October 12, 2014 Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council Symeon the New TheologianProvos, Andronicus & Tarachos  ENTRANCE HYMNS Resurrectional Apolytikion - Tou Lithou Sfrayisthentos (“The Stone Had Been Sealed”) The Jews had sealed the stone that was set before Your Tomb and around Your Grave soldiers guarded Your Pure and Sacred Body, yet Savior You arose the third day and granted to the world Your gift of Life. For this do the powers of Heaven acclaim You the Life bestower. Glory to Your Resurrection and glory to Your Kingdom. Glory to Your dispensation, O only Friend of man. Apolytikion for the Fathers – Iperdhedhoxasmenos I, Christe (“Supremely blessed are You, O Christ”) Supremely blessed are You, O Christ our God. You established the holy Fathers upon the earth as beacons, and through them You have guided us all to the true Faith, O greatly merciful One, glory be to You. Apolytikion of St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape Greek Oς ελαία κατά καρπος ανεβλάστησας, έν ταίς ανλαίς του Κυρίου, Σοφία μάρτυς σεμνή, καί προσήγαγες Χριστώ καρπόν η δύτατον, τούς τής νηδύος σου βλαστούς, δί α γώνων εύαγων, Αγάπην τε καί `Ελπίδα σύν τη θεόφρονι Πίστει, μεθων δυσώπει υπέρ πάντων ήμων. English As an olive tree laden with fruit you sprouted forth, in the courtyards of the Lord, Sophia martyr dignified, and you brought to Christ a fruit most sweet, Namely your womb’s own sprouts, brought up by instructive deeds: your daughters Faith and Hope, along with God-minded Love; together intercede with God for us all. English Phonetics for Greek Os elea kata karpos anevlastisas, en tes avles tu Kyriou Sofia martys semni, ke prosigages Christo karpon idytaton, tus tis nidyos su vlastus, di’ agonon evagon, Agapin te ke Elpida, syn ti theofroni Pisti; meth’ on dysopi yper pandon imon. Seasonal Kontakion – Prostasia ton Christianon (“O unfailing protection of Christians”) O unfailing protection of Christians, and our faithful advocate before the Creator: though we are sinners, do not ignore our entreaty; but in your goodness, grant your timely help to us who appeal to you in faith. Quickly make intercession; on our behalf make speedy supplication, O Theotokos, for you always protect those who honor you. EPISTLE READING The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15 Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers. Verse: For you are just in all you have done. TITUS, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. Ἀνάγνωσις ἐπιστολῆς Πρὸς Τίτον 3:8-15 Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν. Στίχ. Ὅτι δίκαιος εἶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς ἐποίησας ἡμῖν. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις · μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔριν καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αιῥετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ ᾽ἐμοῦ πάντες. Ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. GOSPEL READING The Reading is from the Gospel of Luke 8:5-15 The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." CALLING ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS! The 2014/15 PanHellenic Scholarship Application is Here! The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation is proud to announce that its 2014/15 application is now available for eligible Greek American college students to apply. On June 20, 2015, the Foundation will distribute $250,000 in scholarship awards to 40 deserving undergraduates, as follows:   Twenty (20) Awards of $10,000 based on academic achievement and financial need Twenty (20) Awards of $2,500 based solely on academic achievement To apply, visit www.panhellenicscholarships.org to download the application or call 312-357-6432. Application deadline is January 31, 2015. ΕVΑΓΓÉΛΙΟΝ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 8.5-15 Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσε παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ κατεπατήθη, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατέφαγεν αὐτό· καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα· καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀκανθῶν, καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό. καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, καὶ φυὲν ἐποίησε καρπὸν κατονταπλασίονα. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. ᾿Επηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· τίς εἴη ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσι καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ συνιῶσιν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ παραβολή· ὁ σπόρος ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, εἶτα ἔρχεται ὁ διάβολος καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ πιστεύσαντες σωθῶσιν. οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι, μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται. τὸ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας πεσόν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, καὶ ὑπὸ μεριμνῶν καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου πορευόμενοι συμπνίγονται καὶ οὐ τελεσφοροῦσι. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. Philoptochos “Old Fashioned Bake Sale” Our Ladies’ Philoptochos will be participating in St. Sophia's Craft Show again this year with the theme of "Old Fashioned Bake Sale". This event is a great opportunity for you to help Philoptochos on your schedule. We are looking for baked goods to sell at the craft show on November 7-9. There's one catch...the sweets cannot be any of the delicious pastries that our sisters make each year for our festivals and craft show. So, that means, NO baklava, galaktoboureko, fenikia, kourambiedes, paximadia, koulourakia or tsoureki. Other than these few items, the options are unlimited! Please contact Cathy Zarcone (610-687-2735) to let her know what you are planning to make and drop off. Building Committee Update October 12, 2014 While many of our stewards and friends have been on vacation, many people vacationing in this area came to St. Sophia over this past summer. Our church is truly a shining beacon of our faith. And we have become a regional landmark as well! She should always remember to give thanks for our beautiful church and how much has been accomplished. Of course, no matter how much has been accomplished, the work to continue our progress goes on. The second phase of our iconography project has been completed. These include the icons of the Icon Screen, the Pulpit, the Bishop’s throne, and the large murals on the western wall. Many of the icons and artifact items are still available for sponsorship; please ask any member of the Parish Council or Fr. Peter if you wish to help and/or commemorate a loved one. The installation of the two mosaic medallions in the Narthex (entryway) and on the Solea in front of the altar has been completed, and they are just beautiful. In the Narthex, the floor medallion shows two peacocks drinking from a fountain. Peacocks were symbols of eternal life in the early Church. On the Solea, we installed the double headed eagle, the symbol of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the traditional symbol of the Byzantine Empire. In other exciting news, we recently ordered the new Narthex furnishings which will be carved by S. Kavroulakis Company of Chania, Crete; the same firm that carved our beautiful icon screen and other artifacts. It will take a few months for the artisans to complete their task and so we can expect delivery sometime in early February of 2015. Many of these items are available for sponsorship. On the chart below you can see the progress on our mortgage. If you still have an outstanding balance on your building pledge or can make a new pledge, please pay the amounts due to help your church reduce its debts. St. Sophia Church Mortgage The current mortgage balance as of as of 9/29/2014 is $1,429,598.92 Stewardship Update October 12, 2014 On September 1st we marked the start the new Ecclesiastical year. Summer is over, kids are back to school and people are returning from their vacations. As we begin the “new year”, now is a most appropriate time to make sure we return to church (for those we haven’t seen during the summer months). Also, as we gear up for the very busy fall, it is important to make sure we keep God in our schedules. Not just holy days and Sundays, but every day of the week To be considered a true steward of our faith, we need to LIVE the faith. True Stewardship begins with giving of our time-especially by attending services regularly—as well as volunteering (sharing our talents). God has blessed us all with many talents. We have many ministries that could use yours! There is always much to do. Your service is much appreciated! For those of us with children, we also need to make sure they become active in the faith as well and learn that our faith is even more important than fall sports!! Please register your children for Sunday school if you have not already. We would like to thank everyone who has supported our parish thus far in 2014 with your Time, Talent and Treasure. This has been a record breaking year for our parish based on the number of stewards, involvement in our many ministries and financially. We have many new families this year; it is great to see some many new faces become involved with the spiritual life of our community! If you have not yet become a steward for 2014, there is still time! Cards are available at the Pangari, in the Hall or by calling the Parish office at 610-650-8960. God Bless you! 2013 (Year End) 2014 (10/10/14) Pledge Unit Goal 230 240 Pledge $ Goal $200,000 $210,000 Number of Pledges 223 197 Amount Pledged $210,485 $205,101 Average Pledge $943.88 $1041.12 New Stewards 46 22 October 12, 2014 Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council Symeon the New TheologianProvos, Andronicus & Tarachos  Coffee Hour: Today’s coffee hour is sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. John and Lynn Pogas. Decorating for PTO Costume Party: This afternoon after coffee hour the PTO will be decorating the hall for the Costume Party this Saturday. All help is welcome and would be most appreciated! CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK Monday, Oct 13th Tuesday, Oct 14th Wed, Oct 15th Thurs, Oct 16th Friday, Oct 17th Saturday, Oct. 18th 9:00 am to 1:00 pm – Craft Fair Baking – Koulourakia/Paximadia 9:00 am to 1:00 pm – Craft Fair Baking – Koulourakia/Paximadia 9:00 am to 1:00 pm – Craft Fair Baking – Koulourakia/Paximadia 10:00 am to 12 noon – Senior Parea Meeting 7:00 pm – Great Vespers of Feast day of St. Luke @ St. Luke, Broomall 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy – Feast Day of St. Luke @ St. Luke, Broomall 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm – PTO Costume Party SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING SERVICES AND EVENTS Thurs, Oct 16th Sat, Oct. 18 Sat, Oct 18th Tues, Oct 21st Sun, Oct 26th Tues, Oct 28th 10 am to 12 noon – Senior Parea Meeting Feast day of St. Luke – To be celebrated at St. Luke, Broomall PTO Costume Party – 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm – Donation $7.00 7:00 pm – Adult Bible Study Fall General Assembly Meeting – after Divine Liturgy 5th Annual Metropolitan Evangelos Ambassador Awards Program 9:00 am Orthros; 10:00 am Divine Liturgy – Holy Protection of the Theotokos SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Update on Fr. Peter: Fr. Peter continues to heal at home several weeks after his automobile accident. He is working very hard with his physical therapy. He misses our parishioners and sends his love to everyone. Fr. Peter looks forward to returning to his pastoral duties here at St. Sophia Church as soon as he is able. Fr. Peter and his family would like to thank everyone for their concern and continued prayers. Keep sending cards, emails or best wishes to Fr. Peter in care of the Parish office. You can follow Fr. Peter’s progress by visiting the CaringBridge site. CaringBridge is a caring social network to help people stay connected with family and friends during a health event. You can visit Fr. Peter’s site to stay updated and share messages of encouragement and compassion in the Guestbook. Visit online at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/frpeterthornberg Site Name: frpeterthornberg In Case of Emergency: If you are having an extreme medical emergency and are in need of an Orthodox priest, please call the Parish office at 610-650-8960. Pastoral Visits - A Request to All Parishioners: If you desire a pastoral visit in case of a hospitalization, or for someone who is homebound, in a nursing facility, or in prison, please have an immediate family member notify the Parish office at 610-650-8960 so that a visit can be arranged. GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Senior Citizen Ministry: St. Sophia’s Senior Parea is open to all senior citizens of the community. After a summer break, the next meeting of the Senior Parea will be this Thursday, October 16th in the Cultural Center from 10:00 am to 12 noon. Movie Tavern Tickets: This is the fabulous movie theater in town that offers first run movies as well as an "in-house" dining experience. The Ladies’ Philoptochos is selling discounted MOVIE TAVERN movie tickets for $8.50 each. They can be used on any day and even for new releases. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Maria or Kathy Tsipras. For showtimes visit www.movietavern.com. For GIANT shoppers: We have enrolled in their Gift Card Program and the gift cards are on sale during coffee hour. If you are interested, please see Alexis Witt. SHOP-RITE Register Tapes: Don’t forget to save your Shop-Rite register tapes. We can only use receipts from any of the ten Brown’s stores located in: Bensalem PA, East Norriton, PA, Fairless Hills PA, Cheltenham, PA and in Philadelphia, PA, on Island Ave., Oregon Ave., 52nd & Parkside, Haverford Ave., and Ridge Ave. in the Roxborough section. They also have one store in Brooklawn, NJ. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Please submit receipts timely, only tapes from within 4 months of the transaction date are accepted. REDNER’S Register Tapes: We are now collecting Redner’s Market register tapes. Remember to use your Pump Perks card when making purchases. The drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Children’s Choir: Children’s choir practices take place on Sundays after Holy Communion. Children’s Choir performances will be held on the first Sunday of each month (11/2, 12/7, 1/4, 2/1, 3/1, etc.) Children should arrive at 9:45 am on those Sundays for a quick practice in the Cry/Bride room. Also, the Christmas Pageant will be on Christmas Eve again. Practices will be held during Sunday school. Dress rehearsals will be held after church on 12/7, 12/14 and 12/21. Permission slips will be distributed to the students. All children need to hand in a signed permission slip in order to be permitted to participate in the pageant. AHEPA “Basket-of-Cheer” Raffle: The Valley Forge Chapter of the Order of AHEPA will be holding a “Basket of Cheer” raffle on Sunday, November 16, 2014. Tickets are $5 for an arm’s length and are being sold in the back of the hall on Sundays. Winners need not be present to win. Proceeds will benefit AHEPA Chapter 432, to help further the chapter’s mission to support the St. Sophia Community and promote Greek culture and education. Please see Socratis Tsipras, Tom Novitski or any AHEPA member to purchase tickets. PTO Fall Costume Party: This year’s Fall Costume Party will take place this Saturday, October 18th, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Join us for Food, Fun and Games! Admission is $7.00.