ChanBarnes(4)/Poulos(2)
Lindgren/CrosbyBlankenstein
Poulos/BradenTeam
8Team
A
Sunday,February28,2016
BarnesMirras(4)/Davis(2)
Walsh/Keese
BeckerTrum
power/Chosvig
Team9
TeamB
Saturday,March5,2016
Duchow
‐Pressley(2)
Sunday,M
arch6,2016Walsh
Goldman(4)/M
akarounis(2)Chosvig/M
irrasChosvig
Makarounis/Patzke
Team10
TeamC
Saturday,March12,2016
Hailey(2)
Sunday,March13,2016
Weick
Poulos(4)/Becker(2)Keese/W
alshGoldm
anWilson
Team1
TeamD
Clean-up Team 1: Becker, Armstrong, Benson, Lowe, Whitton, Marine, Leslie, Mirras, Maletis Clean up Team 2: Wood, Barnes, Morgan, Powell, Stinman, Gillespie, Muzik, Poulos N & A Clean up Team 3: Cherry, Makarounis, Chiprout, Knight, Chosvig, Poulos J & P, Contes, Dorrance Clean up Team 4: Corazza, Trumpower, Buckley, Williams/Teeney, Soot, Ketrenos B & A, Dunfield, Gonzales, Ramzi Clean up Team 5: Walsh, Daniels, Hudanish T, Keese, Chan, Olson, Ntatsos, Kolpakov, Clary Clean up Team 6: Ketrenos J & K, Lubliner E, Lubliner D & J, Lubliner N, Goldman, Thienes, Tesfamicael, Taylor, Hatch Clean up Team 7: Gebrehiwot, Hailey, Jungwirth, Deming, Russo, Walters, Hall I, Stebner, Dale Clean up Team 8: Patske, Rich, McKenzie, Reiter, Downs, Ionescu, Walker, Hafez Clean up Team 9: Feyler, Jones/Kuchillis, Lindgren, Rush, Wehlitz, Solomon, Mansager, Crosby, Gebreeyseus Clean up Team 10: Wilson, Blankenstein, Hudanish P & J, Hills, Braden, Perlmutter N & D, Stovea, Breen
Team A: Samuel, Zacharias, Nathan, Elias, Gavin, Tasso Team B: Anthony, Christos, Stathi, Nicholas, Makarios, Nicolas Team C: Tobias, Kyle, Levi, Aiden, Thomas, Petros, Gabriel Team D: Demetrius Constantine, Athanasios, Basil, Wade, Owen, Simon Team E: Alexander, Gabriel, Yoas, Pavlos, Noah, Peter
Altar Boys Clean-Up Teams
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Supper for 6
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Logos Bookstore
As you may have noticed, the “Introduction to Orthodoxy” table at the Logos Bookstore has been growing steadily in recent years and months. This is a truly beautiful time to be exploring Orthodoxy—whether as an inquirer or a “cradle” Orthodox who wants to dig a little deeper—
as more and more works are being written and/or translated into English. But this explosion of reading material may also prove a source of anxiety for many. I remember my own days as an inquirer. My initial questions were basic: “What is Orthodoxy? Where is it? What does it look like? Why haven’t I heard of it until now? What does the Orthodox Church believe? How is it different from other forms of Christianity?” I didn’t want a list of 10 books; I wanted one good book that would point me in the direction of what to read and do next. I have spoken to many other inquirers since then, and many of them say the same thing. We are all busy, and the books we choose to read are a sacrifice of precious time. So, whether you are an inquirer, already Orthodox or looking for a book to recommend to an inquiring friend—how do you choose a book that counts?
Despite the best efforts of authors and the demands of their readers, there
is no single, perfect introduction to Orthodoxy. Many different types of people come to the Church for many different reasons. One book might speak directly to the heart of one reader while it leaves another completely bored and unsatisfied. For that reason, I will present here two very different but reputable introductions to Orthodoxy and give a few of their pros and cons.
The standard text for many, many years has been Metropolitan Kallistos Ware’s The Orthodox Church. (It is so old, in fact, that you will find it under Met. Kallistos’ former name, Timothy Ware, in the bookstore.) This was the first book I ever read about Orthodoxy, and I found it incredibly helpful. Met. Kallistos’ approach is that of a “big picture” survey: academic, objective, structured and historical. The book could easily be used as a text book for a college introduction to Orthodoxy, and Met. Kallistos gives voice to both Eastern and Western views of things, as well as both “liberal” and “conservative” sides of many issues within Orthodoxy. The first half of the book is devoted to the structure and history of the Orthodox Church, while the second half covers basic theological issues such as Christology, ecclesiology, the Sacraments and prayer. So, if you or someone you know is more of a “left brain”-type or history buff who needs the basic framework of cold, hard facts before proceeding to a more experiential approach, this book might be a good place to start.
For those more intuitive “right brain”-types, however, Kh. Frederica Mathewes-Green’s new Welcome to the Orthodox Church is almost certainly the book read. If Met. Kallistos’ book is a classroom lecture, then Mathewes-Green takes the class on a field trip and guided tour of lived Orthodoxy. The approach is personal, conversational in tone, and experiential. The book is set up as a series of visits to a fictional Orthodox parish and is written in an almost stream-of-conscious style, as the author takes the reader by the hand and points out the various sights, sounds and smells that s/he
encounters as s/he first enters the church and subsequently attends different services throughout the liturgical year. Each experience along the way—from observing the candles when first entering the narthex, to the content of the chanting, to discussions with parishioners during coffee hour—opens the door for Mathewes-Green to explain aspects of theology, Church history and personal piety. The seemingly scattershot order of the topics may prove confusing to some, but by the end of the book the reader has encountered a vast (and surprisingly deep) tapestry of the richness of Orthodox life and worship. As much as I benefitted from Met. Kallistos’ book several years ago, I found this new introduction to be very refreshing and edifying. I have also heard from a recent inquirer that this was the first and only introduction to Orthodoxy that “made sense” to her.
In the final analysis, we are deeply blessed to have both of these
books—and a great many others. Each fits a certain need for a certain type of individual. I hope this little introduction to the Introduction Table has at least made it a little easier to decide which book is a good fit for you or someone you know. “Come and read!”
“Come and Read!” - An Introduction to IntroductionsBy Chad Marine